Analysis-US rate check masks stiff hurdle to coordinated yen intervention
US interest rate analysis poses a significant challenge for coordinated yen intervention efforts
Millions celebrate national day in Australia as heatwave warnings issued
Australian authorities have issued heatwave warnings for most of the country as millions celebrate Australia Day.
Temperatures are expected to peak on Tuesday, reaching the “high forties” Celsius in the southern states of Victoria and South Australia, the Bureau of Meteorology said.
On Sunday, South Australia recorded temperatures as high as 48.5C, according to the bureau, which is warning of fire danger in parts of the country.
Some national day celebrations on Monday have been cancelled out of safety concerns.
In Adelaide, an Australia Day parade and light show have been cancelled due to the extreme heat forecast.
“While this is deeply disappointing for the community, performers and partners, community safety and wellbeing must come first,” organisers said.
Australia Day – 26 January – is the anniversary of the 1788 landing of Britain’s First Fleet, which began the era of colonisation.
But to many Indigenous Australians the occasion is a reminder of their cultural destruction under European settlers – referring to the occasion as “Invasion Day”.
Across the country on Monday, crowds gathered for rallies in support of Indigenous Australians.
Aside from Victoria and South Australia, heatwave warnings have also been issued in New South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania, Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory.
Many of these warnings will remain in place until Wednesday.
“We haven’t seen heatwave conditions like this in Victoria for almost 20 years,” Tim Wiebusch, Victoria’s emergency management commissioner, told ABC.
“It was 2009 ahead of the bushfires where we saw those prevailing conditions and so we are indicating to all Victorians that this is a very serious set of weather conditions.”
On Monday, the Bureau of Meteorology warned of “extreme fire dangers” across parts of South Australia and much of south-western Victoria “due to very hot and dry weather combined with moderate to gusty winds”.
Firefighters in Victoria are working to combat several fires across the state, which have prompted evacuations and threatened properties.
The heat has also affected the Australian Open at Melbourne Park. Tennis player Jannik Sinner was seen suffering from cramps on the court on Saturday, before play was temporarily suspended in the rising heat. Nearly 80,000 fans were warned to take care under the scorching sun.
Meanwhile, parts of Western Australia were pummelled by Tropical Cyclone Luana over the weekend. The storm damaged homes and a popular beach resort before weakening as it moved inland.
The meteorological bureau has advised people to find places to keep cool, like their homes, libraries, community centres or shopping centres. It also told people to close their windows and draw the curtains to keep heat out of their homes.
Icon of a Downward Arrow Button
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Sunday his country has no intention of pursuing a free trade deal with China. He was responding to U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to impose a 100% tariff on goods imported from Canada if America’s northern neighbor went ahead with a trade deal with Beijing.
Carney said his recent agreement with China merely cuts tariffs on a few sectors that were recently hit with tariffs.
Trump claims otherwise, posting that “China is successfully and completely taking over the once Great Country of Canada. So sad to see it happen. I only hope they leave Ice Hockey alone! President DJT”
The prime minister said under the free trade agreement with the U.S. and Mexico there are commitments not to pursue free trade agreements with nonmarket economies without prior notification.
“We have no intention of doing that with China or any other nonmarket economy,” Carney said. “What we have done with China is to rectify some issues that developed in the last couple of years.”
In 2024, Canada mirrored the United States by putting a 100% tariff on electric vehicles from Beijing and a 25% tariff on steel and aluminum. China had responded by imposing 100% import taxes on Canadian canola oil and meal and 25% on pork and seafood.
Breaking with the United States this month during a visit to China, Carney cut its 100% tariff on Chinese electric cars in return for lower tariffs on those Canadian products.
Carney has said there would be an initial annual cap of 49,000 vehicles on Chinese EV exports coming into Canada at a tariff rate of 6.1%, growing to about 70,000 over five years. He noted there was no cap before 2024. He also has said the initial cap on Chinese EV imports was about 3% of the 1.8 million vehicles sold in Canada annually and that, in exchange, China is expected to begin investing in the Canadian auto industry within three years.
Trump posted a video Sunday in which the chief executive of the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers’ Association warns there will be no Canadian auto industry without U.S. access, while noting the Canadian market alone is too small to justify large scale manufacturing from China.
“A MUST WATCH. Canada is systematically destroying itself. The China deal is a disaster for them. Will go down as one of the worst deals, of any kind, in history. All their businesses are moving to the USA. I want to see Canada SURVIVE AND THRIVE! President DJT,” Trump posted on social media.
Trump’s post on Saturday said that if Carney “thinks he is going to make Canada a ‘Drop Off Port’ for China to send goods and products into the United States, he is sorely mistaken.”
“We can’t let Canada become an opening that the Chinese pour their cheap goods into the U.S,” U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on ABC’s “This Week.”
“We have a (United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement), but based off — based on that, which is going to be renegotiated this summer, and I’m not sure what Prime Minister Carney is doing here, other than trying to virtue-signal to his globalist friends at Davos.”
Trump’s threat came amid an escalating war of words with Carney as the Republican president’s push to acquire Greenland strained the NATO alliance.
Carney has emerged as a leader of a movement for countries to find ways to link up and counter the U.S. under Trump. Speaking in Davos before Trump, Carney said, “Middle powers must act together because if you are not at the table, you are on the menu” and he warned about coercion by great powers — without mentioning Trump’s name. The prime minister received widespread praise and attention for his remarks, upstaging Trump at the World Economic Forum.
Trump’s push to acquire Greenland has come after he has repeatedly needled Canada over its sovereignty and suggested it also be absorbed into the United States as a 51st state. He posted an altered image on social media this week showing a map of the United States that included Canada, Venezuela, Greenland and Cuba as part of its territory.
Taylor Clements, a finalist in the Winter Juniors ‘A’ division, commits to West Virginia for the 2026-27 season.
Fitter and Faster Swim Camps is the proud sponsor of SwimSwam’s College Recruiting Channel and all commitment news. For many, swimming in college is a lifelong dream that is pursued with dedication and determination. Fitter and Faster is proud to honor these athletes and those who supported them on their journey.
Winter Juniors ‘A’ finalist Taylor Clements has announced her commitment to swim for West Virginia University beginning in the fall of 2026. She publicized the news on Instagram, writing:
Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve always had the dream to swim in college. Today, I made that happen. I have decided I will be continuing my academic and athletic career at West Virginia University. God has truly blessed me with a talent that I could never be grateful enough for. Thank you to all my family, coaches, and friends. And most importantly, thank you GOD for making this all come true. Go Mountaineers!
A senior at the West Florida School of Advanced Technology in Pensacola, Florida, Clements has been a member of the Jaguars’ swimming and diving team since her freshman year. In addition to competing for her high school team, she currently trains year-round with Greater Pensacola Aquatic Club, where she primarily specializes in sprint freestyle and breaststroke.
Clements has improved steadily throughout high school, and 2025 saw her take a significant leap in sprint freestyle, dropping from 23.48 to 23.14 in the 50 free and 51.93 to 50.81 in the 100 free. She also lowered her personal best in the 100 breast, dropping from 1:02.00 to 1:01.82.
“Taylor has always had a great feel for the water and a need for speed,” GPAC head coach Greg Johnson said on the team’s website. “I am really excited to watch her join the ranks of NCAA Division I swimmers and see where she goes from here.”
At the FHSAA 2A State Championships in November, she capped her high school career with two individual titles, winning the 50 free in 23.14 and the 100 breast in a season-best 1:02.47. Those wins improved on her pair of runner-up finishes as a junior, continuing a progression that included a bronze medal in the 100 breast and fourth place in the 200 IM as a sophomore, and seventh place in the 100 breast and ninth in the 200 IM as a freshman.
Most recently, Clements competed at Winter Juniors East, her second time qualifying for the meet. She made the ‘A’ final of the 100 breast and placed eighth in 1:02.10 after producing her current best time in prelims. It was her first time making a championship final, as a year prior, she finished ninth in prelims with her previous PB, before going on to take 15th. She also placed 30th in the 50 free (23.14), 64th in the 100 free (51.21), and 108th in the 100 back (1:01.18).
Clements’ best time in the 100 free (50.81) came at the NCSA Spring Championships last March, where she also finished seventh in the 50 breast (28.81), 11th in the 100 breast (1:02.34), and 14th in the 50 free (23.38). It marked her best performance at the meet to date, following her first qualification in 2024 when she placed 24th in the 100 breast and 35th in the 50 breast.
Outside of short course swimming, Clements qualified for Junior Nationals last summer, placing 13th in the 50 breast (32.33), 32nd in the 100 breast (1:12.35), 74th in the 50 free (26.89), and 155th in the 50 fly (29.70), all in best times.
Top SCY Times:
- 50 Freestyle: 23.03
- 100 Freestyle: 50.81
- 100 Breaststroke: 1:01.82
A Division I program, West Virginia competes in the Big 12 Conference, with the Mountaineer women placing ninth out of 10 teams at the 2025 Big 12 Conference Championships. To make the ‘C’ finals at last season’s meet, it took times of 23.17/59.48 in the 50/100 free and 1:02.41 in the 100 breast, putting Clements in scoring range in the 50 free and 100 breast.
On the team itself, Clements would rank first in the 50 free and 100 breast and second in the 100 free based on times from both last season and the current 2025-26 season. As the fastest incoming recruit in the 50 free, 100 free, and 100 breast, she’ll be a pivotal addition to the Mountaineers’ dual meet lineup and sprint relays. With top 100 freestyler Gabriela Martin De La Torre graduating in May, Clements will be the team’s go-to multi-event sprinter from the jump.
The full list of recruits currently set to join Clements in Morgantown next fall includes Aivleen Walsh, Abby Hill, Maggie Wright, Ireland Gilligan, Scoutyn Jackson, Gabriella Marim, Rowan Baglole, and Evelyn Quick, all of whom should make for strong training partners over the next four years.
If you have a commitment to report, please send an email with a photo (landscape, or horizontal, looks best) and a quote to [email protected].
About the Fitter and Faster Swim Tour
Fitter & Faster Swim Camps feature the most innovative teaching platforms for competitive swimmers of all levels. Camps are produced year-round throughout the USA and Canada. All camps are led by elite swimmers and coaches. Visit fitterandfaster.com to find or request a swim camp near you.
FFT SOCIAL
Instagram – @fitterandfasterswimtour
Facebook – @fitterandfastertour
Twitter – @fitterandfaster
FFT is a SwimSwam partner.
Human Rights Group Reports Venezuela Releases 104 Political Prisoners
A human rights lawyer and a communications student are among those freed, Caracas-based Foro Penal says.
Published On 26 Jan 2026
Authorities in Venezuela have freed more than 100 people listed as political prisoners, according to a rights group, including a lawyer who was imprisoned in 2024 after visiting clients at a detention facility.
The Caracas-based Foro Penal said at least 104 prisoners were released on Sunday and that the number could rise.
Recommended Stories
list of 4 itemsend of list
It said one of its lawyers, Kennedy Tejeda, and a communications student, Juan Francisco Alvarado, were among those freed from detention.
Tejeda, a lawyer and human rights activist, had been last seen on August 2, 2024, when he visited a detention centre in Carabobo state to provide legal assistance to political prisoners, according to the NGO.
“Our dear comrade Kennedy Tejeda, lawyer, human rights defender, political prisoner in Tocorón since August 2, 2024, has been released from prison. Now back at home with his family,” Foro Penal’s executive director, Alfredo Romero, said in a statement on social media.
“We continue verifying other releases,” Romero added. “It would be ideal for the government to publish lists of releases.”
Gonzalo Himiob, Foro Penal’s vice president, said the number of releases was “non-definitive” and could increase.
Venezuelan acting President Delcy Rodriguez promised to release prisoners detained under Nicolas Maduro, in her first media briefing after the former leader’s abduction by US special forces earlier this month.
Rodriguez said the move to free hundreds of prisoners, many of whom were picked up in a crackdown on dissent following Maduro’s refusal to concede the 2024 presidential election, marked the beginning of a “new political moment” that allowed greater political and ideological diversity.
The Venezuelan government has announced the release of more than 600 prisoners in recent weeks, including Rafael Tudares Bracho, the son-in-law of Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez.
Rights groups have disputed the government’s figures, with Foro Penal estimating that only about half as many people have been released as claimed by the authorities.
Rodriguez said in a speech broadcast on state television last week that she would speak to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, on Monday to request the UN to confirm the figures.
Foro Penal said there were 777 political prisoners in Venezuelan jails as of January 19.
Human trials begin for new CRISPR therapy to reduce cholesterol
A new CRISPR-based one-off procedure that lowers “bad” cholesterol has been approved to enter Phase I human trial. If successful, it could be the first approved genetic-silencing method on the market, replacing the need for long-term medication and slashing the risk of cardiovascular disease.
There are high hopes for US biotech company Scribe Therapeutics‘ STX-1150 treatment, which epigenetically silences the PCSK9 gene in the liver to reduce low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). This is, of course, not the first of its kind – we wrote about Verve Therapeutics’ effort in 2023 and CRISPR Therapeutics’ CTX310 candidate more recently. However, they’re both still in their trial stages.
STX-1150 targets hypercholesterolemia, a key driver of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). It epigenetically silences PCSK9 to reduce LDL-C without making any permanent DNA changes.
“We designed STX-1150 to overcome many of the limitations of today’s lipid-lowering therapies through powerful epigenetic silencing, and to meaningfully change how cardiovascular risk is managed for millions of patients,” said Scribe CEO Dr. Benjamin Oakes.
Instead of cutting or permanently altering DNA, STX-1150 essentially installs modifications and DNA methylation marks at the PCSK9 locus in liver cells, which silences gene expression in a way that can be reversed if needed.
In the field of medical science, CRISPR is still in its infancy – major breakthroughs were seen in 2019, and last year it was used for the first time to successfully treat a baby with an incurable genetic illness. In 2024, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a groundbreaking CRISPR/Cas9 therapy for sickle cell disease, showing just how quickly the technology is advancing. And while this precision medicine is seen by many as the future of disease treatment, it still faces a lot of regulatory and ethical challenges.
It also faces accessibility hurdles – the sickle cell disease therapy Casgevy costs an estimated US$2.2 million per patient, which is out of reach of most of us. A successful treatment for cardiovascular disease would remove the cost of ongoing medication to manage conditions such as high LDL-C, but the question remains whether the 70 million Americans estimated to have chronically high cholesterol would have access to this one-off therapy once approved.
That said, penicillin wasn’t cheap when it first hit the market in 1940, costing the equivalent of around $400 per dose. And an approved CRISPR therapy for LDL-C has the potential to be the first of many such treatments that shift its accessibility. After all, biotechnology and personalized medicine is considered to be the future of medicine. We just have to get there first.
“Entering the clinic with STX-1150 represents a defining moment for Scribe and the wider genetic medicine field,” said Oakes. “Scribe has been engineering CRISPR-based medicines with the potency, specificity, and durability profile that can elevate the current standard of care, particularly for large cardiometabolic populations.”
Source: Scribe Therapeutics
Challenging Client
A required part of this site couldn’t load. This may be due to a browser
extension, network issues, or browser settings. Please check your
connection, disable any ad blockers, or try using a different browser.
Pandas returned to China by Japan amidst tense relations
Kelly Ngand
Shaimaa Khalil,Tokyo correspondent
EPAThousands of people flocked to a zoo in Japan on Sunday to say farewell to the country’s last two giant pandas, who are set to return to China on Tuesday.
Emotions ran high at the Ueno zoo in Tokyo as people stood in line – some for as long as three-and-a-half hours – to see twin cubs Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei one last time.
This comes at a very tense moment in relations between Tokyo and Beijing. Ties have sharply deteriorated after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Tokyo would get involved militarily if China attacked Taiwan.
The twins’ departure will leave Japan without any pandas for the first time since 1972, the year the two countries normalised diplomatic ties.
The People’s Republic of China has used giant pandas as a gesture of goodwill towards its international allies and competitors since it was founded in 1949.
But China retains ownership of all pandas it loans to foreign countries, including cubs born abroad. In return, host countries pay an annual fee of about $1m (£790,000) per pair of pandas.
According to Tokyo’s metropolitan government, some 108,000 people vied to get one of the 4,400 slots available for one last look at the zoo’s beloved pandas.
“I have been bringing my son here since he was a baby, so I hope it becomes a good memory for him. I’m glad we could come today to remember them,” one woman told the BBC.
XinhuaAnother woman recalled witnessing the pandas’ growth journey. “Witnessing their growth, especially since they were so small, has been such a joy,” she said.
Some visitors were pictured sobbing as they bade the bears goodbye.
Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei were born in 2021 at the Ueno zoo to their mother Shin Shin and their father Ri Ri, both of whom were on loan to Japan for breeding research.
More recently, China’s panda loans have coincided with major trade agreements. In 2011, the loan of two pandas to Edinburgh Zoo in Scotland was agreed during negotiations over contracts to supply salmon meat, Land Rover vehicles and energy technology to China.
Many pandas have been returned to China in recent years – a loan agreement typically lasts 10 years although extensions are common.
However, the prospects of a new panda loan to Japan have remained uncertain amid the escalating row.
Japanese prime minister Sanae Takaichi’s comments on Taiwan angered Beijing which views the self-governed island as part of its territory and has not ruled out the use of force to “reunite” with it.
Both sides have since engaged in increasingly hostile actions and rhetoric towards each other. Early this month, China tightened restrictions on exports of rare earth-related products to Japan.
Getty ImagesTrump’s centralized diplomacy causes confusion for allies from Greenland to Ukraine
From Greenland to Ukraine, Trump’s centralized diplomacy creates whiplash for allies
Minnesota Governor Calls for Removal of Federal Immigration Agents Following Pretti’s Death | Protests Erupt
Minnesota’s Democratic governor, Tim Walz, has demanded that US President Donald Trump pull “untrained” federal immigration agents out of the state after Border Patrol agents shot and killed a demonstrator in Minneapolis, the second such death in the city amid the ongoing crackdown.
As calls for an independent investigation into the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, grow, Walz posed a question directly to Trump during a news briefing on Sunday.
Recommended Stories
list of 4 itemsend of list
“What’s the plan, Donald Trump?” he asked, adding, “What do we need to do to get these federal agents out of our state?”
The questions came after senior Trump administration officials defended Pretti’s killing, despite graphic video evidence appearing to contradict their accounts.
Federal agents shot and killed Pretti on Saturday while scuffling with him on an icy roadway in Minneapolis, less than three weeks after an immigration officer fired on Renee Good, also 37, killing her in her car.
Trump’s administration claimed that Pretti had intended to harm the agents, as it did after Good’s death, pointing to a pistol it said was discovered on him.
However, videos shared widely on social media and verified by US media showed Pretti never drawing a weapon, with agents firing about 10 shots at him seconds after he was sprayed in the face with a chemical irritant and thrown to the ground.
The videos further inflamed the ongoing protests in Minneapolis against the presence of federal immigration agents, with about 1,000 people participating in a demonstration on Sunday.
“The victims are border patrol agents,” Gregory Bovino, Border Patrol commander-at-large, told CNN’s State of the Union programme.
This official line, echoed by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and other members of the Trump administration on Sunday, led to outrage among local law enforcement, many Minneapolis residents and Democrats on Capitol Hill.
Democratic strategist Arshad Hasan said Pretti’s killing and its aftermath were “deeply unsettling” and accused federal agents of turning a low‑crime city into an “occupation”.
“I don’t know why a government agency should get particular exemptions from due process when somebody is murdered… Homicide is a crime for which the state and local law enforcement have jurisdiction,” he told Al Jazeera, adding that the community was “grieving” and feeling “under siege”.
Holding a phone, not a gun
Videos from the scene show Pretti holding a phone in his hand, not a gun, as he tries to help other protesters who had been pushed to the ground by agents.
As one video begins, Pretti can be seen filming while a federal agent pushes away one woman and shoves another woman to the ground. Pretti moves between the agent and the women, then raises his left arm to shield himself as the agent pepper-sprays him.
Several agents then take hold of Pretti – who struggles with them – and force him onto his hands and knees. As the agents pin Pretti down, someone shouts what sounds like a warning about the presence of a gun.
Video footage then appears to show one of the agents removing a gun from Pretti and stepping away from the group with it.
Moments later, an officer with a handgun points at Pretti’s back and fires four shots in quick succession. Several more shots can then be heard as another agent appears to fire at Pretti.
Darius Reeves, the former head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) field office in Baltimore, told the Reuters news agency that federal agents’ apparent lack of communication was troubling. “It’s clear no one is communicating… based on my observation of how that team responded,” Reeves said.
He drew attention to signs that an officer appeared to have taken possession of Pretti’s weapon before he was killed. “The proof to me is how everyone scatters,” he said. “They are looking around, trying to figure out where the shots came from.”
After top federal officials described Pretti as an “assassin” who had assaulted the agents, Pretti’s parents issued a statement on Saturday, condemning the Trump administration’s “sickening lies” about their son.
US Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, speaking to NBC’s Meet the Press programme, said that an investigation was necessary to get a full understanding of the killing.
Asked if agents had already removed the pistol from Pretti when they fired on him, Blanche said, “I do not know. And nobody else knows, either. That’s why we’re doing an investigation.”
Multiple senators from Trump’s Republican Party called for a thorough probe into the killing and for cooperation with local authorities. “There must be a full joint federal and state investigation,” Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana said.
Thousands of federal immigration agents have been deployed to heavily Democratic Minneapolis for weeks, after conservative media reported on alleged fraud by Somali immigrants.
Trump has repeatedly amplified the racially tinged accusations, including on Sunday, when he posted on his Truth Social platform: “Minnesota is a Criminal COVER UP of the massive Financial Fraud that has gone on!”
The city, known for its bitterly cold winters, has one of the country’s highest concentrations of Somali immigrants.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison pushed back against Trump’s claim. “It’s not about fraud, because if he sent people who understand forensic accounting, we’d be having a different conversation. But he’s sending armed masked men,” he said.