GERMANY - Immigration has become a hot topic in the forthcoming elections in the country, to be held next month. The head of Germany's Christian Democratic Party has unveiled controversial plans for a sweeping crackdown on migrants. The issue has become particularly salient following a number of high-profile violent attacks carried out by migrants in recent weeks. Friedrich Merz, who hopes to become the next chancellor, stunned his political opponents after promising to table motions in parliament that would initiate a blanket ban on all illegal immigrants entering Germany. One motion calls for the immediate declaration of a national emergency and a lockdown of all Germany's borders, with guards ordered to repel "all attempts at illegal entry, without exception". In a survey carried out by INSA, two-thirds of those polled supported Mr Merz's tough immigration policy.

UK - Sky News presenter Kay Burley halted her breakfast show to announce some breaking news with viewers. During Tuesday's instalment (January 28) of her breakfast show, the presenter announced that the UK population in total is projected to reach 72.5 million by mid 2032. The increase is driven almost entirely by net migration, which will total 4.9 million by 2032, according to new figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Some five million additional people will be living in the UK by 2032, taking the population to to 72.5 million. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp branded the projection "shocking" and "unacceptable", claiming it "must be stopped" from materialising.

GERMANY - Speaking virtually at the Halle gathering, Elon Musk shared the stage with AfD leader Alice Weidel, as the party sees a surge in popularity ahead of the election. Elon Musk has come under fire for his appearance at an Alternative for Germany (AfD) rally, where he called on the crowd to "leave behind" the "guilt of the past". In a bold move, the tech billionaire addressed the far-right supporters on Saturday, advocating for a future free from the shadows of Germany's Nazi past. He said: "To be honest, the focus is too much on the guilt of the past and we have to leave that behind us. Children should not be guilty of the sins of their parents, let alone their great-grandparents. It's good to be proud of German culture, German values, and not to lose that in some sort of multiculturalism that dilutes everything."

USA - On day one, with the dust barely settling in the Oval Office, Trump signed an unprecedented 26 Executive Orders and reversed 78 of his predecessor Joe Biden’s actions. His policies are vintage Trump: a resounding no to environmental controls, ‘woke’ initiatives, and multi-lateral institutions like the World Health Organization. At the same time, he has given an enthusiastic thumbs-up to pressuring neighbours with tariffs and jammed the door open for TikTok to stay in the US.

USA - He signed a record number of laws in his first week, ranging from mass deportations to cryptocurrencies. We’re keeping track of the data on his performance. On his path to the White House, Donald Trump made many promises to voters: that he would protect the southern border, begin mass deportations and bring down grocery prices, to name but three. How closely is he sticking to these promises — and how will he be judged by voters if he does not deliver? Using a range of data sources, The Times data team will be measuring the success of the Trump presidency against some of his campaign pledges.

USA - Nvidia is no longer the world's most valuable company after suffering the biggest stock market drop in history. The chipmaker shed more than $589 billion in value on Monday after its stock dropped around 17 percent. The plunge cost the company the equivalent value of Netflix's market cap or the entire GDP of countries such as Ireland, Sweden or Belgium. Nvidia's CEO Jensen Huang personally saw $21 billion wiped off his net worth on Monday due to the stock he holds in the company. The losses came after investors panicked about the implications of a new Chinese AI that appears to compete with its American rivals but for a fraction of the cost. DeepSeek's advances have raised doubts about whether the US will retain its lead in the global race of advancing AI technology. The Chinese company released its free AI Assistant last week which it says uses less Nvidia chips at a fraction of the cost of current models on the market.

CHINA - A breakthrough Chinese chatbot has sparked alarm about the country’s advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and wiped close to $1 trillion off global stock markets. A heavily-censored Chinese chatbot called DeepSeek shot to the top of Western app download charts on Monday in what was described as a “Sputnik moment” for AI. American technology stocks tumbled in response, driven by fears that heavy-spending on AI by Silicon Valley companies that has been championed by Donald Trump will fail to yield profits for investors.

USA - The United States gave more than $64 billion in overseas development assistance in 2023, the last year for which records were available, according to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, which advises industrialised countries. The United States froze virtually all foreign aid on Friday.

USA - President Donald Trump’s executive order ending all federal DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) programs has already resulted in 395 government bureaucrats being placed on leave, a senior administration official told Fox News Digital. The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Trump’s new department headed by Elon Musk, said on Friday that an estimated $420 million in current and impending contracts, mostly focused on DEI, have been canceled. Prior to being inaugurated, Trump vowed to end former President Joe Biden’s “diversity, equity, and inclusion mandates,” and “return our country to the merit system.” On his first day as president, he issued an executive order ending the “radical and wasteful government DEI programs and preferencing.”

USA - According to a source within US Customs and Border Protection, the Border Patrol is applying a legal process known as Expedited Removal on a broad scale along the southwest border. The agency is now returning migrants to Mexico soon after apprehension. The source told Breitbart Texas, “‘Catch and Release’ is over, it’s ‘Catch and Return’ now.” According to the source, within the Tucson Sector of the Border Patrol, where migrants from hundreds of countries flooded the Organ Pipe National Monument area daily and were quickly released by the Biden administration, the source says migrants are now processed for Expedited Removal and sent back into Mexico or their home country immediately.

UK - The number represents some 60% of the UK’s total population of undocumented immigrants, according to a new study. Upwards of 600,000 illegal migrants are living in London, The Telegraph has reported, citing a new study. This figure represents some 60% of the over one million illegal immigrants believed to be living in the UK.

USA - President Donald Trump said he wants Jordan, Egypt and other Arab nations to accept more Palestinian refugees from the Gaza Strip. Trump said he spoke with King Abdullah II of Jordan on Saturday and that he had a call scheduled on Sunday with President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi of Egypt. “I’d like Egypt to take people,” Trump said on Air Force One on Saturday. “You’re talking about probably a million and a half people, and we just clean out that whole thing and say, ‘You know, it’s over.’” Hamas and Israel reached a ceasefire deal that has resulted in the release of hostages and Palestinian prisoners.

GERMANY - A leading German politician has unveiled a plan to crack down on migration, promising to table controversial motions that would immediately bring about a blanket ban on all illegal migrants entering the country. Friedrich Merz, the leader of the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU), this weekend announced the shocking move which will bring about a parliamentary vote to 'end illegal immigration'. The motion, if passed, would trigger an immediate declaration of a national emergency and enact a lockdown across all of Germany's land borders, with guards instructed to repel 'all attempts at illegal entry, without exception', even from neighbouring 'safe' countries. Another of his proposed motions would grant Germany's federal police service greater powers to arrest and accelerate the deportation of illegal immigrants, according to German media.

GERMANY - Tech billionaire Elon Musk has made a surprise address at an Alternative for Germany (AfD) campaign event, telling supporters of the right-wing party that Germans should not “focus on past guilt.” The AfD kicked off its election campaign with a rally in the city of Halle on Saturday, where party leader Alice Weidel promised to deliver hardline anti-immigration policies and end Berlin’s military and financial aid to Kiev. However, before Weidel took the stage, Musk addressed the 4,500-strong crowd by video link, urging them to reject multiculturalism and to “be proud of German culture [and] German values.” “Children should not be guilty of the sins of their parents, let alone their great grandparents,” he said, in an apparent reference to Germany's Nazi past. “There is too much focus on past guilt, and we need to move beyond that,” he added.

USA - The world’s richest man, Elon Musk, spoke today to AfD members in Halle, Germany, via video feed. Elon’s image was broadcast live at the AfD rally in front of thousands of excited AfD members. Elon stressed that the coming election “could decide the fate of Europe, and maybe the fate of the world.” Elon did not hold back.