America’s Supreme Court upheld a law forcing TikTok’s Chinese owner, ByteDance, to sell the app or face a nationwide ban. The deadline for divestment is Sunday, the day before Donald Trump’s inauguration. The law, passed over fears of Chinese influence, could see TikTok removed from app stores. Mr Trump campaigned vowing to “save” the platform.
Israel’s government approved the Gaza ceasefire deal, paving the way for the agreement to take effect on Sunday. Hamas expected to release the first hostages that day. Hard-right members of Binyamin Netanyahu’s coalition oppose the deal and have threatened to resign in protest.
Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, and his Iranian counterpart, Masoud Pezeshkian, signed a 20-year strategic-partnership treaty in Moscow. The pact will deepen economic, energy and defence co-operation. Both countries are under Western sanctions. They have strengthened ties since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Iran has been accused of supplying Russia with drones for the war.
Mr Trump said that he had a “very good” phone call with Xi Jinping, China’s president. In a social-media post America’s president-elect wrote that they discussed trade, fentanyl and TikTok, among other topics. The Chinese government said the pair agreed to establish a “channel of strategic communication”. Han Zheng, China’s vice president, will attend Mr Trump’s inauguration.
The European Commission told X to disclose recent changes to its recommendation algorithm, as part of an investigation launched in 2023 into the social-media platform’s role in European politics. The move follows complaints that X is promoting hard-right views. Elon Musk, the firm’s boss, has publicly supported the Alternative for Germany party.
A court in Pakistan sentenced Imran Khan, a former prime minister, to 14 years in prison for corruption. The charges were linked to the Al-Qadir Trust, a charity he founded while in office. Mr Kahn has been in jail since 2023 on separate charges. His wife, Bushra Bibi, was also convicted and handed a seven-year sentence for her role in the case. Mr Khan said the charges were politically motivated.
SpaceX’s seventh test flight of its Starship rocket failed minutes after launch. The upper stage exploded because of a suspected fuel leak, but the Super Heavy booster successfully landed back on its launchpad at the firm’s base in Texas. American aviation regulators briefly rerouted flights over the Gulf of Mexico. Elon Musk, SpaceX’s boss, said improved versions of the rocket were ready for future tests.
Correction: An earlier edition of the World in Brief misspelt Kristi Noem’s name. Sorry.
Word of the week: chanoyu, a Japanese tea ceremony that contributed to the spread of matcha. Read the full story.
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