Highlights:

• Kim Jong Un Shows Off Missile Launchers as Party Congress Nears — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un displayed dozens of new rocket launchers ahead of a rare party congress to outline policy priorities for the next five years.

• US Military Commander Makes Surprise Visit to Venezuela — The head of US Southern Command made an unannounced visit to Venezuela amid ongoing military operations in the Western Hemisphere.

• IRS Grants Tech, Pharma a Tax Break Boost From Trump Deduction — The IRS ensured that Trump's research and development deduction does not increase tax bills for large corporations under the Biden-era 15% minimum levy.

• Australia Unemployment Stays Low, Backing Central Bank's Stance on Rate Hikes — Australian unemployment remained low in January with strong hiring, supporting the Reserve Bank's view that the economy can withstand tighter monetary policy.

• Philippines' Duterte to Skip ICC Hearing, Says He Is 'Frail' — Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte will not attend his pre-trial hearing at the International Criminal Court next week, citing physical unfitness.

• Partial Government Shutdown Drags On As Talks Stall — See source link.

• UK Budget 'Headroom' Has Become a Harmful Obsession, IFS Warns — The Institute of Fiscal Studies called for replacing the UK's simple fiscal rules with a "traffic lights" system to address dysfunctional policy making.

• Trump Family Crypto Bash Convenes Wall Street's New Believers — Wall Street executives and government officials gathered at Mar-a-Lago for a Trump family cryptocurrency conference, reflecting digital assets' status as both policy priority and profit center in the second Trump administration.