Daily World Briefing, Jan. 30

Myanmar's USDP wins majority of seats in Union Parliament

Myanmar's Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) has won a majority of seats in the Union Parliament, according to official results released by the Union Election Commission (UEC) on Thursday.

Latest figures from the UEC showed that the USDP has secured 231 seats in the Pyithu Hluttaw (Lower House) and 108 seats in the Amyotha Hluttaw (Upper House), totaling 339 seats.

A total of 420 elective seats were contested across the country in this general election, the UEC's data showed.

Myanmar's Union Parliament consists of two houses with a total of 664 seats: the 440-seat Pyithu Hluttaw and the 224-seat Amyotha Hluttaw.

Iran's army inducts 1,000 homegrown combat drones amid rising tensions with U.S.

Iran said Thursday it has inducted 1,000 domestically developed "strategic combat" drones into the combat formations of its army divisions, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported.

The drones were distributed to the army's ground, air defense, naval, and air forces under the order of army chief Amir Hatami, the report said.

The report added that the drones were jointly developed by army experts and the defense ministry to address evolving threats and incorporate lessons learned from last year's "12-day war" with Israel. They are capable of invasion, destruction, reconnaissance, electronic warfare, and striking fixed or mobile targets on land, at sea, and in the air.

Gold demand hits record high in 2025: World Gold Council

Global gold demand soared to a record high of 5,002 tonnes in 2025 amid continued geopolitical and economic uncertainties, the World Gold Council said in a report on Thursday.

These uncertainties propelled hefty investment in gold, lifting the total value to an unprecedented 555 billion U.S. dollars, up 45 percent from a year earlier, according to the council's annual gold demand trends report.

The London-headquartered council said elevated risk perceptions continued to underpin investor appetite. "2025 saw surging demand for gold and rocketing prices. Consumers and investors alike bought and held gold in an environment where economic and geopolitical risks have become the new normal," said Louise Street, senior markets analyst at the council.

Venezuela confirms reopening of commercial airspace

Venezuela's presidential office confirmed on Thursday that the country will reopen its commercial airspace immediately.

According to the office, the South American country's commercial airspace will be reopened following a phone conversation between Venezuela's acting president Delcy Rodriguez and U.S. President Donald Trump.

American Airlines said Thursday it plans to resume service to Venezuela, pending approval from the U.S. government and the completion of safety assessments.■