Beijing has officially announced its intention to make the yuan a global reserve currency
Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for the Chinese yuan to become one of the world’s leading reserve currencies, according to the Financial Times, citing a publication in the Chinese Communist Party’s theoretical journal Qiushi. An article based on Xi Jinping’s 2024 speech to provincial and ministerial officials emphasises the…
Starmer initiates a reset of UK-EU defence relations
The UK is considering joining the EU’s new defence funding program, Security Action for Europe (SAFE), in its potential second iteration. Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that the government is ready to explore the option of participating in an updated version of this multi-billion-pound mechanism. He made this announcement on…
The EU has officially added Russia to its list of countries with a high risk of money laundering and terrorist financing
On January 29, 2026, the European Commission’s decision to add the Russian Federation to its list of countries with a high risk of money laundering and terrorist financing (AML/CFT) came into effect. Russia became the 30th jurisdiction on this EU “blacklist,” which already includes North Korea, Iran, Syria, Afghanistan, Yemen,…
A major strike paralyzed public transportation in Germany
On Monday, municipal public transportation came to a near-complete halt across Germany. The ver.di union organized a nationwide warning strike involving approximately 100,000 employees of approximately 150 municipal transport companies and bus companies. Buses, trams, and U-Bahn (subway) services are suspended in most regions of the country. Transportation is completely…
Lord Peter Mandelson has left the Labour Party amid new revelations in the Epstein case
Lord Peter Mandelson, a former British government minister, ex-ambassador to the United States and one of the most influential figures in the history of the Labour Party, has announced his resignation from the party. The decision comes amid a new wave of publications related to his long-standing contacts with the…