The Swiss Federal Council has officially proposed a temporary increase in the value added tax rate by 0.8 percentage points, from the current 8.1% to 8.9%. The additional revenue is to be used exclusively to strengthen the country's defence capabilities and rearm the army. According to the plan, the VAT...
Europe could significantly reduce Ukraine’s dependence on US intelligence within months
European countries are ready to significantly reduce and, in the long term, largely replace US intelligence support for Ukraine within a few months. This was reported by the Financial Times, citing Western and European officials. According to the publication, in the year since Donald Trump returned to the White House...
Germany begins work on its own satellite missile detection system
Germany is accelerating work on its own satellite early warning system for missile launches, seeking to reduce its dependence on American data and strengthen European defence in the face of growing threats from ballistic and hypersonic missiles. In November 2025, the German Ministry of Defence presented the country's first ever...
Keir Starmer arrives in China: first visit by a British leader in eight years
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has arrived in Beijing for a four-day official visit to China — the first visit by a British prime minister to the country since 2018, when Theresa May visited China. Starmer landed in the Chinese capital on 28 January, where he was met by Chinese...
France abandons Zoom and Microsoft Teams in favour of a national platform
The French government has announced that it will completely abandon the American video conferencing services Microsoft Teams and Zoom in government agencies. By 2027, they will be completely replaced by domestic platform Visio, developed as part of a digital sovereignty strategy. Minister for Public Service and Reform David Amiel said...
Scandal in Austria: NEOS liberals want to revoke former minister Kneissl’s passport for ‘Putin propaganda’
In Austria, the liberal NEOS party is demanding that the Austrian citizenship of former Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl, who has been living in Russia since 2023, be revoked. According to Austrian media reports, NEOS has prepared and intends to submit an official request to initiate the procedure for revoking her...
In Paris, unknown individuals vandalised a gallery where Putin’s alleged daughter works
In Paris, unknown vandals defaced the façade of the L Galerie art gallery (also known as part of the L Association), were, according to media reports, Vladimir Putin's alleged illegitimate daughter, Elizaveta Krivonogikh (also known as Louise Rozova / Lisa Rudnova). The incident occurred on the night of 27 January...
Europe closes the Baltic and North Seas to ‘shadow fleet’ tankers
European countries have significantly tightened controls on the so-called ‘shadow fleet’ — ships used to circumvent price caps and sanctions on Russian oil. Fourteen European countries with access to the Baltic and North Seas have issued a joint warning effectively restricting passage for tankers that violate international requirements for flagging,...
Scandal in Prague: Czech president accuses foreign minister of attempted extortion
A fierce political scandal has erupted in the Czech Republic between President Petr Pavel and Foreign Minister Petr Macinka, leader of the Motoristé sobě party. The conflict reached its peak on 27 January 2026, when the head of state publicly accused the foreign minister of attempted extortion over his refusal...
Level of ‘extreme poverty’ in the UK reaches 30-year high
According to a new report published today by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF), the level of ‘extreme poverty’ in the UK has reached its highest level in three decades. Around 6.8 million people — almost half of all those living in poverty — have incomes significantly below the poverty line,...