Donald Trump’s escalating confrontation with the US central bank has sent shockwaves through global markets, driving gold to a fresh all-time high as investors sought refuge from mounting political risk in the world’s largest economy. Gold surged to around $4,600 an ounce on Monday, while silver moved close to record territory, as fears grew over political interference in the independence of the Federal Reserve. The US dollar weakened sharply, with the dollar index falling 0.32...
China has reported the largest trade surplus in global history, underlining the resilience of its export machine despite a year of disruption caused by Donald Trump’s tariffs and trade brinkmanship. Official figures released in Beijing show China recorded a full-year trade surplus of $1.19 trillion (£890bn) in 2025, the first time the country’s surplus has exceeded the $1tn mark. The figure comfortably surpassed the previous record of $993bn set in 2024. Monthly data highlights the...
The government has unveiled a long-awaited blueprint to revive Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR), setting out a phased programme of rail investment it claims will transform connectivity across the north of England and unlock billions in economic growth. The multibillion-pound scheme, first proposed more than a decade ago, is intended to deliver faster journeys, more frequent services and improved capacity between the North’s major cities through a mix of new rail lines, upgraded routes and modernised...
French football has used to snap back to order. Paris Saint-Germain imposes itself, everyone else improvises around the edges, and the title race becomes more a countdown than a debate. At the halfway mark, the 2025-2026 season’s Ligue 1 is behaving differently. The battle is intense, the margins are thin, and everyone’s powers are being tested endlessly. Lens are no longer the romantic subplot After 17 matches, RC Lens sit top with 40 points, one...
Keir Starmer has abandoned plans to make digital IDs mandatory for workers, marking the 13th significant U-turn of his premiership and a quiet retreat from one of Labour’s most controversial post-election policies. The digital ID scheme, originally pitched as a central plank of Labour’s crackdown on illegal working and migration, will now be optional when introduced in 2029. Workers will instead be able to verify their right to work using existing documentation, such as passports...
The interim government in Venezuela has released at least four U.S. citizens who were imprisoned under President Nicolás Maduro’s regime, Fox News confirmed. The release marks the first known release of Americans in the South American country since the U.S. military completed an operation to capture authoritarian Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who is now facing federal drug trafficking charges in New York. ‘We welcome the release of detained Americans in Venezuela,’ a State Department official said...
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., accused his ‘pro-life’ Republican colleagues of not caring about the people killed in boat strikes near Venezuela who the Trump administration, without providing evidence, claims were trafficking fentanyl. During an appearance on ‘The Joe Rogan Experience’ released on Tuesday. Paul said GOP lawmakers ‘don’t give a s‑‑-‘ about the people who died on the vessels, blasting his colleagues for not granting the presumption of innocence. ‘I look at my colleagues who...
Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., suggested Tuesday that Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell should resign to avoid a potential indictment, arguing the move could prompt the Department of Justice (DOJ) to drop its investigation. The suggestion comes after the DOJ announced Sunday it has opened a criminal probe into Powell focused on the renovation of the central bank’s Washington headquarters and whether he was truthful in his congressional testimony regarding the project. ‘If you’re the attorney...
Recently unredacted construction plans for China’s new super embassy in London have ignited a storm of national security concerns across the United Kingdom, as blueprints reveal a hidden underground room positioned alarmingly close to some of Britain’s most sensitive communication cables. Major critics of the proposed site, which will run as close as three feet to the internet infrastructure, warned that the secret room could serve as a hub for Chinese espionage. While the British...
Iranian security forces escalated from pellet guns to live ammunition during protests, sharply increasing casualties, a doctor who treated wounded demonstrators told the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI). Speaking after fleeing the country, the doctor told CHRI the use of live fire increased the death toll days after protests erupted Dec. 28. ‘Law enforcement forces were firing pellet shotguns that scatter pellets. During those days, I received five or six calls per day...
