US officials, diplomats, and spies are reportedly operating from the JW Marriott hotel in Caracas following a "military intervention" on January 3rd. The hotel has become a de facto US embassy, with conversations overheard discussing Venezuela's future, economic growth, and political fragmentation.
Reform, Greens and pro-Gaza independents make significant gains, although no party has yet won majorityElections mapped: how Labour lost ground in different directionsLatest news updates and analysis from election nightThe Labour party’s 14-year leadership in Birmingham has come to an end after Reform, Greens and pro-Gaza independents made significant gains in the UK’s second-largest city.No party has yet won an overall majority at Birmingham city council, one of Europe’s largest local authorities, with the results reflecting wider political fragmentation across England. Continue reading...
Britain faces pivotal elections on Thursday across local authorities, the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Senedd, with political fragmentation reaching unprecedented levels. The traditional Labour-Conservative duopoly faces its greatest challenge since the 1920s, as smaller parties including Reform UK, Liberal Democrats, Greens, Plaid Cymru and SNP gain competitiveness. Labour faces potential losses in Wales for the first time in a century, while independent candidates focused on Gaza are expected to make gains in areas with significant Muslim populations.
Hong Kong Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po recently said the city could rise to become the world’s No 2 financial centre in 10-15 years. That is the right kind of ambition. In a world being reshaped by geopolitical fragmentation, China’s growing global weight and rapid technological change, Hong Kong must think beyond remaining internationally competitive to exercising global leadership. But ambition alone is not enough. Hong Kong has spent decades proving it can operate at the world’s...
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s fourth visit to Beijing in four years has once again drawn attention across Europe and the Atlantic, but perhaps less scepticism than before. In an era marked by intensifying US-China rivalry, geopolitical fragmentation and the European Union’s emphasis on “de-risking”, Spain’s sustained engagement with China is often seen as a strategic divergence from Brussels. That reading, however, underestimates both Spain’s intentions and the broader shift under way...
