Fossil fuel firms may have to pay for climate damage under proposed UN tax: Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation could also force ultra-rich to pay global wealth tax — 1 February 2026 (LINK)

— Negotiations on a planned global tax treaty will resume at the UN headquarters in New York on Monday, with dozens of countries supporting stronger rules that would make polluters pay for the impact of their activities.

Musk confirms SpaceX success in preventing Russian military from accessing stolen Starlink units — 1 February 2026 (LINK)

UK: Lord Mandelson resigns from Labour Party over Epstein links — 1 February 2026 (LINK)

Teenager dies from Crans-Montana bar fire injuries, bringing death toll to 41: it also injured 116 people — 31 January 2026 (LINK)

Bitcoin drops to $81,000, lowest since November; DOJ forfeits $400M in crypto tied to the Helix Bitcoin mixer, which processed 354,468 Bitcoin for illegal activities — 31 January 2026 (LINK)

30 January is World Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) Day: NTDs affect around one billion people. They include Chagas disease, leprosy, leishmaniasis, trachoma, and schistosomiasis. As of early 2026, 58 countries have successfully eliminated at least one NTD — 30 January 2026 (LINK)

UK-China latest: Trump blasts Starmer's Xi meeting. UK Trade Minister says 'bonkers' not to deal with Beijing after that — 30 January 2026 (LINK)

Luigi Mangione will not face death penalty for allegedly assassinating UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, judge rules: found that prosecutors relied on stalking charges which did not meet the legal definition of a crime of violence — (LINK) ground.news: 421 media reports — 30 January 2026 (LINK)

Man armed with pizza cutter and BBQ fork arrested trying to break Luigi Mangione out of federal jail — (LINK)

Trump names veteran economist to lead Bureau of Labor Statistics after firing agency's chief — 30 January 2026 (LINK)

— Trump fired former BLS Commissioner Erika McEntarfer in August hours after a dismal government report showed that hiring had slowed significantly in previous months. At the time, Trump claimed without evidence that the data was "rigged" and implied that McEntarfer had manipulated the numbers "for political purposes".

EU designates Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps as terrorist group, placing it alongside al-Qaeda, ISIS and Hamas — (LINK) ground.news: 323 media reports — 29 January 2026 (LINK)

— The designation triggers EU asset freezes and related restrictive measures. Sanctions also target 15 individuals and six entities including IRGC senior officials, and expand powers to detain IRGC members in the 27-nation bloc.

WEF: 4 takeaways from Davos 2026: New deals, a reckoning, dialogue and more questions than answers — 29 January 2026 (LINK)

— More than 60 heads of state and a record 400+ political leaders and 830 CEOs and Chairs came. As Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney put it in Davos this week: "We actively take on the world as it is, not wait around for the world we wish to be." It's clear there's a rupture between the US and Europe and it was a recurrent topic of conversation throughout the week. And the view from China? "Tariffs and trade wars have no winners," said Vice-Premier He Lifeng.

— Extreme weather events dropped from second down to fourth place in the Global Risks ranking this year — not because they are any less urgent a risk, but because geoeconomic fragmentation and societal polarization have become more pressing. Some developing countries are spending more on debt repayments than on healthcare and education.

— 40% of jobs globally are going to be impacted by AI over the next couple of years, Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the IMF, said, either by being transformed or eliminated. In advanced economies the figure is 60%. The IMF itself is not immune to this trend, she said — it's gone from 200 translators to just 50.

— Away from the public programme, dialogue continued. High-stakes geopolitical negotiations, and bilateral discussions signalled significant shifts in global economic and security architecture.

WEF Annual Meeting Roundup — 23 January 2026 (LINK)

Scientist might have just found the cure to pancreatic cancer in major breakthrough: a new triple-drug therapy has had promising results so far after tests conducted on mice — 29 January 2026 (LINK)

Germany unites with France, Belgium, Netherlands, UK, South Africa, and more in debate over potential boycott of 2026 FIFA World Cup in US raising fears of a major setback for tourism — 28 January 2026 (LINK)