
Make Japan strong again: Sanae Takaichi’s plan to transform her country’s military
Feb 17, 2026 13:23 pm UTC| Insights & Views Politics
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and her ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) got a historic landslide victory in last weeks parliamentary elections. This marks the first time since its founding in 1955 that the...

Heritage, desire and diplomacy: why China still values scotch whisky
Feb 17, 2026 13:21 pm UTC| Insights & Views Life
For more than a decade, China has been one of the most important growth engines for western luxury brands. From fashion and watches to fine wines and spirits, rising incomes and global exposure have fuelled an...

Intermittent fasting doesn’t have an edge for weight loss, but might still work for some
Feb 17, 2026 13:21 pm UTC| Insights & Views Health
Intermittent fasting has become a buzzword in nutrition circles, with many people looking to it as a way to lose weight or improve their health. But new research from the Cochrane Collaboration shows intermittent fasting...

How can Europe meet the challenge posed by the retreat of the US?
Feb 17, 2026 13:19 pm UTC| Insights & Views Politics
At the Munich security conference, US secretary of state Marco Rubio spoke more warmly about the transatlantic relationship than US vice-president J.D. Vance at the same venue last year. However, faced with the presidency...

Self-driving cars are poorly prepared for high-risk road situations – here’s how AI can improve them
Feb 17, 2026 13:17 pm UTC| Insights & Views Technology
Self-driving cars have made impressive progress. They can follow lanes, keep their distance, and navigate familiar routes with ease. However, despite years of development, they still struggle with one critical problem: the...
UK Labour Market Softens as Wage Growth Cools, but Jobless Claims Undershoot Forecasts
Feb 17, 2026 07:57 am UTC| Insights & Views
January and late 2025 UK labour market figures tell a tale of slow cooling instead of outright weakness. Rising by 13.4K in January 2026 to 1.691 million, the Claimant Count fell short of the projected 22.0K rise and was...
ETF Whipsaw & Whale Confidence: Bitcoin and Ethereum Funds See Choppy Flows in Early February 2026
Feb 16, 2026 12:22 pm UTC| Digital Currency Insights & Views
With pockets of daily inflows overshadowed by larger weekly outflows, US spot Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs saw erratic flows in the first half of February 2026. Bitcoin ETFs registered small net inflows of $15.1 million on...