Lebanon's central bank governor, Riad Salameh, said the country would adopt a new exchange rate of 15,000 Lebanese pounds to the dollar, a 90% drop in value from the previous exchange rate of 1,507 pounds to the dollar, on Feb. 1, Reuters reported Jan. 31.
In a report to the U.S. Congress, the U.S. State Department said Russia was in "noncompliance" with the New START nuclear weapons control treaty due to Moscow's refusal to negotiate a resumption of bilateral inspections unless the United States makes concessions regarding its position on the Russia-Ukraine war, The Wall Street Journal reported Jan. 31.
The International Monetary Fund approved Bangladesh's loan program of $4.7 billion on Jan. 30, Reuters reported the next day.
Kiribati's government announced that it will rejoin the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), the region's most important political and economic policy organization, in 2023, Benar News reported Jan. 30.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz pledged 200 million euros (about $217 million) to defend Brazil's Amazon rainforest against deforestation, 35 million euros of which will be dedicated to the government's Amazon rainforest fund, Reuters reported Jan. 30.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met with South Korean Defense Minister Lee Jong-Sup, and the two agreed to expand military exercises and training as a means of addressing the threat posed by North Korea, Reuters reported Jan. 31.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) revised its 2023 forecast for Russia's gross domestic product up from a contraction of 2.3% to an expansion of 0.3%, arguing that the Group of Seven's oil price cap would not significantly affect Russian crude oil export volumes, The Moscow Times reported Jan. 31.
Turkey's opposition Nation Alliance coalition unveiled its electoral platform, which includes pledges to return to Turkey's pre-2018 parliamentary system, restore the Central Bank's independence and name a presidential candidate in February to beat President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the upcoming general election, Bloomberg reported Jan. 30.
A second nationwide strike is taking place in France as workers protest the government's pension reform plan, Reuters reported Jan. 31.
The U.S. Biden administration is considering completely cutting off Chinese technology company Huawei from U.S. suppliers and technology in changes to its licensing practices, Bloomberg reported Jan. 30.
