HUNGARY: Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban today ordered that a shipment of Ukrainian cash and gold, seized last week by Hungarian authorities, be held in custody for up to 60 days while his country’s tax authority investigates the case.

The shipment of gold and cash confiscated last Thursday, included $40 million and €35m (both around £30m) in cash, as well as 19.8lbs of gold — worth, based on the current exchange rates, about $82m (£61m).

SOUTH SUDAN: The United Nations Mission in South Sudan said Monday that it would not comply with a government order to shut down its base in Akobo, an opposition stronghold near the Ethiopian border where tens of thousands of refugees have fled.

On Friday, the South Sudanese army ordered UN peacekeepers as well as NGOs and civilians to vacate the town ahead of a planned assault.

AFGHANISTAN: Afghanistan’s Taliban government today rejected US allegations that it detains foreigners to obtain leverage over other countries, saying Afghan authorities arrest people for violating laws, not to make deals.

The US State Department on Monday announced the designation of Afghanistan as a sponsor of wrongful detention, accusing it of engaging in “hostage diplomacy.”

GERMANY: Volkswagen said yesterday it will cut 50,000 jobs in Germany by 2030 as its profits dropped to their lowest level since 2016.

Europe’s largest carmaker said post-tax profits had fallen by around 44 per cent in 2025.

It said it was hit by US import tariffs and high restructuring costs from the shift to electric vehicles.