Gold replaces US Treasuries as world’s top reserve asset, ECB says - Financial Times

57 kg – Luke Lilledahl (State College, Pa./Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC)61 kg – Benjamin Davino (South Elgin, Ill./Ohio RTC/Titan Mercury WC)65 kg – Bo Bassett (Windber, Pa./Tech WC/Titan Mercury WC)70 kg – Jordan Williams (Tulsa, Okla./Hawkeye WC/Titan Mercury WC)74 kg – Jayden James (Westwood, N. J./Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC)79 kg – Joseph Sealey (Bear Creek Township, Pa./Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC)86 kg – Aeoden Sinclair (Columbia, Mo./Tiger Style RTC/Titan Mercury WC)92 kg – Seth Shumate (Dublin, Ohio/Ohio RTC/Titan Mercury WC)97 kg – Justin Rademacher (Corvallis, Ore./Beaver Dam RTC/Titan Mercury WC)125 kg – Coby Merrill (Ontario, Calif./Cyclone RTC/New York AC)

Sweden’s central bank is revisiting the possibility of introducing a digital krona, citing the European Central Bank’s (ECB) progress toward a digital euro and the growing use of stablecoins as reasons to reconsider a central bank digital currency (CBDC). In an Oct. 7 letter to parliament’s Finance Committee, published Thursday, the Riksbank urged lawmakers to begin preparing legislation for a potential digital krona, three years after a government inquiry concluded there was insufficient need for one. The letter pointed to the ECB’s planned digital euro pilot in 2027 and a potential public launch in 2029. According to the Riksbank, Sweden’s payment system could become less competitive without a comparable digital version of its own currency. The central bank also identified the growing use of foreign-currency stablecoins, particularly those pegged to the US dollar, as a longer-term concern, though it sees the near-term risk as limited. “If stablecoins pegged to foreign currencies are considered attractive as a means of payment, the use of the Swedish krona could come under pressure even within Sweden’s borders,” the letter read.

A Russian man secretly working for Ukraine's intelligence services has shared videos of surveillance work he says he has done for Kyiv inside Russia. The man, who we are calling Ivan, claims to have played a role in Ukrainian drone attacks on strategic bombers and munitions factories on his home soil. He features in a BBC World Service documentary about the shadowy world of Russian saboteurs. Ivan was cautious about how much detail he shared, making it impossible to verify the activities he claims to have carried out.56 minutes ago

Site search54 minutes agoMonica GarnseyBBC Eye Two Russian men secretly working for Ukraine's intelligence services have given rare accounts of operations they claim to have been involved with, that have targeted military assets and personnel inside Russia. One of the men, whom we are calling Ivan, claims to have played a role from Russia in Ukrainian drone attacks on strategic bombers and munitions factories on his home soil. He features in a BBC World Service documentary about the shadowy world of Russian saboteurs. The documentary, by independent Polish journalist Marcin Mamon, also features a man we are calling Foma, a Russian living in exile in Poland. Foma runs a network of undercover volunteers in Russia, that surveils high-level officers that the GUR - Ukraine's military intelligence service - is considering targeting, he says. He stresses they are never involved in the attacks themselves. Getty ImagesLt Gen Fanil Sarvarov was killed in Moscow last year by an explosive device hidden under his carThere have been previous media reports of Russian sabotage groups, but it is rare to get access to someone operating on the ground, like Ivan, explaining alleged activities.