• Switzerland’s relationship with the rich is under strain – though a divorce is unlikely.
• Sergei Ignatiev has been a silent presence at the helm of the Russian central bank for 11 years. The end of his term and the question of succession has “gripped Russian markets, turning the central bank into a hive of intrigue”.
• Chinese citizens are increasingly going online to vent their anger over pollution, forcing the government to respond.
• There may be great hopes for Xi Jinping, but this year’s parliamentary session is “likely to disappoint anyone who hopes for serious root and branch reform of China’s current political or economic structure”, argues Jamil Anderlini.
• A cracking opportunity for nut puns: Iranians are boycotting pistachios even as Persian new year approaches, blaming Iran’s plummeting currency and high inflation.
• Drone strikes by the Pakistani military are being falsely attributed to the CIA to avoid criticism from the Pakistani public, according to a New York Times report.
• Benjamin Netanyahu has asked for an extension to assemble a government – Time considers why it has been such a challenge.
• Joseph Stiglitz says the outcome of the Italian elections has sent “a clear message to Europe’s leaders: the austerity policies that they have pursued are being rejected by voters”. He argues that it is not shortsightedness,but “an understanding that these policies are deeply misguided”.
• Seeking clarity on the back-and-forth between Argentina and the US Court of Appeals over payments to Elliott Associates? Felix Salmon has recapped and explained what it all means.
• Israel’s transport ministry has introduced new bus lines for Palestinians living under Israeli military occupation in the West Bank, a moved denounced as segregation – a “response to pressure from Israeli settlers who live in the West Bank but are unhappy about sharing buses with their Palestinian neighbours”.
• Last but by no means least, the curious tale of Harry Dexter White, chief architect of the Bretton Woods economic system – and, apparently, a Soviet mole.

 Read more