LATIN AMERICA
EUROPE
Swiss Re Warns 2025 Insured Catastrophe Costs May Break Records
Zurich-based reinsurance titan Swiss Re has warned that 2025 is on pace to become one of the costliest years on record for natural disasters, with economic losses already hitting $135 billion globally in the first half of the year. The grim data, released on Wednesday, reflects a rising trend in catastrophic damage driven by extreme weather events, fueled by climate change and urban sprawl...
Berlin Suspends Arms Transfers as Israel Moves to Seize Gaza City
In a sharp and consequential move, Germany has suspended all military exports to Israel that could be used in its Gaza war campaign. The decision, announced by Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Friday, comes just hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirmed a vote by Israel’s security cabinet to approve a plan for full military takeover of Gaza City...
Trump Unveils ‘Trump Route’ in US-Brokered South Caucasus Peace
United States President Donald Trump has announced he will personally host a landmark peace summit between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev at the White House this Friday. The summit will culminate in the signing of what is being described as a historic peace agreement, ending decades of violent conflict between the two South Caucasus nations...
ASIA PACIFIC
Himalayan Crisis: Indigenous Lepchas Resist Risky Teesta Dam Reconstruction
Deadly Beijing Floods Expose Gaps in Disaster Preparedness and Infrastructure
Deadly Beijing Floods Expose Gaps in Disaster Preparedness and Infrastructure
When a massive glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) tore through the Teesta River valley in October 2023, it marked the most devastating hydrological disaster in Sikkim’s recent history. The cataclysm not only annihilated the state’s largest hydropower dam—Teesta III—but also turned the lives of thousands of Indigenous Lepchas upside down. Homes were swept away. Lands vanished...
Deadly Beijing Floods Expose Gaps in Disaster Preparedness and Infrastructure
Deadly Beijing Floods Expose Gaps in Disaster Preparedness and Infrastructure
Deadly Beijing Floods Expose Gaps in Disaster Preparedness and Infrastructure
In an unusually candid acknowledgment, Yu Weiguo, Communist Party Secretary of Beijing’s Miyun District, admitted to significant lapses in disaster preparedness following the devastating floods that struck the capital city earlier this week. The flooding—some of the most severe the region has faced in years—has so far claimed at least 44 lives, with nine more missing...
Global Shockwaves as Trump Tariffs Hit 70 Countries, Markets Slide
Myanmar Junta Ends Emergency, Launches Controversial Election Push
Myanmar Junta Ends Emergency, Launches Controversial Election Push
President Donald Trump’s decision to impose sweeping tariffs on nearly 70 nations, effective August 7, has triggered intense global reactions from governments and sent tremors through financial markets. While some countries secured reduced rates at the last minute, others were caught off guard by sudden escalations — including Switzerland’s unexpected 39% levy...
Myanmar Junta Ends Emergency, Launches Controversial Election Push
Myanmar Junta Ends Emergency, Launches Controversial Election Push
Myanmar Junta Ends Emergency, Launches Controversial Election Push
The military junta in Myanmar has officially ended its state of emergency, clearing the way for controversial national elections in December, despite widespread resistance from opposition groups and accusations of electoral manipulation. The move, announced by junta spokesperson Zaw Min Tun, marks what the regime calls a “transition to multiparty democracy,” but opposition leaders...
RUSSIA
Moscow offers Indian exports relief after Trump’s 50% duties
Moscow offers Indian exports relief after Trump’s 50% duties
Moscow offers Indian exports relief after Trump’s 50% duties
The global oil and trade nexus has entered a turbulent new phase. U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to impose punitive tariffs on India, citing its continued purchase of Russian crude...
Kremlin Downplays Zelensky Talks, Trump Warns
Moscow offers Indian exports relief after Trump’s 50% duties
Moscow offers Indian exports relief after Trump’s 50% duties
The hope of a breakthrough in the Russia-Ukraine war flickered briefly after U.S. President Donald Trump’s back-to-back meetings with Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky. Yet the Kremlin has swiftly...
Krasnodar Drought Causes $600M Russian Crop Losses
Moscow offers Indian exports relief after Trump’s 50% duties
Krasnodar Drought Causes $600M Russian Crop Losses
The southern Russian region of Krasnodar, long considered one of the country’s breadbaskets, is reeling under a devastating drought that has already caused losses approaching $600 million...
CHINA MAINLAND
Trump spares China but punishes India over Russian oil
China unveils advanced weapons at historic World War II parade
China opportunistically seizes Russian oil as India cuts back
In a striking case of unequal treatment, the United States under President Donald Trump has imposed punitive trade measures on India for its surging imports of Russian oil — but spared China, the world’s largest buyer of...
China opportunistically seizes Russian oil as India cuts back
China unveils advanced weapons at historic World War II parade
China opportunistically seizes Russian oil as India cuts back
The global energy market has once again shifted under the weight of geopolitics. As India scales back its imports of Russian oil under growing pressure from the United States, China has stepped in opportunistically ...
China unveils advanced weapons at historic World War II parade
China unveils advanced weapons at historic World War II parade
China unveils advanced weapons at historic World War II parade
Next month, Beijing’s Tiananmen Square will once again transform into a stage of immense historical and military significance. To commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, China is preparing a grand military parade...
US Navy Sailor Convicted Of Selling Military Secrets To China
US Navy Sailor Convicted Of Selling Military Secrets To China
China unveils advanced weapons at historic World War II parade
The United States military has been shaken by the conviction of a Navy sailor who sold sensitive information to Chinese intelligence officers, in what prosecutors described as an “egregious betrayal.” Jinchao Wei, who served aboard...
Xi Jinping’s Rare Tibet Visit Marks 60 Years Of Chinese Rule
US Navy Sailor Convicted Of Selling Military Secrets To China
Xi Jinping’s Rare Tibet Visit Marks 60 Years Of Chinese Rule
In a symbolic and politically charged move, Chinese President Xi Jinping made a rare visit to Tibet to mark the 60th anniversary of Beijing’s formal consolidation of rule over the Himalayan territory. State media portrayed the event...
Can China Bridge Pakistan-Taliban Divide for Stability?
US Navy Sailor Convicted Of Selling Military Secrets To China
Xi Jinping’s Rare Tibet Visit Marks 60 Years Of Chinese Rule
In the heart of South Asia’s turbulent geopolitics, China has stepped into a delicate balancing act: trying to reconcile Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban while simultaneously safeguarding and expanding its flagship China-Pakistan Economic...
AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND
Australia Israel Diplomatic Rift Deepens After Netanyahu’s Harsh Remarks
The diplomatic row between Israel and Australia has intensified after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu doubled down on his personal attacks against Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, accusing him of “forever tarnishing” his reputation. Speaking to Sky News, Netanyahu described Albanese as a “weak politician” who...
Australia Condemns Israel After Diplomatic Visa Row Escalates Rapidly
The already fragile relationship between Australia and Israel plunged into fresh crisis this week after Canberra and Jerusalem exchanged retaliatory visa cancellations, marking an escalation in the diplomatic feud that began with Australia’s recognition of a Palestinian state. The latest tit-for-tat measures underscore not only the deepening...
Google Pays $36 Million Fine Over Anti-Competitive Telecom Deals
Google has been ordered to pay AUD $55 million (USD $36 million) after admitting to anti-competitive arrangements with major Australian telecom companies Telstra and Optus. The fine, announced by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), represents one of the most high-profile penalties against a global...
MIDDLE EAST
Israeli escalation in Gaza City sparks global alarm and outrage
Israeli escalation in Gaza City sparks global alarm and outrage
Israeli escalation in Gaza City sparks global alarm and outrage
Israel has intensified its military assault on Gaza City, carrying out a series of deadly air and drone strikes that killed at least 40 Palestinians in a single day, including children and people waiting for food aid. The attacks mark the opening stage of Israel’s controversial plan...
US sanctions ICC judges over Israel cases, escalating tensions
Israeli escalation in Gaza City sparks global alarm and outrage
Israeli escalation in Gaza City sparks global alarm and outrage
The United States has imposed sanctions on four International Criminal Court (ICC) judges and prosecutors, including senior legal officials from France and Canada, in a move that underscores Washington’s increasingly combative stance toward the Hague-based tribunal...
Israel prepares 130,000 troops for Gaza invasion despite truce
Israeli escalation in Gaza City sparks global alarm and outrage
Israel prepares 130,000 troops for Gaza invasion despite truce
Israel is preparing to mobilize 130,000 soldiers for a major ground offensive in Gaza, in what could become the largest stage of its war since October 2023. The plan, approved by Defence Minister Israel Katz and revealed by the Times of Israel, will roll out in phases...
AFRICA
Britain to Pay $3.9 Million Compensation for Kenya Army Fire Damage Costs
Britain to Pay $3.9 Million Compensation for Kenya Army Fire Damage Costs
Britain to Pay $3.9 Million Compensation for Kenya Army Fire Damage Costs
The British government has agreed to pay nearly $4 million in compensation to thousands of Kenyans affected by a devastating fire caused by its troops during a military training exercise in 2021. The blaze tore through more than 10,000 acres of land in the Lolldaiga Conservancy, leaving behind environmental destruction...
Congo Seeks Death Sentence Against Kabila Over M23 War Crimes
Britain to Pay $3.9 Million Compensation for Kenya Army Fire Damage Costs
Britain to Pay $3.9 Million Compensation for Kenya Army Fire Damage Costs
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has entered uncharted political and judicial territory as its military prosecutor formally demanded the death penalty for former president Joseph Kabila, who stands accused of treason, homicide, torture, and war crimes linked to the M23 rebellion...
Guinea Junta Suspends Opposition Parties Ahead of Referendum Vote
Guinea Junta Suspends Opposition Parties Ahead of Referendum Vote
Guinea Junta Suspends Opposition Parties Ahead of Referendum Vote
The fragile hopes of a democratic transition in Guinea have been dealt another blow. On Saturday, the country’s ruling military government suspended the activities of its three largest opposition parties, including that of ousted former President Alpha Conde, just weeks before a critical constitutional referendum...
Uganda’s US Deportee Deal Sparks Trade Hopes and Rights Fears
Guinea Junta Suspends Opposition Parties Ahead of Referendum Vote
Guinea Junta Suspends Opposition Parties Ahead of Referendum Vote
Uganda has emerged as the latest country to sign a controversial deportation deal with the United States, agreeing to temporarily host third-country nationals expelled under President Donald Trump’s aggressive immigration crackdown. The agreement, confirmed by Kampala’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs...