Africa

The border issue in southern Lebanon was never merely a dispute over land or geographic lines. Throughout history, it has been a continuous path of Israeli attempts to encroach on national sovereignty and carve out parts of Lebanese geography. In 2000, following the defeat of the occupation, the …

Global food prices rose in August to their highest level since late 2022 as disruptions linked to the Russia-Ukraine war put renewed pressure on grain markets and Black Sea exports, according to UN data and the Polish Economic Institute (PIE). The UN Food and Agriculture Organization’s Food Price …

At first glance, a 0.1 percent drop in the EU’s total market production index and a 0.2 percent decline in the euro area for June 2026 might appear trivial—a rounding error, a statistical hiccup, something for economists to debate and policymakers to dismiss. But that would be a …

Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and more than a dozen other world leaders are gathering in Kyrgyzstan on Monday for a two-day summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), a regional bloc increasingly positioned as a counterweight to Western influence. The group is marking its …

By Dr. Dan Steinbock              For China and the Global South, US-EU tensions are part of a broader struggle over selective globalization. The US increasingly prioritizes technological dominance, supply-chain security, industrial protection and strategic competition with China. Under Trump, this approach has become openly transactional and unilateral: tariffs, market …

Dan Steinbock              After three months, the Ebola crisis in Central Africa has crossed a critical regional threshold. Concurrently, it reflects the emerging US/China division—and possible complementarity—of global health power. In late May, the principal question was whether the newly declared outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo …

How to control a technology whose spread and capabilities are outpacing our ability to manage its risks? That question has become increasingly urgent with the rise of artificial intelligence. One answer seemed to stand out: Keep the most powerful models under close supervision by limiting their release and …

Dr. Nessrine Mesto-Assaad Key Takeaways: – In the ongoing war between the United States and Israel on one side and Iran on the other, why was the first vital Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) facility bombed by Iran, the Ras Laffan Industrial Facility in Qatar? – On whom does …

Key Takeaways Kazakhstan Cracks Down on Gasoline Smuggling — Amid severe fuel shortages in Russia caused by Ukrainian drone attacks, Kazakhstan has set up police checkpoints on nearly 60 border roads and introduced daily crossing limits to stop “gasoline tourism” and illegal exports. Kazakhstan Extends Ban on Petroleum Exports — …