Overseas-bases
When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, the United States deployed almost 5,000 troops to Poland, doubling the number that had already been stationed there. The reinforcements were sent mostly to southeastern Poland, close…
Biodiversity
The Sámi, Europe's last recognised Indigenous community, continue to have their livelihood and lifestyle threatened. Credit: Johan Mikaelsson/IPS By Johan Mikaelsson SÁPMI, Norway, Oct 21 2026 (IPS) The Sámi, Europe’s…
External
Show Notes: On today’s show Andrew and Bill begin with a raft of proposed export controls from Beijing on AI-related technologies, solar-related technologies, and machinery, as well as continued angst surrounding Japan’s…
Commentary
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The Tehran that the world knew is gone. It died in the fires with former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on the first day of the war in February. His son and new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei — wherever he is and in…
Opinion
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The war in Ukraine can be ended permanently on terms that protect Ukraine’s statehood, meet Russia’s security concerns, and lay the foundation for a durable European security order. As another round of negotiations gears…
Middle East
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In “The Muqaddimah”, the 14th-century historian Ibn Khaldun wrote that “great dynasties often decline after three generations because they fail to produce capable successors.” Under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman…
Middle East
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Britain’s prime minister, Andy Burnham, has said the recent suspected terror plot targeting RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire was “almost certainly” directed by Iran. The allegation has centered attention on how Iran…
World
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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Samarkand on October 19 with nearly 300 American business leaders, seeking to deepen US commercial ties with Central Asia. Washington’s renewed interest will matter less for…
Strait-of-hormuz
During the ongoing conflict between Iran and the United States, the Arab Gulf states have borne the brunt of Iranian drone and missile strikes while incurring mounting economic costs. With limited prospects for a…
Europe
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On 19 February 2027, the mandate of the European Union Mission in Armenia expires. The date has attracted little attention outside Yerevan and Baku, yet it marks a decision point for European strategy in the South…
Africa
By James Alix Michel VICTORIA, Seychelles, Oct 21 2026 (IPS) When you grow up on a small island, the ocean is not scenery. It is your neighbour, your livelihood, and the measure of time itself. For decades, as I walked…
Uncategorized
If you get your picture of the war in Ukraine from the Institute for the Study of War, you could be forgiven for thinking Russia has spent 2026 standing still. According to reporting on ISW’s latest assessments, Russia’s…
Poland
These days, barely a week goes by in Europe without a drone sighting, a fire or a power outage being blamed on Russia. We’re told that these incidents are all part of a relentless, and escalating, “hybrid war” that…
Ebola
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Case in Africa’s most populous country was detected in a woman who had travelled from Uganda Nigeria has confirmed an Ebola case in its capital, Abuja, after a woman who arrived from Uganda tested positive for the virus…
Uncategorized
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Israel’s 2026 election is occurring in a highly polarized and incendiary political atmosphere that recalls 1995. Then, the Oslo process had split Israeli society between an increasingly radicalized right and a…
External
The paid version of Sinocism turned nine a few days ago. I am struggling with how to keep it useful and relevant in the age of AI. I have started a chat to hear ideas on how to make it better. Please give me your…
Analysis
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Stocks of the new Palestine poppy have sold out despite – or more likely because of – a huge backlash among right-wing media. Media attacks on the ‘poppy’ – a badge shaped like the flower but in the colours of the…
Analysis
It is an open secret that establishment Democrats loathe the left of their own party more than they oppose Republicans. You can see it in corporate Democrats trying to sabotage populist Democratic nominees and vilifying…
Americas
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A Promise With an Expiry Date On 8 October, Donald Trump made a promise with a date attached. “We will not be attacking Iran at any time prior to the midterm elections,” he wrote on Truth Social. In the same week…
Guinea-Bissau
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Police seize doses of hepatitis B vaccine from people at center of dispute over research on African newborns Controversial vaccine researchers who have been praised by Robert F Kennedy Jr, the US Department of Health and…
Solutions
All empires fall from within. Jorge Majfud is an Uruguayan-American writer and an associate professor at Jacksonville University. Cross-posted from Common Dreams Picture by Lechat This week, a student—a former US…
Racism
People can obviously interpret ideology in various ways, but the facts are that Zionism as an organised political movement has always been racist. Joseph Massad is professor of modern Arab politics and intellectual…
National Politics
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Protests over housing have spread all over the Iberian peninsula. Read the article HERE . A protester shakes a keyring while holding a banner that reads “¡Derecho a techo a justo precio!” (“Right to housing at a fair…
Opinion
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Iran’s new defence minister has made a sensational announcement. Iran has a heavy fighter of its own design, and it is due to take to the skies next year. Ground testing is already under way, and preparations are being…
3D IC
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Applied Materials President and CEO Gary Dickerson with the EPIC Center founding partners on October 12, 2026, in Sunnyvale, CA. (Tomas Ovalle/AP Content Services for Applied Materials, Inc.) The bottlenecks are becoming…
Aid
Credit: UN Photo/Luke Powell By FAO and WFP KABUL, Afghanistan, Oct 20 2026 (IPS) Nearly 40 percent of the population of Afghanistan is projected to face high levels of acute food insecurity this winter, and cases of…
Opinion
The venerable New York Times — the “gray lady” of American journalism that not only determines what’s news but sets the standard for how it should be reported — has been describing the upcoming midterm election as if it…
Activism
Sometimes the hardest part of war is what comes after. That’s according to Israa, the Syrian refugee at the center of Jack MacInnes and Itab Azzam’s new documentary, “One in a Million.” The film follows Israa for 10…
comment
Brazilian president Lula da Silva has shrugged off the attempts of Meta and Israel to rig Brazil’s presidential election, by shredding rival Flavio Bolsonaro during the latest presidential debate. And Brazilians are…
Opinion
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Recent incidents involving the explosion of a North Korean landmine in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and the repatriation of North Korean POWs held in Ukraine have led to a dramatic increase in North Korea-related…
Opinion
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On January 5, 2025, Saudi Arabia’s then ambassador to Bangladesh, Essa Youssef Essa Al Duhailan, delivered a stark reminder of a lost opportunity. Saudi Aramco, the Kingdom’s state-owned oil giant, had sent high-level…
Asia-Pacific
Members of the Kabul Critical Thinking Movement conceal their identities to minimise the risk of being identified and facing reprisals from the Taliban. Credit: Learning Together. By External Source PARWAN, Afghanistan…
Photo by McCarthy Beckan on Unsplash I am an optimist. I don’t want to be, mind you, because I get let down an awful lot by my optimism, but I am. I have moments where it fades, of course. These moment are triggered by…
Bethlehem / West Bank /PNN/ Monjed Jadou Palestinian students, volunteers and officials gathered in the historic village of Battir, west of Bethlehem, to launch the 2026 national olive harvest campaign, joining farmers…
AI
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by Ajay Kumar Govindaram There’s a question I’ve started asking at every agentic AI demo I sit through, and it has a clean answer in every fab on earth: who is allowed to change the recipe? In a semiconductor factory…
Opinion
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Russian tourists staying at the five-star Rixos Premium Magawish Suites & Villas in Egypt’s Hurghada have encountered unexpected conditions during their holiday. Instead of peace and comfort, they have found construction…
Iran
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Russian-Iranian relations long ago moved beyond the framework of ordinary good-neighborliness. Today this is a strategic partnership, cemented by the Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership signed in January 2025…
#Culture
Your Mother, Your Mother, Your Mother , a film written and directed by Bassem Tariq, was released in theatres on October 16, 2026, in the United States. This gritty film, living somewhere between action and drama…
Global Governance
Decisions about ending one’s life are often complex, reflecting a combination of medical, psychological, social, and personal considerations. Credit: Shutterstock By Joseph Chamie PORTLAND, USA, Oct 20 2026 (IPS) People…
War & Peace
News reports that next year’s U.S. military budget will top out at $1.5 trillion if President Donald Trump gets his way are misleading at best. The true total, if Trump’s proposal passes, could be at least $1 trillion…
Analysis
Lithuania’s defence minister has confirmed that Ukraine is flying its drones via NATO nations’ airspace to attack the Russian city of St Petersburg, to prevent Russia destroying them en route. This act – and NATO nations…
#Culture
As the caravan moves toward Mashhad, Darius trains the new recruits, faces a challenge from Cotan, receives an unexpected promotion, and learns the story of Meilin’s past. Read Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5…
Commentary
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In March 2025, Germany did more than loosen a fiscal rule. It fused two national emergencies — a deteriorating European security order and a deteriorating industrial model — into a single constitutional bargain. The…
External
WASHINGTON / PNN/ Amnesty International has called on the international community to impose sanctions on Israeli officials implicated in violations of international law and to take urgent action to halt the escalating…
#Culture
While the caravan struggles along a muddy riverside path, tempers fray, Chen catches fish, merchants risk their necks for pistachios, and Darius waits anxiously for Ahmed and Weili to return. Read Part 1 | Part 2 | Part…
BETHLEHEM, West Bank (PNN) — A new episode of Al-Makshouf, a programme produced by Palestine News Network (PNN) and presented by journalist Sara Rizk, examined the devastating impact of the destruction of Gaza’s…
GAZA / PNN / For the children training at Al-Zaytoun Club’s karate academy in the Gaza Strip, the dojo was more than a place to practise martial arts. It was a second home, where friendships flourished, team spirit…
Africa
Tanzania’s vice-president inspects a drainage channel in Dar es Salaam as authorities step up preparations for heavy El Niño rains expected during the October–December rainy season. Credit: Kizito Makoye/IPS By Kizito…