In January, this article series opened with a blunt question: Economic statecraft is back, but is America ready?Driving the question, in part, was the fact that the United States had not yet articulated (at least overtly) a strategy for economic...
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The global investment boom is no longer being driven by artificial intelligence alone. Governments are preparing to pour trillions of dollars into defence, creating a powerful new link between military spending, AI and technology while raising fresh concerns about inflation,...
When Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan agreed to a mutual defense pact in August, it was principally seen as a political commitment. The “Mecca alliance,” as it was dubbed, stipulated that an armed attack on one would be treated as...
Crude oil prices ticked higher today, after dipping on Tuesday, following reports that President Trump has no intention of easing sanction pressure on Iran, which has decimated exports from one of OPEC’s biggest producers. At the time of writing, Brent...
Quitting smoking initiates bodily regeneration within 20 minutes, yet complete organ function recovery may take up to a decade. Russian Ministry of Health data indicates that tobacco smoke causes not only inflammation but also fibrosis, an irreversible scarring of tissues. The...
A Sierra Leonean nurse detained, handcuffed and flown to Ghana. An Iranian dissident sent to Central African Republic . A Cameroonian deported to Equatorial Guinea. This is the face of the Trump administration’s policy since 2025 – striking deals with 35...
Rafael Grossi has turned a UN technical body into Washington’s political weapon, and the visa scandal in Vienna has laid bare the cynicism of the Western bloc. From Technical Body to Political Weapon The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was...
BRICS: Growing Ambition, Zero Accountability
Full ArticleMedia personnel watch a digital screen showing leaders of member states gather for a family photograph during the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi on 13 September 2026. Credit: Arun Sankar/AFP By Samuel King and Inés M. Pousadela BRUSSELS, Belgium / MONTEVIDEO,...
China has accused Taiwan’s government of distorting World War Two history, escalating a dispute over which side can claim the legacy of China’s wartime resistance against Japan. Beijing’s Taiwan Affairs Office said on Wednesday that Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party...
What Faith Can Teach Agriculture
Full ArticleMember of Smallholder Farmer Alliance in Haiti with tree she is about to plant. Credit: A.F. Cortes/SFA By Hugh Locke NEW YORK, Sep 30 2026 (IPS) Years ago, standing in a small farmer’s field in Haiti, I began to suspect that we had...
In 1927, Augusto Cesar Sandino began an insurgent campaign against the U.S. occupation of Nicaragua. Under orders from President Calvin Coolidge, the U.S. Marines had intervened in Nicaragua to settle a civil war between a conservative government and liberal rebels. In...
Patrice Talon has transformed the west African country’s economy and infrastructure at the expense of political freedom In recent years, a building boom has reshaped Benin’s largest city, Cotonou, and a shiny new coastal road has reduced journey times to Ouidah,...
The prevailing criticism of the US-China summit in Washington is that it amounted to little more than diplomatic pageantry. But one outcome deserves recognition: it may have helped keep alive the prospect of renewed US-North Korea dialogue. North Korea, after...
Every Senate Democrat but one voted to advance a resolution that would have forced the State Department to produce a report regarding violence against American citizens, as well as other Israeli violations of human rights, in the West Bank. With...
Two Men at the Top, Two Ships in the Spratlys Today China marks National Day with the smallest military high command in its modern history. On 21 September, state media announced that Zhang Youxia, first vice-chairman of the Central Military...
The last of the US-led coalition forces are leaving Iraq. It’s a significant bonus for Iran. The withdrawal date, September 30, was also the date by which Baghdad had pledged to bring numerous powerful Iran-backed militias under state control. But...
By: Toh Han Shih Xi Jinping was welcomed by Donald Trump at the White House in September 2026. Photo from China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs There was much friendliness and mutual respect between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping...
Russia is expanding access to its remote regions by modernizing its aviation infrastructure. Of the country's 226 civil airfields, at least 75 are scheduled for reconstruction by 2030. For travelers, these upgrades translate to increased flight frequencies and lower ticket...
The Iraq War was already four-years-old when I walked down the ramp of a C-17 at Al Taqaddum Air Base in April 2007. The fact that I am writing these words is proof that I survived that deployment and a...
Washington is reportedly exploring a new diplomatic avenue with Moscow, one that moves beyond the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and centers on a potential prisoner exchange for sanctions relief. According to The Atlantic, former President Donald Trump has endorsed an...
Oil prices pulled back on Tuesday, reversing recent gains as investors weighed signs of export recovery by Middle Eastern producers against uncertainty surrounding the fate of the Iran war. Brent crude for November delivery fell 1.5% to trade at $103.72...
The principles of the Soviet mathematical school, once a hallmark of rigorous education in the USSR, are experiencing a resurgence in the United States, with American parents increasingly enrolling their children in specialized "Russian Math" programs. These supplementary classes, often...
European natural gas prices have soared dramatically since the war in Iran trapped a fifth of the world’s liquefied natural gas supply behind the Strait of Hormuz. The high prices are creating a headache for governments amid soaring energy bills...
They’ve been shown to raise electricity bills, pollute drinking water, do little to boost local employment while threatening millions of jobs in a variety of industries, and top executives have warned that the technology they support could wipe out all of humanity by the end of the decade. But rather than take...
Russia has transferred some of the largest European retail chains and industrial assets under external management, while retaining a lever of pressure on the West through the threat of full nationalization. Major Western retailers will no longer control their businesses in...
Sanctions are designed to impose economic costs that eventually generate political pressure for behavioral change. Yet Russia has absorbed years of unprecedented economic restrictions without experiencing a corresponding political backlash. Conventional explanations focus on the country’s macroeconomic buffers: accumulated foreign-exchange...
The US government on Monday finalized new lower vehicle fuel economy standards — reversing a push by the Biden administration to build more fuel-efficient vehicles. The move is broadly seen as helping sales of gas-powered cars and trucks at the...
The long National Day vacation is getting started, so the newsletter is thin today. We are recording this week’s Sharp China on Wednesday, but I am not yet sure if there will be enough for a Wednesday newsletter too. Unless...
Russian defense conglomerate Almaz-Antey is set to unveil its long-range Harpy-A1(E) strike drone at an upcoming defense exhibition in Vietnam, marking its first international foray into the realm of armed unmanned aerial vehicles. The drone is engineered to strike stationary...
Damning reports confirm dozens of casualties amongst US navy sailors and marines in Iranian attacks this month, as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) seize another American unmanned submarine in the Strait of Hormuz. Mint Press News’ Robert Inlakesh looks...
As chipmakers put more computing power into a single system, the challenge extends beyond making individual chips faster. They must connect multiple chips, memory stacks, power supplies, and sometimes optical components in a compact package. In the2026 TSMC OIP Forum...
The U.S. federal government has come up with an alternative to a diesel fuel export ban that could alleviate the price pain at the pump by boosting the availability of a tax-free sort of diesel. That’s according to unnamed sources...
We all sense that the American economy is one big con game, in which we’re the mark. But one of the world’s largest Wall Street firms just accidentally confessed that truth in a warning to the investor class. The admission came...
A global crackdown on the water and energy use of the artificial intelligence sector is picking up speed. This week government officials in California and the European Union both announced new policies to help track and limit the runaway resource...
Sometimes, a defeat can include many triumphs. This is the case of the Mexican government’s efforts to beat back a lawsuit by Legacy Vulcan. This company, the largest U.S. producer of crushed construction stone, sued in 2018 over Mexico’s closure...
Recently, I had the opportunity to speak with Johann Foucher, founder and CEO of Pollen Metrology, a French company whose journey offers a rare vantage point on how artificial intelligence is reshaping semiconductor manufacturing from the inside out. What makes...
Maricarmen’s eviction was the straw that broke the camel’s back, sparking the biggest social movement seen in Spain since the ‘indignados’ 15 years ago. Laura Wittebroek is a writer and member of Clamour. Cross-posted from Counterpunch Over the past few days, Maricarmen has...
Rubén Díez García: The new protest camp in Madrid is not the same as 15M – it is its evolution
Full ArticleHousing has always been at the forefront of political concerns in Spain post-2008, but whereas the 15-M movement was more broadly about the legitimacy of the political and economic system, the demands of the current protests are more narrowly focused...
Madeline Carr – China is framed as the AI danger, but unlike the US, it already has safety rules
Full ArticleThe debate around AI safety in the political West conveniently misses the fact that China has already introduced safety rules. Madeline Carr is Professor of Global Politics and Cybersecurity at University College London Cross-posted from The Conversation Recent warnings from American AI leaders...
A year after mass protests demanding a change in political priorities, gen Z opted out of last week’s poll en masse The spectacle of young migrants swimming en masse from Moroccan waters to the Spanish exclave of Ceuta exposed the frustration...
The U.S. Department of Energy will offer another 40 million barrels of crude from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve as gasoline and diesel prices remain elevated nearly seven months into the Iran war. The barrels will be offered through an exchange,...
Dior creative director Jonathan Anderson presented a new collection in Paris on Tuesday, showcasing metallic trousers, structured jackets, and sheer feathered skirts. This was a year after his debut at the brand owned by LVMH, with notable guests like singer...
Next-gen AI accelerators, high-performance processors, and complex computing architectures depend heavily on advanced packaging. Bringing multiple dies, chiplets, high-bandwidth memory, and advanced interconnects together into a single 2.5D or 3D package yields massive performance gains. However, this design evolution… Read...
Construction on Tajikistan’s massive Rogun Dam project has taken significant steps forward over the last year, seeming to put to rest doubts about the project’s viability that had bubbled up last summer. In June, World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors...
Russia will reduce funding for welfare, education, and healthcare in its state budget for 2027, focusing more on military spending. Planned defense expenditures will rise to 17.1 trillion roubles ($202.58 billion), which is about 27% more than the previous budget....
The European Commission is suggesting measures to protect the EU from potential issues with future members that could weaken democracy and veto decisions. This proposal comes as Montenegro, Albania, Ukraine, and Moldova work towards joining the EU. A draft document...
Donald Trump Unlikely to Meet Kim Jong Un
Full ArticleNorth Korean leader Kim Jong Un now occupies a different position from the one he had at the Hanoi Summit with Donald Trump seven years ago. Between 2019 and 2026, in both efforts to arrange a summit, Trump used a similar...
Anthropic may face legal claims from customers and users due to the actions of rogue artificial intelligence agents. This concern arises as the company prepares for a major initial public offering. The AI technology they are developing allows for autonomous...
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