France, the UK and Canada are preparing to formally back Palestinian statehood at the UN this September. Behind the symbolic gesture lies a strategic power play aimed at Benjamin Netanyahu — and Donald Trump.
Category: Geopolitics
👋 Bula!* Welcome to Tuesday, where Israel says it will allow gradual and controlled entry of goods to Gaza via local merchants, Brazil’s Supreme Court puts former President Jair Bolsonaro under house arrest and our daily quiz question is about a surprising wolf deterrent. Meanwhile, Mark Schieritz for German weekly Die Zeit looks at what […]
As U.S. President Donald Trump again threatened on Monday to raise tariffs on goods from India over its Russian oil purchases, it may be time for India’s prime minister to respond accordingly — and turn to India’s former leaders for potential playbooks.
Iran is reportedly deporting thousands of Afghans — including many legal residents — claiming it can no longer afford to host millions of migrants. Witnesses describe chaotic expulsions marked by beatings and last-minute extortion at the border.
Maoism seduced universities worldwide in the 1960s and 70s, harming tolerance and academic excellence in the process. Today, that fascination has morphed in countries like Colombia into awe of China the superpower, which is equally unnerving.
The Wire spoke to Indian nationals, travelers and students who say they have experienced arbitrary detention and deportation at Tbilisi’s airport and on Georgian borders. This paints a chilling picture of human rights violations in the country; meanwhile, Indian authorities also stay silent on the matter.
As it recently did with Brazil, the United States is now dissing a court ruling against another conservative politician, in Colombia, and showing the Trump administration’s reluctant respect not just for state sovereignty, but for the rule of law.
👋 Ekamowir omo!* Welcome to Thursday, where Canada says it will recognize a Palestinian state if democratic conditions are met, a Russian airstrike kills at least six in Kyiv, and today’s quiz question takes us back to one of the earliest traces of human addiction. Meanwhile, for German weekly Die Zeit, researcher Olivia Masseck lays […]
The United States faces a lack of practical alternatives to sustaining Ukraine’s defense. With missile production lagging and diplomacy stalled, Washington is struggling to deliver the air defenses Kyiv needs to slow Russia’s advance.
As others bristle at tariffs and concessions, Rome recasts humiliation as heroism, embracing a lopsided deal that feeds the myth of a benevolent Caesar-like Donald Trump while draining European coffers.
👋 Zdravo!* Welcome to Tuesday, where Russia continues to strike Ukraine despite Trump’s ultimatum, a lone gunman kills four in a Manhattan skyscraper and our daily quiz question is about Portugal’s down-to-earth president. Meanwhile, Basma Al-Atty in Beirut-based independent media Daraj looks at how sudden floods following years of drought have fueled conspiracy theories about […]
Interest in professional military service is growing among Gen Z in Poland, a frontline state in the Ukraine war. But is this generation, who spent much of their coming of age indoors during COVID-19, really ready to fight?
One-quarter of the way into the 21st century, Israel is emerging not only as a staunch ally of the United States but also as the dominant regional power. That inevitably places it in direct competition with Iran, both in its current theocratic form and in a potential free and democratic future.
The area where the city will be established will lie on the ruins of thousands of homes in Rafah, after the Israeli army “cleanses” it. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea and is directly adjacent to Egypt — which means the next step could be pushing hundreds of thousands of residents into Sinai.
👋 Yokwe!* Welcome to Thursday, where Israel receives a new “workable” ceasefire proposal from Hamas, the conflict between Thailand and Cambodia escalates following deadly military clashes and our daily quiz question is about a fake ambassador. Meanwhile, Rina Nikolaeva for independent Russian media Vazhnyye Istorii looks at why the Kremlin has been systematically shutting off […]
Europe, Iran and global powers are meeting in Istanbul on Friday to discuss Iran’s nuclear program. The talks may determine whether dialogue or confrontation will shape their future relations. It’s also a reminder that diplomacy is a better way than war to settle disputes.
This excerpt of an exclusive interview given by then-Cardinal Robert F. Prevost on August 7, 2024, at St. Jude Parish in New Lenox, Illinois is included in Antonio Spadaro’s book “Da Francesco a Leone” (From Francis to Leo) available in Italian on July 31.
There are growing signs of deepening instability and decline within the Iranian regime. This makes the West’s ongoing efforts to reach a deal with Tehran incomprehensible to any Iranian yearning for a free country.
👋 Ha’u!* Welcome to Tuesday, where the WHO condemns Israel’s ground offensive in central Gaza, Bangladesh mourns the victims of a crash of an air force training jet on a school and our daily quiz question is about a deliciously disappearing artwork. Meanwhile, An Flores for independent Latin American online Volcánicas looks at how discussions […]
Benjamin Netanyahu proposing the U.S. president for the Nobel Peace prize may seem a sinister joke, but it seems the Gaza genocide these laureates-in-waiting are boasting about is reaping them benefits. It is giving them wings, like those of vultures.
Cyber slavery rings are growing across the region, trapping young jobseekers in brutal scam compounds — and fueling a global criminal enterprise.
Dangerous sectarian rhetoric between Sunnis and Shiites is returning ahead of Iraq’s upcoming parliamentary election, on Nov. 11. If Iraq wants to grow stronger, it must restore value to national identity and criminalize hate speech.
In Frankfurt, a recent trial opened the door to holding accountable those who thought themselves safe from the law by sneaking out of Syria. Meanwhile, back in Damascus, justice that is geographically closer to the crimes seems impossible to hope for.
With Chinese bank loans overdue, Harare charges residents for major upgrades that were never completed.
As the Houthis turn politics into perpetual warfare and view the state as spoils, the international community, and UN specifically, must decide whether to treat them as legitimate actors or confront them as extremists threatening Yemen’s fragile sovereignty.
In the 15th arrondissement of Paris, exiled opponents of Iran’s ruling regime are tightening their guard, fearing reprisals against loved ones still in Iran.
The so-called 12-day war ended in a June ceasefire. But it really just returned the Israel-Iran war to the shadows, with both sides now preparing for the direct conflict to start again.
👋 Alò!* Welcome to Friday, where the EU imposes new sanctions on Russia, Donald Trump struggles to tamp down the Jeffrey Epstein uproar, and a famed Austrian daredevil dies in a paragliding accident. We also feature an article on the rise of the “Instagram Sheikhs” — a diverse group of digital-savvy Muslims who fuse Islamic […]
After splitting from the Confederation party, Poland’s far-right leader Grzegorz Braun has continued to say ever more extreme statements, including blatant Holocaust denial. It all seems to give him a boost in popularity.
The so-called “Hebron Emirate” is not a realistic project — but rather a propaganda tool within a campaign to hinder any progress toward a two-state solution. Netanyahu again succeeds in marketing the illusion of alternative solutions to delay a real settlement.
With Israel and Iran’s shadow war spilling into Syria, the new government in Damascus has warned that “foreign actors” aim to plunge the country into a cycle of instability and chaos.
👋 Hyvää päivää!* Welcome to Thursday, where a ceasefire in Syria appears to be holding after government soldiers clashed with Druze minority forces, Ukraine gets a new prime minister and our daily quiz question is about a festival in Belgium. Meanwhile, Marcelo Cantelmi for Argentine daily Clarín looks at why Trump’s threats against Brazil aren’t […]
This small but strategically located Russian exclave is the most militarized area in Europe. Much of the continent remains within range of Kaliningrad’s Iskander missiles which allows Russia to keep NATO in check. What is the real potential of the Russian military forces stationed just beyond our northern border?
Venezuelan media lambasted Israel during its 12-day assault on the Islamic Republic of Iran, not for justice’s sake, but as an illustration of just how much clout the Tehran regime has bought itself in the Western Hemisphere.
👋 Aссалом* Welcome to Tuesday, where Trump threatens Russia with steep tariffs if a peace deal is not reached within 50 days, Netanyahu’s coalition is under pressure after an ultra-Orthodox party quits and our daily quiz question is about the hacking of a famous puppet’s X account. Meanwhile, Johanna Jürgens for German weekly Die Zeit […]
Vladimir Putin is convinced his country is strong enough to secure total victory in Ukraine. But the Russian leader is forgetting two crucial things about the current geographic dynamic.
On July 3, Russia recognized the Taliban-led Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, a decision that will have a significant effect on the positions of other nations, particularly those in Central Asia.
This is not (just) about awkward exchanges or conventional indignation. It’s about understanding what’s “happening” to us, the rest of the world, that is forced to adjust to this paradigm shift.
👋 Ćao!* Welcome to Monday, where the U.S. is set to send military equipment to Ukraine as Trump criticizes Putin again, more civilians in Gaza are killed as talks falter, and our daily quiz question is about a mysterious item up for auction in New York. Meanwhile, Aliénor Vinçotte in French daily Le Figaro unpacks […]
The Islamic Republic of Iran recently sent Ismail Qaani, the Revolutionary guards general who keeps ‘resurrecting’ after being reported as killed or maimed, to Baghdad to discuss rearming its proxy militias. This appears to be Tehran’s first act of regional interference since Israeli strikes in June.