Despite heavy international sanctions from the West, Russia has taken a lighter economic hit than expected. Rather than suffering from war, it’s become dependent on it — like Germany in the 1930s.
Category: Geopolitics
👋 नमस्कार* Welcome to Friday, where Israel says 107 aid trucks entered Gaza while attacks continue, a Chicago-born 31-year-old man is charged with murder in Wednesday’s killing of two Israeli embassy staff members in Washington D.C., and today’s quiz question features a surprising find in a Norwegian garden. Meanwhile, the Vatican has offered to host […]
The Canadian province is experiencing a surge in separatist sentiment, fueled by long-standing grievances over perceived economic inequities and political underrepresentation in Canada. While some view this as a bargaining tactic for better federal treatment, concerns are growing that separation could be destabilizing, impractical, and deeply divisive.
👋 Talofa!* Welcome to Thursday, where a suspect is in custody after a shooting in Washington, D.C., killed two Israeli embassy staff, a White House meeting between South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Donald Trump goes awry, and today’s quiz question asks what piece of advice the Netherlands has against cyber crime. Meanwhile, as the […]
A growing number of Israelis oppose the ruthless war in the Gaza Strip and fear their country’s international isolation. Increasing criticism from Europe is fueling this sentiment, which, for now, has not stopped Benjamin Netanyahu from escalating the conflict.
Following the ousting of Bangladesh’s long-time autocratic leader Sheikh Hasina, a fragile democratic transition is underway under interim leader Muhammad Yunus, marked by modest reforms but ongoing violence, repression, and delayed elections.
The meeting between Trump and Sharaa marked a pivotal moment not only for Syria but for the broader U.S. worldview. But the future of Syria is still very much up for grabs, as events since the historic handshake are already showing.
👋 Héébee!* Welcome to Wednesday, where fears of starvation mount as aid has yet to reach Gaza, China voices concerns over Donald Trump’s new $175-billion “Golden Dome” missile defense system, and today’s quiz highlights a slip-up by Japan’s farm minister. Meanwhile, in the wake of a very awkward moment involving the French and Turkish presidents, […]
Following his call with Vladimir Putin on Monday, Donald Trump seemed to wash his hands of the rest. His ultimate agenda seems to be about inking business deals, just like he’s done on his recent visit to the Gulf states.
Erdogan and Macron’s strange interaction at a recent summit in Albania is a good opportunity to look back at some of the weirdest hand-to-hand encounters between world leaders.
👋 A jaaraama!* Welcome to Tuesday, where the UK, France and Canada warn Israel over its Gaza offensive, the coup trial of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro opens and our daily quiz question takes us to Paris’ most famous cemetery. Meanwhile, Jędrzej Słodkowski for Polish daily Gazeta Wyborcza shines a light on the lesser known […]
Netanyahu has resumed limited food aid to Gaza for “diplomatic reasons.” Meanwhile, the Israeli army continues its offensive to take control of the entire territory, and the West’s diplomatic weakness is glaring.
In the 1980s, a U.S. president, a Soviet reformer and a determined pope helped end the Cold War to change the world. It was a “coincidental” partnership, but could it be repeated today with Trump, China’s Xi and Pope Leo XIV?
👋 Dia dhuit!* Welcome to Monday, where Israel says it will resume the entry of “minimal” humanitarian aid into Gaza, election results are in for Poland, Romania and Portugal, and today’s quiz question sees a costumed world record get broken. Meanwhile, Luisa Lara in Colombian daily El Espectador highlights the importance of “trans mother figures” […]
Against all expectations, the far-right candidate George Simion, who had come well ahead in the first round of the Romanian presidential election, lost in the second round to the liberal Nicusor Dan. An election that could be seen as a test between liberal democracy and far-right nationalism.
Both Iranian negotiators and U.S. President Donald Trump have stated that they are on the verge of a major deal on the Tehran’s nuclear program. But a closer look reveals an old game of bait and switch.
Jumping straight into the geopolitical fray, the words of the U.S.-born pontiff are meant to single out Vladimir Putin — a notable difference with Pope Francis. The timing may also be just right to help his fellow American, Donald Trump, orchestrate the end to the war.
New German Chancellor Friedrich Merz talks about his private exchanges with U.S. President Donald Trump, his own lack of government experience, and why it’s not so clear how to handle the far right AfD.
The Israeli army has imposed itself as the most powerful in the region in the wars waged since Oct. 7. But this military hegemony does not come with any political solution: This is Netanyahu’s weakness at a time when Trump is visiting the wealthy princes of the Gulf.
👋 Dumela!* Welcome to Friday, where Russia and Ukraine meet for direct peace talks for the first time since 2022, new Israeli strikes kill at least 64 in Gaza, and today’s quiz question gives us a glimpse of the 2028 Olympic Games. Meanwhile, Le Figaro’s Iman Benotmane looks at how Japan has become a global […]
With her open-armed gestures and lack of filter, left-wing candidate Joanna Senyszyn has won the hearts and minds of many Gen Z voters preparing for Poland’s May 18 presidential elections. Can it take her to the second round?
While the Qatari-owned media has pushed Arabs in the U.S. to protest against Israel and American bias toward it, Doha has warned its citizens against doing the same — and prohibits them from interacting on social media.
👋 Nyob zoo!* Welcome to Thursday, where Ukraine voices disappointment as Vladimir Putin sidesteps peace talks in Turkey, Israeli airstrikes on Khan Younis kill 54 overnight, and today’s quiz question will please National Treasure lovers. Meanwhile, for Italian daily La Stampa, Francesca Mannocchi reports from Chad, where she spoke to some of the 700,000 refugees […]
Donald Trump surprised everyone by meeting Ahmed al-Sharaa, the Syrian president, a former jihadist. It’s all about Trump’s gut and what Saudi Crown Prince MBS has planned for the region’s future.
La Stampa journalist Francesca Mannocchi reports from Chad, where she spoke to some of the 700,000 Sudanese refugees who have fled the civil war that is ravaging the country. Their hopes to find a safer place were crushed by lack of funding and resources, creating yet another threat to their lives: famine.
The video circulating of the Syrian leader’s basketball spectacle coincides with a bloody spectacle carried out by the Sunni factions against the Alawite and Druze Syrians.
More than two months after Israel closed the borders into Gaza and blocked aid from entering the enclave, the UN World Food Programme has warned that the entire population of the Gaza Strip is at risk of famine.
👋 Салом* Welcome to Wednesday, where Donald Trump meets Syrian President al-Sharaa in Saudi Arabia, former Uruguayan President José “Pepe” Mujica dies at 89, and today’s quiz question looks at the very human behavior of our ape cousins. Meanwhile, in La Stampa, Anna Zafesova unpacks how Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was able to back Vladimir […]
The West’s treatment of Pro-Palestinian protesters has shattered the image of democracies as bastions of free expression. But the West’s contradictions hold lessons for the Arab world.
👋 Sveiki!* Welcome to Tuesday, where Donald Trump kicks off his Middle East tour, French actor Gérard Depardieu is found guilty in a sexual assault trial and today’s quiz question honors 75 years of a global sport. Meanwhile, Ronald Cárdenas Krenz in Clarín explores the many ways Pope Leo expresses his Peruvian side. [*Latvian] 🗞️ […]
U.S. President Donald Trump is on a Gulf tour that is adding to Israel’s worries about its strongest ally: the U.S. has negotiated the release of an American hostage with Hamas, and a ceasefire with the Houthis, without involving Israel.
While place names often change in history — closely following power dynamics — there is very little geographical or historical justification for the Trump administration renaming the Gulf of Mexico.
I don’t want to be ‘rescued’ by Pakistan. I don’t want to be silenced by India. I want to grow in a space that allows me to be both Kashmiri and Indian without splitting my tongue in two. I want the world to know that patriotism can look like criticism, and loyalty can sound like longing.
The pre-conclave favorite, Italy’s Pietro Parolin had a good number of preferences in the first two votes, but his support dropped off in the third ballot. Meanwhile, the darkhorse candidacy of Robert Prevost had been gaining momentum, thanks to a well-organized U.S. campaign.
Despite widespread discontent at home, Iran’s regime is likely to survive for the foreseeable future — in part, because Western powers prefer maintaining the regional status quo to the unknown.
In electing Pope Leo XIV, the institution of the Catholic Church appears quite clear about the place it should occupy beyond its spiritual commitment.
As AfD grows in popularity, it gets potentially more dangerous — but also harder to ban. This could become a test for democracy and cripple his leadership from the outset.
The inventor of the term “soft power,” Joseph Nye, has died at the age of 88, at a time when his concept of gentle influence is being destroyed by Donald Trump.
The conclave in which Pope Francis was elected had as its task the salvation of the Church. At the conclave that chose Cardinal Robert Prevost to be Pope Leo XIV, we ask him to fill in where politics has failed.
The 80th anniversary of victory in World War II shines a light on the world’s current fractures, because in addition to the war in Ukraine, which pits the allies of 1945 against each other, there’s Donald Trump wild card.