Tag: Global
Coverage of geopolitics, international relations, and current affairs from a global perspective, including international organisations, cross-border cooperation, climate summits, and worldwide security trends.
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China has introduced sweeping new export restrictions on rare earth elements, extending its control over global supply chains for materials vital to defence, technology, and clean energy industries. Under the new rules, foreign companies must obtain Chinese government approval before exporting products containing trace amounts of Chinese-origin rare earths. Beijing said the measures, effective 1…
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NATO launched its annual Steadfast Noon nuclear-deterrence exercise on Monday (Oct. 13), involving 71 aircraft from 14 member states — one of the largest in recent years. The drills are centred over the North Sea and based at Volkel Air Base in the Netherlands. Key developments:• The United States is deploying F-35 jets in a…
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US President Donald Trump has said he will impose a 100% tariff on Chinese imports from next month, alongside export controls on critical software, escalating trade tensions between the world’s two largest economies. • The announcement followed Beijing’s decision to tighten rare earth export rules, a move Washington has criticised as “hostile”. • Trump said…
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Israel’s cabinet is set to approve a ceasefire agreement with Hamas, with Donald Trump saying Israeli hostages could be released as early as Monday or Tuesday during White House Cabinet meeting on Thursday (Oct. 9). A government spokeswoman confirmed the ceasefire would begin within 24 hours of cabinet approval, though the meeting has been delayed.…
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Russian President Vladimir Putin has pledged to compensate Azerbaijan for the accidental downing of an Azerbaijani passenger jet in December 2024 — an incident that killed 38 people and strained relations between the two neighbours. Meeting Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, Putin said Russian air defence missiles “detonated several metres from the plane”…
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The United Nations will withdraw around a quarter of its global peacekeeping forces in the coming months due to severe financial constraints, according to senior UN officials. The cuts could affect nine operations worldwide, impacting both troops and civilian staff. Key developments:• Around 13,000–14,000 troops and police will be repatriated.• The United States, the UN’s…
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China has introduced new export regulations on rare earths, expanding restrictions on technologies used to mine, refine, and process the minerals vital to high-tech and defence industries. The Ministry of Commerce said the measures aim to “safeguard national security,” requiring government approval for any overseas cooperation or technology transfer related to rare earth processing. Key…
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Russia hosted a delegation from Afghanistan’s Taliban government on Tuesday (Oct. 7), warning against any foreign military deployment in the country. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov praised the Taliban for efforts to combat the Islamic State, curb extremism, and reduce illegal drug production. Key points from the Moscow talks:• Lavrov stated that foreign military bases in…
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New data from Ember shows that renewable energy overtook coal as the world’s primary electricity source in the first half of 2025, marking a historic milestone. – Renewables surpass coal • China and other developing nations drove the shift, expanding solar and wind capacity faster than rising electricity demand. Coal and gas generation fell by…
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The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) has accused the guarantors of the Pretoria Peace Agreement—US, EU, AU, and UN—of failing to uphold commitments nearly three years after its signing. – TPLF accuses international guarantors The Tigray war, which began in November 2020, was a conflict between the TPLF and Ethiopia’s federal government, supported by allied…
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