Features
Iran's population is ageing at an alarming rate
Once a young, vibrant nation, Iran is greying into oblivion after a demographic shift of startling velocity.
Ukraine's receipt of Israeli missiles part of Israel's greater geopolitical plot
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that his country received a Patriot air defence system from Israel
UK companies lost $70bn from sanctions on Russia
British businesses have lost nearly $70bn between 2022 and 2024 as a result of their withdrawal from the Russian market, according to a survey of public sources and annual reports, the Russian state-owned media reports.
EBRD warns CEE competitiveness at risk as China’s export power grows
China's exports have become more similar to those from Central Europe and Turkey, as its share in global manufacturing exports surges.
Tony Blair in discussions to run Gaza
Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair is set to run an interim Gaza government following the collapse of Hamas, the White House hopes.
How Azerbaijan's oil prince went from dining with Messi to facing decades in prison
Adnan Ahmadzada is accused of contaminating 200,000 tonnes of his country's oil exports with corrosive chemicals and facilitating billions in Russian sanctions evasion.
Russia's military production goes into surplus
After more than three years of heavy investment, Russia’s military production has gone into surplus, producing more arms and ammo than it needs to perpetrate the war in Ukraine, the Kiel Institute reported.
"Managed democracy" wins the Moldovan elections
It appears that the ruling Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) has won the general election in Moldova on September 28, but President Maia Sandu has taken a page out of the Kremlin's “managed democracy" playbook.
How East Asia, by way of BLACKPINK, BTS et al, has redefined global pop culture
While BTS rewrote the rules for boy bands, BLACKPINK reshaped girl group dynamics and have since taken the world by storm, routinely selling out stadiums across the US and Europe.
Mass food poisoning in Indonesia linked to government’s free meal programme
It was reported that between mid-August and mid-September alone, 978 students required hospital treatment for diarrhoea, vomiting, rashes, facial swelling, breathing problems, and headaches.
Indonesia’s World Bank debt and the price of a green transition
Indonesia is routinely listed among the World Bank’s largest borrowers, second only to India in some recent tallies, reflecting an outstanding balance with the Bank running into the tens of billions and placing Indonesia among the top 10 debtors
BEYOND THE BOSPORUS: Spymaster tells Istanbul audience MI6 forged relationship with Syria’s HTS in 2023
Over in New York, country’s president, ex-Al Qaeda man al-Sharaa, is interviewed on-stage by a former CIA chief.
Emerging market Tiger Cities power global growth prospects
Cities across the developing world are set to be among the fastest-growing urban economies in the next quarter century, according to Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025.
Hungary's Fidesz on the defensive after paedophile allegations against high-level government officials
Claims senior politicians could have shielded the director of Budapest-based juvenile correctional institution Szolo Street have the potential to become a "Hungarian Epstein case".
EU’s influence declines in its neighbourhood as China and Russia gain ground
Chinese presence growing in Western Balkans, while Russia makes gains in Turkey, shows new index developed by wiiw, Bertelsmann Stiftung and ECIPE.
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Skull discovered in China may – or may not – rewrite human history
Questions are already being raised, with China having made at least half a dozen claims in recent years on much more recent historical issues that have little to no archaeological evidence to back them.
Indonesia pushes two-state solution, possible recognition of Israel at the UN
Addressing the High-Level Conference on Palestine and the Two-State Solution in New York, the Indonesian president delivered a stark condemnation of the violence in Gaza, framing Israel’s military campaign as genocidal.
Young Moldovans face uncertain future as pivotal election approaches
With a razor-thin margin between pro-EU PAS and pro-Russian Patriotic Bloc, voters expect Moldova's general election to be a battle for the country’s future.
Poland building a drone wall to protect Europe
Poland will lead an effort to build a “drone wall” to block Europe’s airspace to swarms of Russian UAVs should a pan-regional war ever break out.
Trump administration intensifies pressure on Iraq to cut ties with Iran
The US has ramped up a series of behind-the-scenes pressure tactics on Iraq aimed at reducing Iranian influence across key sectors.