South Africa
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Putin to skip Rio BRICS summit over ICC warrant as Xi signals no-show
Brazil's hosting of next month's BRICS summit is being overshadowed by the likely absence of two of the bloc's most powerful leaders, threatening to dent the gathering's geopolitical significance.
COMMENT: The long road to a BRICS-led world order hits familiar obstacles
Brazil's upcoming BRICS summit exposes the bloc's growing pains as 21 members wrestle with deep divisions. The group's ambitious challenge to US financial dominance hits reality as internal disagreements threaten its push for global clout.
Farmers powerless to prevent five of the six staple crop yields from plummeting – New Scientist
Efforts by farmers to adapt to rising temperatures will not be enough to prevent severe losses in global staple crop production due to climate change, according to a new study published in New Scientist on June 18.
Where the world is losing tree cover fastest – Statista
North America is close on the heels of Latin America when it comes to tree cover loss, according to data published by the World Resources Institute, Statista reports.
COMMENT: Middle East oil shock scenarios pose inflation risk, but economic hit seen as modest
The threat of escalating conflict between Israel and Iran has returned geopolitical risk to the heart of the global oil market. Yet according to Oxford Economics, the macroeconomic fallout – even in the most extreme case – may be mild.
Number of recorded disasters up 50-fold since 1970 – OWID
Tracking the occurrence of natural disasters can save lives by helping countries prepare for future ones, Our World in Data (OWID) reports.
EU selects 13 global strategic raw materials projects to boost supply security
European Commission publishes list with projects in Emerging Europe, Central Asia, Africa and elsewhere as bloc strives to reduce dependency on a handful of global suppliers.
BRICS nations formulate first ever joint Climate Crisis policy
The BRICS bloc approved its first coordinated climate finance framework on May 30, marking the group’s first unified policy to fund climate action and setting the foundation for a shared position ahead of the COP30 meeting due to be held in Brazil.
CITIES IN PERIL: Cities confront the rising tide of climate change
Fast and chaotic urban population growth combined with climate challenges on multiple fronts are putting cities at risk around the world.
COVID is back - a new "NB.1.8.1" strain is spreading across continents
The coronavirus (COVID-19) is back. Reports from health authorities around the world have detected a new highly contagious strain of the virus that has been spreading through Asia and has now reached Russia.
COMMENT: Ranking the top 60 economies’ exposure to US tariffs
US President Donald Trump’s threat to impose a 50% tariff hike on the EU has put the cat amongst the pigeons again. If he follows through then Europe, which is highly dependent on US trade, will be amongst the most damaged economies in the world.
Countdown to disaster: timelines to cross temperature thresholds tabulated
The Climate Crisis is accelerating and all the main players predict that the world will warm by more than the 1.5C Paris Agreement target by next year and the 2C maximum will be broached by 2037 – far earlier than previously forecast.
Sunlight heating effect on earth more than doubles in the last decade
Global warming results from man-made greenhouse gas emissions that have doubled the heating effect from incoming sunlight, which is now more than the heat radiated by earth into space in the last decade, according to a research paper.
Famines kill far fewer people than they used to – OWID
Famines are still a major global problem. From 2020 to 2023 alone, they caused over a million deaths, Our World in Data (OWID) reports.
COMMENT: How Europe can win the digital nomad race
Record levels of immigration are dominating political debate in the world’s wealthiest countries. But there is a latent trend, still bubbling under the surface, which might soon occupy the minds of Western policymakers: emigration.
EVs to account for one in four car sales this year
Global electric vehicle sales are expected to more than triple by 2030, reaching 45mn units annually, driven by expanding markets in China and strengthening policy support in advanced and emerging economies, according to the IEA.
Russia pushes to grow its influence in Africa’s nuclear future
Russia, under sanctions from the West over the war in Ukraine, is using nuclear partnerships to grow its influence in Africa.
The world is getting darker, absorbing more sunlight, which is accelerating the Climate Crisis
The world is getting darker as the ice melts and that means it is absorbing more and more sunlight, which is accelerating the process.
Borsa Istanbul leads world markets in dollar-basis losses
Turkey’s exchange-traded fund down 9.5% in year-to-date. Thai performance second worst at 6.5%.
EBRD2025: African tech is flourishing, but it still has a long way to go
Africa benefits from an incredibly young, tech savvy population; over 60% of the population is under 25 years old and in just Senegal the average age of the population is a mere 19 years old. That makes it a hotbed for tech development.