Category: World

January 21, 2026 Business & Macro: Debt Crises and Commodity Controls Kenya’s Debt Servicing Surges Kenya is navigating a deepening fiscal crisis, having spent $7.2 billion on debt servicing in the six months ending December 2025. This 44% year-on-year increase highlights the mounting pressure on the National Treasury as it balances local and external maturities. […]

When we think of the world’s oldest art, Europe usually comes to mind, with famous cave paintings in France and Spain often seen as evidence this was the birthplace of symbolic human culture. But new evidence from Indonesia dramatically reshapes this picture. Our research, published today in the journal Nature, reveals people living in what […]

  Digital connectivity is a cornerstone of our increasingly interconnected, technology-driven societies. Making advanced connectivity widely available is essential for Europe’s competitiveness. To help operators invest more easily in modern fibre and mobile networks, the Commission is proposing to update and simplify EU rules on digital connectivity with the digital networks act. The proposal will […]

A year into Donald Trump’s second presidency, he is pressing ahead with a volatile agenda that tests the limits of the international order. Europe, by contrast, looks disorganised in the face of the threats Trump is making to annex Greenland and strategically hesitant overall. Rather than setting out a coherent approach, the response risks splintering […]

WASHINGTON — In a major move to stabilize the nation’s strained aviation and rail networks, U.S. lawmakers have reached a bipartisan spending agreement that prioritizes critical safety infrastructure and workforce expansion. The Fiscal Year 2026 deal, announced Tuesday, unlocks billions in funding designed to address chronic staffing shortages in the skies and modernize passenger rail […]

Snow is a defining feature of mountain ranges, and of winter itself for much of the world. But beyond its scenic value, snow plays a vital role in mountain ecosystems, as well as a range of human socioeconomic activity, and it is one of the climatic elements most sensitive to global warming. In recent decades, […]

NEW DELHI — In a move set to redefine global commerce, Spain’s Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares confirmed on Wednesday that India and the European Union are “on the cusp” of a historic Free Trade Agreement (FTA). Speaking during a high-profile visit to New Delhi, Albares framed the impending pact as a vital “shield” against […]

WASHINGTON — In a striking recalibration of U.S. policy toward South America, President Donald Trump signaled on Tuesday that he is now open to a formal political role for Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado.1 The comments, delivered during a White House briefing on January 20, 2026, mark a significant departure from the President’s previous […]

CANBERRA — In a historic double-legislative sweep, the Australian Parliament has passed the most significant reforms to national security and firearms regulation since the 1996 Port Arthur massacre. The Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism package, finalized on January 20, 2026, marks a decisive federal response to the December 2025 Bondi Beach terror attack, which claimed […]

SAN FRANCISCO — In a direct challenge to the silence of Big Tech leadership, hundreds of workers at companies including Google, Amazon, and TikTok have signed a public letter urging their CEOs to “pick up the phone” and press President Trump to halt escalating immigration raids.1 The petition, released on January 20, 2026, marks a […]