WORLD

COMMENT | DANI RODRIK |  We need new ideas to address the three greatest economic challenges of our time: climate change, the erosion of the middle class, and poverty. The first is an existential threat to our physical environment; the second drives polarization and undermines democracy; and the third is …

GAZA | Xinhua | With heavy steps, 11-year-old Mahmoud Abu Awda makes his way through puddles left by winter rains on a damaged street in Gaza City. His worn-out shoes sink into the mud as he clutches a small plastic box of biscuits, canned goods, and chocolates, praying he can …

Though US President Donald Trump’s threat to freeze migration from Third World countries may be more bluster than law, it risks accelerating shutting a quiet door that is already closing to Africa Washington, US | AGENCIES | US President Donald Trump’s vow to “permanently pause” migration from what he called “Third …

NEW DELHI | Xinhua | India’s federal government Wednesday withdrew its order directing all smartphone manufacturers (original equipment manufacturers or OEMs) and importers to pre-install the state-owned cybersecurity app Sanchar Saathi on devices intended for sale in India. The withdrawal came amid outcry from the opposition politicians, privacy advocates and …

COMMENT | Maya Majueran | The United States’ conspicuous absence from two major international gatherings — the G20 Summit in South Africa and the COP30 climate conference in Brazil — has raised pressing questions about Washington’s commitment to multilateralism. Yet paradoxically, both summits achieved significant breakthroughs in global cooperation and …

MOSCOW | Xinhua |  A five-hour meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. presidential special envoy Steve Witkoff that ended after midnight on Wednesday failed to produce a compromise plan for settling the Ukraine crisis. Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov on Wednesday described the conversation as “extremely useful, constructive …

HELSINKI | Xinhua |  Global arms revenues of the world’s 100 largest arms companies hit a record 679 billion U.S. dollars in 2024, with U.S. arms producers accounting for nearly half of the total, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said in a report released on Monday. In 2024, …

WASHINGTON | TASS | Andrey Yermak, a former chief of staff of Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky, announced several hours later after his resignation that he was ready to head to the battlefront, the New York Post reported. “I’m going to the front and am prepared for any reprisals… I am an honest and …

Despite localized disruptions, global airlines were moving quickly toward stabilization by Saturday, with most affected aircraft already cleared to return to service. PARIS | Xinhua |  Global airlines have rushed to implement an urgent software fix for A320-family aircraft after Airbus issued a safety alert on Friday, initially raising concerns …

HONG KONG | TASS | Rescuers have discovered 18 more bodies at the site of a major fire in Hong Kong, bringing the death toll to 146, the South China Morning Post newspaper reported, citing a police spokesperson. The blaze at the Wang Fuk Court apartment complex, a development of …