WORLD

BEIJING | Xinhua |  The 2026 World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting opened on Monday in the snowy Swiss resort of Davos. As global leaders reconvene in the Alpine town, the world economy is grappling with a familiar yet intensifying set of challenges, most notably a surge in protectionism, unilateralism …

COMMENT | KILAPARTI RAMAKRISHNA | In global climate policy, the ocean was long treated as an afterthought, too vast to manage effectively and too resilient to be degraded. Instead, the focus was almost exclusively on reducing greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions and preserving forests. That era is now over. At the most recent …

COMMENT | GORDON HANSON, DANI RODRIK & ROHAN SANDHU  | We are at the dawn of a new age: the climate transition is upon us, the era of hyper-globalization is receding, middle classes worldwide are under strain, and poverty reduction in developing countries faces new headwinds. Even without the destabilizing …

LONDON | Xinhua |  A 2025 deal between the UK and Mauritius to hand over the Chagos Islands “secures the operations of the joint U.S.-UK base” there, British media quoted a British government spokesperson as saying on Tuesday. This came after U.S. President Donald Trump accused the act of “great …

GAZA | Xinhua | U.S. President Donald Trump last week announced the creation of the Board of Peace for Gaza as the Gaza peace deal reached in October enters its second phase, which focuses on full demilitarization and reconstruction. Over the past few days, a number of world leaders have …

TOKYO | Xinhua |  Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Monday announced her plan to dissolve the House of Representatives on Jan. 23 for a snap general election set for Feb. 8. At a press conference, Takaichi said she will dissolve the 465-member lower house on Friday, the opening day …

MADRID | Xinhua |  At least 21 people were confirmed dead and more than 70 others injured after two high-speed trains collided near the city of Cordoba in southern Spain on Sunday, authorities said. Thirty of the injured were in serious condition and hospitalized, Spain’s Transport Minister Oscar Puente said …

COMMENT | VALI NASR |  Iranians have taken to the streets to protest the collapse of the country’s currency and surging inflation, with many calling for an end to the Islamic Republic. Yet the government’s response has differed from earlier waves of unrest. Whereas Iran’s rulers were quick to suppress …

OSLO | Xinhua |  Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen posted on her social media platform on Sunday that “Europe will not be blackmailed,” following a series of emergency calls with European leaders after U.S. President Donald Trump’s latest tariff threats over Greenland. Frederiksen said she had spoken with German Chancellor …

COMMENT | PETER THOMSON  |  While the ocean’s health is perilously close to a tipping point, 2025 offered reasons for hope. In fact, over the next five years, we have an opportunity to pull back from the brink and ensure that the ocean continues to stabilize the climate, feed billions …