Trade
Brussels-China Trade Talks Test EU Resolve on Rare Earths and Market Access
Talks between Maros Sefcovic and Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao open against a record trade imbalance and growing European concern over rare-earth controls. The test is whether Brussels can turn de-risking from a political slogan into practical leverage without triggering retaliation it is not prepared to absorb.
Energy
Oil Cools After US-Iran Pause, but Markets Still Price Conflict Risk
European shares and US futures rose as Washington and Tehran agreed to halt renewed attacks and return to talks, while Brent traded near $72 a barrel. The relief is real, but tanker security, LNG flows and the fragility of the ceasefire mean Europe has not escaped the inflation risk created by the Gulf conflict.
Sustainable Business
India Presses EU Over Scrap-Export Curbs Before Trade Deal Takes Effect
India's request for relief from planned EU restrictions on metal-scrap exports exposes a difficult contradiction: Brussels wants to retain recyclable materials for its own low-carbon industry while promising a deeper and more predictable trading relationship with New Delhi.
Opinion
Analysis
Mark Galeotti’s Warning on Russia Deserves to Be Taken Seriously
In his latest Sunday Times analysis, Mark Galeotti offers...
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Why Britain Has Lost Faith in Keir Starmer
The spectacle unfolding around Sir Keir Starmer and his...
Opinion
Makerfield: The Right’s Civil War Could Deliver Another Dreadful Labour Prime Minister
The Makerfield by-election has become something far larger than...
Opinion
Modi Brings Stability to the G7 as Trump’s Unpredictability Clouds US Diplomacy
When Narendra Modi and Donald Trump meet on the...
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Defence & Security
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Economics & BusinessGlobal Markets
Brussels-China Trade Talks Test EU Resolve on Rare Earths and Market Access
Talks between Maros Sefcovic and Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao open against a record trade imbalance and growing European concern over rare-earth controls. The test is whether Brussels can turn de-risking from a political slogan into practical leverage without triggering retaliation it is not prepared to absorb.
Oil Cools After US-Iran Pause, but Markets Still Price Conflict Risk
European shares and US futures rose as Washington and Tehran agreed to halt renewed attacks and return to talks, while Brent traded near $72 a barrel. The relief is real, but tanker security, LNG flows and the fragility of the ceasefire mean Europe has not escaped the inflation risk created by the Gulf conflict.
Bolivia Ends 15-Year Dollar Peg as Currency Reform Tests Its Lithium Ambitions
Bolivia has moved to a flexible exchange rate after...
Ukraine’s drone war reaches Kazakhstan’s energy balance
Ukraine’s campaign against Russian energy infrastructure has produced a...
IMO Hormuz Evacuation Scheme Shows Gulf Shipping Risk Has Not Ended
The movement of vessels through Hormuz under an IMO evacuation scheme shows that the US-Iran framework has not ended the operational shipping problem in the Gulf.
TotalEnergies Calls for Gulf Pipelines to Bypass Hormuz
TotalEnergies' call for more export routes around the Strait of Hormuz turns the Gulf crisis into an infrastructure question for Europe, not only a shipping-risk story.
Human Rights and Social Issues
Ukraine-Russia Prisoner Exchange Keeps a Narrow Channel Open During Escalation
The return of 160 prisoners to each side, mediated...
Brussels Extends Lifeline to Millions Fleeing Ukraine Conflict
More than four years after Russia’s full-scale invasion of...
Gaza’s Summer Heat Turns Polluted Shoreline Into a Humanitarian Risk
Displaced Palestinians in Gaza are seeking relief from summer...
Congo’s Battle Against Ebola Shows the Importance of Swift Global Health Action
The Democratic Republic of Congo is once again at...
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Defence & Security
From Mass Repression to Nuclear Ambition: The Real Risk of Iran’s Regime, writes Hossein Amjadi
For decades, international debates about Iran’s nuclear ambitions have...
Arts
Voices of Friends 2025 Burabay, Kazakhstan November 29 – December 2, 2025
The fifth anniversary festival Voices of Friends Poetry &...
Culture & Society
Brussels Hosts Belgium’s First Ever Indian Film Festival
The Embassy of India in Belgium successfully organised the...
Americas
From Back Channels to Hard Leverage: The Strategy the US Now Needs on Russia
Washington’s current handling of negotiations with Moscow over Ukraine...
Environment & ClimateSustainability
Beyond Climate Change: Europe’s Ecosystems Face a Reckoning
For generations, Europeans have taken pride in the continent’s extraordinary natural heritage. From the forests of Scandinavia and the wetlands of the Danube to...
Venezuela’s Darkest Hour: A Nation United in Grief After Catastrophic Earthquakes
As dawn broke over Venezuela on Thursday morning, the...
Cheap solar panels show Europe’s energy-security debate has reached household level
European households are turning to low-cost solar options, including balcony panels and solar fences, as energy insecurity returns to the foreground. The shift is small-scale, but it shows how geopolitical risk is changing consumer behaviour.
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Norway Presses EU to Recast Arctic Gas as a Security Asset
Norway is challenging the European Union to reconsider its...
Albania Resort Dispute Tests Foreign Investment and Environmental Governance
A planned luxury resort in Albania linked to Jared...
The Weather: Britain’s Favourite Topic Turns Serious as Drought Bites
Britain’s weather has always occupied a curious place in...
Drone strike on Ryazan refinery leaves city facing civilian and pollution risks
Regional authorities said three people were killed and 12...
440 ppm: Our Atmosphere Has Now Entered Unknown Territory
For decades, climate scientists warned that atmospheric carbon dioxide...
Fossil fuel dependence moves from climate issue to security question at Santa Marta summit
The Santa Marta conference in Colombia has placed fossil...
Science & Technology
Congo’s Battle Against Ebola Shows the Importance of Swift Global Health Action
The Democratic Republic of Congo is once again at...
EU-South Korea Digital Pact Shows Brussels Looking Beyond US-China Trade Friction
The European Union and South Korea have signed a...
Italian Astronaut Picked for Artemis III as Europe Gains Place in NASA Moon Architecture
NASA has named Italian European Space Agency astronaut Luca...
South Africa Battery-Minerals Plan Points to New Competition Over EV Supply Chains
South Africa is moving to bring electric-vehicle battery materials...
UK forces Google to give publishers AI-search opt-out as media bargaining fight widens
Britain’s competition regulator has imposed new rules on Google’s...
