Geopolitics & international affairs
Two Democratic senators have asked the Securities and Exchange Commission to investigate whether Trump Media and Technology Group is selling an unfair market advantage, one that directly enriches the president of the United States. Senators Elizabeth Warren and Adam Schiff sent a letter July 28 to SEC Chairman Paul Atkins requesting a probe into Truth […]
The United States is making it harder for African students to study there. China is welcoming them. The result is a shift in educational migration that carries implications far beyond the classroom. The numbers already tell the story. US student visa denial rates for African applicants hit 66 percent in 2025, roughly two out of […]
Kyiv and Tehran opened a direct diplomatic line this week for the first time since Ukraine struck an Iranian vessel in the Caspian Sea, a hit that forges a direct link between two wars that had previously run on separate tracks. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi on July 28, […]
The United Nations Security Council voted unanimously Wednesday to extend sanctions against armed groups operating in the Central African Republic, renewing a regime that freezes assets, bans travel, and restricts weapons supplies to militia fighters who continue to destabilize the country. The resolution extends the measures through July 31, 2027, a one-year renewal that reflects […]
Washington expanded its campaign against Iran’s oil trade Wednesday, slapping sanctions on five Hong Kong-registered shipping companies and three firms linked to the Marshall Islands for moving Iranian crude to China. The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control added the companies and eight tankers to its Specially Designed Nationals list under Executive Order 13902, […]
Ukraine hit two of Russia’s largest oil refineries overnight Tuesday, launching its deepest strike on Russian energy infrastructure just hours after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sat down with Donald Trump in Washington. The attacks struck a Lukoil refinery in Russia’s Perm region, more than 1,500 kilometers (932 miles) from Ukrainian territory, and a refinery in Ryazan, […]
Donald Trump wants America’s Asian allies to spend more on their own defense, much more. The problem, analysts warn, is that the demand may push those same allies closer to China. At the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore in May, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth delivered the message bluntly, stating that the era of the […]
China has overtaken the United States in positive perceptions among young Africans, according to the biennial African Youth Survey published Wednesday. The gap is not close. The survey, conducted for the Ichikowitz Family Foundation, polled 4,901 respondents aged 18 to 24 across 16 African countries. Ninety-five percent of young Africans said they consider China’s influence […]
The brief pause in the Iran war ended Wednesday. Iran launched ballistic missiles at US forces in Jordan and the Middle East. Jordan’s air defenses intercepted five of them. Hours later, US and Saudi fighter aircraft struck targets in eastern Iraq linked to Iran-backed militias. At least 20 fighters were killed. The escalation shattered five […]
The United States Senate voted 86-12 on Tuesday to advance the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, a sweeping piece of legislation that would allow President Trump to impose tariffs of up to 100 percent on the five largest purchasers of Russian oil and gas. It passed the same day senators […]
