Ukraine war puts poor Asia, not rich Europe, in the dark

Through a year of war in Ukraine, the US and most European nations have worked to help counter Russia, in supporting Ukraine both with armaments and in world energy markets. Russia was Europe’s main energy supplier when it invaded Ukraine, and President Vladimir Putin threatened to leave Europeans to freeze “like a wolf’s tail” – […]Continue Reading

Three possible directions for the Ukraine war

The frontline may be frozen but the battle rages on in Ukraine. In Bakhmut, a town that Moscow views as key to gain control of the entire Eastern Donbas area, the past weeks have seen military stock shrink fast, and hundreds of troops killed and injured a day, according to US analysts. All, so far, […]Continue Reading

Ukraine war has doubled global household energy costs

The Russia-Ukraine war has exacerbated an energy crisis that directly affects the costs of heating, cooling, lighting and mobility, and indirectly pushed up the costs of other goods and services throughout global supply chains. While all households are affected, they are affected in different ways depending on their income, how they spend their money, and […]Continue Reading

US billionaires keeping more and giving less

The 50 Americans who gave or pledged the most to charity in 2022 committed to giving US$14.1 billion to foundations, universities, hospitals and more – a total that was 60% below an inflation-adjusted $35.6 billion in 2021, according to the Chronicle of Philanthropy’s latest annual tally of these donations. The Conversation US asked David Campbell, […]Continue Reading

US-China balloon ballyhoo and the fear of UFOs

On the heels of the February 4 shooting down of a Chinese balloon suspected of spying on the United States, American fighter jets have shot down three additional objects in or near US airspace. When the media asked Glen VanHerck, the Air Force general responsible for overseeing North American airspace, about these events, he refused […]Continue Reading

A Russia-backed coup in Moldova

Moldova has been sliding into yet another crisis following the resignation of its prime minister, Natalia Gavrilita, and fears that Russia was plotting a coup to overthrow the pro-western president, Maia Sandu. At a press conference in the Moldovan capital Chisinau on February 13, Sandu confirmed earlier accusations made by the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, […]Continue Reading

New tech gives old spy balloons reason to stay afloat

The US military has now shot down four high-altitude objects that had entered American and Canadian airspace, raising questions about their purpose and origin. The first of these objects, a Chinese balloon, was downed by a fighter jet on February 4. While China says it was for weather monitoring, US officials say it was being […]Continue Reading

Spy balloon saga driving US-China ties down and down

Over the past week, the US has realized and revealed that an active fleet of Chinese spy balloons has been operating across the northern hemisphere for several years. This all started to become apparent when a Chinese balloon, some 60 meters high and carrying a sensor payload of more than a tonne, was sighted by […]Continue Reading