Poverty and wealth remain two sides of the same coin – at times, minted in Germany. Germany’s super-rich own very obscene levels of treasures – mostly thanks to unsavory capitalism, dirty business dealings, white collar crime, and the Nazi past of many of Germany’s businesses. Furnished with all that, Germany’s …

Russian President Vladimir Putin adopted the expression “special military operation” for his invasion of, and war in, Ukraine. Putin’s brutal and senseless war cannot be hidden behind such an obtuse expression. In response to Russia’s aggression, it is the United States that has mounted a “special military operation” against Russia, …

South Sudan President Salva Kiir has lauded the Sudanese military leadership’s decision to return the country to civilian rule. Sudan’s military leader General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan on Monday called on political forces to agree on a civilian transitional government without them, further stressing the need to establish a national security …

French forces in the Sahel will switch operating mode after they leave Mali, acting more “in support” of local forces rather than substituting for them, their commander says. After nearly a decade fighting militants in Mali, France is pulling its troops out of the country after falling out with its …

The United States’ top general for Africa has warned of “violent extremism” and the threat of Russian mercenaries in the Sahel region, speaking as war games wrapped up in Morocco. “We are seeing the rise of violent extremism in Western Africa, predominantly in the Sahel region,” said General Stephen J. …

QatarEnergy on Tuesday signed a deal with Shell (SHEL.L) for the Gulf state’s North Field East expansion, the first phase of the world’s largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) project, following agreements with TotalEnergies , Exxon , ConocoPhillips (COP.N) and Eni (ENI.MI). Shell will take a 6.25% stake in the North …

THE WAR in Ukraine is likely to last for years and to end in a Russian defeat of one kind or another. The essence of this war, apart from the enormous suffering it has caused, is that Vladimir Putin has made an epic strategic blunder by launching it and that …

Ukraine is itself not a repudiation of the idea of spheres of influence, but rather a clear example of how they work in practice. IN DECEMBER 2021, Secretary of State Antony Blinken addressed negotiations over Russia’s formidable military buildup around Ukraine. He reiterated that the United States would not discuss …

The Madrid summit paved the way for Finland and Sweden to join and underscored that Russia is NATO’s chief security threat. But the alliance’s new defensive efforts aren’t likely to change Putin’s strategy in Ukraine. Moves by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) this week reportedly put the alliance on …

Various major Palestinian factions are working together on a new platform to challenge Fatah’s dominance of the Palestine Liberation Organization. Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh called June 19 for an agreement on a Palestinian strategy to overcome the internal division and build a national front that safeguards Palestinian principles and …