WTO projects slow global trade growth in 2026 against backdrop of rising Middle East tensions
The WTO’s new chief economist Robert Staiger told a press conference that the “unusually strong trade growth” in 2025 was mainly driven by the frontloading of imports in North America in anticipation of higher US tariffs, as well as a surge in AI-related goods. But the two forces are “unlikely to persist through 2026,” said Staiger.
European Central Bank says it on high alert to adjust rates if tensions in Middle East persist
Although the central bank had been claiming for months that it was “in a good place,” it struck a different tone on Thursday amid renewed energy price spikes driven by the US-Israeli war on Iran.
Fly-on-the-wall: Florida real estate in US is a covert corridor for Chinese, Russian spies as it’s home to 21 military installations and world’s busiest spaceport
The ex-spies blended in nicely among the engineers, techies, and tanned retirees from law enforcement and government-adjacent jobs. They’d adapted to life along the so-called Space Coast, a palm-dotted shoreline roughly 70 miles end to end, from Titusville down through Cocoa Beach and on past the guarded gates of Patrick Space Force Base, where NASA’s old infrastructure still hums, even as the privatized rocket era now sets the tempo.
Legacy of Mwalimu Nyerere in $137 million ‘sovereignty’ war: How latter-day regimes made Tanzanian businesses vulnerable to foreign banks
The High Court cleared the way for the EADB’s properties in Dar es Salaam to be auctioned and their bank accounts at Standard Chartered to be frozen to pay the businessman.
Transition: Movie icon and karate legend Chuck Norris ‘Missing in Action’ surrounded by ‘family and was at peace’ aged 86
Norris first found fame in karate films of the 1980s, including A Force of One and An Eye for an Eye. By the end of the decade, he was established as one of Hollywood’s biggest action stars. He starred in the TV series Walker, Texas Ranger, which premiered in 1993....
Sovereignty gap: Explaining Kenya’s ‘prostitution’ vis-à-vis Tanzania’s patriotism and Uganda’s nonchalance
In contrast, Kenya’s legal and executive arms are more focused on “market-friendly” optics than protecting the Kenyan citizen. From the East African Development Bank (EADB) disputes to the auctioning of local assets under foreign rulings, the system feels less like a shield for the people and more like a bridge for neo-colonial interests.
Social responsibility: Mt Kenya University marks World Oral Health Day with free dental outreach in West Pokot County
Director of Public Health for West Pokot County Benson Chumankemer was the chief guest. Mr Chumankemer commended the initiative for its preventive focus, noting that such community efforts contribute significantly to reducing disease burden.
Israeli strikes hit Tehran on Persian New Year as Iranian drones target Gulf energy sites
Iran hit a Saudi refinery on the Red Sea, set Qatari liquefied natural gas facilities and two Kuwaiti oil refineries ablaze and caused minor damage to an oil refinery in Israel. The strikes, in retaliation for an Israeli attack on a key Iranian gas field, sent fuel prices soaring. Brent...
Trump faces growing political trilemma at home and abroad three weeks into Iran war
Reviewing Trump’s recent statements on the prospects of the war with Iran, his rhetoric has veered between ending the war and pressing on. On Sunday, he said that the United States had “essentially defeated Iran,” yet denied being ready to declare victory. On Monday, he stated that the war will not end this week, “but it’ll be soon.”
How passport colonialism manifests in salary discrepancies at UN, sets benchmark for aid agencies
It’s no secret that national humanitarian staff face greater risk for lower pay: These inequities have been coded into the aid system. UN agencies and INGOs should seize today’s drive for systemic change to shed colonial-era staffing policies: Include salary standardisation in UN80 and other reform efforts.