Drop in cheap palm oil production as biodiesel demand surges in key markets in Asia
The biodiesel push will reduce Indonesia’s exports to just 20 million metric tonnes in 2030, down a third from 29.5 million in 2024, estimates Eddy Martono, chairman of the southeast Asian nation’s largest palm oil association, GAPKI.
Perverse effects of conflict minerals initiatives in Congo remind us of how inaccurate narratives fuel the very problems they pretend to tackle
Natural resources do play an important role for both eastern DRC and Rwanda’s political economy, and it is true that the return of the M23 in 2021 correlates with a sharp rise in Rwanda’s mineral exports, as per official statistics.
Trump and Modi agree to work towards deal to resolve trade concerns in wake of tariffs standoff
It’s not clear whether the case of billionaire Gautam Adani came up in the talks after his indictment by the US Justice Department in November over an alleged bribery scheme. Adani hails from Modi’s western state of Gujarat and his Adani Group runs several key infrastructure projects across the globe.
Impeached South Korean President Yoon faces second arrest attempt in fortified compound
President Yoon is under criminal investigation for insurrection over his December 3 martial law bid that stunned South Korea and led to the first arrest warrant to be issued for a sitting president. He is also involved in a separate Constitutional Court trial over his December 14 impeachment for violating his constitutional duties with the late-night martial law declaration.
Powerful earthquake rocks Tibet’s holiest cities and kills at least 55, rattles Nepal
Severe travel disruptions were expected across the storm’s path and officials urged drivers to stay off the roads if possible. Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) said the tremors were felt in seven hill districts bordering Tibet.
Impeached South Korean President Yoon’s security fends off police arrest attempt
Protesters gathered in the pre-dawn hours near the residence, with the numbers swelling into the hundreds amid media reports that investigating authorities would soon try to execute the arrest warrant that was approved on Tuesday after Yoon refused summons to appear.
Fragile geopolitical relations place world on high nuclear war alert as US, Russia grow stocks
However, the most concerning changes regard North Korea, which maintained its military nuclear programme as a core national security strategy. It amassed an estimated 50 warheads and enough fissile material for up to 90 warheads, with developments in ballistic and cruise missile technologies aimed at nuclear delivery.
Court issues arrest warrant for impeached South Korean President Yoon over martial law
The court issued the warrant due to the likelihood that Yoon will not respond to summons without a justifiable reason, and there being a substantial reason to suspect Yoon of a crime, Yonhap said. The court declined to comment.
Japan labour shortage crisis mirrored in worker crunch in Ino – small-town in Japan
While labour shortage-related bankruptcies are a small portion of the total, the surge will ripple through to these companies’ suppliers and customers, potentially causing a “chain of bankruptcies or mergers”, according to Takayasu Otomo, a researcher at Teikoku Databank.
Bangladeshi government accuses Adani, already under investigation for bribery, of tax breaches
Bangladesh’s de facto power minister Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan said the country now had enough domestic capacity to cope without the Adani supply, although not all domestic power generators were operational.
