EBRD contracts with Morocco set to reach record one billion dollars in 2025
Morocco is on track to register a record year of cooperation with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, with new contracts expected to total around one billion dollars in 2025. Greg Guyett, the bank’s first Vice President, highlighted the figure as a sign of the strength of the partnership with the Moroccan government......
Strong winds topple 24-meter Statue of Liberty replica in southern Brazil
In the southern city of Guaíba, Brazil, strong winds on December 15 caused the collapse of a 24-meter replica of the Statue of Liberty. The statue, a symbol of the Havan retail chain, fell in the parking lot of one of its stores in the metropolitan region of Porto Alegre, within the state of Rio Grande do Sul. Despite the dramatic scene,......
Crypto markets brace for turbulence as inflation and jobs data test sentiment
Crypto markets opened the week under pressure as traders positioned for a dense calendar of economic releases that could inject fresh volatility into digital assets in the coming days. In early trading, bitcoin extended recent weakness, briefly slipping below 88,000 dollars in a familiar late weekend decline before recovering to around 89,000......
Europe divided as Ukraine peace talks stall and funding dispute deepens
The second round of peace negotiations in Berlin between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, U.S. envoys, and European leaders made little progress after Russia dismissed the latest proposals. The discussions, aimed at finding a pathway to end the war, revealed entrenched positions on both sides and growing fatigue among Western allies......
Ukraine extends deep-strike campaign to hit Russian Caspian oil platforms
Ukraine has intensified its long-range drone campaign by striking a Russian oil platform in the Caspian Sea for the third time in a week, signalling an escalating effort to cripple Moscow’s energy infrastructure. The attack targeted the Korchagin production platform, one of several operated by the Russian oil company Lukoil. Ukrainian......
Ukraine cripples Russian radar network in Crimea air defense strikes
Ukrainian forces have carried out a coordinated offensive targeting Russian air defense infrastructure in occupied Crimea, dealing a major blow to Moscow's detection and tracking capabilities across the peninsula. The attack marks one of Kyiv’s most precise and consequential operations in recent months, underscoring the evolving......
Ukrainians reject early elections as trust in leadership improves amid peace talks
Public opposition to holding national elections during wartime has deepened in Ukraine, as new polling reveals a rebound in trust toward President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The survey, conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, shows that only 9 percent of Ukrainians support organizing elections before the ongoing conflict ends,......
Japan’s foreign minister softens stance on Taiwan amid rising regional tensions
Japan’s top diplomat sought to calm tensions with Beijing after weeks of heated exchanges over Taiwan, but his phrasing left out the critical wording long demanded by China. During a parliamentary session in Tokyo, Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi reaffirmed Japan’s long-standing recognition of Beijing’s position under......
Italy joins opposition bloc against EU plan to use frozen Russian assets for Ukraine
Italy has aligned with Belgium, Bulgaria, and Malta in opposing the European Commission’s proposal to leverage frozen Russian assets to fund a loan package for Ukraine, adding new complexity to negotiations ahead of next week’s European Council summit in Brussels. The plan, driven by Brussels, seeks to use an estimated €210......
Kallas warns that Donbas could mark only the beginning of Russian ambitions in Ukraine
Estonian leader and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas cautioned that territorial concessions to Russia in Ukraine would not bring peace but rather invite further aggression. Speaking ahead of a key European Union foreign ministers’ meeting in Brussels, Kallas said that allowing Moscow to keep control of the Donbas region would only......
China tightens sanctions as tensions deepen with Japan over Taiwan dispute
China has imposed sanctions on Shigeru Iwasaki, the former chief of staff of Japan’s Self-Defense Forces, escalating a growing diplomatic rift between the two countries. The Chinese Foreign Ministry announced the measures on Monday, accusing Iwasaki of supporting Taiwan’s independence movement and violating the one-China principle. Under......
AI innovators highlight human input speed as obstacle to full autonomy
OpenAI’s product lead for Codex, Alexander Embiricos, believes that the transition from human-supervised to autonomous artificial intelligence hinges on overcoming a surprising limitation: human typing speed. Speaking on Lenny’s Podcast, he noted that even highly capable AI agents remain constrained by the need for continuous......
Zelenskyy visits frontline city as peace talks intensify
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a visit to the frontline city of Kupiansk on Friday, appearing in a flak jacket near a sign riddled with bullet holes to underscore Ukraine’s control of the contested area. His appearance came only weeks after Russia claimed to have seized the city, calling its “liberation” a key......
Louvre workers strike over poor conditions and security concerns
The Louvre Museum in Paris faced another setback on Monday as workers voted to strike, citing poor working conditions, overcrowding, and security failures. This comes just weeks after a high-profile jewel heist exposed vulnerabilities at the world’s most-visited museum. Museum closure and staff grievances The strike, decided during......
Khalid Mansouri elected president of the Royal Moroccan Federation of Pétanque
Khalid Mansouri has been officially elected as the new president of the Royal Moroccan Federation of Pétanque after securing the majority vote during the federation’s general assembly. His election marks a new chapter for the sport, with expectations of renewal and stronger national coordination. During the assembly, Mansouri......