Topics Archive
World - Analyses & Assessments - Apr 4, 2019
Myanmar enforces controversial land law
Myanmar’s government has actively been enforcing a land law that evicts, fines and imprisons farmers, in a move that is seen by human rights activists as a reversal of promises by Aung Sun Suu Kyi’s…
Elections - Analyses & Assessments - Apr 3, 2019
Bots helping Netanyahu win?
An Israeli watchdog group has found a network of hundreds of social media accounts, many of them fake, used to smear opponents of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the upcoming election and to…
Geopolitics - Analyses & Assessments - Apr 3, 2019
China major factor in Indonesia’s elections
President Widodo is likely to be assailed by other presidential candidates over perceived softness on China, making China a key factor in domestic electoral considerations. The Republic of Indonesia…
General Interest - Analyses & Assessments - Apr 3, 2019
Turkey out of F-35 program?
The United States has suspended Turkey’s participation in the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter jet program until Ankara cancels its planned purchase of a sophisticated Russian air defence system, the…
Technology - Analyses & Assessments - Apr 3, 2019
New technology to fight mosquitoes
Researchers, using CRISPR/Cas9, seek to genetically modify mosquitoes to dampen the spread of arboviruses in human populations. Mosquitoes are a group of approximately 3500 species of small…
Geopolitics - Analyses & Assessments - Apr 3, 2019
Taiwan gets an American boost
Taiwan is set to purchase fourth-generation F-16V fighters from the US, while China continues its incursions into American-allied countries in opposition to US Indo-Pacific policy. The island nation…
World - Analyses & Assessments - Apr 2, 2019
China to regulate opioids
China said it will tighten regulation of fentanyl-related substances as a gesture to the United States, where the synthetic opioid has caused tens of thousands of overdose deaths every year and…
Geopolitics - Analyses & Assessments - Apr 2, 2019
Merkel enters Brexit fray
Angela Merkel is expected to fly to Ireland to discuss with PM Varadkar about preparations should a no-deal Brexit occur. Chancellor Merkel’s support is critical to PM May’s plans should she seek…
Geopolitics - Analyses & Assessments - Apr 2, 2019
Chinese jets enter Taiwan strait line
Taiwan has protested what it called a “reckless” and “provocative” flight by two Chinese fighter jets across the so-called median line of the Taiwan Strait, the country said. The relationship between…
Elections - Analyses & Assessments - Apr 2, 2019
Comedian vies for Ukrainian Presidency
Mr. Zelenskiy, a popular Ukrainian comic, mounts a significant lead in exit polls and early counting although he is unlikely to secure an absolute majority. A runoff vote is likely; Mr. Zelenskiy…
World - Analyses & Assessments - Apr 1, 2019
Migrants hijack oil tanker
A Turkish oil tanker was hijacked by migrants amidst rising anti-immigrant, nationalist sentiments in Europe. The European migrant crisis is a part of a pattern of increased immigration to Europe,…
World - Analyses & Assessments - Apr 1, 2019
Trouble grows for Trudeau
Canada’s former attorney general made public a conversation that she secretly recorded with Canada’s top civil servant, which she took as a veiled threat that she would lose her job if she didn’t…
Geopolitics - Analyses & Assessments - Mar 31, 2019
Saudi Arabia pursues nuclear technology
The US secretly approves preliminary measures to share nuclear technology with Saudi Arabia, despite domestic and international concerns. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is one of the most powerful…
World - Analyses & Assessments - Mar 31, 2019
Trump fails to achieve his campaign promise
Corporate America brought $664.9 billion of offshore profits back to the U.S. last year, falling short of the $4 trillion President Donald Trump said would return as a result of the 2017 tax overhaul…
World - Analyses & Assessments - Mar 31, 2019
UK’s political nightmare
On the day Britain was supposed to extract itself from the European Union, Prime Minister Theresa May suffered a third crushing defeat on her exit plan, effectively setting the Brexit process back to…
Geopolitics - Analyses & Assessments - Mar 31, 2019
Anti-Bashir protests intensify
Sudanese women are taking the lead in protests against President Omar Bashir. There is a significant backlash against the decades-old morality laws as people take to the streets. Omar al-Bashir is a…
Geopolitics - Analyses & Assessments - Mar 31, 2019
US-China trade war winner: Mexico
Mexico has seen big gains in shipments to the U.S. in categories where competing Chinese goods were hit with tariffs, everything from poster board to air conditioner parts. In all, U.S. imports of…
Geopolitics - Analyses & Assessments - Mar 31, 2019
Secrecy surrounds North Korean embassy attack
An attack on a North Korean embassy in Madrid has brought the activities of a fringe activist group to the forefront, although the participation of US intelligence agencies cannot be ruled out.…
Environment - Analyses & Assessments - Mar 31, 2019
Robust monsoon predicted for India
India’s monsoon, crucial for Asia’s third-largest economy, is likely to be a robust and healthy one this year provided there isn’t a surprise El Nino phenomenon, the top India Meteorological…
World - Analyses & Assessments - Mar 31, 2019
Ghana passes RTI bill
Ghana adopts Right to Information bill that boosts transparency and government accountability, in a serious boost to the tools available to Africa’s freest media landscape. The Republic of Ghana is…