Ceasefire
BUSINESS
New Alliances, Old Tensions: Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and the Future of Middle East Security
Israeli jets bomb Doha, killing six during ceasefire talks. Riyadh signs defense pact with Pakistan as Europe eyes stability for the India–Middle East–Europe Corridor and Qatari LNG supplies.
WORLD
Old Myths, New Realities: A New Middle East
After Iran's attack on Qatar, the UAE calls for bold regional security reform and lasting peace, urging Trump to lead the way in the Middle East.
EUROPE
Strategic Sign-Off: Ukraine Minerals Deal
As Ukraine trades underground treasures for overhead protection, the ink barely dries on a minerals deal that may either safeguard its future or mortgage it to American interests.
Ukraine War
Trump Breaks Rank with Europe at Riyadh on Ukraine
Trump's Riyadh talks with Russia on Ukraine spark tension, bypassing Kyiv and risking a U.S.-Europe rift on future cooperation.
Gaza War
Trump Spins Aid as ‘Hamas Explosive Condoms’ in Latest Remarks
Trump's latest spin, turning humanitarian aid into 'Hamas exploding condoms', reveals a legacy of distorted truths in U.S. political history.
Popular
Winter Storm Research Rewrites a Witch Trial Tragedy
As new research published in Smithsonian Magazine this week connects a 1617 Arctic storm to Norway's deadliest witch trials, climate historians reveal how weather shock fed decades of persecution.
Prediction Takes Politics: Prophets and Polymarkets Collide
As 11 Peruvian shamans predicted Nicolás Maduro's fall on 29 December 2025, crypto traders were placing similar bets online—five days before U.S. forces extracted the Venezuelan leader to New York.
Mladenov Takes Over Gaza Board After Regional Veto
Nickolay Mladenov becomes Gaza peace board head after Arab states blocked Tony Blair, raising questions about whose interests guide Washington's selection.
Abu Dhabi Rebuffs British Universities Over Campus Radicalisation
The world’s wealthiest patrons now view Western campuses as hazards, forcing a costly inversion of the traditional hierarchy that once defined global education.
Bury the Lead: MTV ‘Death’ and the Way We Read Now
As MTV continued broadcasting across the United States and most of Europe on 1 January 2026, millions of social media tributes mourned a channel that had never actually shut down.
