Infrastructure
BUSINESS
AfDB Turns to Gulf as Western Funders Step Back
The African Development Bank has installed a president with ingrained Gulf experience as Washington pulls back hundreds of millions
BUSINESS
After the Raid: Trump, Maduro and Exile Politics
As images of Nicolás Maduro in Manhattan federal court appeared on screens across Madrid on 5 January, Venezuelan exile communities in Europe watched the outcome of an operation that changed the region overnight.
BUSINESS
Rails Across Continents: The Orient Express and Hejaz Line Revived
Two legendary railway lines, one in Europe and one crossing the Middle East, are being restored in 2025, proving that infrastructure can tell stories across time.
BUSINESS
U.S. Sanctions Derailed as China and Iran Go Full Steam Ahead
China and Iran have unveiled a new railway corridor that bypasses the U.S.-controlled sea lanes, deepening their strategic partnership and undermining American efforts to isolate Tehran.
WORLD
Trump’s Congressional Speech: Make America Great, Again
Trump's Congress speech outlined U.S. plans on Ukraine, trade, immigration, debt reduction, and major infrastructure projects.
Popular
AfDB Turns to Gulf as Western Funders Step Back
The African Development Bank has installed a president with ingrained Gulf experience as Washington pulls back hundreds of millions
Modern Toys, Old Childhood: Barbie and Lego at a Crossroads
As Mattel unveiled its first autistic Barbie yesterday, developed over 18 months with the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, the $11.87 doll raised familiar questions about whether modern toys widen childhood or quietly narrow it.
Alps Without Snow: Winter Tourism Tries Reinvention
As Grandvalira in the Pyrenees postponed its late-November 2024 opening until mid-December, warm temperatures left slopes across France, Austria and Spain grassy well into the month, forcing managers to watch thermometers anxiously.
Iranian Heritage Under Threat From All Sides
As civil unrest spreads across Iranian cities in early January 2026 and President Trump renews warnings about military options, the country's 28 UNESCO World Heritage sites sit vulnerable to dangers from multiple directions.
Kawthoolei Republic: Italy’s CasaPound Export Radical Dreams to Myanmar
In Myanmar’s remote hills, a rogue general and his Italian allies are forging a sovereign state on a harvest of ideas Rome would not permit at home.Â
