Infrastructure
BUSINESS
Starlink, Grok, and the Price of Private Infrastructure
As UK regulator Ofcom launched a formal investigation into X on 12 January 2026 over Grok's generation of sexualised deepfakes, including images of children, the case exposed how everyday life runs on systems voters never designed.
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.
Popular
Pope Leo XIV Returns Augustine to Algeria
Pope Leo XIV landed in Algeria this week on the first-ever papal visit to the country, hours after Donald Trump told him to stop "catering to the Radical Left" over his criticism of the Iran war.
Lebanon Ceasefire: New Deal Ploughs the Same Furrow
Trump brokers a truce in Lebanon, leaving a ten-day window to test the old structural deadlock that has defined the Blue Line for generations.
Melania Defends Reputation as Epstein Story Returns
Standing in the White House Grand Foyer this week, Melania Trump delivered a six-minute statement denying ties to Jeffrey Epstein that even her husband did not know was coming.
Operators of Vital Importance: France’s TotalEnergies on Trial
The state-shielded groups now answer for their conduct in lawless foreign territories, as French courts finally weigh strategic value against moral costs.
The North Sea Trades Big Oil for Giant Wind Farm
While Donald Trump rails against turbines, the world's biggest offshore wind farm lands in Norfolk.Â
