Global events and international developments affecting markets.
Reporting on international affairs, geopolitical developments, and global economic trends. This category connects world events to their potential impact on financial markets, trade flows, and investor risk perception.
3,312 total articles
Governments and regulatory bodies across Europe, Asia, the Americas and Oceania have taken a range of actions this month in response to sexually explicit images created by xAI's Grok chatbot on X. Measures include formal investigations, content takedown orders, temporary blocks, and demands for improved safeguards as officials assess compliance wit…
Former European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso told CNBC that relations between Europe and the United States have reached their "lowest moment" since NATO's creation. He cited actions by U.S. leadership - including the proposal to acquire Greenland, threats of military action and the prospect of higher tariffs - as eroding European confid…
China’s defence ministry announced that Zhang Youxia, vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC) and a member of the Communist Party Politburo, is under investigation for suspected serious violations of discipline and law. Liu Zhenli, the CMC’s Joint Staff Department chief of staff, is also being probed. The move marks the most prominen…
A U.S. federal judge in Chicago ordered the administration to delay ending Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Myanmar nationals, saying the decision lacked a genuine basis and setting a hearing for February 6. The injunction preserves deportation protections for about 4,000 people while a lawsuit challenging the termination continues.
German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius has urged U.S. President Donald Trump to apologise after Trump said NATO allies in Afghanistan stayed "a little off the front lines" and that the U.S. had "never needed" the alliance. Pistorius called the comments disrespectful to those who died and said he will raise the issue with U.S. Defence Secretary Pet…
An official probe into General Zhang Youxia, a long-term ally and senior figure on the Central Military Commission, signals President Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption campaign has penetrated his closest political circle. Analysts say the move concentrates authority in Xi’s hands, increases opacity in military command, and likely reduces the prospect of…
U.S. Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby and South Korean Defence Minister Ahn Gyu-back agreed to strengthen collaboration on Seoul’s pursuit of a nuclear-powered submarine during meetings in Seoul. Both sides framed cooperation as a means to enhance South Korea’s capacity to lead peninsula defence and to elevate the bilateral secu…
Thousands gathered on Australia Day for 'Invasion Day' events supporting Indigenous Australians and urging unity, while separate anti-immigration protests drew smaller crowds. Speakers at Hyde Park highlighted land repatriation, deaths of Aboriginal people in custody and warned against rising nationalism as political currents shift. Authorities als…
Recent moves by the White House - including the appointment of a special envoy to Greenland and public hints of military or economic pressure - have blindsided diplomats in Washington, Copenhagen and Nuuk. Officials say these actions are consistent with a pattern in which the president and a small inner circle set foreign policy without the usual i…
The U.S. State Department announced visa restrictions on members of Haiti’s Transitional Presidential Council and revoked visas for two council members and their immediate families, citing alleged involvement with gangs and interference with efforts to counter groups the U.S. has designated as Foreign Terrorist Organizations. The action comes as th…
Two separate shootings in Minneapolis this month involving U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents left two U.S. citizens dead and have prompted sharp disputes between local officials and the federal government over whether the officers acted lawfully. Video footage that emerged from both incidents appears to challenge the accounts offered …
Brazil has assumed responsibility for Mexico's diplomatic interests in Peru at Mexico's request and with Lima's approval, including custody of embassy premises, residence of the head of mission, assets and archives. The move follows Peru's decision in early November to cut diplomatic ties after Mexico granted asylum to former Peruvian Prime Ministe…
At least 80 individuals whom Venezuela's Foro Penal considers political prisoners were freed across the country on Sunday as part of a continuing release process, the group's director said. The figure comes amid differing tallies from government officials and the rights organization, and a planned call between Venezuela’s interim president and the …
The U.N. Human Rights Council on Friday condemned Iran for rights abuses linked to a government crackdown on anti-government protests and voted to extend a 2022 inquiry so investigators can document the latest unrest for potential future legal proceedings. The decision followed urgent testimony from U.N. officials and rights advocates, conflicting …
Canada affirmed its adherence to the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement commitment not to pursue free trade agreements with non-market economies, Prime Minister Mark Carney said in Ottawa. Responding to a U.S. threat of steep tariffs if Canada struck a deal with China, Carney said Canada has no intention of such an agreement, while noting recent…
Israeli strikes in northern Gaza and Gaza City wounded and killed civilians on Sunday, local health officials said, while U.S. envoys continued diplomatic engagement aimed at advancing a phased Gaza arrangement. The incidents underscore persistent insecurity following the October 7, 2023 attack that triggered the war and a ceasefire framework whose…
Authorities in New Zealand suspended recovery operations on Sunday at a campground landslide site on the North Island after a crack was discovered, forcing teams to withdraw. Six people, including two teenagers, are presumed dead following the Thursday slide at Mount Maunganui in Tauranga. Human remains were located on Saturday and the rescue effor…
Rescue teams in West Bandung district have restarted efforts to find about 80 people still unaccounted for after a landslide early Saturday that killed 10 residents. Heavy rain that began the previous day triggered the slide and has prompted broader flooding in West Java, including parts of Jakarta, with authorities warning the wet weather could co…
Polling began for the third and final phase of Myanmar's general election, with voters in 60 townships including Yangon and Mandalay casting ballots amid persistent conflict and international criticism. The military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party is positioned to secure control, while the junta says it will hand over power to a new g…
The past month has seen an unusually high number of deaths tied to federal immigration enforcement actions, including multiple shootings and at least six deaths in detention. The deployment of roughly 3,000 agents to Minneapolis and a $170 billion funding plan for immigration agencies through September 2029 have coincided with heightened protests a…
An appellate panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals declined the Justice Department's effort to secure arrest warrants for five more people accused of disrupting a Minnesota church service. The decision follows a magistrate judge's rejection of the warrants for lack of evidence and leaves intact charges approved against three alleged leader…
A broad and long-lasting winter storm moving across the United States prompted nearly 4,000 flight cancellations on Saturday, prompted federal disaster declarations for a dozen states, and raised the threat of heavy ice, record cold and power disruptions across large swaths of the country. Airlines and grid operators have mobilized staff and precau…
After a Minneapolis resident was fatally shot during an immigration enforcement action, thousands of Minnesota volunteers have stepped forward to monitor federal immigration agents. Volunteers, some trained by advocacy groups, use whistles, high-visibility vests and documentation to alert residents and record operations despite concerns about safet…
U.S. President Donald Trump publicly praised British soldiers as "very brave" and "among the greatest of all warriors" in a Truth Social post, a day after comments he made about NATO forces in Afghanistan drew sharp criticism from Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer and widespread condemnations from veterans and public figures. The dispute center…
Recent episodes involving Greenland, Ukraine and Syria illustrate a pattern of highly centralized U.S. foreign policy decision-making. Sudden public announcements by the White House - including the appointment of a special envoy to Greenland and remarks suggesting force could be used - blindsided allies and many career officials within the U.S. gov…
