Global debt soared by over $12 trillion in the first three quarters of 2024, reaching a record $323 trillion, driven by falling borrowing costs and increased risk appetite, according to the latest Global Debt Monitor report by a banking trade group.
Pope Francis expressed concern Wednesday that “war is a human defeat” after new evidence emerged that the Russia-Ukraine war impacted those whose lives have just begun. Investigators say Ukrainian children were stripped of their Ukrainian identity and placed with Russian families.
As Syria’s army struggles to fend off the surprise insurgency launched last week by jihadi group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, Iran-backed militias entered the country on Sunday to lend support to the Syrian forces, Reuters reports. The insurgents first attacked Syria’s second-largest city of Aleppo and then moved into Idlib and Hama province.
South Korea’s military warned Tuesday that martial law declared by President Yoon Suk Yeol would remain in place “until he lifts it” despite the parliament’s majority vote against it.
The United States announced on December 2 a new $725 million military aid package for Ukraine as it continues to defend itself against the Russian invasion launched in February 2022, Radio Free Europe (RFE) reports.
Describing their actions as a demand for the blockade of Gaza to be lifted, Houthi Islamic insurgents in Yemen fired seven missiles and drones at American warships and merchant vessels in the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Aden on Sunday, December 1, Straight Arrow News (SAN) reports.
Romania’s pro-EU and pro-NATO parties appeared to be holding off the far right in a parliamentary election on Sunday, but the strength of the radical vote suggested that an ultranationalist, pro-Russian candidate could still win the presidency this month.
The French government was facing collapse Monday after far-right and left-wing parties said they would back a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Michel Barnier, despite his warnings it could further threaten the nation’s already challenging economy.
Nearly three years into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin has just approved a military budget that surpasses the country’s allocated spending on health care, education, and social policy combined, Euro News reports.
The Pentagon announced Friday that the United States has approved a new arms sale to Taiwan worth US$387 million, the Taipei Times (TT) reports. The sale represents the 18th arms deal with Taiwan to be approved by the Biden administration.
Scores of people were killed and several injured in a stampede at a soccer stadium in southern Guinea following clashes between fans sparked by anger over the referee’s decision, the government confirmed Monday.
Romanian parties backing the European Union and NATO military alliance narrowly averted a far-right challenge that could have moved Romania into Russia’s orbit in Sunday’s parliamentary elections.
Iran held a key national military ceremony Sunday amid mounting concerns it could have an atomic bomb soon.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has, for the first time, publicly suggested bringing Ukrainian territory he controls under the NATO military alliance umbrella while all Russian-occupied areas could remain under Moscow’s control until a diplomatic settlement is reached.
Malaysia and Indonesia faced more suffering Friday, with Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim barring his cabinet members from going on leave after the displacement of over 90,000 people in a growing flood disaster that authorities fear could be the country’s worst in a decade.
Syrian opposition groups have breached Syria’s second-largest city, Aleppo, after blowing up two car bombs and fighting with government forces on Friday in clashes that have killed some 200 people, a Syria war monitor and witnesses say.
Setting a benchmark for jurisdictions worldwide, Australia has banned social media for children under 16. with the government saying that ” the safety of our kids is a priority.”
Protesters in Serbia stood in silence for 15 minutes on Friday for the victims of a roof collapse in a northern city that killed more than a dozen people and underscored concerns about corruption in the Balkan nation.
Tensions remain high in Georgia’s capital, where police and protesters clashed after the country’s ruling party suspended negotiations to join the European Union until 2028
British legislators have agreed to legalize assisted dying for some terminally ill people, despite concerns the law could be misused to pressure patients deemed ‘unfit’ to live longer.