Economics

The Wall is Near, and the Brakes Are Failing

The two largest developing economies are no longer developing as rapidly. A slowdown in China and India could have far-reaching effects on the world, creating echoes that will be felt even where they are least expected. Interestingly, this crisis is not yet truly global. Recent protective...

Gazprom Exits the Stage

The Ukrainian offensive in Russia’s Kursk region is gradually expanding to the east and north. From the early stages of this advance, Ukrainian forces took control of the small Russian border town of Sudzha, home to a Russian gas hub responsible for exports to Western Europe...

Lethal Sanctions Still on the Horizon

The EU is preparing its 15th package of sanctions against Russia in response to its war against Ukraine. The United States is also working on additional sanctions against Russia, while Canada has imposed sanctions on Belarus’ military-industrial complex for arming Russian aggressors. Ukraine is increasingly questioning the...

Petrol Prices Stay Put for Now

Oil prices are falling on the global market due to declining demand from China and concerns about a potential decrease in consumption in the US. Even the escalating tension in the Middle East has not supported prices, which have dropped over the past 30 days from...

AI Brings and Takes Away Money

Anyone who remembers the dot-com boom 25 years ago will not be surprised by the rapid rise in the popularity of AI among users, developers, and investors. But the biggest earners are the manufacturers of chips and equipment on which AI systems run. Just look at...

Lukoil Attempts to Circumvent Sanctions

Hungarian and Slovakian refineries are currently unable to receive oil through the Ukrainian section of the international Druzhba pipeline from the Russian oil company Lukoil, which is subject to Ukrainian sanctions. This situation has sparked a strong reaction in Bratislava and Budapest. Kyiv is closely...

China’s Slowdown

The slowdown of China’s economy is causing significant ripples globally. Although the IMF has somewhat improved its forecasts for the world’s second-largest economy, its expectations seem overly optimistic. This is happening amidst lively interactions around the “axis of evil Moscow-Pyongyang-Tehran” and stern warnings from Brussels...

Ukraine’s Grain Corridor Doesn’t Need the Kremlin

Turkey is pushing for the renewal of the Black Sea Grain Agreement, which has been the framework for Ukraine’s maritime agricultural exports for the past year, operating without the participation or guarantees of the Russian Federation. Why now, and why include Russia? It’s likely because...

Reconstruction Under Air Defence Umbrella

The “Ukraine Recovery Conference 2024” took place in Berlin on 11 and 12 June. This event significantly differed from the previous two conferences held in Lugano, Switzerland, in 2022, and London, United Kingdom, in 2023. Two main issues dominated the discussions this year: the...

Oil Rockers Tend to Go Down

A week after the latest OPEC+ meeting, an unexpected trend has emerged: oil prices are falling. Such meetings are typically aimed at raising prices through coordinated market actions by OPEC countries and their allies within the oil-exporting cartel. This is an intriguing signal, not only because...

Politics

President’s Technocrat Takes Charge of French Government

It has finally happened—French President Emmanuel Macron has appointed a candidate for the role of Prime Minister who is acceptable to him: Michel Barnier. This 73-year-old liberal-conservative politician, with openly right-wing views, appears as something of a veteran compared to his predecessor, Gabriel Attal,...

Prospects For a UK-Ukraine Union

In the three years of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the world has changed more than in the previous 30 years. Approaches to diplomacy, state security, and ways of waging war are changing. At the same time, the US is concentrating more and more...

A Strong Start Shakes Up the Race

The main task for Kamala Harris now appears to be to maximise the momentum provided by Joe Biden’s unexpected decision. She has achieved the crucial first step – the Democratic National Committee unequivocally announced her as the Democratic Party candidate on Monday, 5 August. There was...

The Cost of Nuclear Agreements with Russia

On August 5, 1963, representatives from three countries—USSR, USA, and the United Kingdom—signed the Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapon Tests in the Atmosphere, in Outer Space, and Under Water, also known as the “Moscow Treaty.” The treaty came into force on October 10 of the...

Middle East on the Hot Brink

The Pentagon announced on 3 August that it is deploying additional aviation forces and ships equipped with missile defence systems in the Middle East to protect not only American interests in the region but also Israel. While such deployments are not unprecedented, why are...

G7 Against World War III

The G7 summit held in Apulia, southern Italy, focused on the war in Ukraine, the conflict in Gaza, issues in Africa, illegal migration, and China’s aggressive trade expansion. Sustainable development goals, including climate challenges, were also extensively discussed. Five of the eleven points in the...

Vengeance Through the Centuries

Austria was the first to support stripping Hungary of its voting rights in the EU. Vengeance through the centuries. How would it be in German: this is for our Karl Habsburg, you bastards! Seriously though, the treachery of the Hungarians equals that of the...

If You Want Peace, Prepare for War

Small Lithuania invites German Rheinmetall to produce ammunition, Italian troops train on firing ranges, and Estonia shows record defence spending relative to its GDP. Europe has begun to take the threat from Russia seriously. Global defence spending has reached record levels, surpassing that of...

Life

Jurassic Parks

The abnormal heatwave has finally left Europe, and it is time to think about a holiday. If the idea of spending your vacation on a beach, among tourists and souvenirs, bores you, why not look for something more original? After all, you can plan...

What We Do in the Shadows

The massive missile attacks on Ukraine’s energy system, resumed by the terrorist state of the Russian Federation in the spring of 2024, have predictably led to prolonged blackouts. To say that Ukrainians have gotten used to this would be an understatement. One should neither...

Technology

Most Destructive Computer Program Failures

When you regularly follow the latest in technology and modern innovations, there comes a moment when the thought arises that we have been living in a cyberpunk era for quite some time, albeit without mutants and flying cars. However, every modern device is a...

Victory’s Arsenal: Battle for the Skies

The importance of mobile systems countering aerial threats in modern warfare is difficult to overstate. Portable anti-aircraft complexes and short-range air defense systems have played and continue to play a significant role on the battlefields of the Ukrainian-Russian war. They are instrumental in downing...

Victory’s Arsenal: Javelin and Other «Darts»

Since the onset of the full-scale invasion by the Russian Federation, Ukraine has acquired a fairly substantial and diverse arsenal of armaments and technology from Western allies – ranging from portable anti-tank missile systems to modern, highly effective air defense systems. Soon, Ukraine’s airspace...

Culture

Ten Oldest Opulent Opera Houses in Europe to Impress

An opera house is an important and luxurious part of cultural history, reflecting the style of its city and the traditions of its country. Historic iconic buildings of opera houses are never repeated and you will not find two identical opera houses in the...

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