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Can President Kiir Restore Stability in South Sudan?

President Salva Kiir's firing of finance minister Bak Barnaba Chol is a symptom of growing instability in South Sudan, analysts say.  Chol had only taken up the post in November 2025. His replacement, Salvatore Garang, served in the same role from 2018 to 2020, but faced corruption allegations. The commissioner general of the South Sudan Revenue Authority, William Anyuon Kuol, and

Lebanon on Edge as US–Iran Tensions Threaten Wider War

As tensions between the US and Iran threaten to bring a major military conflict to the region, Lebanon's situation is particularly precarious. Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has repeatedly said that his country will not interfere in foreign disputes. Earlier this week, he urged Hezbollah to not drag Lebanon into "another adventure." In January, Naim Qassem, secretary-general

Berlinale Director’s Future Uncertain Amid Gaza-Related Controversy

An emergency meeting Thursday morning of the organization that manages the Berlin International Film Festival, or Berlinale, has left the future of the festival's current head, Tricia Tuttle, open-ended, as the festival continues to reel from controversy related to the Israel-Hamas war.  The meeting had been called by State Minister for Culture Wolfram Weimer to discuss incidents at the recent Berlinale in which, among other things, artists expressed solidarity with Gaza

How Clean Energy Shapes Economic Outcomes

During a trip to Europe last week, the Donald Trump-appointed US Energy Secretary, Chris Wright, called on the International Energy Agency (IEA) to pivot from clean energy to fossil fuels.  At a meeting at the Paris headquarters of the intergovernmental body dedicated to global energy security, Wright referred to the "destructive illusion" of the IEA's commitment

Russia’s Nuclear Leverage: Power, Partnerships, Influence

In the wake of Russia's war in Ukraine, the West has moved to cut off Moscow's oil and gas revenues — from US President Donald Trump hitting India with tariffs for buying Russian oil to the European Union vowing to phase out Russian gas imports "once and for all" by November 2027. But one Russian

Passenger Attacks ICE Conductor on Train to Berlin

Skip next section Interior Minister Dobrindt says waiting on final AfD verdict February 26, 2026 Interior Minister Dobrindt says waiting on final AfD verdict Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said that the federal government had taken note of Thursday's initial ruling on the AfD.  "Now it's time to wait for the main hearing," Dobrindt, a member

France pushes back on US courting of Europe’s far right

US President Donald Trump and his allies have long expressed their support for the right and far right of the European political spectrum. This was made official in the United States National Security Strategy (NSS) published in December 2025. The document suggests that there is a real risk of Europe facing "civilizational erasure" because of

Orban Accuses Ukraine of Plot to Disrupt Hungary’s Energy

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Wednesday poured oil on the fire in a dispute with neighboring Ukraine by ordering tighter security at critical energy infrastructure sites, while accusing Kyiv of seeking to disrupt the Hungarian energy system. His actions come as Hungary and Slovakia — both of which have maintained ties with Moscow despite its

Nickolay Mladenov: Bulgaria’s Appointee to Lead Gaza Peace Effort

Throughout his career, Nickolay Mladenov has often found himself in the eye of the storm. A former Bulgarian foreign minister and United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process from 2015 to 2020, the Bulgarian diplomat earned the trust of both Israeli and Palestinian leaders by acting as an honest broker who was

Pentagon Presses Anthropic for Full AI Access

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's threat to cut AI group Anthropic from government supply chains, or possibly compel it to prioritize government orders, raises several serious questions. It's the latest example of Washington's strong-arm tactics in the corporate sector, while it also shows how control over AI models is becoming a new battleground. According to
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