Geopolitical

Oil prices steady as U.S., Israeli strikes on Iran snarl Hormuz shipping and force Iraq output cuts Oil prices were steady after sharp swings Wednesday as U.S. and Israeli strikes against Iran escalated the conflict and left shipping through the Strait of Hormuz effectively shut for a fifth day, disrupting vital Middle East oil and gas production and trade. Brent crude fell 0.3% to $81.13 a barrel around 4 p.m. GMT, while West Texas Intermediate slipped 0.4% to $74.30. Both benchmarks had closed Tuesday at recent highs—Brent…

Burundi’s Ndayishimiye takes AU chair as bloc warns of geopolitical turbulence ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — The African Union on Saturday elected Burundian President Évariste Ndayishimiye as its chairperson for 2026, closing a high-level summit in Addis Ababa where leaders elevated water security, institutional reform and regional stability as urgent priorities. Ndayishimiye assumes the rotating leadership from Angolan President João Lourenço at the conclusion of the AU’s 39th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State…

With Nicolas Maduro in U.S. custody after a pre-dawn raid and President Donald J. Trump touting a “Donroe Doctrine,” Washington has put a modern stamp on one of its oldest ideas: uncontested dominance in the Western Hemisphere. The operation in Venezuela, framed by the White House as a corrective to autocracy and a bid to unlock oil wealth, also signals an unapologetic return to sphere-of-influence politics—this time with China and Russia cast as the intruders to be pushed out. The White House’s case mixes moral clarity with…

"One thing that stands out in the new National Military Strategy is that it is 10X more critical of Europe than Russia," Representative Don Bacon said, capturing the bluntness of a document that lands like a geopolitical hammer on transatlantic relations. The U.S. National Security Strategy released this week reframes Europe not primarily as a continental partner to be cultivated through institutions and trade, but as a civilisational project in need of rescue. The 60-some page blueprint — three of which are devoted to…

Europe-Africa Summit: Leaders Seek Revitalized Partnership Amid Global Challenges Scores of African and European leaders are gathered in Luanda, the capital of Angola, for the seventh edition of the Europe-Africa Summit. This year's summit arrives at a critical juncture, characterized by "fraying" relations between these historic trading partners, as the influence of Russia, China, and the United States continues to expand across the region. Experts emphasize the necessity of re-evaluating the relationship between Europe…

Snapshot from the YouTube video, ‘Why Egypt and Somalia are Teaming Up Against Ethiopia‘ by TLDR News Global. Fair use. In the Horn of Africa, a region already fraught with delicate alliances and simmering military tensions, Ethiopia, Egypt, and Somalia are now clashing in a new arena: social media. Platforms like TikTok, X (formerly Twitter), and Facebook have become battlegrounds for a digital skirmish, where misinformation riles up nationalist feelings and ratchets up the stakes of real-world confrontations. Fueling…