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Description: The Taliban – led government in Afghanistan has been officially recognized by Russia under the label, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. Russia is the first country to officially recognize the Taliban as the official government in Afghanistan following the lifting of the terrorist designation on the organization in Apr. The countries would exchange ambassadors and enhance bilateral support in the upcoming period in several sectors such as anti – terrorism cooperation, energy and infrastructure development. Afghanistan has been cut off from the international banking system as the US has frozen billions of dollars and isolated the country’s economy. Following the
Description: The executive branch of the European Union is faced with a no – confidence vote after Romanian conservative MEP (Minister of European Parliament) Gheorghe Piperea, filed a motion for the vote against the Commission’s President, Ursula von der Leyen. The motion arrived as a result of the disclosed scandal around personal communication evidence between von der Leyen and Pfizer’s CEO, Albert Bourla, during the Covid pandemic regarding the procuring of vaccines. Bourla and von der Leyen exchanged personal messages which haven’t been disclosed to the public and were reportedly crucial to securing the multi – billion-euro contract between Pfizer and the EU during the
Description: President Donald Trump has stated the US secured a trade deal with Vietnam for zero tariffs on US exports to Vietnam and a 20% levy on Vietnamese exports to the US, compared to the imposed 46%. The deal is the first that Trump has secured with any Asian country, while Japan and South Korea are still struggling to negotiate their separate trade deals. The deal would also tackle the issue of transshipping which used Vietnam as a transporting hub for shipping products originating from other countries but mostly China. Chinese officials haven’t issued a public statement as they previously claimed that they would react to any negative trade agreement impacting China’
Description: President Masoud Pezeshkian reaffirmed the decision brought by the Iranian Parliament regarding the suspension of cooperation with the IAEA. Pezeshkian stated that according to the new legislature, Iran would prohibit access to IAEA inspectors to any of its nuclear enrichment sites in the future, following the IAEA’s overtures which found Iran in non-compliance of its nuclear obligations. The resolution from the IAEA, voted by its 35 Board of Governors, prompted the joint Israeli – US attacks on Iran’s nuclear sites and plunged the region into an abrupt crisis which could have had devastating repercussions, Pezeshkian added. Official spokespeople for the IAEA st
Description: US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, hosted his counterparts in Washington from Australia, India and Japan while announcing the launch of the Quad Rare Earth Minerals Initiative. According to official statement from the White House, the initiative would develop a comprehensive partnership between the four countries in expanding and diversifying the rare earth minerals supply chains and reinforce cooperation between the allies in the sector. The statement did not mention China directly as the largest manufacturer and developer of rare earth minerals in the world, however, the initiative is most certainly established in order to counter Chinese dominance in the sec
Description: The US Department of Defense (DOD) has stated that a review of the US arms stockpile prompted the halting of weapons supply to Ukraine as part of the Trump’s administration, America First policy. The information was ill received by Ukrainian officials as the US envoy to Ukraine was called after the announcement. Ukraine expressed concerns over their aerial defensive capabilities as well as munitions supply which are still largely dependent on consistent US support. President Zelenskyy has stated the halting of arms supplies would additionally embolden Russia which is planning a summer offensive as the largest battle currently unfolds in Donetsk. Russia’s Dmitry
Description: Haiti’s gang crisis continues to exacerbate, with gangs now controlling the entirety of the country’s capital Port au Prince, while gang – related confrontations were also reported to have escalated in the southern parts of the country. According to UN assessments, the gangs in Haiti have started to insert themselves in the form of local government, offering indigenous administrative and public services, with the violence still transpiring. Reports of large armed confrontations between the national police and the gangs have increased from almost every part of the country as the Kenyan voluntary mission fails to subvert the constant offensives staged by several a
Description: Germany and the UK are set to finalize their negotiations which started under former German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz’ leadership. The eighteen rounds of negotiations resulted in a comprehensive mutual assistance partnership focusing on several areas and accentuating defense ties alike NATO’s Article 5 stipulations. The agreement would also contain provisions in areas such as joint cooperation in tackling migration, transport, infrastructure and research and innovation. Germany and the UK would sign the partnership agreement on 17 Jul concluding extensive negotiations which have resulted in detailed provisions within the agreement, aiming to strengthen bilateral t
Description: EU’s Chief of Diplomacy, Kaja Kallas, met with the Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Brussels as they discussed current rifts in trade relations, Chinese support for Russia’s war in Ukraine and China’s rare earth minerals trade practices. President Trump’s tariff war has caused the bloc to reinstate trade relations with China and work towards tackling the introduction of Chinese companies on the EU market under the strict regulations imposed by the Union. Kallas stated that China needed to show healthy trading practices by reducing export taxes on rare earth elements to the EU as well as adapt their companies towards EU regulatory compliance. Foreign Minister
Description: After the Senate vote in favor of Trump’s enormous tax cut and spending bill, the House of Representatives vote has stalled casting a shadow on the bill’s success of being introduced as legislation. Last ditch overtures saw several members of the Republican party stressing the problematic tax cutting details of the bill which mostly affected the US healthcare system and other social programs such as the food stamp initiative. Billionaire Elon Musk reignited his spat with President Trump, heavily criticizing the bill, which incited further divisions between the Republican political camp. President Trump has also been heavily invested in the introduction of the bi