The focus for decades has been on the Belt and Road Initiative which in the Middle East and Africa has been associated with the construction of ports, railways, highways and power plants. Beijing’s rising world presence was adorned with large-scale infrastructure ventures, which sought to tie together markets in space with the creation of physical trade corridors. But a new …

One of the biggest recent influxes ever recorded at Spain’s borders following a large influx of migrants into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta with estimated numbers of approximately 49,000 from neighbouring Morocco over a 24-hour period. Some thousands swarmed across the coastline to reach the North African territory, with video from the coast showing people wading across the sea to …

Energy markets in Asia are again feeling the pinch after the U.S. has stepped up the pressure on buyers of Iranian crude oil. Washington is going after Tehran’s oil exports by means of secondary sanctions, shipping network bottlenecks and sanctions against financial institutions and foreign ports. These actions are likely to affect much more than Iran, as Asia is home …

Rescue efforts for the devastated area of the Japanese city of Kumamoto are ongoing for four days after the earthquake. 34 people were killed as a result of the earthquake and over 80 others have been injured, with five of them in critical condition. Higher than usual numbers of response personnel, cooling shelters, air-conditioning units, and emergency water supplies have …

For high-rise residential buildings with basement carparks, maintaining a good fire safety condition in the basement carpark is essential.Good fire safety condition in the basement carpark is important for high-rise residential buildings with basement carpark, as the space below ground provides severe challenges to smoke extraction and heat containment. Proper MCST fire insurance coverage and adhering to the official SCDF …

A 3.9-magnitude earthquake hit Bohol near the municipality of Sagbayan Thursday morning (July 30, 2026), and was felt in areas of neighboring Cebu province. The earthquake hit at about 11:21 AM local time at a shallow depth of 10 km, according to the latest PHIVOLCS earthquake update. There was no damage caused by the tremor, but some people in critical …

K-pop star BTS has made a significant announcement in the world of music today, leaving a trail of shockwaves across the industry: They will not participate in the BTS 2027 Grammy Awards race. All seven members—RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook—issued a statement on Monday (3rd) confirming that they will not be entering the Grammy nomination process for …

One of the central themes in discussions of Iraq for decades has been conflict, instability, and geopolitical rivalry. However, Baghdad tries to rewrite that story. With the $17-20-billion Development Road Project and the expansion of the world-class port of Grand Faw, Iraq is emerging as the next great logistics and commodity trading hub in the Middle East, and one that …

A number of incidents in recent days have brought a new urgency into the conversation about the approach of governments to countering the financing of terror groups and the recent reports of possible U.S. action against Mahmoud El-Ebiary and other groups allegedly associated with the Muslim Brotherhood.  Instead of individuals, the financial, administrative and organizational systems and structures that authorities …

As Southeast Asia collaborates on building a stronger, more sustainable energy sector, the ASEAN Power Grid has entered into a new frontier. Within the framework of ASEAN Plan of Action for Energy Cooperation 2026–2030, the member countries are taking steps to go beyond bilateral electricity exchange and construct an integrated Power market system that will facilitate the long-term economic growth …