Geo Politics

Nearly nine years after both nations signed the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, the Philippines and the United States have agreed on four new local bases in the Philippines where American forces will be permitted to construct facilities and deploy defense hardware (EDCA). The statement was made on Thursday, February 2, as US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin visited the Philippines for …

Hours after intercepting a rocket fired from Gaza and in response to U.S. calls for a cessation of the rising violence in Israel and the occupied West Bank, the Israeli military claimed to have attacked Gaza in the early hours of Thursday, February 2. No initial reports of significant casualties were received. In reaction to Wednesday’s missile launch, the military …

Long-term planning is tough for industry managers due to market volatility and political turmoil, indicating a rough year ahead for many companies. These thoughts were provided by a group of senior contacts who participated in our leadership snapshot poll. More than sixty executives, including CEOs, pro-vice chancellors, directors, provosts, and edtech entrepreneurs from sixteen countries, shared their perspectives on current …

Wednesday, President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan convened a conference with the leaders of many sister nations. His Highness Sheikh Mohamed met with Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tariq, Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, Jordan’s King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein, and Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. The objective …

Two ballistic missiles and a number of drones were used in a terrorist strike that was launched from Yemen one year ago to target civilian targets in the United Arab Emirates. Three innocent civilians perished in this barbaric attack while the UAE’s air defence systems, a pillar of our decades-long security alliance, blasted the missiles out of the sky. Today, …

President His Majesty Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Yoon Suk Yeol, President of the Republic of Korea, visited the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant in Al Dhafra, Abu Dhabi, UAE, today to celebrate the completion of Unit 3 and see the plant’s continuous development. The visit is in line with efforts to expand the current Special Strategic Partnership between …

The South Korean President, Yoon Suk Yeol, left for the United Arab Emirates on Saturday as part of a two-nation tour aimed at promoting South Korean exports, particularly those related to the energy and defense industries. Yoon is scheduled to arrive in Abu Dhabi on a state visit, the first such visit by a South Korean leader since the two …

F.M. Borhan Uddin, the Bangladeshi ambassador to the Philippines, has announced plans to develop ties with the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) in a variety of sectors, such as education and governance. On Thursday, January 12, he made the news during a visit to the region organized by the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC-Philippines). Uddin met with BARMM …

Iran killed British-Iranian national Alireza Akbari, the judiciary’s Mizan news agency said Saturday (Jan 14), after sentencing him to death on allegations of espionage for the United Kingdom. Friday, British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly stated that Iran must not carry out the execution of former Iranian deputy defense minister Akbari. Britain deemed the death sentence to be politically motivated and …

More than 500 residents, including children, are reportedly trapped in the eastern salt mining town of Soledar, where pro-Moscow rebels are battling Ukrainian soldiers. Thursday, January 12, in a video message, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy commended two troops in Soledar for “holding their positions and inflicting considerable casualties on the enemy.” He did not offer additional specifics. Zelenskiy stated that …