World

Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, has been ranked as the safest city in the world for the eighth consecutive year, according to the online database Numbeo. The city scored 86.8 out of 100 in the Safety Index, which measures the level of crime, health care, traffic, and pollution in 329 cities around the world. How Abu …

The US and Iran may not have diplomatic relations, but they do have a secret channel of communication that they use to avoid escalating tensions and prevent misunderstandings. This channel is known as the Swiss back channel, and it involves the Swiss embassy in Tehran, which acts as a mediator between the two countries. On January 23, 2024, the US …

Wagner Group, a private military contractor linked to the Kremlin, has been accused of committing grave human rights abuses and violations of international humanitarian law in several African countries, where it operates alongside government forces or rebel groups.  The mercenaries, who are allegedly paid and trained by Russia, have been involved in killings, torture, rape, and displacement of civilians, as …

North Korea and Russia have reaffirmed their strategic alignment against the US and its allies, following Pyongyang’s latest intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test on December 18, 2023.  The test, which was personally supervised by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, demonstrated the country’s ability to strike any target in the US mainland with a nuclear warhead. What are the motives …

Credit card debt is a common and growing problem for many Americans, especially amid the Covid-19 pandemic and the inflation crisis. According to the Federal Reserve, Americans owed $986 billion in credit card debt at the end of 2022, up $61 billion from the previous quarter, and the highest level since 2019. There are several factors that contribute to the …

The Houthis are a rebel group that controls much of northern Yemen, including the capital Sanaa, and has been fighting a civil war against the internationally recognized government of Yemen since 2014.  The Houthis are backed by Iran, which provides them with weapons and training, and are opposed by a Saudi-led coalition, which supports the Yemeni government and conducts airstrikes …

The 2024 US presidential election, scheduled for November 5, 2024, will be a pivotal moment for the future of the US and its relations with the world.  The election will pit incumbent President Joe Biden, a Democrat, against former President Donald Trump, a Republican, who is seeking to reclaim the White House after being impeached twice and facing multiple criminal …

Dubai has been named the world’s No.1 destination in the 2024 Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice Awards, making it the first city to achieve this recognition for three consecutive years in a row.  The awards are based on the quality and quantity of traveler reviews and ratings posted on Tripadvisor over 12 months. Dubai surpassed other popular destinations such as Bali, London, …

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has called South Korea “our principal enemy” and threatened to annihilate it if provoked, as he escalates his inflammatory, belligerent rhetoric against Seoul and the United States before their elections this year. Kim’s threat comes as the White House said it has evidence that Russia has fired additional North Korean-provided ballistic missiles at Ukraine.  …

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said that the diplomatic efforts with China over the South China Sea dispute are heading “in a poor direction” and that a “paradigm shift” is needed to resolve the issue.  Marcos, who spoke to Japanese media during his visit to Tokyo for the ASEAN-Japan summit, said that China has been disregarding the traditional methods of …