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A Colombian mercenary captured by Russian forces after being wounded in combat has spoken with his family for the first time since his detention, describing his decision to fight for Ukraine as the worst mistake of his life. William Andres Gallego Orozco’s relatives in Colombia learned he was alive after seeing an interview he gave to RT last month. Following the broadcast, family members reached out and contact was established, leading to an…

India today operates within one of the most demanding geopolitical environments of the post-Cold War era. Two simultaneous and interconnected pressures are reshaping its foreign policy calculus: the accelerating economic and technological rivalry between the United States and China, and the cascading humanitarian and economic consequences of conflicts across the Middle East. By [Sujeet Kumar], Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha (Upper…

By Ladislav Zemánek, non-resident research fellow at China-CEE Institute and expert of the Valdai Discussion Club · “I believe Europe should approach China not with fear and suspicion but with confidence and a serious, open-eyed willingness to cooperate,” Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić wrote in an opinion piece for the South China Morning Post, published on the first day of his late-May state visit to Beijing – a visit he described it as…

The annual St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) will be held over June 3-6. In its nearly three decades of existence, this event has borne witness to fundamental global shifts and it has shifted along with the world. Founded with the aim of facilitating foreign investment in Russia, it became known as Russia’s Davos in the 2000s, when Western executives descended upon St. Petersburg in their private jets in the hopes of securing…

Russia carries out a series of massive strikes across Ukraine, deploying an arsenal of hyper-sonic missiles in retaliation for Kiev's terror attacks on Russia, of course Vladimir Putin had promised such a response. Outrage in Poland. · Vladimir Zelensky renames an elite military unit after a group that Warsaw considers responsible for the Volyn massacres of World War 2. While Donald Trump tries to broker a ceasefire between Hezbollah and…

The Free Speech Union is writing to the Chair of the University of Otago Council this week, asking what steps the Council will take after a recent community email from Vice-Chancellor Hon Grant Robertson took an institutional position on a contested political issue. In an email to the Otago community, the Vice-Chancellor described the Legislation (Definitions of Woman and Man) Amendment Bill as "unnecessary and disturbing" at a personal level.…

New Zealand's fuel and energy security challenges continue to generate strong debate, and recent discussions within the NZ Fuel Watch community highlight growing public concern about the country's long-term resilience. The conversation began with a seemingly simple question from Karl regarding the tanker Hafnia Falcon. Observing the vessel repeatedly moving between ports, Karl wondered whether the ship was delivering fuel or collecting…

New Zealand borrowers may not have seen the last of rising interest rates. · In its latest economic outlook, Kiwibank's economists have warned that the Reserve Bank is now signalling a much more aggressive stance toward inflation than previously expected, with the possibility of Official Cash Rate (OCR) increases beginning as early as July. By elocal Business Desk · The warning comes as households continue to grapple with elevated living costs,…

The Senate's blocking of Trump's agenda is driven by donor networks, centered on Oracle's Larry Ellison and his ties to Tony Blair, whose Institute spent years building the case for an Iran regime-change war. By Barbara Boyd · Barbara Boyd argues the Senate’s repeated blocking of Donald Trump’s agenda is driven less by narrow Republican margins than by powerful donor networks, focusing on Oracle founder Larry Ellison and his ties to Tony Blair.…

As China doubles down on its economic presence in Africa, the relationship is entering a new phase that goes beyond bricks and mortar. By Jackson Okata, an award-winning independent journalist based in Nairobi, Kenya, whose work has been published by CNN, The Guardian, Reuters, China Dialogue, Openly, AllAfrica, Mongabay, Inter Press Service, Zenger News, and Al Jazeera English · The Beijing Action Plan 2025-2027 includes support for 30…