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In France, unions are mobilizing to strike after the Macron administration announced plans to raise the retirement age. The CFDT inter-union group said there will be a first day of strikes and demonstrations on January 19. Macron's government insists it will stand its ground.

US air strikes in Somalia increased by 30 percent in 2022. The African country is experiencing a fresh wave of fighting between the government and al-Shabaab terrorists. The increased foothold of the US in Africa has raised concerns as Washington does not have a good record, even when it comes to delivering on its stated claims of fighting terrorism.

UK’s prince Harry's tell-all memoir has not just given the British public a sneak peek into the inner workings of the monarchy but also embroiled the royal household in controversy. Harry’s bombshell revelations in the book have drawn a backlash from the media, commentators, army veterans, and even the Taliban. That’s while support for the royal family is in decline.

The United States has slapped a new set of sanctions against Iran, accusing the Islamic Republic of sending drones to Russia. The US of course has a long history of imposing such measures targeting Iranian individuals and entities. But what is the United States really seeking by maintaining such an approach? Can regime change be an option? Iran has been targeted by US sanctions now for over 40 years. But not only such measures have failed to bring the Islamic Republic to its knees, facts on the ground indicate that sanctions have granted Tehran the opportunity to diversify its options in terms of economy, military capabilities, and science.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned that a third of the global economy will be in recession this year. Kristalina Georgieva said 2023 will be "tougher" than last year as the US, EU and China see their economies slow. The war in Ukraine, rising prices, higher interest rates, and the spread of Covid in China have weighed on the global economy.

The new security minister Ben Gvir stormed the Al Aqsa mosque, something that should not come as a surprise since in the past he has threatened to do so. It was deemed as a controversial move that threatened a strong response from Palestinians and the resistance. Now that Al-Aqsa is under his watch, Palestinians fear this may become a common occurrence.

The war in Ukraine continues unabated. Despite calls for dialog to solve the crisis and end the conflict, many western nations have rather fanned the flames of war by flooding Ukraine with arms. Also, the depletion of NATO countries'’ arsenal of excess military equipment and munitions to be sent to Ukraine has prompted them to increase their military spending. This trend has turned Washington and the US industrial military complex into the main beneficiaries of the ongoing war in Ukraine.

The UN General Assembly has asked the International Court of Justice to consider the consequences for Israel over its occupation of Palestinian territories. It covered the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination" as well as Israeli efforts to Judaize Al-Quds. The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has outright rejected the resolution and the UN.

During a video meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, Putin hailed the strategic cooperation between the two nations as a stabilizing force against unprecedented Western influence.

Russia accuses the West of preparing and unleashing the war against his country, saying Moscow would like to end this war as soon as possible.

Twitter CEO Elon Musk has revealed that all social media platforms work with the US government to censor content. Musk released documents following his purchase of Twitter which showed that the social media platform conspired with the FBI, CIA, Pentagon, and other US government agencies to suppress information on US elections, Ukraine, and COVID-19.

Americans have blamed many culprits, from mental illness to inadequate security for the tragic mass shootings that are occurring with increasing frequency in schools, offices, and theaters across the country. Yet, in the ongoing conversation of the root causes of gun violence, the makers of guns are hardly ever mentioned.

It’s Christmas Time and for a lot of fo families who mark this occasion, it’s a festive time of the year marked by happiness. But for many families in the US and UK, this year especially is hard from hunger to a cost of living crisis.

Moroccans have held nationwide protests against the country’s normalization of ties with Israel on its second anniversary. They censured Rabat's relations with Tel Aviv by chanting anti-normalization slogans. They also reiterated their unwavering support for Palestine

In a polarizing national vote, Brazilians said goodbye to incumbent Jair Bolsonaro and ushered in leftist former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. In this episode of In a Nutshell, we will be exploring Brail's 2022 presidential election and the challenges facing the new president.

An investigation based on Twitter’s internal files shows the social media platform helped the US military amplify its online propaganda campaigns about its activities in West Asia. The probe says Twitter granted Pentagon-affiliated accounts more visibility, even allowing fake accounts to push pro-US narratives.

Israeli soldiers and settlers have been noticeably escalating their attacks against Palestinian civilians in the occupied West Bank and other areas lately. Two Palestinian brothers have become the latest victims of Israeli settler crimes. A settler deliberately ran over them with his car in Nablus and fled the scene. Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has accused the Israeli regime of letting the perpetrators get away with such crimes to further incite such violence against the Palestinians.

Peru’s political crisis continues with protests against the current government headed by former Vice President Dina Buluarte, who was not elected by popular vote. With the death toll mounting from the protests, which has reached 18 people, there are now speculations that the US may have lent a hand to the overthrow of the democratically elected President Pedro Castillo.

In an unprecedented move, Japan has made the decision to invest 320 billion dollars to advance its military capabilities as a deterrence measure as tensions in the region build up and Japan seeks to solidify its position with regard to its allies, rivals, and potential enemies.

The US has recently boosted its air defense support to Ukraine, citing a surge in Russian missile attacks. Washington has so far provided Ukraine with over nineteen billion dollars in military assistance since the beginning of the conflict.

Trade tensions between the European Union and the United States have clouded the French President’s visit to Washington. Emanuel Macron is warning that the newly-announced US industrial subsidies could split the West. European Union governments are crying foul, threatening to launch a trade war against the US by subsidizing their own green economy sector.

The United Nations General Assembly will next year commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba Day, with a high-level event.

US President Joe Biden has recently shown interest for the first time to speak with his Russian counterpart directly in hopes to end the Ukraine war which has been hurting the West significantly. But his expression of willingness to talk to Putin has some conditions around it, as well as some ifs, buts, and maybes.

Tensions are running high between the United States and China as the two have been flexing their military muscles amid a tug-of-war over international dominance. Pentagon Chief Lloyd Austin says China has both the will and the power to reshape the US-dominated international order. He warned, however, that Washington will not let that happen.

Tensions over Taiwan are simmering. China has criticized a visit by an Australian delegation to Taiwan, calling Canberra to respect its sovereignty over the island. Australia is one of the allies of the US in the Indo-Pacific. Washington considers Canberra a frontline state in countering Chinese economic and political moves. Late last month, the US announced its plan to deploy six nuclear-capable B-52 bombers in northern Australia. Do these developments indicate that Canberra has sided with Washington in a bid to counter Beijing’s rising power in the indo-pacific?