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BRICS nations concluded their annual summit in the Russian city of Kazan on October 24 resolving to deepen economic ties. Plans to deepen financial cooperation and develop alternatives to Western-dominated payment systems were also discussed, besides offering African nations a bigger say in the changing global order.

Austrian President Alexander van Der Bellen has decided to sidestep the far right Freedom Party (FPO) in government formation sending an unambiguous signal about the future. At the heart of the decision lies the question that should a party having won the largest share of votes but remaining politically isolated be entitled to lead the government?

BERLIN: “There is hope.” This was one of the most repeated sentences when talking to delegates at Germany’s Die Linke’s national congress last weekend, as the left-wing party convened in Halle, in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt. This hope clearly isn’t inspired by polling data, which has turned from bad to worse over the last year. Right now, Die Linke is languishing between 3 and 4 percent in national polling, well below the 5 percent threshold required to reenter parliament in the 2025 elections to the Bundestag. The last nationwide contest, the elections to the European Parliament this past June, pointed in the same direction, as Die Linke received only 2.7 percent of votes — half of its 2019 score.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is teetering from crisis to crisis. He survived a second no-confidence motion on October 1, the second in two days, and on October 25, Trudeau faced an internal challenge from his party MPs, 24 of whom have asked him to resign by October 28.

LONDON: The International Monetary Fund AGM in Washington had barely reflected on the efficacy of its austerity regime in reducing inflation before beginning to worry about the inevitable hike in global oil prices if Benjamin Netanyahu’s offensive is not stayed.

Indian origin Black African-American Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris faces imminent defeat unless former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, in one of his crankier moments, pulls out from the race before November 5, which is not a possibility unless a fourth assassin doesn’t miss the orange-head for the bleeding ear.

NEW YORK: At the end of October, the United Nations General Assembly, for the 32nd consecutive year, will be voting on a resolution submitted by Cuba claiming “the necessity to put an end to the economic, commercial, and financial blockade imposed by the United States of America against Cuba.” As they do every year, the delegates will most likely approve the resolution overwhelmingly.

RIYADH: The nine-day India festival organised here by the Ministry of Media under it's Global Harmony Initiative will strengthen relations between India and Saudi Arabia.

Months of unrest and violence leading to change of the government in Bangladesh is still taking a toll on its economy and its geopolitical neutrality. Recent floods in August and October have further pushed the country to the wall, making food prices rise by 20% in recent months.

TEL AVIV: The Communists of Palestine and Israel have agreed that “Only by establishing a sovereign Palestinian state will there be peace and stability in the region. Stop the war in Gaza and Lebanon now!”