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Southeast Asian leaders held talks with a representative from Myanmar's junta during a regional summit on Wednesday, as they sought to revive stalled diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the country's ongoing civil war.

NEW YORK: Donald Trump calls her “comrade Kamala.” Unfortunately, she is anything but. US Vice-President Kamala Harris, the unexpected Democratic presidential candidate after incumbent Joe Biden dropped out of the race on July 21, is following a studiously moderate path to the White House.

Pakistan is on the boil. Clashes breaking out between security personnel of the country and former prime minister Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaaf (PTI) once again pose a threat to the law and order situation in the perennially troubled nation.

NEW YORK: One year ago, as Israel launched its massive war on Gaza after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, the U.S. government was fully aware its ally was embarking on a campaign that would end up with Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders charged with war crimes. And yet, as the whole world has seen, that advance knowledge did nothing to deter the Biden administration from arming and aiding the genocide that has been perpetrated since.

Monday October 7, 2024 marks the completion of one year of the Israel-Palestine war which started with the brutal attack on the citizens of Israel by the militant Palestine group Hamas and the more severe retaliation by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) and the complete annexation of the Gaza area along with ethnic cleansing by the forces of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the following months with the active assistance of the high tech arms and equipment by the Western nations led by the USA.

The past one year has shown once again that the global community is least bothered by the human dimension, i.e. the loss of human lives of any military conflict. Further the greed to earn huge profits by arms industry is also overlooked, as it supports the economy of many of these countries.

The ongoing escalation of conflict in the Middle East has sent crude oil prices surging by more than 5% within a week, hitting around $77 per barrel. This spike has raised alarm among major oil-consuming nations, particularly as the region, long a critical oil hub, continues to witness deepening tensions. The conflict, which has brought global attention to the oil markets, underscores the delicate balance between geopolitical instability and energy supply. However, while the price surge has drawn headlines, many analysts remain unconvinced that this upward trend will persist over the long term, given the current market dynamics.

Better known for the wizardry of its footballers, all is not well with Argentina. Its economic crisis has reached an alarming point with poverty rates expected to surpass 50 per cent. Poverty was higher in the first half of this year coupled with inflation. Health care is costlier and as for economic activity, construction, financial intermediation and trade have recorded steep decline.

Bangladesh has just completed two months after the ouster of Sheikh Hasina Wazed from power on August 5 following the mass upsurge led by the students of Anti-Discrimination Front, popularly known as anti Quota movement. The interim Government led by the Nobel Laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus took oath on August 8 with more than a dozen advisers. As of now, this interim government led by chief adviser Dr. Yunus is functioning with the same team to steer the course of the country for ensuring security and stability in a short period do that the country can go fresh elections.

The fact that the world economy has slowed down since the financial crisis of 2008 is beyond dispute. In fact even conservative American economists have started using the term “secular stagnation” to describe the current situation (though they have their own peculiar definition for it). The purpose of the present note is to give some growth-rate figures to establish this particular point.