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Geopolitics

Geopolitics: wars, alliances, sanctions, trade and the decisions between governments that shape the world.

1265 articles · page 10 of 27

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Geopolitics

Streeting urges US to back Ukraine on Washington visit, acknowledges Starlink tensions

British Defence Secretary Wes Streeting urged the United States to stand by Ukraine during a visit to Washington on Tuesday, seeking to cool tensions after the US government limited Ukraine's military access to Starlink satellite services. Speaking at the Center for Strategic and International Studies before a meeting with US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, Streeting acknowledged the row over Starlink and argued that supporting Ukraine was in Washington's long-term interests and a business opportunity.

·2 min·2 sources
Geopolitics

Radioactive Ore Monazite Emerges as Key to Breaking China's Rare Earth Dominance

A global scramble is underway to break China's near-total stranglehold on rare earth elements, with the radioactive ore monazite emerging as a potential game-changer. Hundreds of mining companies, government agencies, and industrial facilities across North America, Australasia, and Europe are racing to establish alternative supply chains, but analysts warn the path is fraught with instability, risk, and geopolitical intrigue.

·2 min
Geopolitics

Argentina adviser cites UK MP's election as evidence of 'Islamisation' in Falklands row

The chief adviser to Argentina's President Javier Milei has claimed that the election of a Muslim MP to the UK parliament is evidence of the 'Islamisation' of Britain and further reason for Argentina to take sovereignty over the Falkland Islands. Santiago Caputo posted on social media that sovereignty was necessary to prevent the 'interference of an Islamic state' in the South Atlantic, a post shared by Milei himself.

·2 min·2 sources
Geopolitics

Two chemical tankers ablaze in Black Sea, sailors missing as drone attacks intensify

Seven sailors are missing after two chemical tankers caught fire overnight inside Romanian territorial waters in the Black Sea, as a wave of drone strikes on civilian shipping continues to threaten global grain supplies. Romanian authorities have not directly linked the blazes to Russian drones but the incidents follow attacks on at least five other cargo ships near Romania and Bulgaria over the past 10 days, which left at least 23 sailors lost.

·2 min·3 sources
Geopolitics

Hundreds of IDF investigations into killings still have no public outcome, BBC Verify finds

BBC Verify has identified 254 incidents in which the Israeli military has been accused of killing or injuring people in Gaza, Lebanon, the occupied West Bank and Israel that it said it was investigating, but have no public outcome. Using AI tools to comb through over 60,000 news reports, the BBC found 300 cases the IDF said it was looking into, of which only 28 had outcomes published on the IDF website.

·2 min
Geopolitics

Ukraine Strikes Russian Refinery as Zelenskyy Declares US Energy Ceasefire 'Done'

Ukraine struck an oil refinery in Ryazan, about 180 kilometres south of Moscow, on Thursday after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv was 'done' with a US-orchestrated ceasefire on energy targets that Russia had ignored. The attack comes as relations between Kyiv and Washington deteriorate sharply, with President Donald Trump lifting sanctions on Russian diesel, calling for Zelenskyy's replacement, and restricting Ukraine's access to Starshield, the military-grade Starlink system used to pilot drones.

·3 min·3 sources
Geopolitics

China opens first overseas airpower facility in Laos, satellites reveal eight aircraft

China has quietly opened what it calls a 'joint support and training center' at an airport in Ban Keun, Laos, its first publicly acknowledged overseas military facility centered on airpower, according to an announcement from the Chinese Ministry of Defense on September 29. Satellite imagery has since revealed the presence of eight light attack aircraft at the site, deepening concerns about Beijing's expanding military footprint in Southeast Asia.

·2 min
Geopolitics

Musk suggests US government behind Starlink restrictions as EU leaders seek alternatives

Elon Musk has suggested that the US government, rather than SpaceX, was behind the recent slowdown of Starlink internet speeds in Ukraine, as European leaders met in Brussels with few ready alternatives to the US-controlled satellite network. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he felt 'betrayed' by the US after the restrictions, which Ukraine says hamper its ability to use defensive weapons.

·3 min·3 sources
Geopolitics

Discrepancy Emerges Over US-China Military Crisis Agreement After Summit

President Xi Jinping's September visit to Washington yielded no major breakthrough on trade or artificial intelligence safety, and a significant discrepancy has now emerged over whether the two sides agreed to sign a memorandum of understanding on strengthening crisis communication between their militaries. China's official readout states the two sides agreed to sign an MoU 'as soon as possible,' but the White House fact sheet did not mention the commitment, and a U.S. official reportedly denied that such a discussion took place.

·2 min
Geopolitics

Starlink partially restored after Ukraine complains, but Zelensky warns restrictions will cost lives

Ukraine’s military reported that some Starlink satellite internet services were being restored on Wednesday after an abrupt slowdown forced Kyiv to cancel missions overnight. President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Elon Musk’s SpaceX of deliberately throttling the service and warned the decision would lead to civilian deaths. Musk responded that any speed restrictions on Starshield, the military-grade version of Starlink, are set by the US Department of Defense, not his company.

·3 min·9 sources
Geopolitics

UK's China policy 'beset by incoherence' and lack of expertise, report warns

The UK's approach to China is 'beset by incoherence' and hampered by a shortage of senior expertise, according to a report by the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (Ipac) published on Wednesday. The audit warns that past engagement has exposed the UK to risks of interference without delivering the opportunities promised, and calls for clearly defined red lines on critical infrastructure, frontier technologies and human rights.

·2 min·2 sources
Geopolitics

Scavengers swarm Strait of Hormuz for spilt cargo as Iran intensifies shipping attacks

Fishers and others have been scouring the Strait of Hormuz for spilled cargo after Iran attacked at least 15 container ships in the past 10 days, according to Iranian officials and local reports. The salvage operations have prompted warnings from cyber police and state authorities not to pillage luxury items, while Iran's president has offered to reopen the waterway in six days in exchange for sanctions relief.

·3 min·2 sources
Geopolitics

Starlink speed restrictions on Ukrainian drones partially restored; Musk says US government controls limits

SpaceX has partially restored the 100mph speed limit imposed on Starshield satellite terminals used by Ukrainian drone units, Ukraine’s former defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov said on Wednesday, as Elon Musk blamed any restrictions on the US government rather than his company. The throttling, introduced without prior warning, had disrupted multiple missions and drawn sharp criticism from Ukrainian officials who accused SpaceX of siding with Russia.

·2 min·6 sources