Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

News

Hard Numbers: Bagram spoils, Ever Given out of Suez Canal, US military cancels Microsoft, Swedish PM is back

Hard Numbers: Bagram spoils, Ever Given out of Suez Canal, US military cancels Microsoft, Swedish PM is back

An Afghan man rests in his shop as he sell U.S. second hand materials outside Bagram U.S. air base, after American troops vacated it, in Parwan province, Afghanistan.

REUTERS/Mohammad Ismail

3.5 million: US troops leaving Afghanistan's Bagram airbase, nerve center of NATO's 20-year counterterrorism presence in the country, left behind 3.5 million catalogued items, ranging from doorknobs to combat vehicles. Within minutes of the US' abrupt exit, looters showed up to seize the spoils.


106: The Ever Given container ship is finally on its way out of the Suez Canal 106 days after it blocked the crucial waterway entirely for a full week, wreaking havoc on global maritime shipping. After months of haggling, the vessel's Japanese owners reached an agreement with the Egyptian canal authorities for an undisclosed amount in compensation.

10 billion: The Pentagon has cancelled a $10 billion contract with Microsoft to build a cloud storage system for the US military. Microsoft won the contract during the Trump administration, but the company's main rival, Amazon — considered the market leader in cloud services — sued to prove that its own bid was rejected because of Trump's personal animosity toward (now-former) Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos.

3: Stefan Löfven, who last week stepped down as Sweden's prime minister after losing a no-confidence vote, got his old job back on Wednesday. MPs agreed to return Löfven to the post by a narrow 3-vote margin, ending Sweden's brief and very rare political crisis.

More For You

Rahm Emanuel on Trump’s missed drone opportunity
- YouTube
The US is falling behind Ukraine in the race to build and deploy cutting-edge drone technology, and it’s the Pentagon’s fault, says Rahm Emanuel.A year ago, Rahm Emanuel made a blunt recommendation: don’t ask Ukraine for mineral rights—ask for their drone technology. Now, that warning looks prescient. “They produce new drone technology every four [...]
​Russia's President Vladimir Putin and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi attend the India-Russia Business Forum in New Delhi, India, December 5, 2025.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi attend the India-Russia Business Forum in New Delhi, India, December 5, 2025.

Sputnik/Grigory Sysoyev/Pool via REUTERS
India rekindles old friendship to fill energy shortageTo fill the massive energy void from the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, Delhi has turned once again to an old friend: Moscow. Soon after the Iran war began, the US temporarily allowed India to buy more Russian crude, after spending the preceding six months urging them to stop. The two [...]
Zimbabwe’s information minister said dozens of citizens were lured via social media by shadowy agencies promising lucrative jobs abroad, but ended up on the front lines.

Zimbabwe’s information minister said dozens of citizens were lured via social media by shadowy agencies promising lucrative jobs abroad, but ended up on the front lines.

Natalie Johnson
Zimbabwe’s information minister said dozens of citizens were lured via social media by shadowy agencies promising lucrative jobs abroad, but ended up on the front lines. The country is ramping up diplomatic efforts to bring home more than 60 people they believe are still fighting for Russia. Zimbabwe isn’t alone; Other African countries, like [...]
Trump’s farm troubles

U.S. President Donald Trump holds up a "Make Our Farmers Great Again" cap during a roundtable discussion on workforce development at Northeast Iowa Community College.

REUTERS/Joshua Roberts
Is US President Donald Trump going whole hog for the farm vote?Today, Trump is expected to announce two new efforts designed to help the agriculture industry: new guidance on farm equipment and an expansion of government loan guarantees. It’s his second overture to the farm sector in three months. In December, he announced a $12 billion aid [...]