Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

What We're Watching

What We’re Watching: More Western nations recognize Palestinian state, Southeast Asian unrest spreads to the Philippines, Putin wants to de-facto extend nuclear arms deal

​The Palestinian flag is raised at the Palestinian mission's headquarters in London, United Kingdom, on September 22, 2025.

The Palestinian flag is raised as the Palestinian mission to the United Kingdom holds a ceremony after the UK government announced on Sunday the country's formal recognition of a Palestinian state, at the mission's headquarters in London, United Kingdom, on September 22, 2025.

REUTERS/Toby Melville
Make us preferred on Google

Troupe of Western nations recognize Palestinian state ahead of UN meeting

Australia, Canada, Portugal, and the United Kingdom all followed through with pledges to recognize a Palestinian state on Sunday, just in time for the start of the United Nations General Assembly’s main meetings. France is set to formally follow suit today. The move is an effort to pressure Israel to end its war in Gaza, but it seems to have had the opposite effect: citing the news, several Israeli ministers urged the military to annex the West Bank. Not every major Western nation was on board with the plan: Germany said recognition should come at the end of the peace process, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said recognizing Palestinian statehood now would be “counter-productive.”


Philippine protests turn violent

The Philippines became the latest country in Southeast Asia to face disorder, as 33,000 people gathered in Manila on Sunday to decry the government’s reported misuse of funds allocated for flood relief efforts. The protests also took a violent turn, as police arrested dozens of people suspected of hurling various makeshift weapons at officers stationed near the presidential palace. The unrest began earlier this month when a wealthy couple that leads many flood-control projects showed off their luxury cars during media interviews – this was especially painful for Philippine citizens, since the country is regularly hit with storms and many live in poverty.

Russia tacks another year onto key nuclear arms treaty

Russian President Vladimir Putin says Russia will observe the last remaining US-Russia nuclear arms pact for one more year. The so-called “New START” Treaty of 2010, which limits the number of warheads and bombers each side can hold and deploy, is set to expire in February. Bilateral inspections collapsed several years ago due to the Ukraine war and no new treaty has been negotiated; at least theoretically, New START remains in effect. Putin’s decision is welcome, but it merely punts two key questions: will the US and Russia reach a new pact to limit the world’s most destructive weapons, and how will any new arms control system take into account the growing nuclear arsenal of China?

More For You

​Giorgia Meloni in Siracusa, Italy, on September 21, 2024.

Giorgia Meloni at the G7 Agriculture and Fisheries meeting in Siracusa, Italy, on September 21, 2024.

IMAGO/Gruppo LiveMedia via Reuters Connect
Elections on Giorgia’s mindItalian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is reportedly considering early elections, as her popularity dips amid a rising challenge from the far right. Italy must vote by the end of 2027, but Meloni is reportedly eyeing an April date. Meloni, a sharp-tongued right-wing populist, won in 2022 on promises to tighten [...]
​Egyptian pounds, a gold bar and a necklace are seen during an interview with Mohamed Abdeen, an Egyptian jeweller, in Cairo, Egypt, on February 5, 2026.

Egyptian pounds, a gold bar and a necklace are seen during an interview with Mohamed Abdeen, an Egyptian jeweller, as demand for gold bars and coins rises in Egypt, with buyers seeking a safer store of value amid volatile markets and economic uncertainty, traders and industry officials said, in Cairo, Egypt, on February 5, 2026.

REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh
Gold bust along the Egypt-Sudan border Egypt said on Monday it arrested more than 200 people along its southern border – most of them foreigners – as part of a crackdown on illegal gold mining and smuggling in the area. The border region is rich in mines: if you know the regional name “Nubia” you’re actually saying the ancient Egyptian word for [...]
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer stands with his wife Victoria Starmer after announcing the timeline for his resignation, outside 10 Downing Street, in London, United Kingdom, on June 22, 2026.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer stands with his wife Victoria Starmer after announcing the timeline for his resignation, following Andy Burnham's decisive victory last week in the Makerfield by-election, outside 10 Downing Street, in London, United Kingdom, on June 22, 2026.

REUTERS/Jack Taylor
Starmer resigns, and the UK prepares to turn leftAfter less than two years in office, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on Monday morning that he would resign as Labour Party leader. “I have spoken to His Majesty the King this morning to inform him of my decision,” said a tearful Starmer outside Downing Street, who will exit office by [...]
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian displays a memorandum of understanding after signing it in Tehran, Iran, on June 18, 2026.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian displays a memorandum of understanding after signing it in Tehran, Iran, on June 18, 2026, after the document was signed by US President Donald Trump.

Iranian Presidency via ZUMA Press
What does the US-Iran deal mean for Tehran? The interim agreement to end the war, signed by both sides on Wednesday, appears to tilt toward Iran: it lifts the US naval blockade of Iranian ports, grants sanction waivers for Iranian oil products – meaning Tehran no longer has to sell oil at a discount – and gives the Islamic Republic access to [...]