WORLD

VIENNA,  | Xinhua | The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) said on Monday it would keep its forecasts for global oil demand growth unchanged at 2.9 percent for 2025 and 3.1 percent for 2026. In its latest monthly oil market report, OPEC projected a year-on-year increase of 1.3 …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The World Bank has slashed its 2025 global growth forecast, citing trade tensions and policy uncertainty. The report released during the week said global gross domestic product (GDP) growth to 2.3 down from the 2.7 percent. Focusing to countries like Uganda or Low Income …

CALGARY, Canada | Xinhua | The Group of Seven (G7) summit wrapped up in Canada on Tuesday with no joint communique but some stark frictions. Several statements, or the leaders’ commitments, were issued after the summit, which included driving secure, responsible and trustworthy AI adoption across public and private sectors, …

TEHRAN | Xinhua | Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday that the country remains steadfast amid its conflict with Israel and will not surrender to anyone amid pressure, according to the Tasnim news agency. In a televised address, Khamenei praised the “steadfast, courageous, and timely” response of the …

GAZA | Xinhua | As the military confrontation between Israel and Iran escalates, residents of the Gaza Strip watch anxiously, fearing the renewed tensions could further deteriorate their already dire humanitarian situation and push their longstanding plight even further from the global spotlight. In Gaza City, Ibrahim al-Faryani, a Palestinian …

Geneva, Switzerland | THE INDEPENDENT | Nearly 138 million children were engaged in child labour in 2024, including around 54 million in hazardous work likely to jeopardize their health, safety, or development, according to new estimates released by the ILO and UNICEF. The latest data show a total reduction of over …

CHENGDU, CHINA | Xinhua | In a sunlit therapy room at Chengdu Xinnao Technology Co., Ltd. in southwest China’s Sichuan Province, a five-year-old boy surnamed Chen bursts into giggles as his favorite cartoon character waves back, a response triggered by brain signals decoded through his headset. A moment that might …

Israeli: Attacks on Iran are to destroy the nuclear program, strip [Iran] of the ability to produce ballistic missiles and eliminate Iran’s axis of terror. MOSCOW, RUSSIA | TASS | Israel and Iran have continued to exchange long-range missile attacks, each saying they demolished strategically important enemy targets and used …

CALGARY, Canada | Xinhua | The Group of Seven (G7) leaders met for the first day of the two-day summit in Kananaskis in the province of Alberta, Canada, on Monday with emerging disagreements. According to CNN, U.S. President Donald Trump does not intend to sign a joint statement calling for …

JERUSALEM | Xinhua | An Iranian missile struck Israel’s largest oil refinery complex in the northern port city of Haifa early on Monday, killing three workers and sparking a fire at the facility, Israel’s military censor said in a statement. The missile hit the Bazan oil refinery before dawn, igniting …