Features
CITIES IN PERIL: Rising seas threaten India’s coastal cities
More than 10% of Mumbai is at risk of submergence by 2040 after it recorded the highest sea level rise among Indian coastal cities in the last three decades.
Ukraine, Russian ceasefire talks are dead
Both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy have given up on ceasefire talks, calling them pointless as both sides increase the frequency and ferocity of their mutual missile strikes on each other's territory.
The fall of Sritex: unravelling the collapse of Southeast Asia’s textile giant
Once celebrated as Southeast Asia’s largest textile producer, the Indonesian firm shuttered its operations, resulting in job losses for nearly 11,000 workers across Central Java. The closure sent tremors through the nation’s economy.
The Bazarification of war
In the early hours of June 1, 2025, Ukrainian intelligence operatives executed what military historians may well regard as warfare's equivalent of Pearl Harbor.
CITIES IN PERIL: Two decades of change are testing Tokyo’s resilience
A global megacity grapples with the overlapping stresses of urbanisation, ageing demographics and climate risk.
China helping Russia outpace Ukraine in drone production, Kyiv claims
Russia is rapidly closing the gap with Ukraine in drone warfare thanks in part to covert support from China that is supplying Russia with all the parts and technology it can, but strictly staying within technical limits imposed by sanctions.
Pakistan’s power sector in 2025 at a critical juncture
The country recorded notable growth in solar energy deployment and added new renewable capacity, but these gains came against the backdrop of deep-rooted structural challenges
CITIES IN PERIL: Droughts and heatwaves grip Tehran
The Iranian capital’s vulnerability to the changing climate presents a significant national challenge.
Countering drones in modern warfare: lessons from Ukraine and beyond
Electronic countermeasures are among the most widely used methods for neutralising drones. These include GPS jamming, radio-frequency jamming and signal spoofing.
CITIES IN PERIL: Jakarta’s sinking villages
Jakarta is a city of dreams for many of its 11mn population, yet some of its most vulnerable communities are facing a nightmare.
Cocaine barons switch to trafficking via Turkey after heavy seizures on direct-to-Europe route
Extent of new smuggling indicated by seizure of seven vessels owned by Turks carrying drugs worth $10bn.
Japan: the land where ancient geothermal use is part of the problem
Onsen have long been a part of the daily lives of Japanese, and are seen as so integral to the culture as likely to trump any ‘new-fangled’ technological ideas in the eyes of many – younger Japanese included.
US-trained millennial economist nominated to lead Iran’s troubled economy
A millennial American university graduate and maths buff is likely to become Iran's next economy minister.
CITIES IN PERIL: Taipei’s climate countdown
Located in the Taipei Basin and bordered by the volcanic Yangmingshan mountain range to the north and Taiwan’s Central Mountain Range to the southeast, Taipei’s geography makes it both scenic and vulnerable.
BEYOND THE BOSPORUS: Erdogan camp's dirty work paints jailed rival as ‘Imamoglu the Suleymanist’
President also sets out to trash opponent as head of an octopus-like criminal syndicate.
CITIES IN PERIL: Cities confront the rising tide of climate change
Fast and chaotic urban population growth combined with climate challenges on multiple fronts are putting cities at risk around the world.
Iran blocks Namava streaming service over new "controversial" series
Iran's judiciary blocked the Namava streaming platform and banned the series Souvashoun for operating without proper licences
Harvard ban fallout: international students face a new era of uncertainty
While framed as a matter of national security, the decision has left over 7,000 international students scrambling for clarity, stability, and their futures.
Will the weather on June 1 decide the Polish presidential vote?
Poles go to the polls this weekend and the two candidates for the presidency are literally neck and neck, with less than a point between them. The outcome is far too close to call, so the weather could play a major role.
BEYOND THE BOSPORUS: Turkey is run by mobsters, says film director Fatih Akin in Cannes interview
Award winner speaks out in response to jailing of his manager Ayse Barim in move observers see as part of regime’s preparation for the “Imamoglu operation”.