Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

News

Hard Numbers: Haitian hospitals at risk, US cash for ASEAN, Dutch pension fund dumps fossil fuels, Biden freezes US aid to Sudan

Locals carry containers, used for oil and gasoline, during fuel shortages in Port-au-Prince, Haiti October 24, 2021
Make us preferred on Google

500: Fuel shortages in conflict-ridden Haiti are putting many hospital patients at risk. If fuel isn't delivered ASAP, UNICEF says around 500 people – including children and COVID patients – are at very high risk of deterioration. Supplies and deliveries have been disrupted for weeks because of heightened gang activity in the country.


102 million: US President Joe Biden has pledged $102 million to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and is this week addressing the group at a virtual summit. The funds will go to climate initiatives, education and health projects, and are part of Washington's efforts to build a bulwark against China in the region.

15 billion: Ahead of COP26, Dutch pension fund ABP said it will divest $15 billion from fossil fuel-producing companies by 2023, a massive commitment from one of the world's largest pension funds. Multinational corporations like Fidelity International, an asset manager, have also made more ambitious climate pledges in the lead-up to the global climate summit.

700 million: Washington has frozen $700 million in direct financial aid to Sudan after the military staged a coup on Monday. The US said that in order for funds to be unfrozen, Sudan's generals need to release and reinstate the country's civilian leadership, and stop targeting pro-democracy protesters – both of which are extremely unlikely.

More For You

Another Polymarket ban
Will Fitzpatrick
Spain temporarily banned the US-based prediction markets Polymarket and Kalshi on Tuesday, as well as its rival Kalshi, arguing that they were operating without a gambling license. The ban will last three to four months, pending a review from the country’s gambling watchdog. The move comes as other bans against Polymarket, in particular, are [...]
French President Macron shaking hand with Norway's Prime Minister of the Kingdom Jonas Gahr Støre
The President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, receiving the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Norway, Jonas Gahr Støre, at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, on May 27, 2026.
Quentin de Groeve / Hans Lucas via Reuters Connect
France to give Norway nuclear protectionWhen the sun shines, we’ll shine together — but when it doesn’t, you’ll have the protection of France’s nuclear arsenal. That, to adapt the classic Rihanna record, was the message from French President Emmanuel Macron to Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre at a bilateral meeting in Paris on Wednesday. [...]
​Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a ceremony commemorating Israel’s Remembrance Day for fallen soldiers on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem, on April 21, 2026.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a ceremony commemorating Israel’s Remembrance Day for fallen soldiers, or Yom HaZikaron, at the Military Cemetery on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem, on April 21, 2026.

ILIA YEFIMOVICH/Pool via REUTERS
The United States and Iran seem to be moving closer to a deal to end the war, recent skirmishing and mixed signals notwithstanding. If concluded – still a big if – this agreement would reopen the Strait of Hormuz, lift the US blockade, unfreeze Iran’s frozen assets (via Qatar), and extend the ceasefire – while kicking nuclear negotiations down the [...]
Iranian President Pezeshkian and Acting Minister of Defense Brigadier General Ebn-e-Reza during a meeting in Tehran.

May 26, 2026, Tehran, Iran: Iranian President MASOUD PEZESHKIAN (L) and Iranian Acting Minister of Defense Brigadier General MAJID EBN-E-REZA (R) during a meeting in Tehran.

Iranian Presidency via ZUMA Press
US-Iran: Is a deal still possible? The merry-go-round of negotiations between the two countries continues. The latest began on Saturday, when US President Donald Trump said an agreement was “largely negotiated,” before Iran poured cold water on this. The US military then hit Iranian missile launchers and boats suspected of dropping mines in the [...]