Global Watch

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz met on January 12, 2026 in Gujarat to strengthen ties in trade, defense, healthcare, and education.   Their goal is to become less dependent on China and build stronger economic and security links.   Building A Stronger Economic and Trade Partnership India is already Germany’s biggest trading partner in the European Union. Now, both countries are pushing...

The European Union-Mercosur trade deal passed last week is now on hold after the European Parliament sent it to the EU’s top court, a move that could delay the agreement for more than a year and even put its approval at risk.   Mercosur, a South American trade bloc formed in 1991 to promote economic integration, has been negotiating with the EU since the early 2000s, with progress slowed mainly by European concerns over competition f...

China has begun construction of what is set to become the most powerful hydroelectric system ever built, high in the Himalayas. The project promises vast amounts of electricity for China but raises deep concerns downstream in India and Bangladesh, where tens of millions of people depend on the river for their livelihoods.   A Mega Project Built Into the Himalayas China is pushing ahead with a massive and politically sensitive hydropower p...

Imagine waking up on a cold winter morning and nothing works. The lights stay off. The heater is dead. There is no hot water and no way to cook breakfast. After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, millions of Europeans suddenly realized that this scenario was very possible. The war triggered a major energy shock and exposed how dependent Europe had become on Russian oil and gas.   As Russia cut gas supplies, energy prices surged ac...

Diplomatic tensions between Algeria and France took a sharp turn last month, as Algeria moved to legally redefine France’s colonial past as a crime with direct political consequences today.   Algiers Turns History Into a Legal Weapon On December 24, Algeria’s National People’s Assembly unanimously adopted a law declaring France’s colonization of Algeria a crime.   The law goes further than symbolic condemnat...