Global explores the events, ideas, and shifts shaping life beyond U.S. borders. From geopolitics and economics to culture, technology, and human stories, this beat connects international developments to the forces influencing our shared future.
Canada’s asylum system still exists. What has changed is who gets to use it. Under Bill C-12, the Strengthening Canada’s Immigration System and Borders Act, which received Royal Assent on March 26, 2026, the Canadian government introduced two new eligibility rules that determine whether an asylum seeker’s claim reaches the Immigration and Refugee Board, the…
Countries are increasingly viewing artificial intelligence as national infrastructure rather than simply a technology sector. Speaking at the VivaTech conference in Paris, **Prime Minister Narendra Modi** used one of the world’s largest technology gatherings to present India as an emerging artificial intelligence power. Reporting from the **Times of India** on June 18 described a message…
AP reported that consumer prices rose 4.2 percent in May from a year earlier, the highest inflation rate in three years and the third consecutive monthly increase, according to the Labor Department. Energy prices drove more than 60 percent of the monthly gain. Gasoline prices are up 40.5 percent over the past year. Prices at…
Reuters reported that Cuban lawmakers approved sweeping economic reforms this week with backing from the Communist Party and former leader Raul Castro. The package would permit private real estate development, allow some state enterprises to convert into shareholding companies, legalize private banking, and allow entrepreneurs to operate multiple businesses with more than 100 employees. Those…
Reuters reported that Representative Nathaniel Moran of Texas introduced the AI Incident Reporting Act, a bill that would require AI companies to report significant safety incidents, security breaches, and dangerous model behavior to the U.S. Commerce Department within seven days of discovery. In cases involving serious threats, Commerce would then be required to notify Congress…
The Guardian reported this week that the UK recorded a provisional June temperature record of 36.4 degrees Celsius, while Switzerland hit 38 degrees in Basel and France closed more than 3,500 schools after classrooms reached temperatures as high as 40 degrees. Teachers’ unions warned the conditions were physically dangerous for students and staff. Hospitals in…
When billions in broadband infrastructure funding sits unspent while broadband deserts persist or expand, what does the gap between allocation and deployment reveal about who controls the pace of access expansion? The United States has committed roughly $65 billion in federal funding to expand broadband access to underserved and unserved communities. Most of that money…
If prediction markets move inside social platforms, public life becomes something users are trained to wager on, even before money enters the app. Lucas Ropek reported for TechCrunch on June 23 that Mark Zuckerberg wants Meta to build a prediction-market app modeled on platforms such as Polymarket and Kalshi. The app, internally called Arena, would reportedly start as a standalone smartphone product where users earn…
When a government mandates wage increases for domestic workers, the structural question is not whether wages increased. It’s whether workers can actually sustain income when the economy cannot absorb those wage costs without contraction. Zimbabwe’s government announced a significant wage hike for domestic workers—workers employed in private households to perform cleaning, childcare, cooking, and other…
China’s economy grew 5% in the first quarter. The government’s own analysts are warning the number doesn’t tell the whole story. China’s National Bureau of Statistics reported 5.0% year-over-year GDP growth for the first quarter of 2026, beating forecasts of 4.8% and accelerating from 4.5% in the previous quarter — a result state media described…