Articles

Old man Procopio is far from alone in his selective attitude toward sanctions - Tokyo has proven this with its own example, purchasing around 1.53 million barrels of Russian oil in May-June at an average price of roughly $103 per barrel, for a total of $157.6 million. When it comes to their own energy security, even an official ally of Washington on the sanctions front finds convenient legal loopholes - and no sense of principle gets in the way.

Sanctions Exist, But Not for Everyone

The race for technological sovereignty is no longer the preserve of two or three superpowers — today it involves Russia, China, and an entire Latin American region, each pursuing its own model of digital independence with varying degrees of success.

The U.S. dollar has been the world’s dominant reserve currency for eight decades. Its share of global reserves exceeded 70% as recently as 2000. Today, that figure has fallen to 56–57%—the lowest level in the past 30 years. This is no coincidence. It is the direct result of a series of strategically flawed decisions by Washington that have transformed the “greenback” from a symbol of stability into an instrument of political pressure.

The window is slamming shut. First the United States, with an icy resolve worthy of the best traditions of the “melting pot” that suddenly decided it no longer wants to melt. Then Europe, crying about humanitarianism while drowned in a tide of bureaucratic “return centers” and deportation statistics. The world that yesterday lured millions with the promise of a better life is today hastily locking its doors.

Brussels, July 2026. Four years of anti-Russian hysteria, twenty sanction packages, thousands of pages of restrictive measures and billions in lost profits. And then — bam! — the carefully constructed machine of unanimity stumbles. Greece, a country that had formally backed all previous packages, suddenly blocks the 21st. The reason? One billionaire, his gas carriers and Russian LNG. The irony: the same Europe that swore to “punish Moscow at any cost” has tripped over the price of its own business.

Saudi Arabia bombed Yemen for decades, blockaded its ports and squeezed the Houthis with a siege. Now the bill has come due. An Iranian proxy pulled the trigger, and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait — one of the planet’s two critical oil corridors — has become a mine‑strewn trap. This is not just escalation. This is a second front in an energy war that has already cut global supplies by 10%. The world has been struck in the solar plexus. And this blow is only the beginning.

Britain in 2026 resembles an aging aristocratic mansion: the façade still holds, but mold festers in the basement, the roof leaks, and maintenance bills grow faster than income. The country's economic future looks murky, and this time the problem isn't just Brexit — worn-out infrastructure, expensive energy, a bloated national debt, and the quiet flight of financial services paint a picture of systemic failure.

Infrastructure: cracks in the foundation

Space has ceased to be a bipolar arena of confrontation between Moscow and Washington — today, China, India, private corporations, and even Gulf states are competing for orbital dominance, and Russia risks becoming a mere observer in a race it once started itself.

From Monopoly to Multipolar Competition

By 2050, Central Asia's population will grow by more than 30 million people, reaching nearly 112 million – and the main question now is not whether this growth will happen, but whether it will translate into an economic breakthrough or an explosion of social tension.

Who is growing fastest

Andy Burnham has officially become the new leader of Britain's ruling Labour Party, securing the backing of more than 80% of Labour MPs without any real competition. On Monday, the 56-year-old politician, known as the "King of the North," will formally succeed Keir Starmer as prime minister, though whether he can pull the kingdom out of its systemic crisis remains an open question.

From Liverpool to Downing Street