Apart from 74 million voters in the United States (US), who still approves of President Donald Trump? Most Europeans are overjoyed to see the back of him.

Recent announcements of demonstrated efficacy in COVID-19 vaccine trials have brought hope that a return to normality is in sight.

Americans don’t agree on much of anything nowadays. Yet they are largely united in their belief that China represents an existential challenge to their country and the international order it has long led.

The recent signing of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) between ASEAN and five Asia-Pacific countries (China, Japan, Australia, South Korea and New Zealand) has created the world’s largest free-trade zone that covers about a third of the world’s population and accounts for about 30 percent of the world’s gross domestic product (GDP).The European Union (EU) is not a signatory to RCEP, but is paying close attention to it.

Our geological epoch, the Anthropocene, in which mankind is shaping the fate of the planet, is characterised by existential threats. Some are addressed in action plans such as the United Nations’ (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The United States (US) elections have just concluded with President-elect Joe Biden at the helm as incoming President of the “free world” on 20 January, 2021. Just last week, the Trump administration officially initiated the transition process and Biden thus far has been focused on building his incoming administration while at the same time extending a hand and offering a message of healing on Tuesday (24 November, 2020). In a Twitter post, Biden said, “The election is over.

For the past few weeks, the world has been observing a big moment for democracy in the United States (US), the Presidential election.

In his video address to the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in September, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced a slight improvement of China’s 2015 Paris climate agreement pledge: national carbon dioxide emissions should now peak before 2030 rather than around 2030.

Devising an effective strategy to compete, cooperate, and co-exist with China will be one of United States (US) President-elect Joe Biden’s toughest foreign-policy challenges. And over the next two months, Sino-American relations are almost certain to get worse.

In a peaceful settlement of international territorial and maritime disputes between states, parties involved have a lot of options including negotiation, inquiry, mediation, conciliation, arbitration, judicial settlement or other peaceful means depending on the dispute. In the case of the Philippine’s claims to North Borneo or Sabah, based on the Manila Accord of 31 July 1963, entered into by the Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaya – the Philippines has the right to pursue its claim a