Could the world be headed for another recession?Just as the global economy is bouncing back from the COVID-19 pandemic, a growing list of risks is clouding the economic outlook – although most economists still believe a recession this year is relatively unlikely.The war in Ukraine, Russia sanctions, China’s “zero COVID” policies, spiking inflation, and interest hikes by the United States (US) Federal Reserve (Fed) are all set to crimp growth in 2022.The question is whether deteriorating condi

We know what Russian President Vladimir Putin wants in Ukraine: to wipe the country off the map. We also know what Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wants: to keep Ukraine alive as a democratic state. The question is what the West wants. What is its strategic goal? So far, the West’s objectives have been framed in the negative: to avoid being drawn into a war with Russia, while still doing whatever possible to help the Ukrainians.

United States (US) President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, have begun their first direct talks since November, amid growing US concern over Beijing’s relationship with Russia and its stance on the increasingly brutal war in Ukraine.Biden and Xi began speaking at 13:00 GMT on Friday, the White House said, amid warnings from Washington that China may be considering providing military support to Russia.

Thousands of Russian tourists in Thailand are struggling to find a route home, Thai officials said Sunday, as international sanctions imposed over the war in Ukraine hit holiday-makers.Russia's invasion in February provoked a host of international measures targeting businesses and banks, with some Russian carriers cancelling flights and global payment firms suspending services.Russian tourists have been among the largest group of visitors to return to Thailand's beachside resorts si

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Thursday that Western penalties against Moscow for its military incursion in Ukraine would destabilise the global energy and food markets and vowed the country would emerge stronger from the crisis.Putin's "special military operation" in Ukraine that began on 24 February has triggered unprecedented Western sanctions and sparked an exodus of international corporations from Russia.Putin on Thursday however downplayed the massive sanctions,

In the space of a single day, 28 February, Vladimir Putin’s “Fortress Russia” collapsed. The rouble plunged by about 30 percent, and Russian authorities closed all financial markets. Russians raced to ATM machines to withdraw as much money as they could, desperate to exchange it for anything that wasn’t the rouble.

As I write, Russia’s army has entered Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv. It is clear now that the threat of sanctions did not dissuade Russian President Vladimir Putin from launching his invasion.

On 18 February, 2022, six Filipino nationals from Ukraine arrived in the country after the Philippine government announced free repatriation flights for Filipinos living in the crisis-driven Eastern European state. The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has estimated more than 350 Filipinos living in Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Thursday, unleashing air strikes and ordering ground troops across the border in fighting that Ukrainian authorities said left dozens of people dead.The attack triggered Western warnings of unprecedented sanctions against Russia as NATO, European Union (EU) and G7 leaders condemned the invasion and vowed to hold Moscow accountable.Weeks of intense diplomacy failed to deter Putin, who massed over 150,000 troops on Uk

This week, Russia officially recognized the independence of Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine.