Global military spending hits $2.7 trillion in record 2024 surge

In 2024, global military expenditure surged to $2.72 trillion, marking a 9.4% rise compared to the previous year — the sharpest annual increase since the end of the Cold War, according to a report released Monday by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

Pope Francis died at age 88 after suffering a prolonged illness, the Vatican announced on Monday. He suffered a “prolonged asthma-like respiratory crisis" associated with thrombocytopenia, according to a previous Vatican statement.

European leaders meeting in Paris for emergency talks on Monday called for higher spending to ramp up the continent`s defence capabilities but remained split on the idea of deploying peacekeepers to Ukraine to back up any peace deal.

The European Union will counter any tariffs imposed by the United States with equivalent measures, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot stated on Monday, cautioning Washington against escalating a trade conflict.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer highlighted the critical significance of closer relations with the US and renewed European ties for Britain`s national security.

Countries at the COP29 summit in Baku adopted a 300 billion US dollar a year global finance target on Sunday to help poorer nations cope with impacts of climate change, a deal its intended recipients criticised as woefully insufficient.

The major battle in Baku is over how much rich nations will help poor countries to decarbonize their energy systems, cope with future harms of climate change and pay for damage from warming`s extreme weather. The old goal of 100 billion US dollar a year in aid is expiring and Baku`s main focus is coming up with a new, bigger figure.

World leaders gathered in Azerbaijan on Tuesday for the COP29 climate summit, though notable figures from major nations are absent, affecting the tone of the discussions. 

The 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) commenced in Azerbaijan on Monday, bringing together world leaders, policymakers, and activists with a renewed commitment to address intensifying climate crises.

At least 51 people are known to have died after torrential rain caused flash floods in south-eastern Spain, authorities have said.

New centers of power, policy decision-making and economic growth are emerging in the world, BRICS countries said Wednesday in the Kazan Declaration issued at the 16th BRICS Summit.

Russia said the West was playing with fire by considering allowing Ukraine to strike deep into Russia with Western missiles and cautioned the United States on Tuesday that World War Three would not be confined to Europe.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Monday that his country received $3.9 billion from the US via a project of the World Bank. 

The far-right National Rally (RN) party in France has achieved a significant victory in the initial round of the country`s snap parliamentary elections.

As the general election approaches, political debate is heating up in the UK. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak reiterated his pledge to start flights transporting asylum seekers to Rwanda in July, contingent on his re-election.

Spain, Ireland, and Norway are set to officially recognize a Palestinian state on Tuesday, despite facing strong opposition from Israel, which has become increasingly isolated following seven months of conflict in Gaza.