Decision

• Singapore heeft een uitgebreide herziening van het kader voor politieke salarissen voltooid, maar heeft elke definitieve beslissing uitgesteld vanwege de impact van het aanhoudende conflict in het Midden-Oosten. • De aankondiging werd gedaan door minister Chan Chun Sing, die wees op de nodige voorzichtigheid gezien de wereldwijde economische onzekerheden die de financiën van de stadstaat beïnvloeden. • Deze uitstel weerspiegelt het beleid van Singapore om de politieke beloning te koppelen aan de economische prestaties en nationale omstandigheden tijdens crises.

• Ministers keuren ook boringen goed in 70 nieuwe gebieden in de nationale wateren, wat leidt tot beschuldigingen van waanzin en greenwashing • De Noorse regering is zwaar bekritiseerd vanwege de goedkeuring van plannen om drie gasvelden in de Noordzee te heropenen, bijna drie decennia nadat ze waren gesloten, om het gat in de energievoorziening op te vullen dat is ontstaan door de oorlog in het Midden-Oosten. • Te midden van scherpe prijsstijgingen van olie en gas sinds de aanval van de VS en Israël op Iran in februari, heeft Oslo ook toestemming gegeven aan olie- en gasbedrijven om 70 nieuwe locaties in de Noordzee, de Barentszzee en de Noorse Zee te verkennen.

German government calls redeployment of 5,000 troops ‘anticipated’ and reminder of Europe’s need to invest in its own defence‘We love our Americans’: the German town rocked by Trump’s plan to withdraw US troopsNato is seeking to “understand the details” of a US decision to withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany, a redeployment ordered by Donald Trump amid a feud with the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz.The German government sought to play down the severity of Trump’s move, describing it as “anticipated”, and a reminder of Europe’s need to invest in its own defence. The US withdrawal, which the Pentagon said would take place over the next six to 12 months, comes after criticism from Merz over Trump’s war with Iran and his handling of subsequent talks with Tehran. Continue reading...

EnComm Aviation says the firm’s action has cut off vital support for crisis-hit countries including South Sudan and the DRCBritain’s biggest weapons manufacturer, BAE Systems, is facing a £120m lawsuit after scrapping support for aircraft used to deliver aid to some of the world’s neediest countries.EnComm Aviation, a Kenya-based aid cargo operator, claims the decision forced the cancellation of humanitarian contracts and reduced supplies to South Sudan, now threatened by famine, Somalia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), among others. Continue reading...

State’s governor and attorney general move to postpone midterm 2026 primaries just a day after supreme court ruling guts Voting Rights ActLouisiana postpones primaries as states rush to redraw districts after supreme court rulingHere’s more of that statement from Louisiana attorney general Liz Murrill and Republican governor Jeff Landry:Yesterday’s historic Supreme Court victory for Louisiana has an immediate consequence for the State. The Supreme Court previously stayed an injunction against the State’s enforcement of the current Congressional map. By the Court’s order, however, that stay automatically terminated with yesterday’s decision. Accordingly, the State is currently enjoined from carrying out congressional elections under the current map. We are working together with the Legislature and the Secretary of State’s office to develop a path forward. Continue reading...

Terri Sewell and Shomari Figures are at risk of losing their seats in Alabama’s Black congressional districts after rulingThe lawmakers who represent Alabama’s two Black congressional districts, who are now at risk of losing their seats after the supreme court effectively decimated the Voting Rights Act, said the decision sends the US “backwards”.The 6-3 ruling in Louisiana v Callais on Wednesday weakens a key provision of the Voting Rights Act, opening the door for Republicans to eliminate majority-minority congressional districts across the south, and representatives Terri Sewell and Shomari Figures stand in the crosshairs. Continue reading...

Defection is damaging to Saudi Arabia’s prestige – and could strengthen the US hand in the regionThe United Arab Emirates’ decision to walk out of Opec is a political as much as business decision, and will reignite the simmering rows between the UAE and Saudi Arabia – which had been covered up by their shared anger with Iran over its attacks on the Gulf states since the start of the US-Israel war on Tehran.In the short term, leaving the oil producing cartel it joined in 1967 gives the UAE the freedom to respond quickly to a long-term prospect of constrained supplies, and to maximise profit. But it is a decision the UAE has considered before, as UAE and Saudi tensions over production quotas have been longstanding. Continue reading...