Headlines

US sub that sank Iranian frigate rattled China too

A rare wartime submarine kill in the Indian Ocean this month — when a US nuclear attack submarine sank an Iranian frigate off Sri Lanka — highlights the growing strategic importance of the region’s sea lanes and the vulnerabilities of China’s Middle Eastern energy lifelines.

Asia Times •

Iran war: short-term pain, long-term gain for China

China has responded to the joint US-Israeli attacks on Iran with strong diplomatic condemnation. In an article published on March 1, China’s state-run Xinhua news agency called the attacks a “flagrant violation” of the purposes and principles of the UN charter. The same article

Asia Times •

Save the date: Webinar on HICP

Do you want to stay up to date with the latest news in the harmonized index of consumer prices (HICP)? Whether you work with inflation or are looking to better understand it, join our webinar on HICP next Monday, 9 March, from 14:30 to 15:15 CET. From January 2026, several

EU Reporter •

Africa 'exposed' to Middle East war

Africa hosts military bases within reach of Iranian missiles and is feeling the impact of rising oil prices and threats to shipping, as the continent again suffers from events largely beyond its control. The continent is "structurally exposed" to the Middle East war, said

Al Monitor •

Women held 35% of managerial positions in 2024

In 2024, 35.2% of all managerial positions in the EU were held by women, up from 31.8% in 2014. Women were more represented among young managers (39.0% of all managers in the age group 15-39), and the share decreased with age. There were 34.4% of women among managers aged 40-64

EU Reporter •

Women at work: A snapshot of EU’s gender employment gap

As we look at the EU’s labour market, data show that while men’s employment rate stood at 80.8% in 2024, women’s employment rate was 70.8%, resulting in a gender employment gap of 10.0 percentage points (pp). Gender employment gap is defined as the difference between employment

EU Reporter •

Iran war make a China attack on Taiwan more likely?

It’s too soon to tell, as the fight with Iran started less than a week ago. But at least in the near-term, China will likely hold its fire on Taiwan. However, if the Iran conflict continues for an extended period, lasting months rather than weeks, while casualties mount and the

Asia Times •

Thermogenetics: How proteins are controllable by heat

Protein activity can be precisely regulated via subtle changes in temperature using heat-sensitive switches. Underlying this capability is a novel modular design strategy developed by researchers at the Institute of Pharmacy and Molecular Biotechnology of Heidelberg University.

Phys.org •