Headlines

AIFC to host Astana Finance Days 2026 in September

The Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC) has announced the ninth Astana Finance Days (AFD) 2026: Delivering Impact. Capital in Action forum will take place on 9-10 September in Astana, writes Dana Omirgazy. The event will bring together professional market participants

Trump knocks US-Iran war back to square one

For all practical purposes, the US-Iran Memorandum of (Mis)Understanding is over. The dispute over how to manage the Strait of Hormuz in the interim has pushed the two sides back into open war. But to what end? There is little reason to believe another round of fighting can

Asia

Ukraine’s robot army advancing on the war’s front lines

The Ukrainian military is steadily replacing dangerous frontline tasks with ground robots. In April, President Volodymyr Zelensky ordered the military to field at least 50,000 unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) in 2026, calling them “the next big step” in saving soldiers’ lives.

Asia

Myanmar’s conscription drive killing the junta from within

On June 21, in the hills of Hpapun Township in Karen State, the commander of the junta’s Light Infantry Battalion 19, Major Kyaw Min Thant, was killed by the bodyguard he had personally chosen from his own ranks — a forcibly conscripted civilian from Bago Region, abducted from

Asia