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Ivory Coast boss Emerse Fae says comments from ex-Germany midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger about their "wild" playing style could be considered racist.

Ivory Coast boss Emerse Fae says comments from ex-Germany midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger about their "wild" playing style could be considered racist.

Ivory Coast boss Emerse Fae says comments from ex-Germany midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger about their "wild" playing style could be considered racist.

Deutschland ist zwar Gruppensieger. Dennoch sorgt die Pleite gegen Ecuador für viele Sorgen bei unseren Nachbarn.

Die Frage, ob Karin Bearpark etwas fehlt im Bett, steht schon länger im Raum. In der aktuellen Folge von «intim&laut» wird sie definitiv geklärt. Und die Erfolgs-Podcasterin verrät den beiden Gastgeberinnen, was alles besser ist, seit sie eine Frau liebt.

DJ Antoine offenbart private Einblicke: Der Basler Star, heute glücklich mit Partnerin und Tochter, bezeichnet seine Ex-Frau als «den Teufel» und spricht über eine Ehe, die er nie hätte eingehen sollen.

Der Kanton Zug ist bekannt für seine Topverdiener. Doch plötzlich müssen ausgerechnet sie häufiger stempeln gehen, beobachten die Behörden. Viele Kaderleute auf Stellensuche? Das geht auch bei der Arbeitslosenversicherung ins Geld.

Mit einem Drohnenangriff auf einen Frachter in der Strasse von Hormus verschärft Iran die Lage im globalen Nadelöhr wieder. Teheran demonstriert Kontrolle, ignoriert internationale Spielregeln – und stellt die USA einmal mehr offen bloss.

Alessio Besio geht ab der kommenden Saison in der 2. Bundesliga auf Torejagd: Der ehemalige Junior des FC St. Gallen wechselt zum VfL Wolfsburg.

Sandro Schärer ist an dieser WM bislang als Hauptschiedsrichter noch nicht zum Zug gekommen. Urs Meier erklärt, weshalb das noch kein schlechtes Zeichen sein muss.

Le tribunal de Sidi M’hamed a programmé pour le 30 juin prochain l’ouverture du procès relatif à l’ancien mode de gestion de la Fédération algérienne de […]

L’article Kheireddine Zetchi enfin fixé sur son jugement, après 19 mois de détention est apparu en premier sur .

Rio Ferdinand gilt als Freund von Portugal-Superstar Cristiano Ronaldo – und freute sich entsprechend über dessen Doppelpack gegen Usbekistan. Gleichzeitig soll der 41-Jährige seiner Meinung nach aber mehr geschont werden.

Bei den Schweizer Meisterschaften im Zeitfahren bestreitet Stefan Küng am Donnerstag sein erstes Rennen seit seinem Oberschenkelbruch Ende Februar. Zum resultatmässig perfekten Einstand fehlt aber viel.

Jürgen Klopp bricht ein Interview bei der WM in den USA ab. Der Ex-Liverpool-Coach weigerte sich, zu Bastian Schweinsteigers umstrittenen Aussagen über den afrikanischen Fussball Stellung zu nehmen.

Eine Verfolgungsjagd schockt Mauren in Liechtenstein: Am Dienstag fuhr die Polizei einem 12-jährigen E-Scooter-Fahrer hinterher. Das Kind stürzte. Die Bevölkerung diskutiert nun über das brisante Vorgehen der Gesetzeshüter.

Am Donnerstagnachmittag hat sich zwischen Giffers und Le Mouret im Kanton Freiburg ein tödlicher Verkehrsunfall ereignet. Ein Töff-Fahrer verlor sein Leben.

Simon Ehammer wird an der EM in Birmingham nur im Weitsprung an den Start gehen. Das meldet der 26-Jährige auf Instagram.

Wer während den umstrittenen Hydration Breaks auf SRF Werbung schalten möchte, muss zum Teil tief in die Taschen greifen. Sehr tief.

Rauch und Flammen in Sornetan! Ein Bauernhof ist offenbar in Flammen aufgegangen. Der Grossbrand erschüttert die Gemeinde Petit-Val im Berner Jura. Was die Behörden der Bevölkerung jetzt raten.

As of now, geopolitics overtook trade policy uncertainty as the primary concern for countries. Credit: Unsplash / Sajimon Sahadevan

By Maximilian Malawista
UNITED NATIONS, Jun 25 2026 (IPS)

Amidst increased geopolitical tensions, the risk of volatile energy markets, trade corridors, and regional stability in the Middle East has garnered more attention than trade policy in terms of its power to alter the global economy, according to new findings from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

In their report on trade and development, “Global Economy Faces a Geopolitical Challenge”, UNCTAD says that a protracted escalation “raises the likelihood of deeper disruptions in global trade and finance, potentially, foreshadowing a cascading crisis”.

Credit: UN Conference on Trade and Development (Trade and Development Foresights 2026)

Daily crude oil prices in the Middle East since the beginning of the conflict have risen from around USD 60-70, to a fluctuating rate between a high of over USD 110-. With oil prices surging more than 60 percent, and gas doubling in price, many markets have been left in an inflating scenario as higher energy prices increase macroeconomic pressure and overall slow and contract the economy.

The increase per barrel is largely due to a constriction of supply, where most Gulf economies can barely output oil due to a lack of transport ability through the strait of Hormuz. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) records a spike in the price of Brent crude rising over USD 100 per barrel and remaining at elevated levels, with European gas also jumping roughly “60 percent amid disruptions to LNG exports”.

The numbers are impacted by an estimated loss of capacity of 10 million barrels per day of oil and “about 500 million cubic meters per day of natural gas”. This is roughly 10 percent of global oil production, and roughly 5 percent of global natural gas production for every single day.

The IMF records the following:

Daily Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz (in number of vessels) between 26 February and 6 April 2026. Credit: IMF

Oil being an inelastic good means that consumers won’t be able to curb their spending. Rather, they have to pay more for as long as the conflict lasts as fuels are needed for many essential routine tasks, from driving your car, to taking your vitamins, to growing your food, and having your Amazon packages shipped.

In their April 2026 Regional Economic Outlook Update for the Middle East and Central Asia, the IMF details that a continued conflict will likely for every 10 percent rise in the average oil price lead to a loss of about 0.5 percent of GDP and an inflation increase of around 1 percent in Gulf economies, ultimately affecting global markets heavily.

As the report notes, “Longer trade disruptions or greater damage to oil production capacity raises the possibility of higher and more sustained oil prices and a larger risk premium than is currently embedded in oil futures prices”.

However, for developing countries higher energy prices hit a lot harder to consumers in developing countries, which in this case don’t have the same money to spare. The IMF warns that “Low-income countries and other fragile and conflict-affected states in the MENAP region are especially vulnerable to higher energy, fertilizer, and food prices”.

Due to the conflict, estimates stand that vulnerable economies, mostly least developed countries (16.1 billion) and small island developing states (4.3 billion), could incur a USD 20 billion a year increase in spending, representing a huge composition of their GDP expenditure.

Among least-developed nations, Mauritania is recorded to have their bill increase by 7.3 percent, The Gambia 6.3 percent, Burkina Faso 5.0 percent, Liberia and Zambia 4.3 percent, with 17 other least developed countries also estimating to increase their spending by at least 0.5 percent in terms of GDP points.

Similarly for small-island developing states, Vanuatu is recorded to have an increase of 5.8 percent, Maldives 5.2 percent, Tonga 4.4 percent, Mauritius 4.2 percent, and Fiji 3.2 percent, with 18 other small developing states recording an increase of at least 0.6%.

UNCTAD also expects this conflict to take away capital investment into developing nations, as these assets are perceived as riskier. The UNCTAD report states that “the start of the Middle East conflict triggered a sell-off of developing countries’ assets, with equity markets of emerging markets sliding by more than 12 per cent between 28 February and 29 March.” Likely such effects will trigger a compacting of issues, contributing to an economic downturn that could take years to recover from depending on the length of the conflict.

IPS UN Bureau Report

 

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