The global energy system is not experiencing a cyclical disturbance; it is undergoing a structural rupture. The conflict involving Iran has not merely disrupted supply chains, it has exposed and accelerated deeper vulnerabilities embedded in the architecture of global energy markets. For decades, the world operated on a foundational assumption: that energy would remain abundant, […]
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Drones, big money and cheap drugs: the Laos route spewing meth into Thailand
As dusk falls along the Mekong River, a nightly dance begins between Thai border security and Laos drug gangs now using drones, scouts and a pool of poor fishermen to shift record amounts of meth into Thailand. Landlocked, secretive and with ungovernable borders, Laos has become a sluice for transporting Made-In-Myanmar meth to the drug […]
Cheap solar panels power consumer appliance boom in North Korea
Years after they first appeared in North Korea, increasingly cheap and available solar panels are giving a boost to consumer consumption and industry as Pyongyang tries to limit the impact of tough international sanctions. Electricity shortages have been a perennial concern for North Korea, and leader Kim Jong Un has called for greater use of […]