Children Dying of Hunger in Darfur, Oil Near Two-Month Low on Oversupply Fears, rump Promises Trilateral Meeting If Putin Summit ‘Goes Ok’

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🇸🇩 Children Dying of Hunger in Darfur

Children are dying of starvation in Sudan’s besieged city of el-Fasher as prices have soared so dramatically that money for a week’s worth of meals now buys only one, with community kitchens serving animal feed residue to desperate families. The BBC obtained rare footage showing the 14-month RSF blockade has created catastrophic conditions where doctors report over 60 malnutrition deaths last week, with severely malnourished children “just waiting for their death” in hospitals lacking therapeutic food supplies. International aid groups condemned the “calculated use of starvation as a weapon of war” as cholera spreads through displaced person camps, while humanitarian convoys remain blocked despite UN appeals for access to the trapped population. More - BBC

🛢️ Oil Near Two-Month Low on Oversupply Fears

Oil steadied near a two-month low with WTI just below $63 and Brent closing under $66 after the International Energy Agency warned of record oversupply next year, with inventories accumulating at 2.96 million barrels daily - exceeding even pandemic-year 2020 levels. Oil has lost over 10% this year following OPEC+’s completion of output curb reversals, while traders monitor Friday’s Trump-Putin summit that could impact Russian sanctions. Trump warned of “very severe consequences” if Putin doesn’t agree to a ceasefire, as US crude stockpiles rose 3 million barrels last week to two-month highs and the IEA increased its forecast for non-OPEC+ production, especially in the Americas. More - Bloomberg

🇺🇦 Trump Promises Trilateral Meeting If Putin Summit ‘Goes Ok’

President Trump promised trilateral talks with Putin and Zelensky after Friday’s Alaska summit, saying “I would like to do it immediately” if the bilateral meeting “goes OK,” while warning Russia faces “severe consequences” if Putin doesn’t agree to end the war. The pledge came after a virtual meeting with Zelensky and European leaders who demanded no peace talks without Ukrainian representation and tougher sanctions if Russia rejects a ceasefire. German Chancellor Merz stressed that “legal recognition of Russian occupation is not up for debate” while Zelensky accused Putin of “bluffing” about peace talks as Russian forces achieved their largest 24-hour territorial advance in over a year in Ukraine’s Donetsk province. More - Al Jazeera

Asia Stability Ratings and News Summary

More Unstable

🇦🇫 Afghanistan, 🇦🇲 Armenia, 🇧🇩 Bangladesh, 🇧🇹 Bhutan, 🇰🇭 Cambodia, 🇨🇳 China, 🇬🇪 Georgia, 🇮🇳 India, 🇮🇩 Indonesia, 🇯🇵 Japan, 🇰🇿 Kazakhstan, 🇱🇦 Laos, 🇲🇻 Maldives, 🇲🇲 Myanmar, 🇳🇵 Nepal, 🇰🇵 North Korea, 🇵🇰 Pakistan, 🇵🇭 Philippines, 🇰🇷 South Korea, 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka, 🇹🇼 Taiwan, 🇹🇯 Tajikistan, 🇹🇭 Thailand, 🇹🇲 Turkmenistan, 🇻🇳 Vietnam

More Stable

No countries were more stable over this period

Unchanged

🇦🇿 Azerbaijan, 🇧🇳 Brunei, 🇹🇱 East Timor, 🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan, 🇲🇾 Malaysia, 🇲🇳 Mongolia, 🇸🇬 Singapore, 🇺🇿 Uzbekistan

Regional News Summary

Singapore has upgraded its GDP growth forecast for 2025 to between 1.5% and 2.5%, buoyed by a robust 4.4% growth in the second quarter. This positive outlook is complemented by expectations of a rebound in the stock market following a recent decline, as analysts predict a correction in the coming days. Additionally, Singapore-listed CapitaLand Reit is expanding its operations by developing new IT parks in India, marking a strategic move into a growing market [SOURCE - Channel News Asia].

In the realm of trade and diplomacy, Singapore’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has underscored the necessity for rapid

Carpe tomorrow!