January 2026

Diseases That Pay: The Global Health Economy—EPILOGUE

Diseases That Pay: The Global Health Economy—EPILOGUE

January 8, 2026 2:42 am

When survival is priced, dignity becomes negotiable

By Prof. MarkAnthony Nze

The Final Bill

The final bill does not arrive in an envelope.
 It arrives quietly—after the diagnosis, after the delay, after the denial, after the bargain is struck between what is needed and what is affordable. It arrives when survival becomes a calculation and health is no longer assumed, but negotiated.

This is the moment modern medicine rarely names.

Across systems and continents, disease has become the most honest mirror of political economy. According to global health expenditure data, societies now spend more on health than at any point …

Diseases That Pay: The Global Health Economy—Part 7

Diseases That Pay: The Global Health Economy—Part 7

January 7, 2026 2:52 am

When medicine can heal—but the market decides who is allowed to recover

By Prof. MarkAnthony Nze

The Cure Economy

The cure is always announced with ceremony.
A press release. A stock surge. A promise framed as a breakthrough. The language is triumphant, almost moral: historic, life-saving, transformational. Yet beneath the celebration lies a quieter, unresolved question—one that modern medicine rarely confronts honestly: what happens when curing disease threatens the business of treating it?

In today’s health system, a cure is no longer just a scientific achievement. It is an economic event. It must justify its price, defend …

Ukraine Security Guarantees Gain US Backing At Paris Summit

Ukraine Security Guarantees Gain US Backing At Paris Summit

January 7, 2026 2:02 am

The United States publicly aligned itself with a broad coalition of Ukraine’s allies in supporting future security guarantees designed to deter renewed Russian aggression, marking Washington’s most explicit backing yet of the framework under discussion by European partners.

The commitment emerged from a high-level meeting in Paris of the so-called “coalition of the willing,” a group of mostly European nations working to define security arrangements for Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire with Russia, which first invaded Ukraine in 2014 and launched a full-scale war in 2022.

Unlike earlier meetings, the Paris summit included senior U.S. representatives, among …

Reuters/China Africa Diplomatic Tour Targets Trade And Strategy

China Africa Diplomatic Tour Targets Trade And Strategy

January 7, 2026 12:15 am

China’s foreign minister began his annual New Year diplomatic tour of Africa on Wednesday, signaling Beijing’s renewed push to deepen political and economic influence across key regions of the continent as global competition for trade routes and resources intensifies.…

U.S. Venezuela Oil Deal Shifts Sanctions And Supply Flows

U.S. Venezuela Oil Deal Shifts Sanctions And Supply Flows

January 7, 2026 12:06 am

The United States and Venezuela have reached an agreement allowing up to $2 billion worth of Venezuelan crude oil to be exported to U.S. ports, President Donald Trump said Tuesday, marking a major shift in Washington’s sanctions strategy and potentially redirecting oil supplies away from China.

The deal would release millions of barrels of Venezuelan crude currently stranded on tankers and in storage, easing pressure on Venezuela’s oil sector while increasing heavy crude supplies for U.S. refiners along the Gulf Coast.

The agreement comes after weeks of intensified U.S. pressure on Caracas, including a mid-December blockade on Venezuelan oil exports. …

Mexico Response To U.S. Venezuela Attack Signals Tension

Mexico Response To U.S. Venezuela Attack Signals Tension

January 6, 2026 9:51 am

Mexico has issued a sharp public rebuke of the U.S. military operation in Venezuela while quietly reinforcing security cooperation with Washington, as President Donald Trump’s latest remarks revive fears of potential U.S. action closer to home.

The response highlights the delicate diplomatic path Mexico is navigating under Trump’s second term: opposing U.S. intervention abroad without provoking retaliation, particularly after Trump suggested that Mexico itself could become a future target.

The tension escalated over the weekend after U.S. special forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife at their residence. Hours later, Trump raised the possibility of U.S. military action …

Iran Protests Death Toll Rises as Economic Unrest Spreads

Iran Protests Death Toll Rises as Economic Unrest Spreads

January 6, 2026 9:23 am

At least 25 people have been killed in Iran during nine days of protests sparked by the rapid collapse of the national currency and surging inflation, according to Iranian and international rights groups monitoring the unrest.

Demonstrations began in Tehran’s central bazaar and have since spread to several cities in western and southern Iran, showing growing public frustration with worsening economic conditions as authorities move to contain the protests through arrests and security operations.

The protests initially focused on economic grievances, including the sharp fall of the rial and rising prices of basic goods. On Tuesday, shopkeepers continued demonstrations in …

Reuters/West Bank 4G Mobile Services Approved by Israel

West Bank 4G Mobile Services Approved by Israel

January 6, 2026 9:14 am

Israel has approved the rollout of fourth-generation (4G) mobile services for Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, a move that could significantly improve internet speeds after years of technological lag, the Israeli Communications Ministry said on Tuesday.

The decision clears the way for the territory’s two Palestinian mobile operators—Jawwal and Ooredoo—to begin upgrading their networks under newly approved management agreements involving Swedish telecom equipment maker Ericsson, according to the ministry.

Palestinian providers introduced third-generation (3G) mobile data services in the West Bank in 2018, following years of restrictions that prevented them from operating advanced networks. The upgrade narrowed—but did not …

Diseases That Pay: The Global Health Economy—Part 6

January 6, 2026 3:20 am

When care becomes code, and the body becomes a permanent data source

By Prof. MarkAnthony Nze

The Quiet Displacement of Care

The stethoscope did not disappear.
It was quietly displaced—without resistance, without debate—by something smaller, more intimate, and infinitely more persistent. A phone in the pocket. A sensor on the wrist. A platform that never sleeps. Health no longer waits for symptoms or appointments. It now unfolds continuously, translated into data points that stream into infrastructures most patients will never see and agreements they will never fully understand.

This transformation is marketed as empowerment.
It feels like convenience.
It operates …

Trump Greenland Takeover Threats Draw Sharp Denmark Warning

Trump Greenland Takeover Threats Draw Sharp Denmark Warning

January 5, 2026 2:46 am

Denmark’s prime minister on Monday issued a direct warning to U.S. President Donald Trump, urging him to halt what she described as repeated threats to take control of Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory within the Danish kingdom.

Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said suggestions that the United States could annex Greenland were unacceptable and legally unfounded, stressing that neither Denmark nor Greenland is for sale. Her remarks followed renewed comments by Trump asserting that Washington needs Greenland for U.S. national security.

In a statement published on the Danish government’s website, Frederiksen said she was addressing the United States “very directly,” adding …

China–Ireland Trade Ties in Focus at Xi–Martin Talks

China–Ireland Trade Ties in Focus at Xi–Martin Talks

January 5, 2026 2:08 am

Chinese President Xi Jinping said China wants to expand economic and trade cooperation with Ireland, presenting stronger bilateral ties as a pathway to improving relations with the European Union amid ongoing frictions between Beijing and Brussels.

Xi made the remarks on Monday during talks with Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People, according to a media pool report. The meeting marked the first visit by an Irish taoiseach to China in 14 years.

Opening the meeting, Xi highlighted mutual respect and “win-win outcomes” as the foundation for long-term, stable relations between China and Ireland. He …

China Rejects U.S. “World Judge” Role In Maduro Capture

China Rejects U.S. “World Judge” Role In Maduro Capture

January 5, 2026 1:47 am

China has pushed back sharply against U.S. actions in Venezuela, saying no country has the right to act as a global enforcer, after American forces detained Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and transferred him to the United States.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi made the remarks on Sunday during talks in Beijing with Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, referring to what he described as “sudden developments in Venezuela” without naming Washington directly.

Wang added that the sovereignty and security of all states must be respected under international law, marking Beijing’s first public response since images of a blindfolded and handcuffed …

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