Latin America is quietly cementing its role as one of the world’s most important food suppliers, with a handful of countries driving production across everything from soybeans and beef to avocados and coffee. Fresh industry data and market forecasts show the region is not just keeping pace with global demand, but increasingly shaping it.

India operates the world’s largest school meal programme, providing food support to around 118 million children, according to global data compiled from the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and national education authorities.

China has emerged as the country with the largest number of Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants in the world, highlighting the dramatic shift in the global fast-food landscape as international markets outpace the brand’s birthplace in the United States.

Iran fired hundreds of ballistic missiles and more than a thousand drones during the first eight days of the conflict with the United States and its allies, according to military data compiled from Israeli sources.

From protecting trade routes to projecting force across oceans, naval power remains one of the clearest indicators of global military strength.

Africa’s copper sector continues to shape global supply chains, with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Zambia, South Africa and Namibia emerging as the continent’s most important exporters of the red metal.

As of February 2026, the list of the world’s richest women reflects major shifts tied to market performance, inheritance, and cross-industry investment.

Foreign investors held nearly $9.36 trillion in U.S. Treasury bonds and notes, the financial instruments the U.S. government issues to finance its borrowing, according to the latest Treasury International Capital (TIC) data for November 2025.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is forecasting a notable reshuffle in global economic growth for 2026, with emerging markets driving much of the world’s expansion.

Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, is now giving birth to more babies each year than all of Europe plus Russia combined, a milestone that reflects profound global demographic change.

New projections made about Africa’s economic story in 2026 are based on nominal GDP estimates that place a familiar group of countries at the top, but the deeper story lies in why these economies are leading and what it signals about Africa’s future growth path.

Global fast-food brands usually come to mind when people think of mass food provision, but new data shared in policy and food security discussions around Davos and the World Economic Forum tells a very different story.

The global economic recovery is set to remain uneven in 2026, with emerging economies driving growth while much of the developed world continues to slow.

Iran is facing one of its most significant waves of unrest in years, with protests spreading across dozens of cities and provinces since December 2025.

A new ranking of the top 10 supermarket chains in Southeast Asia, based on store count and country presence, highlights how retail dominance in the region is built less on megastores and more on sheer density, convenience and localisation.

Islamic finance is growing faster than ever, and new figures show a surprising leader at the top. According to Global Finance Magazine, Sudan holds the largest volume of assets in Islamic banks worldwide, an estimated $484 billion, placing it ahead of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar and Kuwait.

In today’s global economy, one tonne of cocoa and one tonne of steel capture two very different kinds of value. The price of a tonne of cocoa is shown at around US$6,100, whereas a tonne of steel is marked at US$432.96.

For the Fortune-500 giants that dominate revenue charts, McKesson leads the traditional field with more than US $8 million per employee, while companies such as Alphabet Inc. and Apple Inc. hover around US $1.9 million and US $2.4 million, respectively.

Bridges are more than just concrete and steel, as they are symbols of connection, ambition, and progress. Around the world, engineers have pushed the limits of design to link islands, cities, and entire economies.

Gold has taken centre stage in 2025, with prices climbing by nearly 60 % so far this year to trade around US $4,250 per ounce, according to Trading Economics data.