Map source: https://learnertrip.com/geography/kharg-island-location-map/ Daily Brief The Daily | September 8, 2026 What mattered today, before tomorrow’s headlines. By Olga Nesterova • 7 min read
Deep Dive Who Will Control the Money of the Future? This article is part of ONEST’s Financial & Geopolitical Literacy Series, made possible by generous donors who support independent ONEST journalism and allow us to keep this reporting public. By Olga Nesterova • 11 min read
The Daily The Daily | September 3, 2026 What mattered today, before tomorrow’s headlines. By Olga Nesterova • 6 min read
G20 Family Photo | Credit: G20 Host | Photography: Courtney Reed Explained Did the G20 Just Side With the U.S. Against China on Trade? China found itself isolated at this week’s G20 finance ministers meeting in Asheville, North Carolina.. at least on paper. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said 19 members of the Group of 20 agreed that persistent trade imbalances and a stream of cheap exports from non-market economies were By Olga Nesterova • 4 min read
Diplomatic Notes Diplomatic Note: UNGA81 Is Taking Shape, With One Notable Absence By Olga Nesterova • 1 min read
Daily Brief ONEST Brief | August 31, 2026 MIDDLE EAST The United States and Iran have exchanged direct fire for the first time in about a month, raising the risk that a conflict which had recently shifted toward economic pressure could again escalate militarily. U.S. Central Command said American forces took “limited, precise action” against IRGC forces By Olga Nesterova • 10 min read
Deep Dive What If the U.S. Dollar Lost Its Place at the Center of the Global Financial System? This article is part of ONEST’s Financial & Geopolitical Literacy Series, made possible by generous donors who support independent ONEST journalism and allow us to keep this reporting public. By Olga Nesterova • 11 min read
Lake Ontario Daily Brief ONEST Brief | August 27, 2026 NEPAL & TIBET: MORE THAN 1,400 MISSING AFTER CATASTROPHIC FLOODS More than 360 people are dead and over 1,400 remain missing after catastrophic flooding tore through communities along the Nepal-Tibet border. Hundreds of foreigners are among those unaccounted for. Damaged roads and bridges are complicating rescue operations, By Olga Nesterova • 5 min read
Explained South Korea Is Testing a New Arctic Trade Route. The Bigger Story Is Who Controls It. A South Korean container ship left Busan this weekend carrying auto parts, chemicals and hundreds of containers bound for Europe. Ordinarily, that sentence would not be particularly remarkable. The route is. Instead of sailing south toward the traditional Asia-Europe corridor and passing through the Suez Canal, the PanStar Acro By Olga Nesterova • 10 min read
Image shared by the Office of the President of Ukraine Explained Ukraine at 35: Independence Day Brings New Defense Deals, Missiles and a Show of Allied Support This year, Ukraine marked its 35th Independence Day not with the traditional military parade that once moved through central Kyiv, but with something much more representative of the country fighting to preserve that independence. At dawn, Ukrainian-made ground robotic systems moved along Khreshchatyk. Naval drones crossed the Dnipro. Interceptor By Olga Nesterova • 6 min read
Explained What Happens If China Pushes Back Against Trump’s Iran Sanctions? The Trump administration has declared what it calls an “Economic D-Day” against Iran. But the most important targets may not actually be in Iran. On Monday, the U.S. Treasury launched Operation Economic Outcast, a broader campaign intended to sever Iran’s remaining international financial and commercial lifelines. Treasury By Olga Nesterova • 8 min read
Deep Dive How America Went From Paying Down Its Debt to $40 Trillion This article is part of ONEST’s Financial & Geopolitical Literacy Series, made possible by generous donors who support independent ONEST journalism and allow us to keep this reporting public. By Olga Nesterova • 13 min read
