How Europe Kept the Lights On: The Gas Suppliers of 2025

Europe entered 2025 at a level of energy security that would have seemed out of reach only a few years ago. Gas storage exceeded 70% in January, an exceptionally high level for the season, while overall demand remains roughly 15% lower than in previous years. This decline is not temporary but the result of several factors that have permanently reshaped the continent’s energy landscape. Mild winters have reduced heating needs, the energy‑saving policies adopted after 2022 have now become embedded in industrial and household behavior, and the gradual de‑industrialization in certain sectors, especially in Germany, has lowered demand in ways that will be difficult to fully reverse.

Sudan still on the road to collapse – The Maghreb and Orient Courier

This week the US House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa held a critical hearing regarding a long standing crisis with the title “ A Dire Crisis in Sudan: A Global Call to Action”. The subject matter is indeed timely, The situation in Sudan has gotten worse however the situation has been overshadowed by other crisis spots.

SDF carries out arrest campaign in Aleppo as both sides trade accusations of truce violations

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) carried out raid and arrest campaigns in the eastern Aleppo countryside today, Wednesday, 24 December, amid accusations that Syrian government forces violated the truce around the al-Ashrafiya and Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhoods in Aleppo city (northern Syria).

Syrian state run al-Ikhbariya reported that the campaign targeted the villages of Wadihah and al-Hayit in the eastern Maskanah countryside (eastern Aleppo Governorate, northern Syria), without providing further details on the reasons for the operation or the number of detainees.

Iraq is between geopolitical challenges and strategic opportunities for regional integration

Recent developments in Iraq show that the country is on the cusp of a deep geopolitical and economic transformation, as the recent elections are a focal point for reshaping the balance of regional power. Iraq, with its oil and gas wealth and strategic location linking the Gulf to Turkey and Europe, is gradually becoming a geo-economic competition between Iran and Turkey, the Gulf-American axis and the West. As world powers race to invest in ports, corridors and energy, Iraq’s future remains dependent on its ability to employ this competition in building stability and development.

Désarmement des factions irakiennes : Un Niet sur toute la ligne

Plusieurs factions irakiennes ont affirmé leur rejet de toute discussion concernant le monopole des armes avant l’obtention de la pleine souveraineté et le retrait de toutes les forces étrangères d’Irak. Elles ont souligné que la position de la Résistance islamique en Irak demeure ferme quant à son refus de rendre les armes et sa détermination à ne pas y renoncer.

HumAngle2025RoundUp: HumAngle’s Top 10 Atypical Stories in 2025

  1. The Making and Unmaking of Abubakar Shekau

Abubakar Shekau, a founding leader of the Boko Haram terror group, killed himself with a suicide vest four years ago at his base in Sambisa, during an attack by ISWAP, an offshoot of his group. Through archived materials and interviews with over ten individuals, including former associates, friends, bodyguards, and captives of Shekau, HumAngle’s Editor-in-Chief, Ahmad Salkida, penned what is arguably the most in-depth exposé into the life of the terror leader.

Shin Bet detains Russian foreign worker for spying for Iran, taking photos of infrastructure

Vitaly Zvyagnitsev, a 30-year-old Russian citizen who arrived in Israel with a foreign worker permit, was arrested in early December 2025 on suspicion of maintaining contact with Iranian operatives.

A Russian citizen was arrested for sending pictures of ports, ships, and infrastructure in Israel to Iranian intelligence elements, the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) and MALMAB (Director of Security of the Defense Establishment) announced on Friday.