The health and cost-of-living crises has disproportionately affected the poor and women in developing Asia, hurting their chances of long-term improvement.

The annual meeting (24-26 August) hosted by the US Federal Reserve will be closely watched, especially Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell on Friday. While the policy of raising interest rates to lower inflation is no longer in doubt, observers will be watching out for clues as to when the US central bank might consider lowering rates again. The Federal Reserve has repeatedly stressed the importance of reaching the 2 percent inflation target.

Women and children in Tigray are still subject to sexual violence despite a peace agreement signed in November 2022, according to a new report. Survivors accuse both Ethiopian and Eritrean soldiers of rape.

North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un has said US, South Korean and Japanese military exercises have turned the Korean peninsula into the world's "biggest war hardware concentration spot."

German schools have yet to find an effective way to maintain education standards as classrooms become increasingly diverse, according to researcher Axel Plünnecke from the German Economic Institute.

On 17 August 2023, popular protests over the high inflation rate and deteriorating economic situation in Syria erupted in the Druze majority city of Al-Suwayda, with hundreds of participants. These grew, and by 20 August, thousands of protesters chanted slogans demanding the downfall of Assad regime.

The visit is considered a major reset in the sometimes tense relations between Ukraine and Germany. After talks with Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin, Zelenskyy travelled to the town of Aachen where he received a prestigious award on behalf of the Ukrainian people.

It's sometimes called a forgotten war: fighting in Yemen has killed hundreds of thousands of people. Hunger has claimed even more lives, while 4.5 million Yemenis are internally displaced. Yet the complex conflict between Saudi-led forces and Houthi rebels doesn't always make headlines. This September, nine years after the Houthis attacked the capital Sanaa, triggering Saudi Arabia's intervention, the country is not in the grips of all-out war, but it's still not at peace either.

Since the start of the fighting mid-April in Sudan, some areas have been completely cut off. As a result, people have been sending hand written messages to loved ones delivered by taxi drivers. Also, a series of attacks in Mali: a military camp has been attacked a day after more than 60 people are killed in two seperate assaults. And the economic fallout of the coup in Niger: sanctions also impact neighbouring country, Nigeria. We hear from some traders in Kano.

Climate change is partly responsible for the floods that have devastated Libya but the legacy of civil war, political chaos and corruption have exacerbated their impact. Observers say aid is desperately needed.

The European auto industry has raised concern about a wave of cheap, new electric vehicles from China hitting the EU market soon. There are calls for imposing punitive tariffs.

At the same time the global economy was forecast to do slightly better in 2023. But the effects of tight monetary policy are expected to be felt for a while yet.