Category: World

London: The future of the United Kingdom’s constitutional arrangement has come under renewed political scrutiny after the leaders of nationalist parties in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland joined forces in Cardiff to call for greater control over their respective constitutional futures. On September 14, Scottish First Minister John Swinney, Welsh First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth and Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O’Neill took part in a meeting in Cardiff alongside Sinn Féin president Mary Lou McDonald. The leaders signed a memorandum calling for the right of their nations to determine…

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New Delhi: The renewed confrontation between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthi movement has evolved beyond a bilateral military conflict, with growing implications for oil supplies, maritime trade, inflation and India’s energy security. Saudi Arabia remains one of the world’s largest oil producers and exporters, while the Houthis have expanded their ability to threaten infrastructure and shipping routes around the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb. The simultaneous disruption of key routes in the wider region has increased concerns about the vulnerability of global energy supplies. Saudi oil production fell to about…

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Washington: The US military operation that removed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January 2026 has renewed debate over Washington’s strategic interests in oil-rich countries and the role of energy resources in its foreign policy. The United States announced on January 3 that Maduro had been captured following a large-scale military operation. Washington had accused his government of involvement in drug trafficking and organised crime. Maduro denied the allegations. The subsequent US approach to Venezuela has also had a significant energy dimension. President Donald Trump said Washington intended to control Venezuela’s…

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New Delhi: Indian security agencies are examining intelligence inputs about an alleged Pakistan-based effort to recruit Indian digital content creators to influence online discussions on politically and socially sensitive issues. According to officials cited in the source material, the suspected network is allegedly approaching young Indians with skills in video production, blogging, vlogging and other forms of digital content creation. Some recruits are reportedly being offered monthly payments of around Rs 20,000 to Rs 30,000 in return for producing and circulating content on contentious subjects. The reported development comes against…

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New Delhi: The debate over BRICS and the future of the US dollar has increasingly moved away from the idea of creating a single BRICS currency and towards a more practical question: can member countries reduce their dependence on the dollar by expanding the use of national currencies and alternative payment systems? The distinction is important. A common BRICS currency would require extensive coordination on monetary policy, exchange rates, foreign-exchange reserves, central banking and fiscal frameworks among countries with very different economic structures. By contrast, increasing the use of national…

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Tehran: The latest escalation in the Middle East conflict is increasingly shifting attention from battlefields and military installations to the region’s critical oil routes. A reported drone attack on Saudi Arabia’s East-West oil pipeline has highlighted the vulnerability of infrastructure that was designed to reduce the kingdom’s dependence on the Strait of Hormuz. The roughly 1,200-kilometre East-West pipeline carries crude from Saudi Arabia’s eastern oil fields to the Red Sea port of Yanbu. It has a maximum capacity of around 7 million barrels per day. The reported attack forced operations…

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Moscow/Kyiv: The Kremlin has welcomed US President Donald Trump’s call for Russia and Ukraine to halt attacks on each other’s energy facilities, after Trump said Kyiv had agreed to stop targeting Russian energy infrastructure. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described any effort to prevent attacks on civilian and economic infrastructure as a positive development. He also said countries with influence over Ukraine could encourage Kyiv to adopt a more flexible position as diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict continue. Trump said in a post on Truth Social that Ukraine had agreed…

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US President Questions Push for Strict AI Regulations, Warns Excessive Controls Could Benefit China New Delhi: US President Donald Trump has dismissed warnings that artificial intelligence could destroy humanity or take control of the world, calling such fears a “hoax” and questioning demands for stringent regulations on the rapidly expanding technology sector. Trump said he would expose what he described as another set of false claims surrounding AI and argued that excessive restrictions could undermine America’s technological and economic competitiveness. The President expressed his views in a post on his…

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New Delhi: The growing visibility of India, Russia and China on the BRICS platform is drawing renewed attention to the changing balance of global power, with the grouping increasingly being viewed as an important forum for the Global South. The appearance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the BRICS summit in New Delhi has carried significance well beyond the optics of a diplomatic gathering. It highlights the continuing importance of BRICS at a time when international politics is witnessing a…

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New Delhi: Tensions between Israel and Britain over the occupied West Bank have escalated into a fresh diplomatic confrontation, with Israel announcing the closure of the British consulate in East Jerusalem. The Israeli government has also decided to remove Britain from the US-led Gaza coordination mission and suspend British training arrangements for Palestinian security forces. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said the measures were among several steps taken following discussions with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The British consulate in East Jerusalem has traditionally handled matters involving Britain’s relations with the…

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