Iran held annual military drills with Russia on Thursday as a second American aircraft carrier drew closer to the Middle East, with both the United States and Iran signaling they are prepared for war if talks on Tehran’s nuclear program fizzle out.

The navies of El Salvador and Mexico announced drug seizures in the Pacific Ocean this week of more than 10 tonnes of cocaine

Saudi Arabia could have some form of uranium enrichment within the kingdom under a proposed nuclear deal with the United States

Former prince Andrew hunkered down Friday at home on the king's private estate after hours of police questioning, as his stunning arrest tipped the British monarchy into an unprecedented crisis in its modern era.

Donald Trump praised Shehbaz Sharif and Asim Munir at a peace meeting in Washington, calling Munir a “tough fighter” and lauding Pakistan’s leadership.

French President Emmanuel Macron has dismissed the arguments of social media platforms in favor of free speech as “pure bulls**t,” calling for total transparency in how algorithms shape online discourse.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has launched an “Imran Khan Release Force” to campaign for the release of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan, citing legal and medical concerns.

US ChatGPT maker OpenAI and Indian IT giant Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) announced Thursday a plan to build data centre infrastructure in the South Asian country currently hosting a major artificial intelligence summit.

A critique of media influence and authoritarian tendencies that discourage critical thinking, suppress dissent, and keep citizens distracted rather than informed.

In Iran, subsidy reform is economically necessary but politically perilous because cheap essentials underpin daily survival amid inflation and low trust.

India is highly vulnerable to Gulf instability due to its heavy energy reliance on the Strait of Hormuz, exposing it to inflation, trade disruptions, and risks to its diaspora.

Abu Mohammad al-Julani’s shift from global jihadist to pragmatic power broker in Syria highlights how image management and governance shape political survival. The Taliban’s refusal to reform, by contrast, has deepened Afghanistan’s isolation and weakened its legitimacy.

The author argues that Pakistan’s military privilege is not merely institutional but civilizational—reshaping infrastructure, politics, faith, and daily life to normalize inequality, suppress dissent, and extract wealth at the expense of civilian society.

Despite renewed diplomatic activity, Iran’s influence in Central Asia remains limited, with cultural ties failing to translate into strategic power. Decades of sanctions, policy inconsistency, and competition from stronger actors have left Tehran a secondary regional player.

India’s growing use of Oman’s Duqm port provides a politically safer, sanctions-insulated hub for its western Indian Ocean operations, reducing reliance on Iran’s Chabahar without replacing its unique overland access to Central Asia.

Iran’s BRICS membership has given Tehran symbolic legitimacy but little practical economic relief, as sanctions, dependency on China, and limited access to BRICS financial mechanisms continue to constrain its leverage.