The arrests of three suspected hitmen accused of killing a B.C. Sikh leader highlight an emerging security problem: foreign intelligence services are contracting their dirty work to the criminal underworld. Governments are increasingly accused of trying to silence and kill opponents outside their borders, and they are relying more and more on crime groups to do so, officials and experts […]

In 2021, the talk of “Strategic Autonomy” was buzzing in Europe’s corridors of power towards greater European independence primarily from dependence on the US led by French President Emmanuel Macron. Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine reshaped Europe’s economic strategy to “De-Risking” to reduce economic dependence on China following Washington’s dictates’ to reduce economic dependence on China but the ground realities […]

Iranian officials say work is intensely underway on the implementation of plan to block the country’s eastern border with Afghanistan. According to Iranian media, the commander of the Ground Forces of Iran spoke on Thursday at a ceremony in the city of Mashhad about the sealing of the country’s borders with Afghanistan. Kioumars Heydari added: “According to the measures contemplated […]

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan on Thursday rejected the statements of the Islamic Emirate regarding the use of Pakistan’s soil against Afghanistan by Daesh, calling the remarks as “unwarranted and irresponsible.” Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, spokesperson of Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in a press conference that instead of such statements, the Afghan authorities should take effective action […]

Acting Minister of Interior Sirajuddin Haqqani has said in a meeting with the European Union envoy in Kabul that Afghans will have a good future in peace and under the shadow of the Islamic system. According to a statement released by the Ministry of Interior on Friday, Haqqani, in his meeting with Raffaella Iodice, the European Union’s Chargé d’affaires to […]

Unfriendly official statements and related media reporting are aimed at manipulating voters’ perceptions about the incumbent as well as smearing India’s reputation on the world stage. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused the US of meddling in India’s ongoing elections last week through sensational allegations against its authorities by the American government and its media allies. This followed top […]

How Power Flows From the Systems That Connect the World Falling water levels in Panama’s Gatún Lake. A cyberattack on a payment platform. An earthquake disrupting silicon-chip production in Taiwan. Elon Musk deciding which countries have access to the Internet. At first glance, these things have nothing in common other than their recent prominence in news headlines. But an invisible […]

The yen has moved wildly in holiday-thinned market conditions in Japan, falling to a thirty-four-year low of ¥/$ 160.17 on April 29 before correcting to ¥/$ 156.15 owing to rumors of interventions by the Bank of Japan (BOJ). BOJ officials refused to confirm the rumors of intervention but had expressed concerns about the negative economic impacts of the yen’s recent […]

Oil revenue is a lifeline for the Iranian and Russian economies, but Western sanctions have jeopardized both countries’ ability to ship oil and receive payments. In response, Iran and Russia have redirected oil shipments to China—the world’s largest importer of crude oil. In 2023, China saved a reported ten billion dollars by purchasing crude oil from sanctioned countries such as […]

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi visited Pakistan for three days starting April 22, 2024. The trip came after the relations between Iran and Pakistan worsened following Iran’s missile and drone attacks on Pakistan’s Baluchistan province, allegedly targeting terror hideouts, on January 16, 2024. Two days later, Pakistan launched retaliatory strikes on Iran. Ebrahim Raisi was given a grand welcome in the […]