World politics

World politics

Both leaders extended the October 2025 trade truce under a new strategic stability framework. A 3.8% U.S. CPI print, the hottest in nearly 3 years, complicated the Fed rate-cut narrative and capped bitcoin's upside during the summit. China agreed to buy soybeans, LNG, and 200 Boeing jets as multiple trade deals were announced.

India's state-run fuel retailers raised the prices of petrol and diesel on Friday the first time since the war in Iran began as they look to recoup some of the losses incurred over rising global crude prices. Indian Oil Corporation, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (HPCL) and Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPCL) raised fuel prices by Rs 3 per litre ($0.03, 0.27), or more than 3%. With this, diesel will cost Rs 90.67 a litre ($0.95, 0.81) and petrol will cost Rs 97.77 a litre ($1.02, 0.88).

A high-pitched voice, recorded somewhere in Guaviare, at the gateway to the Amazon in southern Colombia, echoed across the country on Thursday. I hope our comrade [Ivan] Cepeda wins, because then we'll really put the pressure on them for another four years, says the man, a purported leader of one of the many dissident groups of the now-defunct Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). Cepeda the leftist presidential candidate, leading in the polls has rejected any support from the armed groups that terrorize hundreds of thousands of Colombians every day, but the audio is a reminder of the power these underground forces can wield in an election.

When European Jewish settlers embarked on brutal ethnic cleansing to establish Israel in 1948, they thought the Palestinian population would be the least of their problems. In fact, Zionist leaders like David Ben-Gurion believed that the refugee problem would resolve itself. There was deep-seated conviction among Zionists that the Palestinians lacked an identity, and they would just flee to neighbouring Arab countries and assimilate. They would not come back to claim their stolen land.

Within hours of secretary of state Marco Rubio's assurance that the operation is over last week, Donald Trump used social media to declare that it most decidedly was not. Should Iran fail to accept the US peace plan, Trump warned that the bombing would resume and at a much higher level and intensity than it was before. No bombs have since fallen, but the standoff remains.

By the time Donald Trump and Xi Jinping met at Beijing's Great Hall of the People on Thursday, the bilateral had featured all the expected pomp and pageantry: a meticulously choreographed display of Chinese soldiers, children waving American and Chinese flags, and rows of senior officials and the US's top business executives. Conspicuously absent at the table, however, were women from either delegation—a stark visual that quickly drew criticism from observers who saw it as an unmistakable display of patriarchal power.

China has been unrivaled in the lithium market since it adopted a national policy of promoting the energy transition to reduce its dependence on imported fuels and guarantee its energy security. The so-called white gold is essential for the lucrative electric vehicle industry, dominated by the Asian giant, as it is used in battery manufacturing. Between 2021 and 2023, demand for lithium increased by 250%, according to data from the International Energy Agency.