Page 2 - International News

Top oil traders warn Hormuz closure risks global recession, demand hit

The vital energy channel has been largely closed to non-Iranian shipping since war began at the end of February, choking off hundreds of millions of barrels of supply

Japan opens door to global arms market, breaking with postwar pacifism

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and her top officials, at a meeting in Tokyo, reversed longstanding limits on the sale of Japan-made weapons overseas

UK PM Starmer apologises for Mandelson's posting amid calls to resign

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday said that he would have withdrawn the appointment of Peter Mandelson as the UK's Ambassador to the US if he had known Mandelson had not passed security checks. Starmer made the remarks while addressing the House of Commons to present the timeline of his decision to appoint Mandelson as envoy to the US despite his scandalous links with American sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. An embattled Starmer, fighting for his job, was forced to defend the move after it emerged that Mandelson had been given the green light for the diplomatic post despite failing the mandatory security vetting. While the Opposition has questioned his judgment and accused him of misleading Parliament, the Prime Minister has insisted that he was never made aware of the failed UK Security Vetting (UKSV). "If I had known before he took up his post that UKSV recommendation was that developed vetting clearance should be denied, I would not have gone ahead with the appointment

Kremlin-friendly ex-President wins Bulgaria elections in landslide

Two other parties also appear to have gained seats in the 240-seat chamber, according to the latest results. Borissov conceded defeat and congratulated the election winner.

TSMC profit for Jan-Mar qtr jumps 58% on AI demand, flags Iran war risks

Taiwan's chipmaker TSMC, one of the world's largest companies, reported a 58 per cent jump in profit on Thursday for the January-March quarter, thanks to strong demand driven by the artificial intelligence boom, even as the Iran war was driving up costs. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp., a key supplier for Apple and Nvidia and the largest contract chipmaker in the world, reported a record net quarterly profit of 572.5 billion new Taiwan dollars (USD 18.1 billion) for the first three months of the year, better than analysts had expected. Profit for the quarter was 58.3 per cent higher compared to the 361.6 billion new Taiwan dollars (USD 11.5 billion) booked in the same period a year earlier. It was also 13.2 per cent higher compared with the previous quarter in October-December. Revenue increased 8.4 per cent in the January-March period from the previous three months to USD 35.9 billion, the company said. For the current April-June quarter, TSMC expects revenue to further gr

Starlink outage hit drone tests, exposing Pentagon's reliance on SpaceX

If there was no Starlink, the US government wouldn't have access to a global constellation of low earth orbit communications

Netflix co-CEO makes rare overture to cinema owners at Las Vegas meet

At the time Netflix was openly courting cinema owners with promises to show the studio's films in theatres, before it backed out of the bid in February

Disney to cut 1,000 jobs in first layoffs under new CEO Josh D'Amaro

While the cuts are company wide, they will fall particularly hard on the marketing department, which is being consolidated under Asad Ayaz, who was appointed chief marketing and brand officer in Jan

Amazon to buy Globalstar in $11.57 bn deal to rival Musk's Starlink

Amazon has been working to ramp up its network by deploying about 3,200 satellites in Earth's low orbit by 2029, with roughly half required to be in place by a July 2026 regulatory deadline

How West Asia conflict impacted Indian airlines' international business

Even as Iran and the US have agreed to a ceasefire for the next two weeks, the West Asia conflict’s huge impact on India’s air carriers is evident

Iraq elects Kurdish politician Nizar Amidi as president amid war fallout

Iraq's parliament voted Saturday to elect Nizar Amidi, a political official with one of the country's two main Kurdish parties, as president, five months after a parliamentary election that didn't produce a bloc with a decisive majority. His election comes as Iraq is reeling from the fallout of the US-Israeli war on Iran. Iraq became caught in the middle of the conflict, with Iran-backed militias launching attacks on US bases and diplomatic facilities as well as on critical energy infrastructure. Meanwhile, the US and Israel carried out airstrikes targeting the militias, some of which killed members of the Iraqi military. The war and Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz also largely halted the oil exports upon which Iraq's economy depends. Amidi, a member of the political bureau of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan party, beat out a roster of candidates that included Iraq's current Foreign Minister, Fuad Hussein, who was the pick of the rival Kurdistan Democratic Party. By ...

Kim Jong Un backs China's push for multipolar world, calls for deeper ties

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has voiced support for China's push to build a "multipolar world" and called for deeper ties between the traditional allies during a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, state media said on Saturday. During the meeting on Friday, Kim said his government will fully support Chinese efforts to achieve territorial integrity based on its "one-China principle", a reference to Beijing's official position that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory, according to North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency. Kim also outlined North Korea's position on unspecified regional and international issues of "mutual concern" and said sustained development of ties between the two countries has become more crucial in the current geopolitical environment, KCNA said. Wang, on a two-day trip to North Korea, said the countries' relations were entering a "new phase" following a summit last year between Kim and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Embracin

Tens of thousands rally at megaconcert to vote out Hungary's Viktor Orban

Two days before Hungary's closely-watched elections, over 100,000 people filled a sprawling square and adjacent avenues in the capital for a concert featuring dozens of the country's most popular performers a call to action for citizens to cast their ballots on Sunday and vote out the government of Prime Minister Viktor Orban. More than 50 bands, all performers who have used their music to express dissent against Orban's nationalist-populist government, played one song each during the seven-hour, "system-breaking" concert on Friday. The crowd, largely made up of young people, frequently broke into anti-government chants, including "Ruszkik haza!" or "Russians go home!" It was a refrain from Hungary's 1956 anti-Soviet revolution that has taken on renewed significance as Orban has forged increasingly close relations with Moscow. One attendee, Helena Sugar, 19, said she was drawn to the event by some of her favourite artistes, but that the desire for change was the concert's most ...

TikTok ad leader Khartoon Weiss to step down in latest high-profile exit

Other recent departures have included global head of creators, Kim Farrell, who left earlier this year, and Blake Chandlee, who departed in 2025 after leading advertising and marketing

Ackman's Pershing Square proposes $64B takeover of Universal Music

Even as the music industry is flourishing, Universal Music Group's share price has lagged, something Ackman is pledging to fix with this proposed deal

Apple celebrates 50th anniversary: From garage dream to global powerhouse

Now celebrating its 50th anniversary, Apple has profoundly shaped both the technology industry and daily life

Claude Code leak: Anthropic cites human error, works to limit damage

Thousands of copies of the code were removed from GitHub in response to copyright takedown requests from Anthropic, according to a notice on the popular developer platform

Russia's GDP falls 1.5% year-on-year in February amid weak growth outlook

In the first two months of the year, GDP fell by 1.8 per cent

Indian-origin Mangala Kuppa appointed as CIO of US labour department

Indian-origin technology leader Mangala Kuppa has been appointed the Chief Information Officer (CIO) of the US Department of Labour, formalising her role after serving in an acting capacity since October last year. Kuppa, who also serves as the department's Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer, was appointed earlier this month. She will continue to oversee information technology strategy, digital transformation and AI adoption across the agency. In a LinkedIn post confirming her appointment, Kuppa said she was "grateful for the opportunity to keep serving and making a difference". A seasoned technology executive with over 25 years of experience, Kuppa has played a key role in advancing the department's modernisation agenda, including development of enterprise AI strategy, expansion of data platforms and strengthening cybersecurity systems. She joined the Labour Department in 2010 and has since held several senior positions, including Chief Technology Officer and Director of Busine

PM Modi condoles death of ex-Suriname president Chandrikapersad Santokhi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday condoled the death of former Suriname president Chandrikapersad Santokhi, saying his demise was not only an irreparable loss to his own country but also to the global Indian diaspora. Modi said Santokhi had a special fondness for Indian culture and won several hearts when he took oath in Sanskrit. "Deeply shocked and saddened by the sudden demise of my friend and the former President of Suriname, Mr. Chandrikapersad Santokhi Ji. This is not only an irreparable loss to Suriname but also to the global Indian diaspora," he said in a message. The prime minister also fondly recalled his many meetings with Santokhi and said the Suriname leader's tireless service for his country and his efforts in strengthening India-Suriname relations were clearly reflected in their interactions. "I extend my heartfelt condolences to his family and the people of Suriname in this hour of grief. Om Shanti," he said. Santokhi, 67, who was the president of Suriname fr