With failed talks and a fragile ceasefire collapsing, global energy markets face severe disruption as the world’s most critical oil chokepoint comes under unprecedented pressure.

Iran has revealed that a potential breakthrough agreement with the United States was just steps away during high-level talks in Islamabad. However, the deal ultimately collapsed, according to Tehran’s top diplomat.

Asha Bhosle, one of India’s most versatile Bollywood singers whose performances shaped the country’s musical memory and modern cinema, has died. She was 92.

Ceasefire talks between the U.S. and Iran ended in the early hours of Sunday without an agreement, raising questions about what happens when a current two-week truce expires on April 22.

The US military said it would begin a blockade of all Iranian ports on Monday, after talks between the warring sides in Pakistan collapsed with President Donald Trump blaming the Islamic republic's refusal to abandon its nuclear ambitions.

The Saudi finance minister was in Islamabad on Saturday in a show of "economic support", a source familiar with the matter told AFP, days after Pakistan said it would return billions in loans to Riyadh's ally-turned-rival the UAE.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met US Vice President JD Vance in Islamabad on Saturday, the former's office said, adding that peace talks to end the Middle East war had "commenced".

US Vice President JD Vance landed at an airbase near Pakistan's capital on Saturday ahead of negotiations with Iran aimed at ending the war in the Middle East.

A sweeping narrative links global finance, philosophy, and geopolitics, arguing that modern economic systems are engineered “shadows” shaped by centuries of power consolidation

In a historic and unprecedented moment, Prince Andrew became the first senior British royal in nearly 400 years to be arrested. The move signals a profound shift in accountability within the monarchy.

Each year, Ramadan in Pakistan arrives with promises of relief and billion-rupee subsidy packages. Yet for many citizens, the holy month brings soaring prices instead of ease. From weak market monitoring to ineffective implementation, the gap between announcements and ground realities exposes systemic flaws.

Pakistan has largely lost its traditional leverage over Afghanistan—refugees, militants, and border control—leaving it with limited and risky options like drone strikes or potential military action.

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.