Author: HeraldStar

Brussels, Belgium – Qaiser Nawab, Chairman of the Belt and Road Initiative for Sustainable Development (BRISD), participated in the exclusive talk and reception titled “Euractiv Defence Pro: Navigating the Future of European Defence” hosted by Euractiv at the BELvue Museum, Brussels. The event brought together senior policymakers, experts, and thought leaders to discuss Europe’s evolving defence strategy in light of emerging geopolitical and security challenges. During the session, Mr. Nawab had the opportunity to briefly share the vision and initiatives of BRISD in advancing sustainable cooperation and dialogue across regions. He engaged with Mr. Andrius Kubilius, European Commissioner for Defence…

By Jameela Mateen In Madrid earlier this month, delegations from China and the United States struck what officials described as a “framework understanding” on the future of TikTok’s operations in America. Soon after, Presidents Xi Jinping and Donald Trump confirmed the arrangement in a phone call, setting the stage for months of regulatory and contractual fine-tuning. For now, TikTok remains on American smartphones, but the episode underscores a deeper contest—less about data protection and more about global narrative control. For years, Washington has cast TikTok as a looming national-security risk. Legislative pushes, executive orders, and courtroom battles have kept the…

In the spy romance series Tempest, Jun Ji-hyun, one of South Korea’s biggest stars, plays a diplomat trying to uncover the truth behind a deadly assassination. “Why does China prefer war? A nuclear bomb could fall near the border,” her character says in one episode of the new Disney+ series. This fictional scene led to real consequences over the weekend, with many Chinese social media users taking it to be a malicious mischaracterisation of China as belligerent. Many are now calling for brands to sever ties with the Korean actress. The uproar has also reignited debate over an unofficial Chinese…

Taking a page from the private insurance industry’s playbook, the Trump administration will launch a program next year to find out how much money an artificial intelligence algorithm could save the federal government by denying care to Medicare patients. The pilot program, designed to weed out wasteful, “low-value” services, amounts to a federal expansion of an unpopular process called prior authorization, which requires patients or someone on their medical team to seek insurance approval before proceeding with certain procedures, tests, and prescriptions. It will affect Medicare patients, and the doctors and hospitals who care for them, in Arizona, Ohio, Oklahoma, New…

TotalEnergies (TTEF.PA), opens new tab has won a 4.5-billion-euro ($5.30 billion) contract from the French government to develop and build a 1.5 gigawatt wind farm off the Normandy coast in a consortium with RWE, it said on Wednesday. The French energy major expects to make a final investment decision in early 2029, with power production to begin in 2033, according to a statement. Total said the project represents an investment of 4.5 billion euros, with the tariff set by the state to be 66 euros per megawatt-hour. The wind farm would produce six terawatt-hours of electricity annually, supplying the equivalent of 1…

India’s Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC.NS), opens new tab hopes to acquire 2.5-3 gigawatt renewable energy projects by 2030, Executive Director Satyan Kumar said on Wednesday. The company already has about 2.5 GW of renewable energy capacity, Kumar told reporters. ONGC is looking to import 3 million ton per year of liquefied natural gas under long-term deals and expects some contracts to be finalised in 12 months, he added.

U.S. President Donald Trump told the UN General Assembly on Tuesday that he hopes “countless people from all over the globe” will attend the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympics hosted by the United States. Overseas travel to the U.S. fell 2.9% year-on-year in August to about 3.5 million visitors, according to preliminary U.S. government data. It was the sixth month this year that travel declined from a year ago, bucking the global tourism trend and defying expectations that in 2025 annual inbound visitors would finally surpass the pre-pandemic level of 79.4 million. In a wide-ranging speech, Trump said next year…

Alexander Isak scored his first goal for Liverpool while Hugo Ekitike was sent off after bagging a late winner as the hosts beat second tier Southampton 2-1 at Anfield to reach the fourth round of the League Cup on Tuesday. The Swede, a record 125 million pounds ($169.04 million) signing from Newcastle United, found the net in the 43rd minute of a scrappy match — 38 seconds after Southampton’s Adam Armstrong had hit the crossbar. Federico Chiesa provided the assist, as he did for Ekitike, cutting the ball back for Isak to slot coolly home. Southampton hit back through Shea…

When Shehbaz Sharif, Pakistan’s prime minister, clasped Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh last week, the symbolism was unmistakable. The embrace followed the signing of a “strategic mutual defence agreement”, bringing the Islamic world’s only nuclear-armed state closer to the Gulf’s most ambitious monarchy. A senior Saudi official told Reuters that the pact was merely an “institutionalisation of long-standing and deep cooperation”. But many in India see it differently. Despite Delhi’s cultivated warmth with Riyadh, the pact lands amid heightened hostility with Pakistan, including a four-day conflict earlier this year. Nuclear-armed neighbours India and Pakistan have fought multiple wars and clashes…

In a large field 45 miles (72km) from Belarus’ capital Minsk, a battle is raging. There are giant explosions as Sukhoi-34 bombers drop guided bombs. Huge plumes of smoke darken the sky. The whole area echoes to the sound of exploding mortar and artillery shells. Helicopter gunships join the attack, while surveillance drones sweep overhead to view the damage. It’s only an exercise, though. Together with other international media we’ve been brought to the Borisovsky training ground where Belarusian and Russian forces are taking part in joint manoeuvres. It’s part of the Zapad-2025 (“West 2025”) military drills. Military attachés, too,…