Inside India newsletter: The world’s largest real-time payments system will no longer be free for all
Hello, this is Priyanka Salve, writing to you from Mumbai. Welcome to the latest edition of “Inside India” — your one-stop destination for stories and developments from the world’s fastest-growing large economy. The world’s largest payments system by volumes, India’s unified payment interface, popularized cashless transactions in the country by offering free services for all. That’s […]
Houthi attack reaches Mecca for first time as Yemen war escalates
Saudi Arabia said Wednesday that its air defenses intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone before it could enter the airspace over Mecca, with the Iran-backed Houthi militia group rejecting the claim as “an worn-out lie,” as fighting reaches the holy city for the first time in the ongoing conflict. Turki al-Malki, spokesperson for the Saudi-led […]
Iran war has cost Pentagon $38 billion and depleted missile stockpiles
The U.S. war with Iran cost the Pentagon an estimated $38.1 billion through Aug. 1 and could cost another $2 billion to $3 billion for each additional month of fighting, according to a report released Tuesday by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. More than half of the cost came from replacing missiles and other munitions […]
U.S. confirms for first time it has weapons deployed in space
The U.S. has said for the first time Monday that the Space Force has deployed weapons in orbit. U.S. Air Force Secretary Troy Meink told the Air and Space Cyber Conference that the U.S. has “on-orbit space control weapons,” as he outlined a broader push to modernize the Air Force and Space Force in response […]
U.S. seeks crypto, saying it’s from Iran oil sales to Chinese buyers
Stablecoin Tether and Circle’s USDC dominate the market. Justin Tallis | Afp | Getty Images The U.S. has filed a civil forfeiture complaint against $61 million in cryptocurrency that it alleges proceeds from black-market sales of sanctioned Iranian crude oil and petroleum products. The complaint, brought by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District […]
Many buildings, aircraft destroyed or damaged in Iran war: U.S. report
U.S. Navy sailors tend to a fighter jet on the flight deck of the USS George Washington in the Arabian Sea, Sept. 11, 2026. Ed Ou | Reuters Iranian strikes have damaged and destroyed “hundreds of buildings and structures” at U.S. bases in the Middle East, as well as “dozens” of U.S. aircraft as of […]
Trump floats keeping Iranian oil as Gulf-Iran Hormuz talks stall
President Donald Trump said the U.S. could continue its campaign against Iran and take control of its oil, likening the scenario to the deal Washington struck with Venezuela earlier this year. “We’ll ultimately get out (of the war), unless we decide to stay and keep the oil like Venezuela,” Trump said of the Iran conflict […]
Vessel struck in Strait of Hormuz, UKMTO says, as talks appear elusive
BANDAR ABBAS, IRAN – SEPTEMBER 12: Daily life continues in the strategic port city of Bandar Abbas on the Strait of Hormuz amid ongoing tensions between Iran and the United States, as Iranians spend time along the city’s waterfront at sunset in Bandar Abbas, Iran on September 12, 2026. (Photo by Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty […]
Xi says China will take lead to foster AI, tech cooperation by BRICS
In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, China’s President Xi Jinping arrives before the start of the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi on September 12, 2026. (Photo by Alexander KAZAKOV / POOL / AFP via Getty Images) Alexander Kazakov | Afp | Getty Images China will take the lead to […]
China’s Xi urges BRICS to work towards peace in the Middle East
In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, China’s President Xi Jinping arrives before the start of the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi on September 12, 2026. (Photo by Alexander KAZAKOV / POOL / AFP via Getty Images) Alexander Kazakov | Afp | Getty Images The BRICS bloc should work towards […]