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A rift between the AI firm Anthropic and the US federal government has broken into the open at a fraught geopolitical moment. Negotiations between the AI firm and the Pentagon over deployment of frontier models by the US military stalled after Anthropic refused to permit the use of its models for two specific use cases: domestic surveillance and lethal autonomous weapons. Open AI has struck a deal with the Pentagon in the meantime, even as the use of AI in the battlefield accelerates with deployments by Israel and the US in the ongoing war in West Asia.

Mint examines how events in Iran will unfold and their implications for India and the rest of the world.Late on Saturday, the US and Israeli forces launched ‘Operation Epic Fury’—a massive military operation that not only killed Iran's supreme leader Khamenei but also 40 senior officials, disrupting the Islamic Republic’s command and control. The strikes happened across 24 of Iran’s 31 provinces. Iran retaliated by firing missiles and drones into Israel and other Arab states in the region.

Indian companies with operations in West Asia spent the weekend tracking their employees and gauging the impact on their businesses as the US-Israel strikes on Iran escalated the conflict, freezing movement from outside and within the region.“We are in touch with the client firms. The workers are safe.

On 24 February 2022, Russian forces crossed into Ukraine with the objective of demilitarizing the country and deterring Kyiv from joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Russian strategic planners expected a Ukrainian collapse within a fortnight. Four years on, Moscow has yet to achieve its core wartime objectives of gaining complete control over the regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.

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There’s a full fledged war going on between once-close neighbours Pakistan and Afghanistan. The two have been trading deadly shelling and mortar fire across their border, with Pakistan Defence Minister Khwaja Asif saying on Friday that his country’s patience had “run out” and declaring “open war” on its neighbour.

The battle for market share in India’s ride hailing industry between American giant Uber and homegrown Rapido has intensified, even as the once-dominant position of the country’s first major ride-hailing service—Ola Cabs—steadily erodes.In a bid to bulk up its financial firepower, Uber has pumped nearly ₹3,000 crore into its India unit in recent months to take on the challenge from Bengaluru-based Rapido, which entered the current fiscal year with a stronger cash position and has rapidly gained market share.The Indian unit of US-based Uber Technologies Inc got ₹2,721 crore in January from Uber BV, the Dutch arm of Uber, following a ₹200-crore investment made in November, according to a Mint review of the financials filed with the ministry of corporate affairs (MCA).On the other hand, Rapido received ₹125 crore funding in FY26 from Nexus Ventures. Its last significant capital round was a $200-million series E raise in 2024 led by WestBridge Capital, which made it a unicorn (startup with a billion-dollar valuation).However, Rapido ended last fiscal (FY25) with ₹345 crore free cash in hand, while Uber had ₹292 crore, MCA data showed.Experts note that in the ride hailing business, higher cash in hand of companies can help in incentivising drivers and customers, which in turn will help in defending market share.The buildup of cash reserves by the two rivals signals that the ride-hailing war between Rapido and Uber is entering a new phase, a fact underscored by Uber’s chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi last year.

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Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. MEXICO CITY—For many drug-enforcement officials in North America, there was one cartel boss who was too big and too dangerous to ever try to take down—Nemesio “El Mencho" Oseguera, the head of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Iran has sought for years to build closer military ties with China and Russia, but its powerful friends are proving reluctant to step forward as the regime faces the most acute U.S. threat to its survival in decades.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. For a few minutes after the Supreme Court struck down President Trump’s signature tariffs Friday, Ethan Allen Chief Executive Farooq Kathwari felt a jolt of relief. Then a jumble of emails from colleagues began pouring in.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. THE BOMBARDMENT began just after 4am on February 24th 2022. For the half-dozen border guards at the Vilcha checkpoint, 150km north of Kyiv, the odds of surviving were not good.

rejected arguments that tariffs had helped him achieve foreign policy goals, curbing his ability to impose levies at will to address geopolitical conflicts, including threats to penalize countries that do business with Iran or to gain leverage in his bid to acquire Greenland."Deeply disappointed", Trump signed off on a global 10% tariff "on all countries", hours after the Supreme Court order. "It is my Great Honor to have just signed, from the Oval Office, a Global 10% Tariff on all Countries, which will be effective almost immediately," he wrote on his Truth Social platform.He also insisted tariffs previously imposed under Section 232 (National Security) and existing Section 301 (Unfair Trade) remain “in full force and effect”.But these levies can remain in place for 150 days, unless Congress extends them.What does this mean for India and the 18% tariffs on it?According to Trump: “Nothing changes”.“They'll (India) be paying tariffs, and we will not be paying tariffs.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. WASHINGTON—President Trump is at a crossroads that could define his legacy: He could sign a deal that curbs Iran’s nuclear program, or launch a war with hard-to-control consequences for the U.S. and the Middle East.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. GENEVA—In talks about ending the war, Ukraine and Russia have converged on one goal: to avoid angering President Trump by appearing to block peace. They continue to send delegations to talks mediated by U.S.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Syria’s possible descent into another civil war, Israel’s recognition of Somaliland, the United Arab Emirates’ failed offensive in Yemen, final U.S. withdrawal from Iraq, and the slow transition from war to peace in Gaza may appear to be disconnected events in a fractious region.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. The Syrian government is moving to close a detention camp that held tens of thousands of people including family members of suspected Islamic State fighters, after unrest threatened its grip on the facility just weeks after taking it over. Responsibility for the al-Hol detention camp changed hands in January, when the Syrian government launched an offensive that routed the U.S.-backed, Kurdish-led militia that had controlled it along with much of northeastern Syria.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. The language of diplomats is polite. That is especially true for those who speak Arabic, a tongue inclined towards courtesies and honorifics.

The agenda for French President Emmanuel Macron’s India visit this week is expansive, with everything from the shape of global AI rules to the Russia-Ukraine war up for talks. What takes the spotlight, though, is the reported deal for 114 Rafale fighter jets (plus munitions) that India wants to buy from France for $40 billion.