News about geopolitics

HMS Prince of Wales, Britain's largest warship, has left Portsmouth Naval Base to lead the UK Carrier Strike Group to the Arctic and North Atlantic, marking the second phase of Operation Firecrest focused on readiness, training and NATO interoperability. It is accompanied by the Type-45 destroyer HMS Dauntless and carries an air group that includes F-35 jets and several types of helicopters. More than 1,200 British personnel are deployed, working with Norway, Denmark and Germany. The ship will host military and political leaders in Oslo for forums on Northern European security. A former Royal Navy chief has warned earlier this year that the navy is in its most parlous state in the 60 years he has been on the active list.

On Monday, gold and silver prices edged higher in India's retail bullion market amid heightened US-Iran tensions, after Tehran said it had a “new operational plan” in case of renewed US attacks. The 24-karat gold price stood at ₹1,47,893 per 10 grams, and silver at ₹21,107 per 100 grams. MCX silver futures were about 0.44% higher at ₹2,11,072 per kilogram around 9:13 am. The report notes that gold is often viewed as a safe-haven asset during periods of geopolitical uncertainty.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the United States has resumed sharing key intelligence after a pause, which helps Ukraine defend against Russian ballistic missile attacks. On October 14, he said the Trump administration had warned that sharing could be suspended unless Ukraine stopped attacking Russian oil refineries. In an interview with NBC's Meet the Press on October 18, Zelensky said everything was now working normally and he hoped talks with the US could take place this week. President Trump said Washington would keep sharing intelligence, even though Ukrainian officials said some Russian strikes came without warning. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called Ukraine's long-range strikes, including the night-of-October-17 attack on St. Petersburg, desperate efforts that would not change the outcome.

The Dutch central bank (DNB) moved more than 78 tons of gold from New York and seven tons from Canada to London, citing rising geopolitical unrest and the need to improve crisis preparedness. This is part of a wider trend: the New York Fed, which custodies gold for the U.S. government and foreign institutions, now holds about half its early-1970s peak, and France removed all its gold from New York between July 2025 and January 2026. Earlier moves included Germany's transfers of 930 tons in 2000 and 674 tons in 2013–2017, Venezuela's 160 tons in 2011–2012, and India's accelerated relocations since 2023. According to World Gold Council analyst Krishan Gopaul, central banks now weigh custody risk, physical accessibility and market liquidity, and recent moves show the answer does not necessarily lie in domestic storage alone.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi requested an urgent parliamentary session to authorise the military to help defend Saudi Arabia if Riyadh asks, and the presidency said Egypt will provide all necessary support to protect the kingdom's security, resources and holy sites. The move follows Houthi attacks on Riyadh's international airport and Saudi Aramco after a truce collapsed, with fighting renewed against Saudi-backed government forces in Yemen. Sisi said Egypt would act on guidance from King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who visited him on September 15. Egypt and Saudi Arabia are close strategic and economic partners, and Egypt had joined the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen in 2015 but played a limited combat role.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi says Tehran's offer to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within seven days remains on the table, though Iran's security chief said talks stalled because Washington did not address all seven conditions. Iran wants the lifting of the US blockade on its ports and of sanctions on its oil exports, plus an end to hostilities on all regional fronts; if accepted, the strait could reopen within six days, with talks resuming the next day. Washington insists on addressing Iran's nuclear program from the outset, and Vice President JD Vance has said Iran must make a 'meaningful' cut to uranium enrichment capacity to end the eight-month war. Meanwhile, Iran's Revolutionary Guards navy says two oil tankers caught fire after hitting naval mines, a claim not independently confirmed, and maritime officials reported that a container ship and a dry bulk carrier sank near the strait after being hit by projectiles.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to be very careful in public statements about U.S. support. Zelenskyy had earlier told NBC's “Meet the Press” that the U.S. government was responsible for a recent slowdown of Starlink, the U.S.-provided satellite internet that is critical to Ukraine's defense, and that Ukraine was “blocked” from U.S. intelligence for a period. Bessent replied that President Donald Trump and Secretary Marco Rubio had categorically said no one in the administration did this, calling the charge “very reckless.” Elon Musk, whose SpaceX provides Starlink, also posted on X that the U.S. government and Trump are “ultimately” responsible for speed limits on Starshield, the military version of Starlink, a claim Trump has denied.

Egypt's presidency said on Sunday that Egypt will give Saudi Arabia all necessary support to defend its security, stability, resources, territorial integrity and holy sites. President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi requested an urgent parliamentary session to authorise military help if the kingdom asks for it. The move follows Houthi attacks on Riyadh's airport and Saudi Aramco as fighting in Yemen resumed after a truce collapsed. Sisi said Egypt would act on guidance from King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who visited him on September 15. Egypt and Saudi Arabia are close strategic and economic partners, and Egypt previously joined the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen in 2015 but played a limited combat role.

Senior Iranian security official Mohsen Rezaei warned that Tehran has prepared a new response plan, “far more devastating” than the 12-day and 40-day wars, for any renewed U.S.-Israeli attack. President Trump told Newsmax he does not intend to use nuclear weapons against Iran or deploy ground troops. Several commercial vessels around the Arabian Peninsula were attacked, including a tug hit by two unknown projectiles near the UAE on Sunday and a tanker struck by an RPG on Friday. Oil prices surged, with Brent settling at $109.86 per barrel (up 3.7%) and WTI rising 3.5% to $101.41. Saudi Arabia intercepted several missiles, including one aimed at the Yanbu oil export terminal, and Aramco's administrative building in Dhahran was hit earlier this week.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi says Tehran's proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within 7 days, made in mid-September after an interim ceasefire collapsed, is still on the table. If Washington accepts Iran's conditions, including lifting the US blockade of its ports and sanctions on oil exports and ending hostilities on all regional fronts, the strait could reopen within 6 days, with talks resuming the next day. The main dispute is Washington's demand that Iran's nuclear program be addressed from the outset, with Vice President JD Vance calling for a “meaningful” cut to Iran's uranium enrichment capacity. Meanwhile, Iran's Revolutionary Guards navy says two oil tankers caught fire after hitting naval mines in the strait, a claim IRNA reported without independent confirmation, as attacks around the waterway have surged over the past two weeks.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi says Tehran's proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within 7 days remains on the table, and the strait could reopen within 6 days if Washington accepts Iran's conditions, including lifting the US blockade of its ports, lifting sanctions on oil exports and ending hostilities on all regional fronts. Talks have stalled because Washington has not addressed all 7 conditions, while the US insists on addressing Iran's nuclear program from the outset. Iran's Revolutionary Guards navy says 2 oil tankers caught fire after hitting naval mines in the strait, a claim that has not been independently confirmed. Maritime officials also said a container ship and a dry bulk carrier sank after being hit by projectiles in separate incidents. The strait is only 35 to 40km wide at its narrowest point, and shipping disruptions from the 8-month war have pushed up global energy prices and inflation.

Iran's parliament confirmed Mehrdad Akhlaghi as defence minister with 237 votes in favour and 15 against out of 277 cast, replacing Aziz Nasirzadeh, who was killed in US and Israeli strikes on Tehran in February. Akhlaghi, a longtime senior defence official who once headed the state-run Iranian Defence Industries Organization, warned that Iran would respond with a surprising and forceful reaction if the US and Israel attacked again. He said Iran's rivals face a 'strategic deadlock' and that Iran's defence capabilities have been upgraded since the 12-day war. President Masoud Pezeshkian had nominated him on October 5.

The column argues that Alberta's upcoming referendum, which asks whether to hold a later vote on leaving Canada, reflects weak leadership from Premier Danielle Smith, who has pandered to separatists rather than handle them as previous premiers did. It cites warnings from the Calgary Chamber of Commerce and the Business Council of Alberta that even putting the question forward is harming the province's economic outlook. To illustrate Alberta's history of fringe movements, it recalls how Aberhart's Social Credit Party won power in 1935 and pursued unconstitutional ideas, until Premier Ernest Manning dissolved its Social Credit Board in 1948 and marginalized the extremists. It also recalls Pierre Trudeau's 1980 National Energy Program, which Premier Peter Lougheed fought in the courts.

Zelensky said Russia has carried out 76 targeted strikes on Ukraine's power grid and oil-and-gas infrastructure since Trump announced an “energy ceasefire” one week ago. Overnight strikes hit substations in Odesa, Khmelnytskyi, Vinnytsia and Zhytomyr, leaving tens of thousands of households without power, while two people were killed and 12 injured, including two children. Over the past week, Russia launched nearly 2,700 strike drones, 1,700 guided aerial bombs and 66 missiles, mostly ballistic, with energy as the main target. Zelensky argued that Moscow sees sanctions relief and US waivers as proof its war strategy is paying off, and called for more pressure on Russia so that peace has a chance.