International Relations 6 February 2026 - 18 May 2026

Starmer’s Russia Oil Sanctions Move Fuels Ukraine Criticism While Energy Prices Jump
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Starmer’s Russia Oil Sanctions Move Fuels Ukraine Criticism While Energy Prices Jump

UK lifts part of its Russia oil sanctions, clears non-Russian refiners to ship in diesel, jet fuel made from Russian crude Britain is now letting in shipments of diesel and jet fuel made from Russian crude, as long as the products are refined outside Russia. That’s according to a new Department for Business and Trade licence out Wednesday. The legal change moves a narrow trade carve-out onto the political stage, triggering debate on fuel prices and London’s position on Ukraine. UK faces fuel shock as Middle East tensions hit supplies, not just sanctions. The Guardian said the move followed worries about some fuel deliveries after the de facto Strait of Hormuz blockade. RAC data showed average UK petrol at 158.5p
May 20, 2026
Japan’s $1.2 Trillion in US Treasuries Is Now a Market Risk for America
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Japan’s $1.2 Trillion in US Treasuries Is Now a Market Risk for America

Japan’s jump in domestic bond yields has traders asking if the largest foreign owner of U.S. government debt is beginning to shift cash back home. Japanese investors dumped a net ¥4.67 trillion in U.S. government, agency and local authority debt for the three months ending March 31, marking their biggest pullout since Q2 2022, Japan’s balance-of-payments data showed, Bloomberg reported.
May 18, 2026
UK Typhoons to Take On Iranian Drones With Lower-Cost Weapons
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UK Typhoons to Take On Iranian Drones With Lower-Cost Weapons

UK moves new anti-drone weapon to RAF Typhoons in Middle East Britain said Sunday it has put a low-cost anti-drone weapon onto Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter jets in the Middle East, shifting the kit from trials to actual missions in under two months. The Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System, or APKWS, gives pilots a cheaper option for shooting down drones compared to the bigger missiles now used for some intercepts. Small attack drones have made air defence as much a cost issue as a tactical one. Iran has hit Israel and Gulf states where U.S. forces are based after U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran in late February. This month, Washington approved sales of APKWS to Qatar, Israel and
May 17, 2026
BAE Systems Named in $992 Million U.S.-Israel Rocket Sale as Defense Demand Stays Strong
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BAE Systems Named in $992 Million U.S.-Israel Rocket Sale as Defense Demand Stays Strong

BAE Systems plc landed the role of principal contractor for a proposed U.S. arms deal with Israel, covering 10,000 Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System-II rounds. The $992.4 million package appeared in a Federal Register notice on Thursday. Processed as a Foreign Military Sale, this U.S. government channel facilitates direct arms transfers between countries. According to the notice, APKWS-II features a laser-guidance system developed by BAE. It’s all about timing. Governments continue snapping up missiles, air defence gear and other munitions at a clip that outpaces what most defence factories can churn out, and BAE has zeroed in on those segments for its expansion. Reuters noted last week that the Iran conflict is fueling steady demand for the UK’s largest defence
May 14, 2026
India Rejects Sanctioned Russian LNG, Stranding Tanker as Energy Crunch Deepens
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India Rejects Sanctioned Russian LNG, Stranding Tanker as Energy Crunch Deepens

India has turned down Russia’s attempt to supply liquefied natural gas from projects hit by U.S. sanctions, two people directly involved told Reuters. With the cargo bound for India now lacking a destination, negotiations are still ongoing for shipments New Delhi could accept without violating sanctions. LNG—short for liquefied natural gas—is simply natural gas cooled to liquid for shipping by sea. This decision carries real weight as India looks to maintain fuel supplies. Middle East turmoil has driven energy prices higher and put pressure on the rupee. The country, which ranks third globally in oil imports and consumption, sources over 90% of its crude from other nations and imports about half its natural gas.
May 11, 2026
United’s First UK Boeing 737 MAX Route Gives Glasgow Its New York Link Back
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United’s First UK Boeing 737 MAX Route Gives Glasgow Its New York Link Back

United Airlines is back with daily nonstop service between Glasgow and Newark/New York, marking the first direct U.S. connection from the Scottish hub since 2019. Simple Flying called it a milestone: United’s debut nonstop Boeing 737 MAX route to the UK. The clock is ticking for Glasgow. This route marks the only nonstop link to Scotland’s biggest city from any U.S. carrier, restoring transatlantic seats to western Scotland for the first time since United pulled out of Glasgow in October 2019.
May 11, 2026
Oil Below $100 as Trump’s Hormuz Pause Puts Iran Deal Back in Play
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Oil Below $100 as Trump’s Hormuz Pause Puts Iran Deal Back in Play

Oil slid under the $100 mark Wednesday, with global equities moving higher, as President Donald Trump halted a U.S. naval operation in the Strait of Hormuz. That decision opened the door wider for negotiations to end the conflict with Iran. The swing in prices picked up after Tehran indicated ships could once again transit the strait—though the new passage rules remain murky. This isn’t some minor channel. About 20% of the world’s energy passes through Hormuz, so when the strait was nearly closed, refineries and fuel buyers started drawing on stockpiles, and traders quickly adjusted prices to reflect a broader supply hit.
May 6, 2026
Japan’s Russian Oil Cargo Arrives as Hormuz Crisis Forces Tokyo’s Hand
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Japan’s Russian Oil Cargo Arrives as Hormuz Crisis Forces Tokyo’s Hand

The Oman-flagged tanker Voyager, loaded with Russian Sakhalin Blend crude for Taiyo Oil, arrived off the coast near Imabari, Ehime Prefecture on Monday—Japan’s first Russian oil shipment since Iran-related disruptions squeezed Gulf supplies. High winds and rough seas prevented docking, delaying the cargo’s transfer to Taiyo’s refinery until May 5 or beyond. The reason this cargo stands out: Japan's main oil corridor has dried up quickly. Crude coming into Japan via the Strait of Hormuz plunged to 139,000 bpd in April—down sharply from the 2.04 million bpd average in the three months ahead of the Iran conflict. For Asia more broadly, crude imports hit a 10-year monthly low, according to LSEG Oil Research data cited by Reuters.
May 4, 2026
Standard Chartered PLC Profit Beat Comes With a $190 Million Iran War Catch
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Standard Chartered PLC Profit Beat Comes With a $190 Million Iran War Catch

Standard Chartered PLC posted a 17% rise in first-quarter pretax profit, reaching $2.45 billion, powered by all-time highs in both wealth and global banking income. The bank, based in London, also absorbed a $190 million hit connected to the Middle East conflict. Credit impairment increased to $296 million, but operating income still advanced to $5.9 billion. StanChart’s model finds itself under pressure, with both lending and fee-driven businesses in play. Net interest income—profits from lending minus what’s paid out for deposits—has started to wane as rates come down. That puts more weight on fees from wealth management, bond deals, and advisory, which are picking up the slack.
May 1, 2026
BP PLC’s Venezuela Gas Deal Puts Its $3.2 Billion Profit Bounce to the Test
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BP PLC’s Venezuela Gas Deal Puts Its $3.2 Billion Profit Bounce to the Test

BP PLC is set to move into Venezuela’s Cocuina-Manakin gas field, and will also look at options in the offshore Loran area. The British oil giant signed a memorandum of understanding with Venezuelan authorities in Caracas on Wednesday—a framework agreement, not a binding investment. The deal lands just two days after BP posted a strong profit surprise. Timing’s critical here. Meg O’Neill, the new Chief Executive, wants to prove BP’s got room to expand in oil and gas, reduce its debt load, and not get pegged as just a one-hit wonder after a standout trading period. BP’s underlying replacement cost profit for the first quarter landed at $3.2 billion—ahead of the $2.67 billion analysts expected, according to the company’s own
April 30, 2026
China Blocks Meta’s $2 Billion Manus AI Deal as U.S. Tech Money Comes Under Fire
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China Blocks Meta’s $2 Billion Manus AI Deal as U.S. Tech Money Comes Under Fire

On Monday, Chinese regulators told Meta Platforms to reverse its $2 billion-plus acquisition of AI startup Manus—a rare reversal of a deal that had already closed. The decision sends a strong message: Beijing is looking to clamp down on the outflow of AI talent and intellectual property. Timing is key here. This order hits just as the U.S. and China push their AI rivalry into new territory—beyond just hardware or flashy models—zeroing in on who controls the startups that could shape the future. Last week, Bloomberg said Chinese regulators told certain private tech players, including AI startups, not to take U.S. money unless Beijing signs off first.
April 27, 2026
Shell Plc Flags $15 Billion Working-Capital Hit as Iran Conflict Cuts Gas Output, Lifts Oil Trading
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Shell Plc Flags $15 Billion Working-Capital Hit as Iran Conflict Cuts Gas Output, Lifts Oil Trading

Shell Plc flagged on Wednesday that first-quarter gas production will fall short of its previous forecast, citing ongoing volatility in commodity markets that could push working capital as low as negative $15 billion—possibly as little as negative $10 billion. Oil trading and fuel marketing, however, are showing gains. The company's trading update, coming ahead of its scheduled results next month, gives an early glimpse into how the Iran conflict is impacting a major oil producer’s quarterly performance. This time, the tables have shifted: Brent crude slipped under $100 a barrel following the two-week U.S.-Iran ceasefire news. Still, BP, Shell, and TotalEnergies were each trading 6% to 9% lower in Europe. Investors are left trying to gauge whether any of that
April 8, 2026
China’s Open-Source AI Boom Raises Fresh Alarms for U.S. Tech Leadership
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China’s Open-Source AI Boom Raises Fresh Alarms for U.S. Tech Leadership

China’s open-source AI drive is taking direct aim at U.S. tech dominance, the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission said Monday, flagging signs that lower-cost Chinese AI models are carving out a “self-reinforcing competitive advantage”—even after years of U.S. restrictions on chip sales. According to the commission, Chinese models now crowd the top spots on developer platforms like HuggingFace and OpenRouter. The warning lands as Chinese tech firms scramble to commercialize surging model buzz. Tencent plugged OpenClaw into WeChat on Sunday. Alibaba followed with Accio Work on Monday, hot on the heels of last week’s Wukong debut—another step as agentic AI, which handles multi-step tasks with minimal input, starts pushing past developer labs into workplace tools.
March 23, 2026
Intel under fire: US senators question chip-tool tests tied to China-linked ACM Research
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Intel under fire: US senators question chip-tool tests tied to China-linked ACM Research

A group of U.S. lawmakers from both parties is putting pressure on Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan, questioning the company’s use of chipmaking equipment from ACM Research over national security worries. The lawmakers want specifics on the testing and what safeguards are in place, as Washington sharpens its focus on supply-chain exposure in the advanced semiconductor space. Questions are swirling as Intel works to claw back its manufacturing lead and pitch its foundry services — that's contract chipmaking — to external clients. Restrictions on tool qualification or supplier collaboration could drag out those efforts, adding to expenses.
March 6, 2026
Intel back in Washington spotlight as senators press China-linked tool tests and 18A plans shift
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Intel back in Washington spotlight as senators press China-linked tool tests and 18A plans shift

On Wednesday, a bipartisan Senate group led by Elizabeth Warren and Tom Cotton pushed Intel Corp for answers about its reported use of chipmaking equipment from ACM Research, flagging national security concerns. “Intel’s relationship with ACM is concerning,” the lawmakers told CEO Lip-Bu Tan in a letter. This comes at a tricky time for Intel. Tan's working to win back trust from both customers and policymakers, with Intel pushing to reclaim its manufacturing lead and ramp up its foundry, or contract chipmaking, operations.
March 5, 2026
Korea stocks crash 12% as Iran war spikes oil and rewrites rate-cut bets
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Korea stocks crash 12% as Iran war spikes oil and rewrites rate-cut bets

Shares in South Korea tumbled 12% Wednesday—marking their sharpest one-day fall on record—as the Iran conflict escalated and oil prices rose, rattling economies reliant on energy imports and prompting investors to slash risk. This selloff hasn't stayed in just one part of the market. Traders are shifting focus—less on headline moves, more on a stubborn wave of oil-fueled inflation that threatens to keep borrowing costs elevated for an extended stretch.
March 4, 2026
Gold price today: Bullion holds near $5,170 as U.S.-Iran talks test the latest rally
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Gold price today: Bullion holds near $5,170 as U.S.-Iran talks test the latest rally

New York, Feb 26, 2026, 17:11 — After-hours Gold prices didn't budge much Thursday, with traders eyeing every scrap of news from U.S.-Iran nuclear negotiations. Spot gold hovered at $5,168.72 an ounce; U.S. gold futures slipped 0.6% to finish at $5,194.20. Razan Hilal of FOREX.com pointed out that gold just couldn’t hold above $5,200, calling it “a resistance level” where sellers typically appear. She cautioned a geopolitical breakthrough could trigger a pullback. Peter Grant at Zaner Metals still saw “enough uncertainty out there,” keeping his focus on higher marks—$5,340.72 and $5,400—even as he acknowledged the risk of short-term drops. Source
February 26, 2026
Slovakia taps emergency oil reserves as Druzhba shutdown shifts pressure to Croatia’s Adria pipeline
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Slovakia taps emergency oil reserves as Druzhba shutdown shifts pressure to Croatia’s Adria pipeline

Slovakia has declared an emergency around the country’s oil supplies, Prime Minister Robert Fico said on Wednesday. The government is tapping 250,000 tonnes of crude from state reserves to keep Slovnaft’s Bratislava refinery running. Fico also flagged the cost of rerouting oil through Croatia’s Adria pipeline, calling it “more than five times more expensive” compared to the Druzhba line. https://newsnow.tasr.sk/fico-transporting-oil-via-adria-will-be-much-more-expensive-than-via-druzhba/ https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-02-18/slovakia-releases-250-000-tons-of-emergency-oil-for-slovnaft That decision finally puts a figure on an issue that's been simmering since late January, after Russian oil shipments through the Druzhba pipeline stalled—leaving Slovakia and Hungary scrambling for other sources and dipping into their emergency reserves. The European Commission maintains there’s no immediate danger to supply, given both countries have the required 90 days’ worth of backup. But
February 18, 2026
U.S. and China Skip New AI Weapons Pledge in Spain as Only 35 Nations Sign
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U.S. and China Skip New AI Weapons Pledge in Spain as Only 35 Nations Sign

A CORUNA, Spain, Feb 6, 2026, 18:21 The United States and China opted out of a joint declaration on the military use of artificial intelligence at a summit in Spain on Thursday, leaving about a third of participating countries signed up to a set of voluntary principles. https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/us-china-opt-out-joint-declaration-ai-use-military-2026-02-05/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
February 6, 2026
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