Noopur Praveen

Saudi Arabia has come to view Israel and its actions as a threat to regional security and sees the UAE’s alignment with Israel in a poor light. chathamhouse.org/2026/05/how-ir…

The U.S. sets the rules. China sets the terms.

As Xi Jinping’s chief of staff, Cai Qi handles the Chinese president’s security, schedule, and the people and information that reach him. The range of his responsibilities is highly unusual in party history economist.com/china/2026/04/…

banger short read in the economist about how india is restoring the credibility of its statistics

Good profile.

India has been overtaken by Britain as the world’s fifth-largest economy, according to estimates by the IMF. This reordering is largely the fault of the rupee economist.com/finance-and-ec…

The year that shook the Gulf axios.com/2026/05/02/gul…

Fuel prices have increased faster in the US than in any other G7 country since the Iran war began. US petrol prices at the pump have jumped 42 per cent since the days leading up to the war in late February. ft.com/content/aa5539…

The U.A.E.'s bombshell exit from OPEC isn't just about oil. It redraws the power balance in the Middle East. on.wsj.com/4u4Pt8N

More on the rupee...

If India’s LPG imports are 55% less than they were in January and the government had no worthwhile reserves, then how is it possible that there is no crisis caused by LPG shortage? Only the Modi government can do this magic by its claims.

trump will have to write many TruthSocial posts today Majority of US military sites in Middle East damaged by Iran, CNN investigation reveals edition.cnn.com/2026/05/01/wor…

How we prompt AI is very different in 2026 than 2022 when ChatGPT came out. I'm teaching a new course, AI Prompting for Everyone, to help you become an AI power user — whatever your current skill level. It covers skills that apply across ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and other AI tools. How to use deep research mode for well-researched reports on complex questions. How to give AI the right context, including more documents and images than most people realize you can provide. When to ask AI to think hard for several minutes on important decisions like what car to buy, what to study, or what job to take. And how to use AI to generate images, analyze data, and build simple games and websites. I also cover intuitions about how these models work under the hood, so you know when to trust an answer and when not to. Along the way, you'll see flying squirrels, a creativity test, some of my old family photos, and fireworks. Join me at deeplearning.ai/courses/ai-pro…

India's China policy.

The Red Mike in Iran, Tehran पहुंचने वाला पहला Indian News Platform. देखिए ईरान से @Saurabh_Unmute और Saurabh Shahi की Super Exclusive Ground Report #TheRedMike के यूट्यूब चैनल पर। #Iran #Tehran

I often cite contemporary Germany to my students as an example of a country that lacks strategic autonomy. Germany needs gas, and for years the cheapest source was Russia. It even built an undersea pipeline across the Baltic Sea to ensure a steady flow of Russian gas to power Europe’s largest economy. After the Ukraine war broke out, Germany joined the sanctions regime, reduced its dependence on Russian gas, and started arming Ukraine. Ukraine (maybe with help from CIA and Mi6) blew up the Nord Stream, Germany's most critical energy link. Not a word of protest. German economy fell into deep a recession. It started importing LNG from Qatar and the US to make up for the loss. Ukraine remains unresolved. trump returns to the White House. He is not keen on Nato. What is Germany doing? Insisting that U.S. troops should stay in Germany (and in wider Europe)! Merz was the first among European leaders who openly turned against Iran, even before his pal netanyahu and trump launched the war. He said in January that Iran's leadership had only a few days left. The war, which trump thought would be over in three days, lasted 40 days. The Strait of Hormuz remains closed. Qatar's biggest gas complex was hit during the war, and its ability to export LNG is largely restricted. So look at Germany. It continues to back the country that blew up its pipeline. It doesn't want to import Russian gas. But it faces severe restrictions on importing LNG from Qatar, thanks to the war launched by the US, its patron saint and Israel, a close ally. What's left? North Sea pipelines from Norway and LNG from the US. Out of frustration, Merz says Iran is humiliating the U.S. And trump is now out to get him!

FT Exclusive: The deal expands the Trump family's business empire, granting the US president's sons a stake in a company that insiders hope will help sever America's reliance on China for metals used in defence products. ft.trib.al/ya16jsS

The pain of a scenario that oil analysts have feared for decades is approaching. It will not be pretty. Get ready econ.st/4ujSiSL

More than 75% of India’s gold reserves are held locally now. It was less than 50% two years ago.

FYI