India

One day after the most anticipated Apple product launch in 10 years, several problems have emerged for the much hyped iPhone X, face-recognition demo flop notwithstanding: it will be substantially delayed confirming all earlier reports of supply-chain bottlenecks, and it will be expensive, perhaps prohibitively so. The introductory prices of the iPhone 8 and the iPhone 8 Plus have gone up compared to the prices of the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus. The iPhone X, meanwhile, will price in the 4 digits well equipped.

Authored by Dave Forest via OilPrice.com,

One of the biggest energy stories this year has been Russia’s Rosneft buying India’s Essar Oil - giving the Russian company a firm grip on one of the world’s biggest emerging oil and gas markets. 

And this past week, that story got more complex. With Rosneft striking another big deal — drawing in another heavyweight energy nation. 

China. 

Authored by Pepe Escobar via The Asia Times,

Putin reveals 'fair multipolar world' concept in which oil contracts could bypass the US dollar and be traded with oil, yuan and gold...

The annual BRICS summit in Xiamen – where President Xi Jinping was once mayor – could not intervene in a more incandescent geopolitical context.

Authored by Federico Pieraccini via The Strategic Culture Foundation,

The geographic location of Afghanistan has always occupied a central role in many geopolitical studies. Donald Trump’s reasons for reinforcing US troops in the region are driven by the continuing US need to prevent a complete Eurasian integration among regional powers.

On Monday morning, the world had one less geopolitical hotspot to worry about, when following months of escalating verbal jawboning and explicit threats on both sides, India agreed with China to disengage at the contested territorial dispute face-off site in Doklam.