News Roundup: September 12, 2025

CP Radhakrishnan Takes Oath as India’s New Vice President

History was made this morning. At 10:30 AM sharp, President Droupadi Murmu administered the oath to CP Radhakrishnan as India’s 15th Vice President at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

The numbers tell the story: 452 votes against 300. The BJP veteran from Tamil Nadu crushed Opposition candidate B. Sudershan Reddy following Jagdeep Dhankhar’s sudden resignation.

Here’s what makes this fascinating—Radhakrishnan’s journey from college table tennis champion to the nation’s second-highest office. Four decades in politics, starting as an RSS swayamsevak at 16.

Prime Minister Modi’s confidence is clear: “He will strengthen our Constitutional values.” Leaders across party lines attended, showing this isn’t just politics—it’s constitutional tradition.

The bottom line: A Tamil Nadu RSS veteran now holds India’s second-most powerful position. That’s significant for the country’s political trajectory.

Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones – First Direct Engagement Since War Began

This is huge. For the first time since Russia invaded Ukraine, Poland directly engaged Russian assets—shooting down four Russian drones that repeatedly violated Polish airspace.

Four airports closed. Including Warsaw’s main hub. Think about that disruption.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk confirmed no casualties, but the political shockwaves? Massive. Polish forces found seven drones and debris scattered across multiple sites.

Russia’s response? “No evidence these are our drones.” Right.

European leaders are furious. Macron called it “unacceptable.” Starmer said “extremely reckless.” But here’s the real question—does this trigger NATO Article 4?

The precedent is set: NATO members can now directly engage Russian military assets. Game-changer.

Israel Strikes Hamas HQ in Qatar—Diplomatic Chaos Erupts

Talk about explosive timing. Israel struck a building in Doha yesterday, targeting senior Hamas politicians who were literally discussing Trump-backed cease-fire proposals.

The damage: Five Hamas members and one Qatari security officer dead. But the senior officials? They survived.

Here’s where it gets messy—the White House claims they warned Qatar beforehand. Qatar says they only got notice as bombs were falling.

Trump is furious. Called Qatar “a strong ally” and said he’s “very unhappy” about the location.

Gulf damage control mode activated: UAE President already in Doha. Jordan’s Crown Prince coming. Saudi’s MBS planning a visit.

The real impact? Qatar mediates Hamas negotiations. This strike could kill Middle East peace talks entirely.

Infosys Approves Massive ₹18,000 Crore Buyback—Stock Jumps

The numbers are staggering: ₹18,000 crore buyback at ₹1,800 per share for 10 crore shares. That’s roughly $2 billion.

Why now? Infosys stock has crashed 20% in 12 months. The broader IT index? Down 17.5%.

The premium tells the story: ₹1,800 buyback price versus Thursday’s closing of around ₹1,510. That’s management saying “our stock is massively undervalued.”

What’s killing IT stocks? Rising US tariffs. Geopolitical tensions. Clients cutting tech spending.

For investors: This buyback improves earnings per share and signals confidence. Remember their 2022 buyback? ₹9,300 crore at ₹1,850 per share.

The bet: Infosys believes this slump is temporary. Time will tell if they’re right.

India Crushes South Korea 4-1, Wins Hockey Asia Cup Championship

Absolute domination at home. India destroyed defending champions South Korea 4-1 at Rajgir Hockey Stadium in Bihar, clinching their fourth Asia Cup title.

Lightning start: Sukhjeet Singh scored in the first minute. Game over before it began.

The buildup was clinical: Dilpreet Singh doubled the lead before halftime. Rajendar made it 3-0 in the third quarter. Amit Rohidas sealed it with a penalty corner goal.

Korea’s consolation goal? Too little, too late.

Here’s why this matters beyond the trophy: Automatic qualification for the 2026 FIH Hockey World Cup. No stressful qualifying rounds.

The road to glory: India demolished China 7-0 in the Super 4s. Complete tactical superiority under coach Craig Fulton.

Home crowd went wild. Indian hockey is back.

Nepal Military Deployed as Gen Z Protests Rock Kathmandu

The country is at a breaking point. Nepal deployed military to enforce indefinite curfew in Kathmandu as anti-corruption protests turned deadly.

Airport occupied. Tribhuvan International Airport reopened after nearly 24 hours of army control. That’s how serious this got.

Gen Z is leading the charge. Death toll rising as young protesters demand systemic change to tackle rampant corruption.

Alternative government brewing: Former chief justice Sushila Karki and Kathmandu Mayor Balendra Shah being considered for interim leadership.

This isn’t just protests—it’s generational warfare against Nepal’s corrupt political establishment.

The stakes: This uprising could completely reshape Nepal’s governance. The old guard is fighting for survival.

China’s Clean Energy Revolution Cuts Fossil Fuel Use

The numbers are mind-blowing. China’s wind and solar generation jumped 27% higher than H1 2024—enough to cut fossil fuel generation by 2%.

Scale check: In 12 months to June 2025, wind and solar (2,073 TWh) generated more electricity than nuclear, hydro, and bioenergy combined.

The investment surge: Battery storage investment up 69%. Grid investment up 22%.

Economic impact? Clean energy contributed ₹13.6 trillion RMB ($1.9 trillion) to China’s economy. That’s one-tenth of their entire GDP.

Global implications: China now accounts for 31% of global clean energy investment. They’re not just transitioning—they’re dominating the future energy economy.

The reality: While other countries debate, China is building the clean energy infrastructure of tomorrow.

Scientists Demolish Trump’s Energy Department Climate Report

More than 85 scientists are furious. They’ve issued a joint rebuttal to the Trump administration’s recent Department of Energy climate report, calling it “full of errors” and accusing it of misrepresenting climate science.

The controversy: Energy Secretary Chris Wright “quietly arranged for five hand-picked skeptics” to compile the government’s climate report—and did it in secret.

Who wrote this report? Four scientists and one economist who all question that climate change is a serious threat. Some even frame global warming as beneficial.

The real agenda: This report is being used by the EPA to roll back the “endangerment finding”—the legal basis for regulating climate pollution from power plants, cars, and oil/gas operations.

Scientists are calling it out: Cherry-picked data, misrepresented research, and biased conclusions designed to justify rolling back climate action.

The stakes: This isn’t just academic debate—it’s the scientific foundation for America’s climate policy being rewritten by hand-picked skeptics.

Microsoft Azure Disrupted as Red Sea Cables Cut

Global internet chaos. Microsoft Azure services were disrupted after undersea cables in the Red Sea were cut, affecting internet access across Asia and the Middle East.

The scope: This isn’t just Microsoft—entire regions experienced connectivity issues as critical fiber optic infrastructure was damaged.

The timing is suspicious. Red Sea tensions have been escalating, and these cables carry massive amounts of global internet traffic between Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.

Business impact: Companies relying on Azure cloud services faced outages. International communications disrupted.

The bigger picture: This highlights how vulnerable our digital infrastructure is. A few cable cuts can cripple entire regions’ internet connectivity.

Microsoft’s response: Working to restore services, but this shows how geopolitical tensions can instantly affect global digital infrastructure.

Brazil’s Supreme Court Convicts Bolsonaro of Coup Plot

Bombshell verdict. Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court convicted former president Jair Bolsonaro of plotting a coup in 2022 after losing the election to Lula.

The sentence: 27 years in prison. That’s not a slap on the wrist—that’s political death.

What happened: Bolsonaro allegedly planned to overturn his electoral defeat, similar to events we’ve seen in other democracies recently.

The evidence convinced the court that Brazil’s democracy was under serious threat from its own former president.

Regional implications: This sends a strong message across Latin America about protecting democratic institutions from authoritarian challenges.

Bolsonaro’s political future? Finished. This conviction effectively ends any comeback hopes for the far-right leader who once dominated Brazilian politics.

The precedent: Courts can and will hold former leaders accountable for threats to democracy, even at the highest levels.