Global events and international developments affecting markets.
Reporting on international affairs, geopolitical developments, and global economic trends. This category connects world events to their potential impact on financial markets, trade flows, and investor risk perception.
3,329 total articles
The White House reiterated that diplomacy is President Trump's first option in dealings with Iran, while also stressing his willingness to employ lethal U.S. military force if required. The comment came as U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio prepares to brief top congressional leaders on Iran, and as a significant U.S. naval presence has been posit…
A World Bank report finds a substantial divide between laws designed to secure women’s economic rights and the enforcement mechanisms and institutions needed to make those laws effective. Although many countries have updated legal frameworks, enforcement and supportive systems lag, leaving less than 5% of women in economies approaching full legal e…
Hungary's central bank lowered its benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points to 6.25%, the first reduction in nearly 18 months, following a drop in annual headline inflation to 2.1% from 3.3%. The Monetary Council implemented matching 25 basis point cuts across key overnight rates, effective February 25, while services inflation remains elevated a…
The Pentagon reported that U.S. military personnel boarded and seized the Cook Islands-flagged oil tanker Bertha in the Indian Ocean after tracking it from the Caribbean. The vessel is connected to a company designated by the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control and was said to be operating in defiance of an established quarantine on sa…
The International Institute for Strategic Studies says China’s widespread military disciplinary actions have created significant vacancies and command shortfalls, likely reducing near-term readiness. The institute nevertheless describes the operational impact as temporary and expects continued force modernisation amid rising defence expenditure and…
Following the death of the country’s most wanted cartel boss, a wave of real-world reprisals was accompanied and amplified by a surge of false reporting on social media. Researchers and officials say organized crime actors - alongside unwitting users and influential accounts - circulated fabricated images and claims that exaggerated the scale and g…
Lawmakers across the political spectrum have extended invitations to a range of guests to sit in the galleries for President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address at 9 p.m. ET on Tuesday (0200 GMT on Wednesday). The list includes people connected to high-profile criminal cases, medal-winning athletes, an agricultural leader, a mother of an ICE …
On the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Ukraine has defended its independence and will pursue peace without betraying the sacrifices made by its people. Dignitaries from European partners are due to attend ceremonies in Kyiv as stalled U.S.-brokered talks remain deadlocked over territory.
Over four years of conflict in Ukraine, low-cost first-person-view (FPV) drones and an expanding array of longer-range unmanned systems have transformed battlefields. Armoured manoeuvre is now constrained by near-constant aerial threat, medical evacuations are slowed, and logistics routes must be defended by mobile drone-hunting teams. The shift ha…
Foreign ministers from Brazil, France, Spain, Turkey and several other governments issued a joint statement condemning Israeli decisions they say expand unlawful control over the West Bank. The declaration, coordinated via the Turkish Foreign Ministry and also signed by Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar and leading regional organizations, describes the ac…
The administration is reportedly evaluating fresh national security tariffs on roughly six industrial sectors following a Supreme Court ruling that invalidated a broad set of second-term levies. The possible tariffs would be implemented under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 and would be separate from a 15% global tariff the president…
Democratic members of the U.S. House raised alarms after the administration paused several tech security measures targeting Chinese firms, saying the moves place national and economic security at risk. In a letter to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, lawmakers requested briefings on the security assessments behind decisions to shelve bans on China…
Australia will begin a government-backed Royal Commission on Tuesday to examine antisemitism and social cohesion following a fatal mass shooting at a Hanukkah celebration in Bondi Beach that killed 15 people. The inquiry, led by retired judge Virginia Bell, can compel witnesses and is expected to deliver its findings by December this year. An openi…
The U.S. women’s ice hockey team that won gold at the Milano Cortina Olympics has declined an invitation to attend President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address this week, citing schedule conflicts and post-Games commitments, USA Hockey said. The team defeated Canada 2-1 in overtime to take gold. The U.S. men’s team was also invited, but offi…
Mexico’s military killed Nemesio Oseguera, known as El Mencho, in a high-risk operation that the government and U.S. officials hailed as a major security achievement. The raid, backed by U.S. intelligence, removed the head of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) but also provoked a wave of coordinated retaliatory attacks across much of the coun…
France has restricted U.S. ambassador Charles Kushner from direct meetings with members of the French government after he failed to appear at the Foreign Affairs ministry where he had been summoned over remarks related to the recent killing of a French far-right activist, diplomatic sources said on Monday. The decision follows publication of commen…
The United States met with a Russian delegation in Geneva and is scheduled to meet a Chinese delegation to discuss the possibility of a broader multilateral nuclear arms control agreement, a senior State Department official said. The move follows the expiration of the New START treaty and comes amid publicly stated Chinese reluctance to enter trila…
Mexican security forces located and killed Nemesio Oseguera, alias 'El Mencho', in a covert operation that began after a tip linked to a romantic partner. The operation culminated in violent clashes, the death of several cartel members and the targeted killing of an alleged top lieutenant, provoking a wave of arson, roadblocks and disruptions conce…
The governor of Italy's southern Calabria region asserted that Cuban physicians remain indispensable to keeping local hospitals and emergency departments open, even as he told a visiting U.S. diplomat he would review plans to expand a programme that brought hundreds of Cuban doctors to the region. The meeting came amid heightened U.S. pressure on H…
The State Department has ordered the departure of non-essential U.S. government employees and eligible family members from the embassy in Beirut, citing an elevated security assessment tied to growing concerns about a potential military conflict with Iran. The embassy remains operational with core staff in place, while some personnel and relatives …
Students in Tehran staged protests for a third consecutive day, defying authorities in the wake of earlier mass unrest that left thousands dead. Demonstrations were reported at multiple universities across the capital even as U.S. diplomatic and military pressure on Iran intensified, and Iranian leaders signalled mixed signals on ongoing negotiatio…
Fitch Ratings downgraded Bahrain's Long-Term Foreign-Currency Issuer Default Rating from B+ to B and assigned a stable outlook, citing expectations that government debt already near 147% of GDP will continue to rise through 2027 even as the authorities implement fiscal consolidation measures. The agency highlighted sizeable external support from Gu…
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to Saint Kitts and Nevis to hold talks with Caribbean leaders focused on regional security, migration, and drug trafficking. The visit, according to a U.S. State Department statement, also will address economic growth, health and energy security in collaboration with CARICOM member states as Washingto…
Moody's Ratings has assigned a B1 rating to proposed senior unsecured U.S. dollar-denominated sovereign notes to be issued by the Government of Mongolia. The bonds will rank pari passu with Mongolia's existing and future senior unsecured obligations, and the proceeds are earmarked for a tender offer to repurchase a portion of outstanding bonds as w…
The Bank of Israel left its benchmark interest rate unchanged on Monday as recent days brought renewed geopolitical uncertainty linked to a potential confrontation with Iran. The monetary committee reiterated its policy objectives of price stability, support for economic activity and market stability, while data showed moderating inflation, solid f…
