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.
4,376 total articles
Ayatollah Alireza Arafi, a senior cleric with deep institutional ties to Iran’s religious establishment, has been named to an interim leadership council charged with running the state following the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei amid U.S.-Israeli strikes. The three-member body, which includes President Masoud Pezeshkian and Chief …
Intelligence and military analysts warn that Iran has the capacity to sustain disruptive drone operations that could keep the Strait of Hormuz effectively closed to commercial shipping for months, even as uncertainty persists about how long Tehran could maintain a large-scale missile campaign. The situation has already throttled vessel movements th…
U.S. military leaders reported a reduction in the number of missiles Iran is launching compared with the outset of the conflict, and announced a stepped-up campaign of strikes moving progressively deeper into Iran. Defense officials also confirmed that a U.S. submarine sank an Iranian warship off Sri Lanka by torpedo, and reiterated that six U.S. s…
An independent U.N. inquiry has concluded that recent attacks by the United States and Israel on Iran, followed by Iran’s retaliatory strikes across the region, violate the United Nations Charter prohibiting use of force against a state's territorial integrity or political independence. The probe expressed profound shock at a strike on the Shajareh…
A Russian drone struck an empty passenger train in Ukraine’s Mykolaiv region early on Wednesday, injuring a railway worker, officials said. Separately, an attempted drone attack on a service between Dnipro and Kovel was intercepted by railway staff, while the national rail operator reported a surge in strikes on rail assets since the start of March…
Hezbollah’s decision to launch rockets and drones into Israel in response to the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has intensified domestic divisions in Lebanon, leaving the group politically isolated from a once-close ally and provoking widespread concern among its Shi’ite base. The action, which reportedly surprised some senior Hezbol…
March 4 - The U.S. military, acting alongside Israel, has struck more than 1,000 targets inside Iran and is reported to have killed several senior Iranian officials, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The scope and scale of the strikes have prompted debate over whether the president exceeded constitutional authority and whether the ac…
At Saint Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire, several young men who voted for President Trump in 2024 expressed a mix of approval and unease after U.S. strikes on Iran and the reported death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. While some welcomed the action as a decisive step toward confronting a long-standing adversary, others worrie…
On March 4, a submarine attack on an Iranian ship off the southern coast of Sri Lanka has left large numbers unaccounted for, with sources citing at least 101 people missing, one confirmed dead and dozens injured. Sri Lankan military and government statements contain differing casualty tallies, and the vessel is reported to have sunk after the inci…
Indonesia has put discussions about the U.S.-backed Gaza 'Board of Peace' on hold as attention turns to the escalating conflict with Iran. The pause follows an air campaign that Reuters reports has killed scores of civilians, disrupted global air travel and driven up oil prices after the effective shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz. Jakarta, a key tr…
Russian authorities accused the United States of inventing a threat from Iran to provide a pretext for overthrowing Iran's constitutional order. Moscow also criticized Western exhortations for Iranians to seize power, calling such appeals cynical and inhumane, and reiterated its strategic partnership with Iran after the killing of Iran's supreme le…
An appeals hearing opened at the Seoul High Court on Wednesday for former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was sentenced by a lower court to five years in prison on charges including obstruction of arrest tied to his December 2024 attempt to impose martial law. Prosecutors urged a harsher penalty, while Yoon and his defence team sought acq…
Speaking in Sydney on March 4, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney described the expanding Middle East conflict as a failure of the international order, saying the United States and Israel carried out strikes on Iran without consulting allies or engaging the United Nations. Carney called for a rapid de-escalation of hostilities, reiterated Canada’s…
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez reaffirmed his opposition to the U.S. and Israeli attack on Iran, saying the offensive risked endangering millions and likening it to playing 'Russian roulette.' His comments followed threats from U.S. President Donald Trump to cut trade with Spain over Madrid's stance. Sanchez also said Spanish authorities had …
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu achieved a political objective in precipitating a campaign against Iran’s leadership, but alignment with U.S. President Donald Trump is under strain as the allied military operation shows signs of evolving aims and could extend in time. Public statements from both capitals reveal differing priorities, while domesti…
South Korea's ruling and main opposition parties have agreed to bring a special law enabling large investments in the United States to a plenary vote on March 12. The move follows diplomatic pressure from Washington and warnings that further delay could trigger strong U.S. trade retaliation, including tariff threats tied to a $350 billion investmen…
At Indian Wells, world number four Coco Gauff conveyed worry about civilian lives lost following U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran. The violence has led to tournament cancellations, travel disruptions in the region and concern among players and staff, while officials investigate reported civilian casualties.
Sources with direct knowledge say Iranian Kurdish militias based in Iraqi Kurdistan have been in recent discussions with U.S. officials about whether and how to launch attacks on Iranian security forces in western Iran. The coalition has trained for such an operation amid intensified U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iranian targets and says the objective wo…
Cuban prosecutors have charged six individuals with crimes of terrorism and ordered them held pending trial after a maritime confrontation last week in which Cuban forces killed four people and injured six others aboard a speedboat that entered Cuban waters. Havana says the group, identified as Cuban exiles arriving from the United States, fired on…
Nepal is voting in a general election on Thursday, the first since mass youth-led protests last September that resulted in 77 deaths and the government's resignation. Nearly 19 million eligible voters will choose a 275-member legislature, with a surge of about one million mostly young voters added after the protests. The contest pits long-establish…
A CIA station located within the U.S. Embassy compound in Riyadh was struck on Monday by a drone suspected to be Iranian, a source familiar with the matter said on Tuesday. Saudi officials reported two drones hit the embassy, causing a limited fire and some material damage. U.S. diplomatic missions in the kingdom have warned Americans to avoid the …
Florida’s State University System will not hire new faculty on H-1B visas until January 5, 2027, following a directive from Governor Ron DeSantis and a vote by the Florida Board of Governors. The pause affects only new hires across the 12 public universities and follows previous policy moves targeting H-1B applicants at the federal level.
President Donald Trump offered his most comprehensive public rationale to date for U.S. participation in a wide-ranging military operation against Iran, characterizing the campaign as necessary to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons and long-range ballistic missiles. The stated aims and schedule for the campaign have changed since air str…
U.S. federal prosecutors have been preparing a draft criminal indictment against Venezuela’s interim president Delcy Rodriguez, focusing on alleged corruption and money laundering tied to state oil company PDVSA and covering activity from 2021 to 2025. At the same time U.S. officials have handed Rodriguez a list of at least seven individuals they w…
A top Pentagon research official told industry leaders that broad operational restrictions embedded in some commercial AI contracts could incapacitate U.S. military missions in real time, potentially stopping planning or execution if terms of service were seen to be violated. The remarks, delivered at a Washington security technology summit, came a…
