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.
1,706 total articles
S&P Global Ratings has affirmed Angola's long-term foreign and local currency sovereign credit ratings at 'B-' and short-term at 'B', with a stable outlook. The agency pointed to the country's exposure to external market swings, a weaker fiscal trajectory and sizeable financing requirements, while noting foreign currency reserves and anticipated oi…
S&P Global Ratings upgraded Lebanon's long-term local-currency sovereign rating to 'CCC+' from 'CCC', citing improved ability to meet local-currency obligations driven by consecutive fiscal surpluses and reform progress tied to an IMF program. The agency retained the country's foreign-currency rating at 'SD' and assigned a stable outlook to the loc…
S&P Global Ratings upgraded its outlook on Tajikistan from stable to positive while maintaining the sovereign's long- and short-term foreign and local currency ratings at 'B'. The revision reflects stronger-than-expected balance of payments dynamics in 2025, fueled by a large rise in labor remittances, record international reserves supported by fav…
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, France’s president urged European states to move beyond short-term responses and build lasting strategic capabilities. He called for deep-strike capacity development, consultations on how France’s nuclear deterrent might integrate into a collective European security framework, and a reworking of a Cold Wa…
Iranian authorities released on bail three well-known reformist figures who were detained during a broad government campaign to suppress dissent, a lawyer told the semi-official ISNA news agency. The freed activists include the head of the moderate Reform Front coalition; their legal counsel said he had not been informed of any formal charges. Righ…
A missile strike in the Russian city of Belgorod killed two people and wounded three others, damaging energy infrastructure and causing outages to electricity, heating and water, regional authorities said. The attack also damaged three apartment buildings and triggered local air defences, according to regional officials and a Telegram channel repor…
A U.S.-backed ceasefire and integration agreement in northeastern Syria has reduced frontline clashes and allowed initial government deployments into Kurdish-run cities, but core matters remain unresolved. Kurdish-led forces retain control of parts of the region while negotiations continue over how fighters and heavy weapons will be folded into sta…
U.S. Health and Human Services Deputy Secretary Jim O’Neill is expected to step down from his current post as part of a broader reshuffling of department leadership, a report published on Friday said. O’Neill, who also serves as Acting Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and acts as a top aide to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., will l…
A 54-year-old Indian national, Nikhil Gupta, pleaded guilty in Manhattan federal court to three charges tied to an alleged government-backed scheme to kill a Sikh separatist living in the United States. Gupta entered guilty pleas to murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire and conspiracy to commit money laundering. He faces a combined …
Two men were jailed after being convicted of plotting an Islamic State-inspired assault intended to kill large numbers of Jewish people in England. Prosecutors argued the plan, which involved automatic firearms, could have resulted in casualties exceeding those from a December mass shooting in Sydney. A judge imposed minimum terms of 37 and 26 year…
Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said it is essential that the connections between leading Norwegians and the late U.S. sex offender Jeffrey Epstein be thoroughly examined. Following the release of millions of documents showing extensive contact between Epstein and high-profile figures, Norway has seen police searches, questioning of senior figures…
A party born from the Gen Z‑led protests that toppled the former premier won only six seats in Bangladesh's 300‑member parliament, illustrating the difficulty of transforming protest momentum into durable electoral support. Most voters opted for the long-established Bangladesh Nationalist Party, while internal decisions and alliance choices limited…
Canada’s prime minister and opposition leaders will converge on Tumbler Ridge to attend a vigil for the eight people killed in a mass shooting that targeted a school and nearby home. Authorities identified the victims and said the lone gunman, who had a history of mental health problems, died by suicide after the attacks.
Couples visiting Paris are increasingly hiring professional proposal planners to stage tailored engagement moments against iconic backdrops. Companies report rising bookings, with packages ranging from modest Seine-side setups to full-day luxury experiences costing up to 100,000 euros. Social media, entertainment and major events like the Paris 202…
Iraq reports that roughly 3,000 Islamic State detainees have been moved from prisons in Syria into Iraqi custody, with the transfer process ongoing. Baghdad has begun talks with several countries to repatriate nationals and is seeking financial support to manage the detainee influx, while expressing concern about a recent increase in Islamic State …
Thousands of pro-monarchy supporters gathered in Kathmandu to welcome former King Gyanendra home after a three-month holiday, underscoring public dissatisfaction with frequent government changes and economic stagnation as Nepal heads into a parliamentary election on March 5. The rally highlighted the presence of a royalist faction among a crowded f…
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched from Cape Canaveral early on Feb. 13 carrying four crewmembers aboard the Crew Dragon capsule Freedom for an eight-month science rotation on the International Space Station. The Crew-12 team, composed of U.S., French and Russian flight crew, is scheduled to dock after a roughly 34-hour transit and will join existin…
Ekrem Imamoglu, Istanbul's mayor and formal presidential nominee of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), has urged President Tayyip Erdogan to call early elections and said Erdogan would be defeated if he ran now. Speaking via his lawyers from Silivri prison, Imamoglu said the government is increasing pressure on the opposition as h…
U.S. media reported late Thursday that a second U.S. aircraft carrier - the USS Gerald R. Ford - along with its escort ships will be deployed from the Caribbean to the Middle East amid heightened tensions with Iran. The move follows earlier comments by President Donald Trump indicating he was considering a second carrier if negotiations with Iran f…
A set of recent Israeli decisions to streamline settler land purchases, repeal a Jordanian-era land law covering the West Bank, and expand monitoring and enforcement actions into territories with limited Palestinian self-rule has drawn sharp criticism from Palestinian leaders and raised fresh doubts about the viability of the two-state framework th…
Two people were killed and a third was wounded in a shooting late Thursday evening at an apartment inside the Hugine Suites residential complex at South Carolina State University. The campus was placed on lockdown, university officials asked the State Law Enforcement Division to investigate, and university classes scheduled for Friday were canceled…
The U.S. Department of Justice has moved to drop assault charges against two men connected to a January incident in Minneapolis in which an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot a Venezuelan immigrant. The U.S. attorney in Minnesota says newly discovered evidence undermines the prior allegations; the request asks the court to dismiss the…
A year after a confrontational address by U.S. Vice President JD Vance, this year's Munich Security Forum brings European partners intent on asserting greater independence while trying to preserve the transatlantic alliance. The gathering arrives against a backdrop of multiple wars and geopolitical strain that European leaders say exposes both the …
A group of 37 bipartisan U.S. lawmakers has written to senior Taiwanese political figures pressing them to advance a proposed special defence budget proposed by President Lai Ching-te. The letter warns that the threat from the People's Republic of China is mounting and that without the higher spending levels in Lai's plan Taiwan's recent improvemen…
Peru's Congress has collected the necessary signatures to trigger a formal debate on removing and censuring President Jose Jeri, following reports of undisclosed meetings with Chinese businessman Zhihua Yang. If a motion is filed, Congress has a 15-day window to summon Jeri to respond before a vote on his potential ouster. The move takes place agai…
