World
AI Summary
- The escalating conflict in the Persian Gulf has triggered a significant surge in oil prices, exceeding $100 per barrel, as multiple oil tankers have been attacked and oil ports in Iraq ceased operations, prompting global concern and impacting energy markets.
- The Iran conflict is creating substantial disruptions to global energy supply chains, particularly for Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), with cargo rerouting to Asia and European drivers facing increased fuel costs, while the US faces dwindling rare earth reserves.
- Developments in artificial intelligence continue to be a major industry talking point, with concerns raised about AI's potential to displace a significant portion of knowledge jobs and its role in enabling sophisticated scams and cyberattacks.
- The US housing market is showing resilience with the highest starts in over a year, driven by tumbling mortgage rates, contrasting with broader economic anxieties such as the looming national debt crisis and the increasing prevalence of AI-driven fraud.
- Geopolitical tensions, particularly the Iran conflict and its ripple effects, are leading to major shifts in international trade and energy policy, including China's de-dollarization push, potential trade probes by the US, and a reassessment of energy sources like nuclear power in Europe.
ZeroHedge
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Fresh US Intel Assessment Says Iran Regime Not Close To Collapse After 2 Weeks At War
19 minutes ago
by Tyler Durden
Fresh US Intel Assessment Says Iran Regime Not Close To Collapse After 2 Weeks At War A fresh report in Reuters says what should already be quite obvious to all: US intelligence has assessed that Iran's leadership and government are largely in tact and the system does not risk collapse, after two weeks of heavy sustained US-Israeli bombardment and 'decapitation' strikes which have killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and over forty top military leaders. One of the intel sources was cited as saying that "multitude" of intelligence reports provide "consistent analysis that the regime is not in danger" of collapsing and "retains control of the
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Epstein Guard Called To Testify As Oversight Committee Explores Potential Murder
39 minutes ago
by Tyler Durden
Epstein Guard Called To Testify As Oversight Committee Explores Potential Murder Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news, House Oversight Chairman James Comer is ramping up the heat on the botched handling of Jeffrey Epstein’s custody, announcing a subpoena for prison guard Tova Noel amid bombshell revelations of suspicious cash deposits and online searches just before the disgraced elitist’s alleged suicide. With fresh DOJ documents unearthing red flags that scream cover-up, Comer’s move signals a long-overdue push for transparency against the bureaucratic stonewalling that has shielded powerful figures tied to Epstein’s web of abuse. Comer dropped the news during a Fox News interview, pointing to
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US Housing Starts Highest In Over A Year As Mortgage Rates Tumbled In January
an hour ago
by Tyler Durden
US Housing Starts Highest In Over A Year As Mortgage Rates Tumbled In January With mortgage rates tumbling (before the war started) and a top-down push for affordability, Housing Starts printed better than expected for January while the more forward-looking Building Permits disappointed, falling more than expected. Starts rose 7.2k in preliminary January data (far greater than the 4.5% MoM decline expected while Permits plunged 5.4% MoM (worse than the 3.1% decline expected)... Source: Bloomberg This pushed the SAAR totals for Starts to their highest since Dec 2024, but Building Permits fell to their lowest since Aug 2025... Source: Bloomberg Under the hood, Multi-Family Permits plunged
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Iran May Let Indian Tankers Through Hormuz Strait, Reports Of High-Level Talks
an hour ago
by Tyler Durden
Iran May Let Indian Tankers Through Hormuz Strait, Reports Of High-Level Talks First it was China, now an India exception? Bloomberg reports another major potential exception Tehran could make for Strait of Hormuz oil transit. "India is in talks with Iran to secure the safe passage of more than 20 tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, according to people familiar with the matter," a Thursday morning report indicates. "Negotiations are still ongoing and are being handled by the ministry of foreign affairs, said the people, who asked not to be named as the conversations are sensitive," Bloomberg continues. "The narrow waterway, through which around a
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Once Again, Initial Jobless Claims Refuse To Signal Labor Market Stress
an hour ago
by Tyler Durden
Once Again, Initial Jobless Claims Refuse To Signal Labor Market Stress Initial jobless claims dipped last week to 213k - basically unchanged since Nov 2021 - continuing to suggest an economy that is not seeing the average joe get canned at anything other than a de minimus rate... Continuing jobless claims also dipped last week, remaining well below the 1.9 million Americans Maginot Line... With ADP's strong job additions report earlier in the week, all indications (except the aberrant payrolls print) are that the US labor market remains solid. The 'no hire, no fire' economy may be improving to a 'some hire, no
The Guardian
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UK government axes flagship global health project
39 minutes ago
by Kat Lay, Global health correspondent
Global development, Global health, Aid, Society, Health, Africa, Health policy, Politics, UK newsProgramme which supports schemes in six African countries was previously hailed as vital protection for Britain against future pandemics A flagship health project in Africa, which UK ministers said would play a vital role in protecting Britain from future pandemic threats, is being axed due to aid cuts, the Guardian can reveal. The Global Health Workforce Programme (GHWP) which supported development and training for healthcare staff in six African countries, will close at the end of the month, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said. Continue reading...
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‘Invasive’ AI-led mass surveillance in Africa violating freedoms, warn experts
8 hours ago
by Kaamil Ahmed
Global development, AI (artificial intelligence), Surveillance, Human rights, Africa, Technology, Computing, World news, ProtestCountries across the continent have spent more than $2bn on Chinese tracking technology that is not ‘necessary or proportionate’, new report finds The rapid expansion of AI-powered mass-surveillance systems across Africa is violating citizens’ right to privacy and having a chilling effect on society, according to experts on human rights and emerging technologies. At least $2bn (£1.5bn) has been spent by 11 African governments on Chinese-built surveillance technology that recognises faces and monitors movements, according to a new report by the Institute of Development Studies, which warns that national security is being used to justify implementing these systems with little regulation. Continue reading...
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At least 17 killed after drone strikes school in Sudan
19 hours ago
by Associated Press in Cairo
Sudan, Africa, Middle East and north Africa, World news, United NationsStrike in Shukeiri killed schoolgirls, teachers and healthcare workers in latest incident in three-year war At least 17 people, most of them schoolgirls, were killed on Wednesday when an explosive-laden drone blamed on Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces struck a secondary school and a health care centre. At least 10 people were wounded in the strike in the village of Shukeiri in the White Nile province, according to Dr Musa al-Majeri, director of Douiem hospital, the nearest major medical facility to the village. Continue reading...
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French aid worker among three killed in dronestrike in east DRC, M23 rebels say
a day ago
by Carlos Mureithi in Nairobi
Democratic Republic of the Congo, Africa, World news, Drones (military), France, Humanitarian responseRebel group blames government for attack on residential area of M23-controlled city of Goma Three people including a French UN aid worker have been killed in a drone attack in Goma, a spokesperson for the M23 rebel group has said. The attack took place at about 4am on Wednesday in the upmarket residential neighbourhood of Himbi in the city, which has been under M23 occupation since January 2025. Continue reading...
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At least 65 Nigerian soldiers killed in jihadist raids in country’s north-east
a day ago
by Eromo Egbejule
Nigeria, Africa, Islamic State, World newsGunmen from Islamic State West Africa Province overran four military bases and abducted 300 civilians, say reports At least 65 Nigerian soldiers have been killed in jihadist raids across the country’s north-east in the last two weeks, as the west African state battles to contain one of the world’s deadliest terror groups. On 5 and 6 March, gunmen from Islamic State West Africa Province (Iswap) overran four military bases in Borno state, the epicentre of the insurgency. Nigerian daily the Punch reported that about 40 soldiers were killed in total in these attacks. Continue reading...
South China Morning Post
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Ant smuggling rises in Kenya as Chinese national caught with 2,238 insects at airport
2 hours ago
by Reuters
A man was arrested with more than 2,200 live garden ants in his luggage at Nairobi’s main airport this week amid a rise in cases of smuggling of the insects in Kenya. Chinese national Zhang Kequn, 27, was arrested at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on Tuesday while he was trying to leave the country, court filings on Thursday showed. Immigration officials flagged a “stop order” on Zhang’s passport after he evaded arrest in Kenya last year. Ant aficionados pay large sums to maintain...
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American military bleeds US$11.3 billion in first week of Iran war: report
3 hours ago
by Agence France-Presse
The opening week of the war against Iran cost the United States more than US$11.3 billion, lawmakers were told in a Pentagon briefing, according to a New York Times report underscoring the pace at which the conflict is consuming weapons and resources. The Times, citing unnamed sources familiar with Tuesday’s closed-door briefing, said members of Congress were told that the figure excludes many costs connected with the build-up to the strikes – suggesting the final tally for the first week could...
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From AirAsia to Qantas, airlines raise fares as Iran war fuels oil price surge
4 hours ago
by Bloomberg
Airlines across Europe and Asia are increasing fares and raising fuel surcharges as the Iran war sends oil prices swinging wildly and stokes fears of jet fuel shortages if the fighting persists. Demand for alternative routes that bypass the Middle East is also surging, pushing up ticket prices. More than 43,000 flights scheduled in and out of the Middle East were cancelled between February 28 and March 10, according to data from analytics firm Cirium. Here is a rolling list of airlines that have...
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US-Israeli war on Iran may spark nuclear arms race, Carnegie scholar says
6 hours ago
by Seong Hyeon Choi
Zhao Tong is a senior fellow with the Nuclear Policy Programme at Washington-based think tank the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and its East Asia-based research centre on contemporary China, Carnegie China. His research focuses on strategic security issues, including nuclear weapons policy, deterrence, arms control, non-proliferation, missile defence, hypersonic weapons, regional security in the Asia-Pacific and China’s security and foreign policy. SCMP Plus readers get early access...
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Life under fire: a Tehran resident shares her story as Iran is attacked
6 hours ago
by Agence France-Presse
A Tehran resident in her 30s agreed to share her thoughts with Agence France-Presse about the ongoing war and daily life. Her identity has been withheld for her protection. Here is an edited transcript of the conversation. How is daily life in Tehran? People left in waves, especially those who were next to targets. The financial situation is very bad. My job has been halted and I am spending out of my savings. Going away has costs too, so this may be one of the reasons why people are leaving...
New York Times
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How Hegseth Came to See Moral Purpose in War as Weakness
5 hours ago
by Greg Jaffe
United States Defense and Military Forces, US and Israeli Attack on Iran (2026), Iraq War (2003-11), War and Armed Conflicts, United States International Relations, Defense Department, Hegseth, Pete, Trump, Donald J, Iran, IraqDefense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s bellicose and vengeful rhetoric describing the military’s war in Iran grew out of his experience in Iraq.
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Iran War Causing Largest Ever Oil Disruption, I.E.A. Says
an hour ago
by Eshe Nelson
International Energy Agency, US and Israeli Attack on Iran (2026), Iran, Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, Energy and Power, War and Armed Conflicts, Oil (Petroleum) and GasolineConflict is forcing producers to slash production and close ports as Iran steps up attacks on energy infrastructure.
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Why Oil Prices Surged Even After the Release of Strategic Reserves
5 hours ago
by Aaron Krolik
US and Israeli Attack on Iran (2026), Prices (Fares, Fees and Rates), Oil (Petroleum) and Gasoline, Shortages, International Energy Agency, Energy Department, IranReserves or no reserves, the outlook remains bleak as long as a major oil and gas trade route remains virtually closed.
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The $11 Billion Cost for One Week of War, and a New ‘Millionaires’ Tax’
4 hours ago
by Tracy Mumford, Will Jarvis, Margaret Kadifa, Ian Stewart and Julian E. Barnes
Income Tax, Plastic Surgery, High Net Worth Individuals, United States Politics and Government, United States Defense and Military Forces, Prices (Fares, Fees and Rates), US and Israeli Attack on Iran (2026), Defense Department, Middle East, IranPlus, Planned Parenthood’s new offering: Botox.
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Trump’s Tour of States Is About More Than the Midterms
12 hours ago
by Luke Broadwater
United States Politics and Government, Midterm Elections (2026), United States Economy, Prices (Fares, Fees and Rates), Elections, House of Representatives, Republican Party, Trump, Donald J, Massie, Thomas H, Gallrein, Ed, Kentucky, Georgia, Ohio, TexasBeyond talking about the economy and voters’ hardships, the president is showing that he still has control over the Republican Party.