World
AI Summary
- The escalating conflict in the Middle East, particularly involving Iran, is causing significant disruptions to global oil markets, with prices surging and leading to fears of a wider energy crisis affecting supply chains and potentially sparking a nuclear arms race.
- Artificial Intelligence continues to be a major industry focus, with discussions around its disruptive potential in software, its integration with cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, and concerns about AI-driven mass surveillance and its impact on knowledge-based jobs.
- Geopolitical tensions are manifesting in various regional conflicts and political shifts, including increased violence in Sudan and DRC, mass arrest policies in El Salvador, far-right political movements in Chile and Argentina, and strained diplomatic relations between the US and Iran-linked entities.
- The global housing market shows resilience with increased starts in the US, though reports indicate a significant portion of homebuyers are considering relocation, while other economic indicators like jobless claims show no signs of labor market stress.
- The US is grappling with internal security issues and political disputes, including a halted construction project for an ICE detention center, ongoing investigations into the Epstein case, and debates over homeland security funding and political endorsements.
ZeroHedge
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Judge Halts Construction Of ICE Detention Center In Maryland
an hour ago
by Tyler Durden
Judge Halts Construction Of ICE Detention Center In Maryland Authored by Zachary Stieber via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), Federal authorities must stop construction of an immigration detention center in Maryland, a judge said on March 11. Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown, left, speaks as Gov. Wes Moore listens during a news conference in Baltimore, MD., on Sept. 24, 2024. Stephanie Scarbrough/AP Photo U.S. District Judge Brendan Hurson imposed a temporary restraining order halting construction of the center near Williamsport in Washington County. Maryland officials recently sued the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) over the facility, alleging authorities did not perform required steps under the
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Musk Whips Out 'Macrohard' In Disruptive Tesla-xAI Bid To Shaft Software Companies
an hour ago
by Tyler Durden
Musk Whips Out 'Macrohard' In Disruptive Tesla-xAI Bid To Shaft Software Companies Elon Musk on Wednesday announced a joint project between Tesla and his AI startup xAI, which he dubbed "Macrohard" or "Digital Optimus" that can 'basically automate entire companies' by observing and intelligently simulating their functions. The way it works, per a Wednesday post on X: "Grok is the master conductor/navigator with deep understanding of the world to direct digital Optimus, which is processing and actioning the past 5 secs of real-time computer screen video and keyboard/mouse actions. Grok is like a much more advanced and sophisticated version of turn-by-turn navigation software." So Digital Optimus is
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US Knows Location Of Most Iranian Sleeper Cells Inside America, Trump Says
2 hours ago
by Tyler Durden
US Knows Location Of Most Iranian Sleeper Cells Inside America, Trump Says Authored by Jack Phillips via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), President Donald Trump said on March 11 that his administration knows the location of most Iranian sleeper cells in the United States. President Donald Trump waves as he boards Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Md., on March 11, 2026. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images Joint U.S.–Israeli strikes killed many top leaders in Iran, including Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and denigrated the country’s military, prompting concerns that Iranian undercover terrorist cells, or sleeper cells, may act inside the United States. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and
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Apparent Vehicle-Ramming Attack And Active Shooter Situation Unfolds At Michigan Synagogue
2 hours ago
by Tyler Durden
Apparent Vehicle-Ramming Attack And Active Shooter Situation Unfolds At Michigan Synagogue FBI Director Kash Patel says agents are at the scene of what appears to be a vehicle-ramming attack and an active shooter situation at Temple Israel Synagogue in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan. > FBI personnel are on the scene with partners in Michigan and responding to the apparent vehicle ramming and active shooter situation out of Temple Israel Synagogue in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan. @FBIDetroit > > — FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) March 12, 2026 Local media outlet WXYZ reports that the incident at Temple Israel Synagogue occurred around 12:30 p.m. local
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Social Security Payment Adjustment Predicted To Be 2.8 Percent In 2027, Group Says
3 hours ago
by Tyler Durden
Social Security Payment Adjustment Predicted To Be 2.8 Percent In 2027, Group Says Authored by Jack Phillips via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), A seniors group said it is forecasting the cost-of-living adjustment for next year’s Social Security payments to remain steady at 2.8 percent as U.S. officials released the latest consumer inflation data on Wednesday. Blank Social Security checks are run through a printer at the U.S. Treasury printing facility in Philadelphia, Pa., on Feb. 11, 2005. William Thomas Cain/Getty Images The Senior Citizens League on Wednesday released its forecast adjustment for 2027’s Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments. “That would be
The Guardian
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UK government axes flagship global health project
7 hours 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
14 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
a day 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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Gunman who injured 2 people at Virginia’s Old Dominion University is dead, college says
an hour ago
by Associated Press
A gunman is dead and two people are hurt after a shooting at Old Dominion University on Thursday morning, the Virginia college said. ODU said a gunman opened fire in its business school building, injuring two people who were sent to hospital. It was not immediately clear how the shooter died. The two people injured are in critical condition, said a representative for Sentera Health, the healthcare system that oversees the hospital. Lieutenant Colonel Jimmy Delongchamp, public information officer...
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Suspected gunman involved in Michigan synagogue shooting is dead, police says
2 hours ago
by Associated Press
The suspected gunman involved in a shooting at a synagogue in Michigan is dead, police said on Thursday. Authorities were responding to reports of an “active shooter” at Temple Israel Synagogue in West Bloomfield, outside Detroit, Michigan, where smoke was billowing from the roof. FBI Director Kash Patel wrote on social media: “FBI personnel are on the scene with partners in Michigan and responding to the apparent vehicle ramming and active shooter situation out of Temple Israel...
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British mum who kept woman as ‘house slave’ for 25 years is jailed
3 hours ago
by Agence France-Presse
A UK judge on Thursday jailed for 13 years a mother-of-10 who forced a vulnerable woman to work as a “house slave” for more than two decades. Amanda Wixon subjected the woman, who was a teenager when the ordeal began, to more than 25 years of abuse at her squalid home in Gloucestershire, western England. The 56-year-old forced the victim, who has a learning disability, to do manual labour, regularly assaulted her and deprived her of food and healthcare, it emerged during an earlier 13-day...
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UK PM Starmer admits his ‘mistake’ in appointing Mandelson as US ambassador
4 hours ago
by dpa
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has taken responsibility for his “mistake” in sending Peter Mandelson to Washington as ambassador, as Downing Street denied there was a “cover-up” in the release of files related to the appointment. The prime minister is facing fresh questions about his judgment in giving Mandelson the ambassadorship despite being warned of a “general reputational risk” because of his relationship with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. In his first public appearance since the...
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Strait of Hormuz must stay closed, Iran’s Mojtaba Khamenei says in defiant statement
6 hours ago
by Lucy Quaggin,Xinmei Shen
Iran’s new supreme leader has vowed to keep blocking the Strait of Hormuz, attack US bases and avenge the blood of its martyrs in his first statement since succeeding his father. “The lever of blocking the Strait of Hormuz must definitely be used,” Mojtaba Khamenei said about the strategic waterway, which carries about a fifth of global oil shipments. Khamenei urged Iran’s Gulf neighbours to close US military bases in the region “as soon as possible, because they must have realised by now that...
New York Times
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Fallout From Iran War and Oil Shock Deliver Another Blow to World Economy
2 hours ago
by Patricia Cohen
US and Israeli Attack on Iran (2026), Oil (Petroleum) and Gasoline, Economic Conditions and Trends, Prices (Fares, Fees and Rates), Natural Gas, International Trade and World Market, Trump, Donald J, Iran, Europe, United StatesCountries already walloped by a breakdown of the international trading order, war in Ukraine and chaotic U.S. policymaking are facing potentially lasting economic damage.
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How Hegseth Came to See Moral Purpose in War as Weakness
11 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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Why Does Oil Matter So Much to the Global Economy?
2 hours ago
by Rebecca F. Elliott, Sutton Raphael, Joey Sendaydiego, James Surdam and Nikolay Nikolov
Oil (Petroleum) and Gasoline, International Trade and World Market, Middle East, internal-open-access-from-nlThe war in the Middle East has sent oil and gas prices soaring. Our energy reporter Rebecca F. Elliott breaks down how much the world continues to depend on reliable sources of oil.
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Senate Resoundingly Passes Housing Bill, but Challenges Lie Ahead
3 hours ago
by Ronda Kaysen
United States Politics and Government, Senate, Scott, Timothy Eugene, Warren, Elizabeth, Flood, Mike (1975- ), Waters, Maxine, Real Estate and Housing (Residential), Senate Committee on Banking, Trump, Donald JThe lopsided vote to approve the measure was a rare bit of election-year bipartisanship on a major affordability issue, but G.O.P. disputes and President Trump’s disinterest have left its fate uncertain.
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Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Over Trump’s Funding Freeze for Gateway Tunnel
3 hours ago
by Patrick McGeehan
Federal-State Relations (US), Bridges and Tunnels, Suits and Litigation (Civil), United States Politics and Government, Hudson River Tunnels Project, Railroads, Infrastructure (Public Works), Federal Aid (US), Decisions and Verdicts, Amtrak, Gateway Development Commission, Pennsylvania Station (Manhattan, NY), Transportation Department (US), Trump, Donald J, Hudson River, Manhattan (NYC), New Jersey, New York City, Trans-Hudson Passenger Rail TunnelThe case is moot, a federal judge said, because the administration has resumed the flow of more than $200 million in funding that it had temporarily stopped.