World

Oil prices have once again climbed above $100 per barrel, with energy markets finding little respite amid the most significant disruption to global energy supplies in a generation. Brent crude, the international benchmark, surged more than 9 percent on Thursday as traders assessed the prospect of weeks or even months of turmoil in energy markets due to the war waged by the United States and Israel against Iran. Brent futures, traded outside regular market hours, were priced at $101.13 as of 03:00 GMT.

As the US-Israeli war with Iran approached its two-week mark, leaders from Iran, Israel, and the United States struck defiant tones, despite the conflict claiming thousands of lives, rattling financial markets, and sending oil prices soaring.

The US Treasury Department has issued a temporary 30-day license easing sanctions on Russian crude oil and petroleum products, allowing the sale of oil already loaded onto vessels by 12:01 a.m. Washington time on March 12, with the permit valid until April 11. This move is framed as a narrowly tailored, short-term measure, but it comes amid soaring energy prices and geopolitical tensions, raising questions about its broader implications for the sanctions regime.

Cuba's Foreign Ministry announced on Thursday that it will release 51 prisoners in the coming days as a gesture of goodwill toward the Vatican. The ministry's statement indicated that this decision followed talks with the Holy See and reflects the "close and fluid relations" between the Cuban government and the Vatican on issues including the review and release of prisoners.

A United Nations fact-finding mission has concluded that “there are no indicators of structural reforms or change” to improve the human rights situation in Venezuela, indicating that despite the removal of its leader in January, little has substantively changed on the ground. The mission’s report represents one of the first international assessments of rights under the nascent presidency of interim leader Delcy Rodriguez.

On April 9, 2003, a statue of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein was toppled in central Baghdad, a symbolic moment of regime change broadcast worldwide. Iraqi civilians initially attempted to pull it down with a noose but required assistance from U.S. troops using an armored vehicle. This event occurred just 20 days after the U.S.-led invasion began, marked by intense bombing and a failed decapitation strike targeting Hussein. Three weeks later, U.S. President George W. Bush famously stood before a "Mission Accomplished" banner on an aircraft carrier, a declaration that proved profoundly premature as the war spiraled into a protracted conflict with devastating consequences.

Qatari officials have rejected claims in sections of Israeli media that Qatar halted its liquefied natural gas (LNG) production to affect energy prices in the United States, calling such accusations an attempt to “drive a wedge” between Qatar and the US. In a statement to Al Jazeera on Thursday, a senior Qatari official dismissed the reports as part of a broader campaign to undermine regional stability.

The Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), led by former civil engineer and hip-hop artist Balendra Shah (known as "Balen"), has secured a commanding majority in Nepal's parliamentary elections, according to official results. The Election Commission announced on Thursday that the party won 182 seats in the 275-member lower house, with 125 seats won directly and 57 through proportional representation, capping one of the most dramatic electoral contests in the country's recent history.

Since September 2023, the United States regime has been launching deadly military strikes against boats allegedly involved in drug smuggling in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific. Despite over half a year passing, remarkably little is known about these strikes. The identities of the nearly 157 people killed have not been released, and any purported evidence against them remains undisclosed to the public.

While the war in the Middle East dominates headlines, Ukraine remains under fire from Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is working to leverage hard-won lessons from over four years of battlefield experience to inspire allies to continue supporting his besieged nation. With some Western allies—particularly the US under President Donald Trump—reportedly less enthusiastic about providing assistance to Ukraine as it fends off Russian invaders, Kyiv suddenly possesses something its allies allegedly desperately want: effective anti-drone technology.

Prosecutors at the International Criminal Court (ICC) have announced the opening of an investigation into Belarus over the suspected forced deportation of government opponents. The ICC prosecutor’s office stated on Thursday that it had found "a reasonable basis to believe crimes within the jurisdiction of the Court have been committed".

A major fraud scandal involving approximately one million illegally registered cars has been uncovered in France, costing hundreds of millions of euros in lost taxes and fines, according to a report by the state auditor, the Cour des Comptes. The scheme, which involves fake dealerships manipulating records of the state vehicle licensing agency (SIV), is also endangering public safety by allowing unsafe cars and lorries onto the roads, while proving a boon for criminal activities ranging from petty delinquency to organized crime.