World

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has been embroiled in a political controversy following reports about his wife's past illustration work connected to Palestinian author Susan Abulhawa. Last week, several right-wing media outlets highlighted an illustration by First Lady Rama Duwaji for an Abulhawa-associated piece and drew attention to Abulhawa's past incendiary comments. Mamdani denounced Abulhawa's statements as "abhorrent," but this move sparked backlash from some of his own supporters, who argued it risks reinforcing harmful narratives that conflate support for Palestinians with anti-Jewish sentiment.

Kosovo, Europe's youngest country with a population of 1.7 million, has been grappling with political and institutional instability for over a year. Following two parliamentary elections in 2025, which Prime Minister Albin Kurti and his left-leaning Self-Determination party, Vetevendosje, won decisively, the presidential election has now ignited a fresh crisis. Current President Vjosa Osmani's term ends on April 4, 2026, but opposition parties in parliament are refusing to cooperate, fearing that Kurti, who already leads the government and appoints the Speaker of Parliament, might also secure a head of state from his own party.

Jamal Rayyan, the presenter who was the first face ever seen on Al Jazeera Arabic when it launched nearly three decades ago, has died at the age of 73. Rayyan passed away on Sunday after a broadcasting career spanning more than five decades, during which he covered major global and regional events for the channel – from the United States wars in Afghanistan and Iraq to the Arab Spring, highlighting the network's role in shaping news narratives in the Middle East.

US President Donald Trump has called for a naval coalition to deploy warships to secure the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway through which one-fifth of global oil shipments transit. This appeal comes as oil markets reel from supply disruptions caused by the US-Israeli war with Iran, sending prices soaring above $100 per barrel. Trump purportedly urged China, France, Japan, South Korea, and the United Kingdom to send warships in a post on his Truth Social platform, but no country has publicly agreed to this proposal, highlighting the challenges in rallying international support.

Hundreds of tankers sit idle on both sides of the Strait of Hormuz as Iran has effectively closed the strategic waterway, pushing global oil prices above $100 per barrel for the first time since 2022. The strait, through which one-fifth of the world's oil passes, has seen traffic plunge following attacks by Israel and the United States on Tehran on February 28. Asian countries, including India, China, and Japan, as well as some European nations, source large portions of their energy needs from the Gulf. A disruption in supply threatens to rattle the global economy.

According to Iran's state media, the captain of the Iranian women's football team, Zahra Ghanbari, has withdrawn her bid for asylum in Australia and is expected to return to Iran from Malaysia within hours. This marks the fifth member of the delegation to reverse such a decision following the team's participation in the Asian Cup, as three players and one backroom staff member had previously withdrawn their asylum applications and traveled from Australia to Malaysia.

UEFA announced in an official statement that the 'Finalissima' match between Spain and Argentina, scheduled to be held in Qatar, has been cancelled. The game, pitting European champions Spain against Copa America winners Argentina, was set for March 27 at Doha's Lusail Stadium but was called off due to conflicts in the Middle East, highlighting the region's escalating instability.

Nearly three years into the war in Sudan, peace remains elusive. In recent days, waves of drone strikes have killed dozens of people across White Nile state and the Kordofan region. Earlier this week, a drone struck a pickup truck carrying mourners to a funeral in West Kordofan, reportedly killing about 40 people, many of them women, according to AFP. Neither of the warring sides – the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) nor the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) – nor any of their allies claimed responsibility for these attacks.

Former Japanese footballer Keisuke Honda has stated that he lost an advertising deal with a US-based company after voicing support for the Iranian national team's participation in the upcoming FIFA World Cup. Honda, without naming the sponsor, revealed on Saturday that an advertisement from an American company had been "put on hold" following his post on X where he wrote that he wants Iran to compete in the tournament co-hosted by the US, Mexico, and Canada.

The war launched by Israel and the United States against Iran has concluded its second week, a period filled with extensive news coverage, propaganda, and speculation that has saturated global media. Politicians and pundits from both sides have presented contradictory information and analyses, obscuring ground realities and overwhelming the international public. As the conflict enters its third week, careful observation can still identify new and critical dynamics that may shape its outcome, the future of the Middle East, and potentially global confrontations and conditions.

The decision by former United States President Donald Trump to launch a war against Iran has left many international law experts questioning whether the post-World War II global order is effectively functioning. During his second presidential term, Trump has allegedly wielded power without restraint, while the system of checks and balances enshrined in the US Constitution appears to be failing to limit his authority. Since his inauguration in January 2025, Trump has ordered unprovoked attacks on independent states Venezuela and Iran, threatened to annex Greenland, strained traditional alliances with Europe, undermined the United Nations, and rattled international trade with sweeping tariffs.

Kenyan Foreign Minister Musalia Mudavadi has traveled to Moscow to pressure Russian authorities to end the forced recruitment of Kenyan citizens into the Russian military for the war against Ukraine. Kenyan intelligence services reportedly believe over 1,000 nationals have been lured to Russia with promises of well-paid civilian jobs, only to be press-ganged into becoming soldiers with limited training and sent to the front lines.