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.
1,442 total articles
New federal Census Bureau estimates show U.S. population growth slowed to a 0.5% increase in the year ending June 2025, driven largely by a sharp drop in net international migration. Births and deaths were relatively stable, while every state except Montana and West Virginia reported slower growth. The slowdown coincides with intensified immigratio…
A retired Israeli general advising the military said Israel has cleared land in southern Gaza, in the Rafah area, for a large camp intended to host Palestinians who choose to leave Gaza or remain. The camp site is reportedly in terrain cleared of tunnels attributed to Hamas and would have entry and exit overseen by Israeli personnel, possibly using…
U.N. human rights experts have publicly denounced a decision by the Trump administration to halt and cut funding for legal services for unaccompanied migrant children in U.S. immigration proceedings. The critique follows appeals from the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights and highlights concerns over legal representation, alleged unlawful depo…
Moody’s Ratings raised Ecuador’s long-term foreign-currency issuer rating to Caa1 from Caa3 and affirmed a stable outlook, citing a marked reduction in credit risks tied to durable policy changes and stronger fiscal management supported by an IMF Extended Fund Facility. Improved fiscal balances, central bank deposit accumulation and tighter soverei…
Texas Governor Greg Abbott instructed state agencies and public universities to suspend filing new H-1B visa petitions as part of an investigation into the federal program. The freeze, citing reports of abuse and a federal review, runs through May 31, 2027, with limited exceptions possible via written permission from the Texas Workforce Commission.…
Philip Glass has pulled the scheduled world premiere of his Symphony No. 15 'Lincoln' from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, citing a clash between the work's themes and the center's current leadership and renamed identity following a takeover by President Donald Trump. The move follows a string of artist and company withdrawals f…
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has initiated a state-level probe of the H-1B visa program and instructed state agencies and public universities to suspend submission of new H-1B petitions. The pause will continue until May 31, 2027, with exceptions only through written approval by the Texas Workforce Commission. Agencies must deliver a detailed account…
TikTok has reached an agreement in principle to settle a lawsuit brought by a 19-year-old California plaintiff who says she became addicted to social media platforms and suffered depression and suicidal thoughts as a result. The case, one of three bellwether trials selected from hundreds of related suits, named YouTube, Meta, Snap and TikTok as def…
Residents of Qamishli, the main Kurdish-majority enclave in northeast Syria, have taken to nighttime volunteer patrols as government forces press to integrate remaining Kurdish-run areas with the state. The U.S.-backed ceasefire was extended for 15 days, but locals expressed little confidence in its durability given recent violence elsewhere in the…
U.N. human rights experts have formally protested to Swiss authorities after students who joined pro-Palestinian sit-ins at a Swiss-funded institution were convicted of trespassing. The experts say the actions taken against the demonstrators risk criminalising peaceful expression and assembly. Five students have received suspended fines and legal c…
Dubai has outlined plans to invest over 100 billion dirhams (about $27 billion) to expand the Dubai International Financial Center. The project, named DIFC Zabeel District, will add 17.7 million square feet to the existing financial hub in a six-phase development scheduled for completion in 2040 as the center works to absorb strong demand from inte…
The White House moved to replace a senior Border Patrol official overseeing a high-profile immigration operation in Minneapolis as the administration responded to national anger over the fatal shooting of a U.S. citizen by federal agents. The change, which names Tom Homan to lead the effort in place of Gregory Bovino, accompanies a broader reassess…
Federal officials this month directed the removal or editing of dozens of interpretive signs and displays in national parks that address the mistreatment of Native Americans, climate change and environmental protection. Documents show the orders affect at least 17 parks, and follow the recent removal of a slavery exhibit at a Philadelphia historic …
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists advanced its symbolic Doomsday Clock to 85 seconds before midnight, the closest setting yet. The Chicago-based group cited rising tensions among nuclear-armed states, erosion of arms control frameworks, active conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, and growing concerns about unregulated military uses of arti…
Relatives of two Trinidadian men killed in an October missile strike have filed a wrongful death lawsuit in federal court in Boston, alleging the U.S. campaign of maritime missile strikes amounts to unlawful killings of civilians. The suit, brought under the Death on the High Seas Act and the Alien Tort Statute, seeks damages for the deaths of Chad…
A U.S. embassy source confirmed that personnel from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) will provide security support for U.S. delegations at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, running February 6-22. The source said the HSI agents will not undertake immigration enforcement while in Italy and that opera…
A federal judge in Minnesota has directed the acting head of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to appear in court to explain why the agency failed to follow multiple recent court orders, including missing a deadline to provide a detainee with a bond hearing. The judge said the court’s patience has run out and signaled contempt proceedings un…
Nigerian military forces conducted a late-night operation that freed 11 people abducted in October from a Kaduna community. Troops from forward operating base Doka located the group on Jan. 26 using long-range surveillance and moved in after sighting the captors escorting the hostages along a bush track near the Kaduna-Abuja highway, a vital transp…
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Tuesday denied that he had recanted remarks he made at Davos after a reported U.S. reaction. Carney confirmed a phone conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump and directly told reporters he did not walk back his earlier comments, saying he told Trump he "meant what I said in Davos." He also said the call …
A Chilean diving operation is submerging wine bottles in metal cages on the sea floor around the small island of Locos to harness the ocean’s stable temperature, pressure and light for wine aging. The initiative, led by Cava Indus 8 and the ODC diving center in the Coquimbo region, places wines 10-20 meters deep for eight months to a year in calcar…
Spain will allocate 20 million euros in compensation to those affected by the high-speed train crash near Adamuz that killed 45 people and injured more than 150. The government has outlined a structured, expedited payment plan for bereaved families and injured passengers amid heightened public scrutiny of transport safety and ministerial accountabi…
Flight and hotel reservations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America have risen sharply since the tournament match schedule was released in December, according to travel technology firm Amadeus. British travellers made 18% of the North America bookings, and 37% of reservations for the tournament period were placed in the month after the draw.…
At Britain’s premier film awards, the action-tinged dark comedy One Battle After Another led the field with 14 BAFTA nominations. Vampire thriller Sinners and literary adaptation Hamnet also earned significant recognition, with high-profile acting and directing nods spread across a diverse slate of films.
South Sudan's government has called on opposition forces to stop fighting after a rebel advance and continued clashes in Jonglei state displaced hundreds of thousands and raised fears of a return to large-scale civil conflict. The United Nations says the fighting is at a level not seen since 2017, while the government says its forces have repelled …
Nazry Asfura, 67, is scheduled to be sworn in as Honduras' president on Tuesday after securing a narrow electoral win. His four-year mandate, running until January 2030, follows a fraught vote-counting process, a last-minute endorsement from U.S. President Donald Trump and allegations of fraud from rival parties. Asfura has pledged to tackle povert…
