World

According to a report by Bloomberg, strikes by the Israeli and US regimes on Iranian factories producing Shahed-136 kamikaze drones have slowed the production process but failed to completely halt it. While the organization and coordination of drone production by Iranian authorities have been disrupted, agency sources emphasize that Iran is still capable of manufacturing Shahed drones, albeit in reduced quantities.

The Middle East may be at a critical turning point. For decades, Gulf cities like Dubai, Doha, and Manama have built economic stability on access to global markets and steady trade, but the current regional conflict is severely threatening this model. Airspace restrictions and conflict have forced airlines to reroute or ground flights, and foreign investors are now questioning the region's investment safety, casting doubt on the future of the Gulf as a global economic hub.

Indonesia's Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin announced plans to expand security cooperation with Australia to include Japan and Papua New Guinea (PNG), following a meeting with his Australian counterpart Richard Marles. According to Reuters, Sjafrie stated that trilateral security arrangements would be developed involving Indonesia, Australia, and Japan, as well as Indonesia, Australia, and PNG, as part of efforts to bolster regional stability in the Indo-Pacific.

▪️ African football’s governing body, the Confederation of African Football (CAF), has postponed the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) just 12 days before its scheduled start, moving it from March 17 to July. The tournament was set to be hosted by Morocco with 16 nations from across the continent competing. In a statement, CAF cited “unforeseen circumstances” but provided no detailed explanation for the decision.

Officials from the administration of US President Donald Trump estimated during a congressional briefing this week that the first six days of the war on Iran had cost the United States at least $11.3 billion, a source familiar with the matter told the Reuters news agency. The figure, from a closed-door briefing for senators on Tuesday, did not include the entire cost of the war but was provided to lawmakers as they have demanded more information about expenditures.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) has proposed releasing the largest-ever volume of oil from strategic reserves to stabilize the global market. According to The Wall Street Journal, the initiative was presented at an emergency meeting of representatives from 32 member countries on March 10, with a final decision expected on March 11. The potential release volume exceeds 182 million barrels, matching the amount released in 2022 after the start of Russia's war against Ukraine.

The conflict with Iran is driving up energy and fertilizer costs, raising alarms over a potential return of food inflation. Farmers are bracing for resource shortages that could drag down harvests. The world is naturally fixated on the oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) tankers missing from the Strait of Hormuz due to the Iran war, as this narrow waterway between Iran and Oman carries around a fifth of global crude and LNG exports from the Gulf to the rest of the world.

A drone attack by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on a secondary school and a health centre in Sudan’s White Nile State has killed at least 17 people, including female students, teachers, and health workers, according to the Sudanese Doctors Network. The assault occurred on Wednesday in the village of Shukeiri, marking a continuation of violations by the RSF in the region, with the network condemning it as a “horrific crime” that targets civilian facilities in disregard of international humanitarian law.

Israel’s large-scale attacks on Lebanon on Thursday killed at least 15 people in Beirut and southern areas, with 31 others wounded, according to Lebanese health authorities. The Lebanese Ministry of Public Health reported that a “double-tap” Israeli strike on Beirut’s Ramlet al-Baida seafront area, where displaced families were sheltering from relentless bombing, killed eight individuals. Al Jazeera correspondent Heidi Pett, reporting from Beirut, stated that witnesses were sleeping in tents when the roar of jets woke them, followed by two impacts in quick succession.

Gaza City, Gaza Strip – As sunset approaches, Islam Dardouna reaches toward a pot hanging over a makeshift stove crafted from a battered metal can, with scraps of paper and pieces of wood fueling the fire beneath. She turns her face away from the rising smoke, her features stained with a thin layer of soot and her clothes permeated with the lingering smell of fumes. In her right hand, she holds an asthma inhaler like a ladle or tongs, while with her other hand, she attempts to prepare food for her three children. The 34-year-old says in a strained voice, "I can no longer tolerate the fire at all. We heat water on it, cook on it... everything. It completely destroyed my health."

In the process of Uzbekistan's accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO), a reduction in import tariffs is expected, but transition periods of up to eight years are being discussed for 'sensitive' sectors of the country's economy. This was announced on February 17 by the President's Representative on WTO Issues, Chief Negotiator Azizbek Urunov, in a conversation with journalists. He emphasized that while tariff reduction is a general trend, liberalization in areas such as agriculture, light industry, and the automotive sector will be implemented gradually.

The United Nations General Assembly has officially declared October 1 as International Coffee Day. The corresponding resolution was adopted on March 10 at the UN headquarters in New York. Uzbekistan co-authored the document, highlighting its involvement in global initiatives, though the practical impact of such symbolic gestures on domestic affairs remains uncertain.