World

▪️ Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney stated that he could not rule out his country's military participation in the escalating war in the Middle East, after earlier declaring that the US-Israeli strikes on Iran were "inconsistent with international law". Speaking alongside Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Canberra on Thursday, Carney was questioned about potential scenarios for Canadian involvement. "One can never categorically rule out participation," Carney said, describing the inquiry as "hypothetical".

▪️ The Islamic Republic of Iran has entered a sensitive transitional phase following the killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in a joint United States-Israeli strike. This process has brought back to the forefront questions about whether figures like former President Hassan Rouhani (2013–2021) might be utilized to calm the domestic arena or rebalance power inside the system.

▪️ China has set its economic growth target for 2026 at 4.5% to 5%, marking the country's lowest annual growth target in decades. Last year's target was around 5%. The lowered growth target comes as the government attempts to address challenges such as low domestic consumption and a faltering property market in 2026.

▪️ Governments worldwide are intensifying repatriation flights from the Middle East as the US-led war against Iran causes the most significant disruption to global air travel since the COVID-19 pandemic. Qatar's Interior Ministry announced the evacuation of residents near the US embassy in Doha, describing it as a "temporary precautionary measure." Qatar hosts the largest US military installation in the region, Al-Udeid Air Base, which was struck by an Iranian missile on Tuesday.

▪️ The United States House of Representatives Oversight Committee voted to subpoena Attorney General Pam Bondi, demanding her testimony regarding the Justice Department's handling of records linked to the investigation into sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The motion, introduced by Republican Congresswoman Nancy Mace, passed on Wednesday with a vote of 24-19, including five Republicans joining Democrats in supporting the subpoena, in a rare bipartisan rebuke of the administration's transparency.

▪️ A major power outage has struck most of Cuba, with two-thirds of the country, including the capital Havana, left without electricity, according to the state electric utility UNE. The blackout was reportedly caused by a fault at the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant, located about 100 km east of Havana, disrupting power from Pinar del Rio in the west to Las Tunas province in the east.

▪️ US military officials are claiming success in their campaign against the Iranian government, stressing that Washington is in the process of crushing Tehran “without mercy”. Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth told reporters that the US military is loosening rules of engagement and operating with little restraint, despite reports of mounting casualties including hundreds of civilian deaths in Iran.

▪️ United States Interior Secretary Doug Burgum met with Venezuela's interim President Delcy Rodriguez in Caracas, as part of a push from US President Donald Trump to ramp up oil and mineral production in the South American country. The meeting culminated with the announcement that Rodriguez would submit a proposal to reform Venezuela's mining laws to the country's legislature in the coming days, signaling a deepening of economic ties under the Trump administration's agenda.

▪️ The joint strikes by the United States and Israel on Iran have sparked political backlash, but attention in Washington is also turning to those profiting from the crisis through prediction-market platforms Kalshi and Polymarket, where traders are betting on the outcomes of conflict and high-stakes geopolitical events.

▪️ The Uzbekistan youth national football team achieved a historic victory in the Asian Championship final, defeating the South Korean team with a score of 2:1. This success marks a significant milestone for Uzbek football, resulting from the team's consistent performance throughout the tournament and the strategic guidance of coach Ravshan Haydarov.

▪️ A landslide triggered by heavy rains has killed more than 200 people at the Rubaya coltan mine in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, according to authorities, highlighting the perilous conditions in a region plagued by conflict and unregulated mining. The mine is located in an area contested between the Congolese government and the M23 rebel group, underscoring the deadly intersection of resource extraction and political instability.

▪️ Washington, DC – The United States Senate has failed to pass a resolution aimed at reining in US President Donald Trump’s war with Iran. In a procedural vote, the resolution was defeated 47 to 52, marking another major setback for proponents of curtailing Trump’s military pursuits abroad and highlighting the ongoing friction within the US regime over presidential war powers.