Here are the latest economic events in the Middle East war: - More ships pass Hormuz - A French-owned and a Japanese-owned vessel are among a handful of ships to have transited the war-torn Strait of Hormuz, maritime tracking data showed Friday. The passage, a vital route for oil and liquified natu»»»

Ankara: A second Turkish-flagged ship has crossed the war-torn Strait of Hormuz, Turkiye's Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu said Saturday. Iran has closed the Strait of Hormuz, a key global waterway, since the US-Israeli strikes on Iran started on February 28 set off the Middle East conflict »»»

Governments worldwide are moving swiftly to contain the fallout from a sharp rise in energy costs, as global supply disruptions linked to the US-Israeli war on Iran rattle markets. Surging fuel and electricity prices have prompted urgent steps to protect consumers and secure supplies, with mounting»»»

Yemen’s Houthi group has threatened “gradual escalation” after claiming a fourth attack on Israel, about a week after entering the war alongside Iran as part of the Tehran-led “axis of resistance.” The move comes as Yemen’s internationally recognized government steps up rhetoric, saying a decisive »»»

The International Monetary Fund urged the Bank of Japan to continue raising interest rates, even as the Middle East war posed "significant new risks" to the country's economic outlook. The proposal comes amid market expectations the BOJ will raise interest rates as soon as April in the face of moun»»»

Iran is a victim of illegal aggression by the US and Israel, prominent American economist Jeffrey Sachs has told RT’s Sanchez Effect, rejecting Washington’s claims that Tehran was seeking a nuclear weapon. Speaking with host Rick Sanchez on Thursday, Sachs lambasted US President Donald Trump’s spee»»»

Iran shooting down two American military aircraft marks an exceedingly rare assault for the US. that has not happened in more than 20 years and shows the Islamic Republic’s continued ability to hit back despite President Donald Trump asserting it has been “completely decimated.” Get updated faster »»»

Doha, Qatar: Iranian and American forces raced each other Saturday to recover a crew member of the first US fighter jet to go down inside Iran since the start of the war. Tehran said it had shot down the F-15 warplane, while US media reported United States special forces had rescued one of its two »»»

US President Donald Trump on Friday asked lawmakers to approve a massive $1.5 trillion defense budget for 2027, as the United States faces rising costs from its war with Iran and mounting global security commitments. The proposal would lift Pentagon spending by more than 40 percent in a single year»»»

One French- and another Japanese-owned vessel are among a handful of vessels to have crossed the war-torn Strait of Hormuz, maritime tracking data showed Friday. The passage, a vital maritime route for oil and liquified natural gas, has been virtually blocked by Iran since the start of the war, sai»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Air defenses destroyed 85 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions overnight, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement. "This past night, air defense systems on duty intercepted and destroyed 85 Ukrainian fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles," the ministry said. It said drone»»»

Iran on Saturday executed two men it said were convicted of links to an opposition group, the People's Mojahedin Organization of ‌Iran, and ‌of carrying out armed ‌attacks, ⁠domestic media reported. The ⁠executions were the latest in recent days of individuals with PMOI links. The PMOI confirmed ⁠S»»»

Forces from Iran and the US are racing to recover a missing crew member from the F-15 warplane, shot down by Iran on Friday. US media reported United States special forces had rescued one of its two crew members.  Iranian and American forces raced each other Saturday to recover a cre»»»

Tehran: Iranian and American forces raced each other Saturday to recover a crew member of the first US fighter jet to go down inside Iran since the start of the war. Tehran said it had shot down the F-15 warplane, while US media reported United States special forces had rescued one of its two crew »»»

The Iraqi government moved on Friday to contain the fallout from an escalating regional war, after the US issued sharp warnings of possible attacks on its interests inside Iraq. Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani vowed to pursue those behind attacks and the kidnapping of foreigners, saying the »»»

In 2025, about 682 road accidents involving scooters were recorded in the capital, with 756 injuries and 14 fatalities—significantly higher than in 2022. It was reported at a road safety forum for scooter, moped, and personal mobility vehicle drivers. Participants discussed the increase in road acc»»»

A senior Israeli military commander said on Friday that disarming Hezbollah was not part of the current war objectives, and that the army’s plan instead focused on razing entire villages in southern Lebanon and forcibly displacing residents to create a buffer zone imposing a new border reality. Def»»»

Manama: Bahraini authorities said that four people were injured after debris fell following the interception and destruction of an Iranian drone. In a post on X, the Bahraini Ministry of Interior confirmed that four citizens sustained minor injuries and several homes in Sitra were damaged due to fa»»»

A US fighter jet was shot down over Iranian airspace on Friday, triggering a search operation by Washington which rescued one crew member. A second US Air Force aircraft went down later in the day, according to a US official. The whereabouts of any other crew were not immediately known. A US f»»»

The restoration of aluminum production at Abu Dhabi plant of the Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) company, the largest aluminum producer in the Middle East, may take up to 12 months, EGA said. On March 28, the government of Abu Dhabi said that six people were injured as a result of debris from an in»»»

The Israeli military said Saturday it had begun striking "Hezbollah infrastructure" in Beirut after it destroyed a bridge in eastern Lebanon to prevent the Iran-backed group's reinforcements from crossing. An AFP journalist heard two loud explosions in the capital within half an hour early Saturday»»»

The Iranian army confirmed that two US combat aircraft were shot down within 24 hours. One pilot is still missing in Iranian territory. According to US media reports, two rescue helicopters were hit by Iranian fire. An F-15E Strike Eagle was shot down over Iran, and an A-10 Warthog crashed near the»»»

An assassination attempt on Kamal Kharazi, head of Iran’s Strategic Council on Foreign Policy, left his wife dead as he was targeted by US-Israeli strike, Iranian president confirmed. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian confirmed the April 1 attack on X:"Just as I was addressing the American people»»»

Due to supply chain disruptions stemming from the conflict in the Middle East, India could potentially see a decline in fertiliser output. According to a recent Bloomberg report, New Delhi has asked China to allow the sale of some urea cargoes. Indian officials have asked Beijing to ease restrictio»»»

Due to supply chain disruptions stemming from the conflict in the Middle East, India could potentially see a decline in fertiliser output. According to a recent Bloomberg report, New Delhi has asked China to allow the sale of some urea cargoes. Indian officials have asked Beijing to ease restrictio»»»

Due to supply chain disruptions stemming from the conflict in the Middle East, India could potentially see a decline in fertiliser output. According to a recent Bloomberg report, New Delhi has asked China to allow the sale of some urea cargoes. Indian officials have asked Beijing to ease restrictio»»»

Iran shot down two US military planes in separate attacks Friday, with one service member rescued and at least one missing, in a dramatic escalation since the war began nearly five weeks ago. It was the first time US aircraft have been downed in the conflict and came just two days after President D»»»

NASA’s Artemis II astronauts fired their engines and set course for a lunar flyby on Thursday, marking the first human departure from Earth orbit since 1972. The crew of three Americans and one Canadian will break distance records, witness a solar eclipse and pave the way for future lunar missions »»»

It’s been a week that began with President Trump addressing the nation for the first time since the Iran War began five weeks ago. Expectations that he might signal an end to the conflict—or announce a ground offensive or a split from NATO—were unmet. Instead, his 18-minute speech echoed his social»»»

A leak of confidential documents from a network of Russian agents operating on the African continent reveals how Russia managed to place hundreds of articles in 35 different West African French-language media outlets – sometimes without their knowledge. The FRANCE 24 Observers team worked with»»»

Rima Hassan, a European Parliament member from the France Unbowed (LFI) party who is of Palestinian descent, will face trial in July on charges of "advocating terrorism" online over a message on X she posted last month. The International League Against Racism and Anti-Semitism and the Eur»»»

With Iran effectively turning the Strait of Hormuz into a toll gate, energy shortages are worsening across Asia. Amid the supply crunch, countries are increasingly turning back to coal for electricity, potentially slowing efforts to tackle climate change. Also on the show, Japan’s ageing population»»»

Japan’s demographic crisis is playing out even behind bars. The number of elderly inmates has quadrupled over the past 20 years. Around a fifth of people over 65 live below the poverty line, struggling to make ends meet. Some go to extraordinary lengths to improve their circumstances, deliberately »»»

Russia conducted rolling aerial attacks across Ukraine that began with overnight drone barrages followed by daytime missile and drone attacks that killed six people, Ukrainian officials said Friday. Russia has conducted an increasing number of daytime attacks on Ukraine as it attempts to penetrate »»»

Ukraine has in recent days intensified drone attacks on ports and refineries in Russia’s Leningrad region on the Baltic Sea. Yet Kyiv’s strategy of trying to stop Moscow from reaping the benefits of oil disruption in the Middle East doesn’t come without significant risk. Ukrainian drones struck key»»»

Authorities responded to a minor incident in Dubai Internet City after debris from an aerial interception fell on the facade of the Oracle building, the Dubai Media Office said. Officials confirmed that no injuries were reported and the situation was quickly brought under control Earlier, authoriti»»»

Dubai: Authorities responded to an incident in Dubai Marina after debris from an aerial interception struck the facade of a building, the Dubai Media Office said. Officials confirmed that the situation was brought under control, with no reports of injuries or fire. Get updated faster and for FREE: »»»

Share: Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike in Beirut’s southern suburbs © Ibrahim Amro, AFP A growing number of Shiite families displaced by the war in Lebanon say they’re being pushed out of towns where they feel unwelcome over the suspicion that they may be Hezbollah members By : BA»»»

Dubai: For thousands of students across the UAE who have spent a long time preparing for high-stakes international examinations, the news recently arrived in waves. First the IB. Then Cambridge, Pearson and OxfordAQA. One by one, the major exam boards have confirmed that traditional in-person writt»»»

A FEMA official reiterated his claims that he has experienced teleportation, including once suddenly finding himself in a Waffle House about 50 miles away from his previous location. File Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License Photo April 3 (UPI) -- An official in the Federal Emergency Management A»»»

As American forces race against time and Iran's military to locate a missing fighter jet crew reportedly shot down Friday, a retired Air Force general told AFP what it takes to hide and survive if parachuted into enemy territory. "You're like, 'Oh my God, I was in a fighter jet two minutes ago, fly»»»

Iranian and American forces were racing each other early Saturday to recover a crew member of the first US fighter jet to go down inside Iran since the start of the war. Tehran said it had shot down the F-15 warplane, while US media reported American special forces had rescued one of its two crew m»»»

AMMAN: The Jordan Armed Forces announced that the Royal Jordanian Air Force successfully intercepted and shot down two Iranian missiles that were heading toward locations inside Jordan demonstrating high efficiency in the operation over the past 24 hours. According to the Military Media Directorate»»»

BEIJING: Peace talks between Afghanistan's Taliban government and Pakistan are advancing, China's government said Friday, two days after those countries resumed conversations following weeks of fighting that have killed hundreds. “The consultation process is being steadily implemented and advanced,»»»

The funds are included in the Trump administration's 2027 federal budget proposal. The Trump administration has requested $152 million to reopen the prison on Alcatraz Island, which he first directed his administration to do in May 2025. File Photo by Terry Schmitt/UPI | License Photo April 3 (UPI)»»»

The electric vehicle revolution is no longer a distant promise — it is unfolding in real time. It's reshaping not just how cars are built. It's driving how energy, industry, and economies function. The integration, alongside adoption by end-users, is getting tighter. And what’s changing isn’t just »»»

More than 3.1 million bottles of eye drops have been recalled by their manufacturer over concerns that they may not be sterile, the FDA reported in a recall notice earlier this month. File Photo by Aaron Josefczyk/UPI | License Photo April 3 (UPI) -- More than three million bottles of eye drops sol»»»

Emergency crews at Goblin Valley State Park after hikers were caught in a flash flood Wednesday. Photo courtesy Goblin Valley State Park/Facebook Rescuers rushed to Goblin Valley State Park in southern Utah on Wednesday after multiple hikers were caught in flash flooding and swept down a slot canyo»»»

KUWAIT: The Kuwaiti Ministry of Defence announced on Friday that Kuwait's air defence systems have detected and engaged nine missiles; seven ballistic and two cruise, in the last 24 hours amidst the current regional military escalation. In the media briefing conducted by the Government Communicatio»»»

A federal district court judge denied a Department of Justice motion asking the court to reconsider its quashing of subpoenas aimed at U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, pictured in January at a press conference, and the Fed Board. File Photo by Annabelle Gordon/UPI | License Photo April 3 (»»»