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News

Marex warns a three-month Hormuz closure would cost Gulf states an average 3.8% of GDP in current account deterioration, with Bahrain most exposed and Oman the only country to benefit from the disruption

One person was killed in an Iranian strike on a residential building in Manama, Bahrain's capital, the government confirmed, describing the attack as "sinful Iranian aggression."

Fitch Ratings has warned UAE homebuilders will prioritise cash conservation after the regional conflict hit property viewings, flagging risks to future debt-funded projects and overseas expansion plans.

The question being asked then is whether he will indeed be jammy and still around tomorrow, or spread across Tehran like his father

Emirates, Etihad Airways, Air Arabia, and flydubai resumed limited flight operations to and from the UAE on March 10, following a temporary shutdown of Dubai International Airport after Iranian attacks targeting Gulf countries, including the UAE.

Tech

The rollout of 5G technology remains far from bridging the global digital divide. Quite the contrary, the connectivity gap between high-income and low-income regions has widened in recent years, Statista reports.

Iran dumped reliance on the US GPS satellite network to guide drones and missiles and switched to China’s BeiDou satellite navigation system to neutralise Israel’s electronic warfare defences.

Fagura describes its model as a modern version of the traditional “3Fs” funding approach – Friends, Family and Fools.

First urban 5G coverage is planned by spring 2027, with nationwide coverage scheduled for completion by 2033.

A Chinese satellite picture of US fighter jets standing on the runway Prince Sultan Air Base in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has shaken the military analyst community.

Opinion

Armenia is navigating one of its most consequential geopolitical transitions since independence in 1991, says a report published by the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute.

Hungary’s decision to block a €90bn EU loan to Ukraine has exposed deepening tensions between Budapest and Kyiv, as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban escalates a confrontation that analysts say is increasingly tied to domestic politics.

A week after launching the largest U.S. military operation in two decades, President Donald Trump has yet to explain why he decided to go to war with Iran. Instead, he seems to be testing a variety of rationales and constant changing his mind.

Large unexplained flows in Kyrgyzstan’s balance of payments continue to fuel concerns about sanctions circumvention linked to Russia, according to a report by GlobalSource Partners.

Israel’s latest strikes on Beirut risk repeating the logic of the 1982 invasion of Lebanon — a moment when a single attack gave Israeli leaders the opportunity to escalate a war they were already prepared to fight.

Data

EBRD projects Montenegro’s GDP to expand by 3.2% in 2026, up by 0.5 percentage points from the estimate issued in September.

Annual inflation fell from the 3.2% recorded in January.

Arms imports by European countries more than tripled over the past five years, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

The economy weakened significantly toward the end of the year, after fiscal consolidation measures were enforced.

Capital Economics, meanwhile, says a hike cannot be ruled out.

Features

Trump launched the “Shield of the Americas” with 12 Latin American leaders in Miami, proposing military action against drug cartels while signalling a broader effort to reassert US influence in the region and counter China.

Iran has issued a stark warning to the US and Israel against further strikes on its critical energy infrastructure, threatening reciprocal action across the Middle East.

Tensions in the Middle East are reshaping key alliances as UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed and US President Donald Trump hold a high-level call on Iran’s regional aggression and the growing influence of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Iran’s military declared the Straits of Hormuz were shut on March 2 and traffic fell to nearly zero within a day. But it is not at zero. At least five ships have traversed the passage since the blockade began.

Ukrainian drone manufacturers are preparing to supply interceptor drones to Gulf states seeking cheaper ways to counter Iranian Shahed attacks, as heavy use of US air defence systems in the Middle East raises concerns about missile shortages.

Blogs

Life in wartime Tehran has shifted to a neighbourhood-centric pattern as residents stay put, unable to afford evacuation. Field reporting reveals how economic pressure, not defiance, keeps millions in a city under sustained air strikes.

The Kremlin is looking on with concern as Operation Epic Fury unfolds in the Middle East. The US has gone in with its standard “shock and awe” strategy of attacking with overwhelming force. But Putin probably sees this as another Libya.

Albanian PM Edi Rama has emerged as one of Europe’s most outspoken backers of the US-Israeli military action against "murderers in Tehran".

Asian economies, heavily dependent on energy imports, stand to gain the most as Iran holds the world’s fourth-largest proven oil reserves in the Khuzestan region, and is the second-largest in terms of natural gas deposits.

The initial jolt of adrenaline gave way to fear, and fear to a grim, quiet resignation.

bneGREEN

Global temperatures in 2025 ranked as the third-highest on record, according to analyses released by three major climate monitoring agencies, highlighting the continued acceleration of human-driven warming despite cooling influences from La Nina.

Missile strikes on fuel storage facilities in and around Tehran on March 8 triggered massive fires and sent toxic smoke across the Iranian capital, raising health concerns for millions of residents, as the cloud drifts towards Central Asia.

Officials struggle to convince inhabitants that the science shows Israeli bomb strikes on Iranian oil depots cannot lead to such a nightmare.

A rare earth deposit discovered in Norway is about 80% larger than initially estimated, potentially making it one of the world’s biggest sources of the critical minerals used in electric vehicles, wind turbines and defence systems.

What started as development banks pushing emerging markets to adopt green energy because of the Climate Crisis has been transformed after the cost of producing green energy plummeted. But 8-hour batteries are key to completing the evolution.

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