Gold falls below $4,500 as Iran rejects U.S. ceasefire plan, oil holds above $100
Gold dropped below $4,500 an ounce Thursday morning while oil prices remained elevated above $100 a barrel, as markets absorbed the collapse of a U.S. ceasefire proposal to Iran and the continued military conflict in the Middle East. The Trump administration transmitted a 15-point ceasefire plan to Iran through Pakistani intermediaries earlier......
Dollar slips in Asia as Iran diplomacy doubts trim Fed hike bets
The US dollar eased slightly in Asian trading Thursday. Investors parsed prospects for diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the US-Israel-Iran conflict. Expectations for Federal Reserve rate hikes by year-end fell. The US dollar index, tracking the currency against six major peers, dropped 0.1 percent. It hovered near 99.5 after its biggest......
Morocco's Grand Prix Hassan II marks 40 years with major lineup announcements
The official press conference for the 40th edition of the Grand Prix Hassan II tennis tournament took place Tuesday, March 24, at the Royal Tennis Club of Marrakech. The event marked the formal media launch of what organizers have described as an anniversary edition of special significance, gathering key figures from the tournament's administrative......
Google TurboQuant breakthrough shakes memory chip stocks amid AI shift
Google unveiled a new set of compression algorithms that sharply reduce the memory footprint of large language models, triggering an immediate selloff in memory and storage chip stocks. The system includes TurboQuant, PolarQuant, and Quantized Johnson Lindenstrauss. These tools focus on the key value cache, a component used during AI inference......
Salesforce shares fall as Anthropic expands Claude AI capabilities
Salesforce shares dropped 5.8 percent on Tuesday after Anthropic said its Claude assistant can now control a user’s computer to perform tasks. The move renewed concerns that autonomous AI agents could weaken traditional enterprise software models. The stock decline extends a difficult year for the CRM company. Shares are down about......
Asian markets fall as Iran rejects us ceasefire proposal
Asian stock markets declined and oil prices rose on Thursday after Iran rejected a US-backed ceasefire proposal, dimming hopes for a swift resolution to the conflict now entering its fourth week. Japan’s Nikkei 225 slipped 0.3 percent, while South Korea’s Kospi dropped 1.9 percent. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 1.4 percent......
LNG tankers divert to Asia as Middle East war tightens supply
At least 11 liquefied natural gas tankers originally bound for Europe have been redirected to Asia since early March, as buyers in the region outbid European importers for limited cargoes following the escalation of war in the Middle East. Data from MarineTraffic shows the rerouting trend as disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz removed......
Stanford study links us emissions to $10 trillion global climate damage
A study from Stanford University finds that greenhouse gas emissions from the United States have caused more than 10 trillion dollars in global economic damage since 1990. The research, published in Nature, introduces a new method that connects emissions from countries, companies, and individuals to measurable economic losses worldwide. The......
Ancient shipwreck reveals oldest known raw iron cargo at sea
Researchers from University of Haifa have uncovered what they describe as the oldest known shipment of raw iron transported by sea, dating back about 2,600 years. The discovery was made during an underwater excavation off Israel’s northern Mediterranean coast, in the Dor lagoon near the Carmel shoreline. The team recovered nine pieces......
Morocco football federation and national airports authority sign strategic partnership
The Royal Moroccan Football Federation and the National Airports Office signed a strategic partnership agreement on Wednesday, March 25, 2026, at Rabat-Salé Airport, marking a significant step in institutional cooperation aimed at improving the travel experience and logistical support for Morocco's national football teams and sports......
Oil crisis from Iran conflict drives electric vehicle surge in Asia
The energy shock triggered by the war in Iran is reshaping Asia’s energy outlook. Analysts say the disruption is accelerating the region’s shift toward renewable energy and electric vehicles, even as several countries increase coal use in the short term. Fighting has severely disrupted oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz,......
Asia imposes fuel rationing and shorter workweeks amid Iran war crisis
Nearly one month after US and Israeli strikes hit Iran on February 28, the effective Strait of Hormuz closure triggered Asia's worst energy crisis in decades. Regional governments rolled out fuel rationing, cut workweeks, and scrambled for alternative supplies. Asia depends on over 80% of the oil and LNG normally passing through the strait. Oil......
Jet fuel tops $4 per gallon as airlines raise fares worldwide
Jet fuel prices have more than doubled since the US-Israeli war against Iran began late February. They surpassed $4 per gallon this week, per Airlines for America data. Airlines globally pass costs to travelers amid peak spring break and rising summer bookings. United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby warned employees on March 20 of the hit. Fuel......
Israeli airstrike hits Christian town north of Beirut for first time
An Israeli airstrike targeted Sahel Alma, a Christian city north of Beirut, on Tuesday. State media and Reuters reported it as the first strike on this area amid the escalating Israel-Hezbollah war. Witnesses heard multiple explosions and saw white smoke rising, though no immediate casualties emerged. The attack signals Israel's air campaign......
European stocks rally on US-Iran ceasefire proposal
European markets surged Wednesday after reports of a US ceasefire proposal to Iran sparked hopes for de-escalation in the month-old Middle East conflict. The advance lifted travel and finance stocks while pushing oil below $100 a barrel. The STOXX 600 rose 1.3% to 586.73 points mid-morning in London, recouping losses from a volatile war-tied......