Saudi Arabia and the UAE open trade corridor bypassing Hormuz
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have launched a new trade route linking Sharjah to Dammam, opening a multimodal corridor designed to keep goods moving as shipping risks rise across the Gulf. The project was announced on March 23 by Saudi Ports Authority, known as Mawani, and comes as commercial navigation through the Strait of Hormuz......
Oil prices swing as US Iran signals clash over talks
Oil markets moved sharply on Monday after conflicting statements from Washington and Tehran raised fresh uncertainty about the ongoing conflict. Prices dropped steeply before recovering part of the losses, as traders reacted to claims of diplomatic progress that were quickly denied by Iranian officials. Brent crude fell by 10.9 percent to......
Dogecoin longs surge raises risk of liquidation cascade
Bullish bets on Dogecoin have reached their highest levels in months, even as the cryptocurrency’s price declines, creating conditions that analysts say could trigger large-scale liquidations. On March 22, the long to short ratio for Dogecoin futures climbed to 3.29 on OKX and around 2.46 on Binance, indicating that long positions significantly......
World water day highlights UN warning of global water crisis
World Water Day on March 22 was marked by a stark warning from United Nations scientists that the world has entered an era of “global water bankruptcy,” as freshwater systems face sustained depletion and growing demand. The 2026 observance, held under the theme of water and gender, focused on the disproportionate impact of water......
Capcom rules out generative AI content in video games
Capcom has said it will not include content generated by artificial intelligence in its video games, drawing a clear line between using AI as a development tool and allowing it to create final in-game assets. The Japanese publisher outlined its position during an investor question and answer session, stating that AI-generated material will......
Lyme disease vaccine shows over 70 percent efficacy in phase 3 trial
Pfizer and Valneva said their experimental Lyme disease vaccine achieved more than 70 percent efficacy in a large phase 3 clinical trial, marking a significant step toward the first approved human vaccine for the disease in more than two decades. Results from the VALOR trial showed the vaccine was 73.2 percent effective in preventing confirmed......
XBOW secures $120 million and integrates AI pentesting with Microsoft
XBOW, a Seattle-based cybersecurity startup, has raised $120 million in a Series C funding round and expanded its partnership with Microsoft to embed AI-driven penetration testing into enterprise security workflows. The latest funding, led by DFJ Growth and Northzone with participation from Sofina and Alkeon Capital, brings XBOW’s total......
Kandou AI raises $225 million to scale AI chip infrastructure
Kandou AI, a Swiss semiconductor startup pivoting toward artificial intelligence infrastructure, has raised $225 million in a funding round backed by SoftBank, Synopsys, Cadence Design Systems and Alchip Technologies. The Lausanne-based company is now valued at about $400 million, marking a major step in its shift from consumer electronics......
Morgan Stanley upgrades US LNG exporters after Qatar supply disruption
Morgan Stanley has upgraded its ratings on major US liquefied natural gas exporters Cheniere Energy and Venture Global, reversing bearish positions taken weeks earlier as global supply expectations shift בעקבות disruptions in Qatar. Analyst Devin McDermott raised Cheniere to overweight from equal weight and increased its price target......
Grab expands beyond Southeast Asia with $600 million Taiwan deal
Grab Holdings has agreed to acquire foodpanda’s delivery business in Taiwan for $600 million in cash, marking the Singapore-based company’s first expansion outside Southeast Asia. The deal will extend Grab’s footprint to a ninth market, adding operations in 21 Taiwanese cities and access to a business that generated about......
Ancient clay beads reveal children’s role in prehistoric craftsmanship
Archaeologists have identified 142 clay beads and pendants dating back about 15,000 years, with preserved fingerprints showing that both children and adults helped create these ornaments, offering rare direct evidence of who made symbolic objects in the Paleolithic era. The findings, published in Science Advances, mark the earliest known......
Middle East conflict threatens up to 3 percent GDP loss in Asia Pacific
Escalating conflict in the Middle East could reduce economic output across Asia Pacific by up to 3 percent in a prolonged war scenario, according to a new assessment by Moody’s Analytics. The report projects regional growth slowing to 4 percent in 2026 from 4.3 percent in 2025, with further moderation to 3.6 percent in 2027. Major economies......
Astronomers map 12 billion years of a spiral galaxy’s evolution
Astronomers have reconstructed the full 12 billion year history of a spiral galaxy for the first time, offering new insight into how galaxies form and evolve over cosmic time. The study, led by the Center for Astrophysics Harvard and Smithsonian and published in Nature Astronomy, focuses on the massive barred spiral galaxy NGC 1365. Researchers......
US agencies ordered to patch iPhone flaws linked to DarkSword spyware
US cybersecurity authorities have ordered federal agencies to urgently patch critical iPhone vulnerabilities exploited by a sophisticated hacking tool known as DarkSword, as Apple warned users to update their devices. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency instructed agencies to fix the flaws within two weeks, underscoring the......
Crypto fear index plunges to extreme lows amid market selloff
The Crypto Fear and Greed Index has dropped to 8, marking one of its lowest levels since 2022 and signaling extreme investor anxiety across digital asset markets. The index, compiled by Alternative.me, measures sentiment on a scale from 0 to 100 using factors such as volatility, trading volume, social media activity, surveys, Bitcoin dominance......