The 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off on Thursday in Mexico City, marking the start of the largest edition of the tournament since its inception in 1930. Jointly hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico, the mega sports gala will feature a record 48 national teams, making it the first World Cup to be staged across three countries.
Positron AI, a US-based developer of next-generation specialised AI inference infrastructure, has established its first presence outside the country in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC)), the leading global financial centre in the Middle East and Africa region.
Brent oil looks set to move above $100 and potentially stay there for a while, said an industry expert citing reports that Iran has halted negotiations with the US and threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz. That scenario would change the game for investors.
Oil prices climbed more than 2% on Monday as investors reassessed expectations for a breakthrough in US-Iran negotiations, with renewed regional tensions highlighting the fragility of efforts to secure a broader peace agreement and restore stability to Middle East energy supplies.
Iran is expected to respond on Thursday to a US proposal aimed at ending the conflict and establishing a framework for broader nuclear negotiations, according to media reports, as diplomatic efforts intensified amid continuing tensions in the Gulf.
Oil prices eased slightly on Tuesday after jumping about 6% yesterday following increased hostilities in the Strait of Hormuz.
US President Donald Trump has announced that the US will begin guiding ships through the Strait of Hormuz, which remains largely blocked by Iran, starting Monday.
The United States has announced new sanctions on Iranian oil and petrochemical networks, the latest move in its 'maximum pressure' strategy to curb the country's key sources of income and limit funding for its military operations, said a report.
The US-Iran war and effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz have disrupted economic activity, but the negative rating actions for Middle East issuers for the March-April period were limited to outlook revisions and placements on the Rating Watch, according to a report from Fitch.
US President Donald Trump said he will soon review Iran's new 14-point proposal for peace, adding that he “can’t imagine that it would be acceptable.”
