Paris, France (AFP) Mar 4, 2026 - France said Wednesday it is planning a meeting of G7 finance ministers on the Middle East crisis for early next week, as the war fuels fears for the global economy.
Washington, United States (AFP) Mar 4, 2026 - A coalition spanning US conservative figure Steve Bannon, progressives, labor unions and faith groups announced Wednesday a joint declaration of principles on artificial intelligence, framing the effort as a pushback against what they called Silicon Valley's reckless deployment of AI.
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (AFP) Mar 4, 2026 - Saudi Arabia intercepted a drone attack in targeting its massive Ras Tanura refinery, the defence ministry said Wednesday, following an earlier hit on the complex along its Gulf coast this week.
Beirut, Lebanon (AFP) Mar 4, 2026 - Israel ordered residents of a vast region of southern Lebanon to leave their homes on Wednesday, as the military expanded its campaign of air strikes and reportedly sent ground troops deeper into the country.
Colombo (AFP) Mar 4, 2026 - Nearly 150 people were missing and several dead after an Iranian warship sank Wednesday off Sri Lanka following what crew members reported as an explosion, officials said.
Caracas (AFP) Mar 4, 2026 - US mining companies are lining up to invest in Venezuela, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said during a visit to Caracas on Wednesday as he pushed for greater access to critical minerals.
Geneva (AFP) Mar 4, 2026 - Suspected widespread use of AI to select targets and launch attacks on Iran raises many questions, and fears that human control of war machinery could be slipping, a leading expert said Wednesday.
Beirut, Lebanon (AFP) Mar 4, 2026 - Lebanese militant group Hezbollah said it targeted northern Israel's Haifa naval base on Tuesday in response to the Israeli military's ongoing strikes against the Iran-back movement's strongholds in Lebanon, including the southern suburbs of Beirut.
Tehran (AFP) Mar 4, 2026 - Iran's Revolutionary Guards said Wednesday they had total control of the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway for global energy transit, as Israel launched a new wave of strikes on the Iranian capital.
Rafah, Egypt (AFP) Mar 4, 2026 - More than 100 aid trucks crossed the Egyptian side of Gaza's Rafah border crossing on Tuesday, two sources told AFP.
Kinshasa (AFP) Mar 4, 2026 - An armed attack on the headquarters of Upemba National Park in southeastern DR Congo has killed five staff members, the state-run body that manages it said Wednesday.
Dubai (AFP) Mar 4, 2026 - The Gulf countries have long been seen as islands of stability in the Middle East, but the war in the region could threaten their prosperity, analysts said, pointing to risks to their revenues and reputations as business havens.
Yangon, Myanmar (AFP) Mar 4, 2026 - Snaking queues of vehicles waited in Myanmar for shrivelling petrol supplies on Wednesday, with some gas stations shuttered as fuel stocks dried up due to the war in the Middle East.
Tokyo (AFP) Mar 4, 2026 - Japan is looking into using a remote deserted Pacific island nearly 2,000 kilometres (1,250 miles) from Tokyo as a site for burying nuclear waste, officials said.
Beijing (AFP) Mar 4, 2026 - China began the first of its 'Two Sessions' meetings on Wednesday, a grand political theatre during which it will outline its annual growth target and defence budget, as well as its roadmap for the next five years.
Hong Kong (AFP) Mar 4, 2026 - Stock markets across Asia were pummelled Wednesday as investors began panic-selling on fears the Israel-US war on Iran will fan inflation and hammer the global economy.
