The United States and Iran have announced an agreement aimed at ending months of conflict and paving the way for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route for global energy supplies, although key details of the accord remain unclear.
Panasonic Holdings plans to begin mass production of battery cells for data centre applications in the United States by fiscal 2028, positioning itself to benefit from rapidly rising demand driven by artificial intelligence infrastructure expansion.
The US and Iran have signaled that an agreement to end their war was close, with a senior US administration official saying both sides had agreed on a text and that Washington expects to sign an initial deal soon, said media reports. Hours after the White House statement on the deal, the US military had it had downed multiple Iranian drones near the Strait of Hormuz.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is acting quickly and decisively with $4 billion in financing to help countries withstand the impact of the Middle East conflict, including about $3 billion requested by governments and $1 billion provided as trade finance for energy and food imports.
The United States launched a new round of strikes on military targets across Iran overnight, prompting retaliatory missile and drone attacks by Tehran against US bases in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan and renewed threats to shut the Strait of Hormuz. The latest exchanges have heightened concerns that the conflict could again hit life in the Gulf.
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.
