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Baidu’s 2025 results exposed the costs of an urgent pivot: revenue slipped and net profit collapsed 76%, driven largely by a ¥16.2bn write‑down of obsolete compute assets. The company is reallocating around AI — reporting a fast‑growing ¥40bn AI new business — but faces intense competition, uncertain unit economics and the challenge of replacing evaporating search‑ad revenue.

A sharp escalation in the Middle East after strikes on Iran prompted Tehran to ban transits through the Strait of Hormuz, quickly sending gold above $5,400 and causing Brent crude to surge. Analysts warn that a prolonged closure of Hormuz could remove 8–10 million barrels per day from the market, pushing prices much higher and elevating inflation and geopolitical risk worldwide.

A sharp Asia-Pacific equity sell-off accompanied by surging oil prices and retreating war-risk insurance has followed a fresh round of US–Iran military exchanges. Markets are showing extreme sectoral splits — defensive and resource names outperform travel and cyclical stocks — while the return of insurers to cover tanker risks has become a crucial near-term variable.

Following US and Israeli strikes on Iran and an IRGC ban on transit through the Strait of Hormuz, the global oil market faces the risk of a large supply shock. Analysts warn that prolonged disruption—especially if Saudi infrastructure were targeted—could send crude above $100 a barrel and push LNG back to 2022 highs, with wide economic consequences.

Greg Abel’s first annual shareholder letter as CEO emphasised continuity as Berkshire Hathaway reported a drop in GAAP net profit to $66.97bn in 2025, while operating earnings fell to $44.49bn but remained above the five‑year average. Insurance underwriting weakness and a $4.5bn impairment offset steady performance from rail and energy units, leaving a $373.3bn cash reserve that poses both an opportunity and a challenge for future capital allocation.

IFBH posted revenue growth in fiscal 2025 but saw attributable profit plunge by about 31.7%, highlighting a gap between strong demand for its if coconut-water brand and the failure of new product lines. The company’s asset-light model and distributor issues have left its attempted diversification — notably the Innococo electrolyte brand — struggling, exposing execution and scaling risks.

Yeshui Group sparked a fresh backlash after factory banners bluntly sexualised female employees and linked breast size to coconut juice. The incident continues a pattern of provocative campaigns that have repeatedly drawn fines and online condemnation, highlighting the costs of shock-driven marketing in China’s increasingly scrutinised consumer environment.

A rapid escalation between Iran, the United States and Israel has shut airspace across at least eight Middle Eastern countries, stranded hundreds of thousands of passengers and prompted Iran to block the Strait of Hormuz. The disruption threatens a significant portion of global seaborne oil flows and risks a sharp rise in energy prices, even as international agencies monitor supplies and markets respond nervously.

Anti‑American protests across Pakistan on March 1, sparked by the killing of Iran’s supreme leader in a US‑Israel airstrike, left at least 20 dead and over 100 wounded. Demonstrators attacked diplomatic and international facilities in Islamabad, Karachi and Gilgit‑Baltistan, prompting a forceful security response and a ban on public protests in the capital.

President Erdogan condemned a recent US–Israel strike on Iran as a breach of international law and called for an immediate ceasefire, blaming escalation on Netanyahu's provocations. He pledged to intensify Turkish diplomatic efforts to bring the parties back to negotiations, positioning Ankara as an active mediator amid rising regional tensions.

Mass protests erupted across the United States after coordinated U.S.-Israeli strikes on Tehran, with demonstrators and civil liberties groups accusing the president of waging war without congressional authorization. The strikes, critics say, risk regional escalation and may have been timed to distract from mounting domestic political pressures, forcing a renewed national debate over war powers and executive authority.

The PLA Air Force commemorated the 80th anniversary of its pioneering Northeast aviation school with site visits, theatrical performances, seminars and awards that repurpose wartime stories into contemporary political and professional education. Beijing is using such commemorations to fuse revolutionary legacy with modern military training, reinforcing cohesion and political loyalty alongside technological modernization.

In the 40 hours since US and Israeli strikes on Iran, Tehran has launched a sustained IRGC counteroffensive that targeted dozens of US and Israeli military sites across the region, disrupted Gulf shipping and inflicted civilian casualties. The confrontation has already driven regional instability, threatened global oil flows and triggered a rapid shift in Iranian leadership arrangements after state announcements of the Supreme Leader’s death.

Iran says its supreme leader was killed in coordinated U.S.-Israeli strikes on Tehran, prompting rapid and large-scale Iranian retaliation that has spread across the Middle East. The confrontation risks a broader regional war, serious disruption to oil and shipping, and a hardening of Tehran’s internal politics even if the regime does not collapse.

The US Central Command announced that a B‑2 stealth bomber struck hardened Iranian ballistic missile facilities on the night of March 1 using 2,000‑pound munitions. The move signals Washington’s intent to degrade Iran’s missile infrastructure while managing escalation risk, but independent confirmation and Iran’s response remain unclear.

Israel announced it struck targets in central Tehran on March 1, and Xinhua reporters in Tehran heard explosions and saw smoke, though independent verification is limited. If confirmed, such a strike marks a significant escalation with potential to broaden the Israel-Iran confrontation and destabilize the wider region.

The IRGC says its "Real Promise 4" strikes in the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz have hit tankers and US facilities in Kuwait and Bahrain and inflicted 560 US casualties. The claims are unverified and, if true, would mark a serious escalation with implications for regional security, global energy markets, and US force posture in the Gulf.

Israel announced it had completed a “clearance” of senior Iranian-aligned leadership across multiple fronts and said it would continue striking Iranian infrastructure. The claim lacks independent verification and raises the risk of asymmetric Iranian retaliation and broader regional escalation. Key implications include immediate uncertainty about the targeting and verification of the strikes, potential disruption of Iran-backed networks, and heightened risk of retaliatory measures that could affect regional stability and global energy and shipping flows.

President Trump has claimed that U.S. forces sank nine Iranian naval vessels and "basically destroyed" Iran’s naval headquarters, a statement that has not been independently verified and to which Iran had not responded. If true, the strikes represent a significant escalation in U.S.-Iran tensions with potential consequences for regional security, shipping and energy markets.

Iran’s IRGC claims it fired four ballistic missiles at the USS Abraham Lincoln and declared a “new phase” in strikes against enemy forces. The U.S. has not confirmed the attack; the announcement functions as both a potential military escalation and strategic signaling with risky implications for regional stability.