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Nearing 100, Li Ka‑shing is accelerating sales of large, immovable assets worldwide—ports, utilities, telecom and real estate—converting holdings into cash to reduce exposure to political and regulatory risk. The strategy highlights succession and capital‑preservation priorities among aging tycoons and will reshape secondary markets for politically sensitive infrastructure and Greater Bay Area property dynamics.

Iran’s new supreme leader, Mujtaba Khamenei, issued his first statement pledging revenge, promising to continue using a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and urging neighbouring states to close US military bases. The rhetoric follows nearly two weeks of heavy US and Israeli strikes, ballooning military costs and sharp reactions in global energy markets.

France has begun sea trials of the fourth Barracuda‑class nuclear attack submarine, De Grasse, marking an acceleration in the renewal of its undersea forces. The trial comes amid near‑simultaneous activity on attack‑sub replacements, new strategic submarines and submarine‑launched ballistic‑missile work, underscoring a sustained French emphasis on undersea capabilities.

Iran’s IRGC and Lebanon’s Hezbollah announced a coordinated, multi‑hour strike against Israeli cities and US bases in the region, while Israel said it launched a large‑scale airstrike on Tehran. The exchange marks a significant escalation in an already volatile cycle that began with US‑Israeli strikes on Iran in late February and risks widening into a broader regional conflict.

Surveillance footage and local statements indicate that the six THAAD launchers based at Seongju were moved to the Middle East in early March, a step reportedly mirrored by U.S. redeployments of Patriot batteries from the Indo-Pacific. Seoul says it opposed the transfers but was unable to prevent them, highlighting strains in alliance consultation and raising questions about regional deterrence in Northeast Asia. The episode underscores the trade-offs in U.S. force allocation between competing crises and the potential political cost in partner capitals when weapons stationed on allied territory are reassigned without prior notice.

A laundry fire aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford in the Red Sea on 12 March was contained and left the carrier’s propulsion intact, but two sailors were injured and are being treated. The ship remains on station supporting operations related to Iran, and the incident spotlights readiness and reliability questions surrounding the high-profile Ford-class program.

Iran’s state media and affiliated outlets have named a string of alleged spies and two larger networks that Tehran says were recruited by Israel’s Mossad and helped facilitate assassinations and attacks on military and nuclear targets. The cases illustrate a dual vulnerability: broad grassroots penetration by ordinary citizens and targeted betrayals by insiders with access to high-value secrets, posing a sustained threat to Iran’s deterrence and internal cohesion.

President Trump has described U.S. operations against Iran as nearing their end while explicitly reserving targets for future strikes. Iran has escalated with missiles and drones against regional bases, shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and Israeli military nodes, and has signalled an intent to target economic assets tied to the U.S. and Israel, raising the stakes for regional stability and global markets.

China has revealed two new Type 055 destroyers, hulls 109 and 110, with state-linked commentary claiming improved stealth, a new radar, upgraded propulsion and capacity for more advanced missiles. The modifications, if realized, would enhance the ships’ survivability and strike potential, complicating regional naval balances and signalling a design approach built for future weapon integration.

The Philippines has deployed a land-based BrahMos anti-ship missile battery at Cape Bojeador on Luzon’s northern tip, giving it reach into the Luzon Strait. While the system’s strike envelope could threaten vessels transiting a key maritime corridor, its effectiveness depends on supporting ISR and command networks that Manila currently lacks; the move is nevertheless a significant signal in the US-China-Philippine strategic competition.

Google has introduced Groundsource, an AI method that converts public information into structured historical disaster records, initially targeting urban flash floods. The tool could improve risk modelling and preparedness in data‑poor settings but raises concerns about coverage bias, data quality and governance.

Dong Mingzhu, chair of appliance giant Gree, argued that AI is a tool that can boost efficiency but cannot entirely replace human workers. Her remarks stress product differentiation and workforce adaptation, reflecting concerns about social stability and industrial competitiveness in China.

Robam introduced AI cooking glasses at AWE 2026 powered by its vertical culinary model “Shishen,” signalling appliance makers’ shift into AI‑driven services. The device exemplifies trends toward domain‑specific AI and connected kitchen ecosystems, while raising practical, privacy and regulatory questions that will shape adoption.

Midea unveiled MevoX, a self‑evolving home intelligence agent, and pledged over RMB 60 billion to AI and embodied intelligence over three years. The company is targeting two persistent technical gaps—reasoning (inference) and memory—to move smart homes from device control to proactive, context‑aware spaces, while signalling a strategic pivot from hardware sales to platform and service revenue.

BMW has postponed plans to introduce Level‑3 autonomous driving in China, citing unresolved technical, regulatory and reputational risks. The move highlights the gap between prototype capability and safe, scalable deployment, and reshapes competitive dynamics between cautious incumbents and aggressive local challengers.

US officials told Congress the first six days of operations against Iran cost more than $11.3 billion and expended about $5.6 billion of munitions in the opening 48 hours. Intelligence assessments report that Iran’s leadership remains intact and not at risk of immediate collapse, complicating Washington’s strategic choices and raising questions about the sustainability and wider consequences of the campaign.

Retired Brig. Gen. William N. McCasland, a former head of the Air Force Research Laboratory, has been missing since February 27 after leaving his New Mexico home on foot. His disappearance, coming amid renewed calls for UAP file disclosures, has revived unsubstantiated conspiracy theories about Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, even as family and former officials urge restraint while the FBI and military search.

A U.S. strike on a girls' primary school in Minab, Iran, killed more than 170 people and preliminary investigations suggest the strike used outdated Defence Intelligence Agency coordinates. The case exposes flaws in intelligence maintenance, rapid targeting practices and the growing use of AI-assisted planning tools, raising questions about verification, command responsibility and the future role of automated systems in warfare.

The IRGC announced it had completed the 40th wave of an operation called “Real Promise‑4,” saying it had struck Israeli targets and US bases in the region alongside Lebanon’s Hezbollah. Israeli officials called the action the first coordinated Iran–Hezbollah strike since a recent US–Israeli military operation against Iran, raising the risk of a wider regional escalation and complicating defence and diplomatic choices for Israel, the United States and their partners.

An Israeli airstrike struck Beirut's Ramlet al-Baida on 12 March, killing eight and wounding 31, and prompting Lebanese army and police inspections of the blast site. The rare strike inside the capital raises the risk of broader escalation, complicates Lebanon's fragile domestic politics, and poses a challenge for international calls for restraint.