International reporting on events and trends that influence Panama and the region. Stories include geopolitics, diplomacy, and global developments.
Videos circulated online show rockets fired from Lebanon and intercepted over central Israel, highlighting renewed cross-border hostilities and the risk of escalation.
Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez introduced a bill urging a pause on the rollout of AI-related infrastructure, including data centres, until safety safeguards are established amid growing political backlash to the technology.
Australia has announced a ban on visitors from Iran, with the Home Affairs Department saying the move was in the “national interest” amid the war in the Middle East.
Hong Kong’s falling birthrate has cut student numbers, squeezing school budgets and threatening learning; commentators urge swift, careful school restructuring to protect education and future economic prospects.
Russia accused the US and Israel of attempting to provoke a nuclear disaster after what Moscow called a second strike on Iran’s Bushehr reactor, raising international concern over safety and escalation.
A Los Angeles jury found Alphabet’s Google and Meta liable in a social media addiction lawsuit, awarding $6 million in a ruling described as landmark.
Novo Nordisk’s semaglutide lost patent protection in China on March 20, triggering at least 10 domestic weight‑loss drugs to seek approval as regulators speed up drug clearances. The market could reach about US$14 billion by 2030.
An independent inquiry into the Tai Po estate fire that killed 168 has entered its fourth day as residents testify that contractors failed to supervise smoking workers and refuse piled up outside Wang Fuk Court.
Malaysia plans to cut the number of foreign workers to encourage local hiring and push up wages, a move that could reshape sectors reliant on migrant labour and affect multinational staffing plans.
A former top national security adviser urged Japan to consider sending warships to the Strait of Hormuz under a special measures law to protect ships — even before a ceasefire.
Sotheby’s Maison in Hong Kong is showcasing “Beyond the Abstract,” a sweeping exhibition surveying 3,000 years of abstraction across painting, sculpture and historic objects through March 27.
Australian Cameron McEvoy broke the 50m freestyle world record at the China Open with a 20.88 swim and called the lack of a prize for the feat “ludicrous,” highlighting questions about athlete compensation.
Ross Harrison warned that public diplomacy between the U.S. and Iran masks hardline positions and predicted a likely military escalation, highlighting persistent risks in bilateral relations.
China’s Hukeda-2 (Yuxing-3 06) completed a low Earth orbit refuelling demonstration using a flexible “octopus tentacle” robotic arm, advancing in-orbit servicing capabilities.
A comedian’s unnamed innuendo about a public figure, recorded and shared online, spotlights the growing risk of defamation, platform responsibility and self-censorship in Hong Kong.
An explosion in eastern Tehran shattered windows and destroyed a laptop, but daily life resumed quickly, highlighting how civilians in Iran are adapting amid the wider US–Israel war.
Iran’s parliament speaker warned a regional neighbour against occupying an Iranian island, while the U.S. speaks of peace even as it commits more troops to the conflict.
Experts at the Boao Forum said China’s humanoid robots are still years from a “ChatGPT moment,” citing difficulties in task generalisation, training efficiency and unresolved hardware and software limits.
Singapore has postponed a planned sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) levy from next month to Oct. 1, saying higher fuel costs tied to the Iran war make the timing difficult for airlines and passengers.
Seven-year-old Shao Ziyan from Wenzhou has been certified as China’s youngest professional rally driver after being certified at age five; he began using a racing simulator at age one.