6,500: The number of M23 rebels fighting in Congo. On Monday, the US imposed sanctions on the Rwandan government for allegedly supporting the rebels, who’ve been accused of human rights abuses, despite a peace deal that Rwandan President Paul Kagame and Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi signed in Washington, D.C., last year. Rwanda disputes the allegations.
2.5%: The amount the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell on Tuesday as investors reacted to potential fallout from war in Iran and risks to global oil supplies. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 dropped 2.2%, and the Nasdaq slid 2.4%.
14: The number of Middle East countries the US has told Americans to leave to avoid being caught in the expanding Iran conflict. According to CBS News, more than a million Americans are believed to be in the region.
Microsoft and North America’s Building Trades Unions announced an expanded partnership to bring no‑cost AI training to millions of workers in the building trades. The effort reflects a simple idea: the people building the future should also be equipped to thrive in it. The partnership builds on training that has already reached more than 1,500 instructors across 50 states and North America, expanding access through a recognized AI literacy credential on LinkedIn Learning. It also extends to the next generation of skilled professionals through NABTU’s TradesFutures programs in 34 states, helping strengthen workforce pathways as demand for AI infrastructure grows. Read the full blog here.
Wall Street Journal Beijing bureau chief Jonathan Cheng argues that North Korea is best understood not as a nation state but as a religious society, built on the most durable personality cult in modern history.
Two months into the Iran war, the shooting has stopped … for now. In Quick Take, Ian Bremmer explains that the fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran is holding, with both sides avoiding direct confrontation while continuing to apply pressure in other ways. The US blockade remains in place, and Iran is still disrupting key shipping routes, underscoring just how tenuous the situation really is.
While most European countries have tightened their border policies in recent years, Spain is going in the opposite direction.