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70,000: China agreed to crack down on exports of the illicit drug fentanyl and its chemical precursors as part of a deal to diffuse trade tensions agreed with the US last weekend, at least according to the Trump administration. A record 70,000 Americans died of drug overdoses last year – many of them from opioids laced with fentanyl. Some critics questioned whether China will follow through on a promise it's made to previous administrations.


125: The world's largest Orthodox cathedral, which opened in the Romanian capital of Bucharest last week, is turning heads. Along with its height of 400 feet, the $125 million price tag, about three quarters of which was funded by taxpayers, has ruffled feathers in one of Europe's poorest countries.

78: With campaign season in full swing, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari is set to face off against a record 78 opponents in an election seen as a referendum on his handling of a lackluster economy and the violent insurgency of Boko Haram. All things considered, he could maybe use a few more body doubles.

8: It's been eight months since the US has had an aircraft carrier stationed in the Persian Gulf – the longest such lull in nearly two decades. That will change in a few days when the USS John C. Stennis steams into the region for a two-month deployment amid rising US pressure on Iran.

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Workers are unloading coal from a cargo ship on the Turag River in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on May 06, 2024.

Workers are unloading coal from a cargo ship on the Turag River in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on May 06, 2024.

Iran conflict has Asia looking for coalMuch as Europe did when Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine four years ago, Asia is turning to a retro, highly-polluting fuel source as the Iran conflict limits the supply of liquefied natural gas: coal. The continent relies heavily on natural gas for its electricity, much of it imported – in the [...]
Venezuela outfielder Javier Sanoja reacts in the fifth inning during the 2026 World Baseball Classic Championship game at LoanDepot Park in Miami, Florida, USA, on March 17, 2026.

Venezuela outfielder Javier Sanoja during the 2026 World Baseball Classic Championship game at LoanDepot Park in Miami, Florida, USA, on March 17, 2026.

Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
3: The number of runs scored by Venezuela’s national baseball team in their stunning upset of top-seeded USA in the World Baseball Classic final in Miami last night. In an epic game fraught with geopolitical overtones – the US government abducted Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro in January – the arepa-powered pitching staff held the fearsome US [...]
​Explosions in Iran and gas prices increasing.

Explosions in Iran and gas prices increasing.

Natalie Johnson
Nearly a month ago, the US and Israel started a war with Iran. Over 2,000 miles away, one continent that wants little to do with the war is nevertheless uniquely impacted: Europe.European Union leaders met in Brussels on Tuesday to discuss skyrocketing energy prices resulting from the conflict. It comes after US President Donald Trump issued a [...]
March 13, 2026, Tehran, Iran: ALI LARIJANI (C), Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran, participates in the Al-Quds (Jerusalem) Day rally, a commemoration in support of the Palestinian people on the last Friday of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, in Tehran.

March 13, 2026, Tehran, Iran: ALI LARIJANI (C), Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran, participates in the Al-Quds (Jerusalem) Day rally, a commemoration in support of the Palestinian people on the last Friday of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, in Tehran.

Supreme National Security Counci via ZUMA Press Wire
Israel says it has killed Iran’s security chief, as war drags onAli Larijani, who was head of the Islamic Republic’s influential security council and had effectively run the country since Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s death, was killed in a strike overnight, Israel has said. Tehran has not confirmed his death. If it is true, Larijani would be the [...]