Iran names former supreme leader’s son to succeed him as war sends oil prices soaring
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran has named Ayotollah Mojtaba Khamenei, a son of Iran’s late supreme leader, to succeed him as the Islamic Republic’s next ruler. Monday’s announcement puts a hard-line cleric in charge as the war spreading across the Mideast has sent oil prices skyrocketing. Iran has been launching new attacks on regional energy infrastructure, prompting sharp warnings from Saudi Arabia. A stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz has all but stopped tankers from using the shipping lane between the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman through which a fifth of the world’s oil is carried. Brent crude oil, the international standard, hit prices up some 65% from when Israel and the United States attacked Iran on Feb. 28.
Human Rights Watch accuses Israel of using white phosphorus in southern Lebanese town
BEIRUT (AP) — Human Rights Watch says the Israeli military unlawfully fired white phosphorus shells into a village in southern Lebanon. The group says it has verified seven images and geolocated them to the village of Yohmor. It says the shells hit residential areas hours after Israel warned residents there, and in dozens of nearby places, to evacuate. Human Rights Watch says it cannot confirm if anyone remained in the area or was harmed. The Israeli military did not respond to a request for comment. It has said in the past it uses white phosphorus as a smoke screen, not to target civilians.
BANGKOK (AP) — Shares have tumbled around the world after oil prices soared to more than $100 a barrel due to disruptions from the war in the Middle East. European shares opened down more than 2% and Japan’s Nikkei 225 dropped 5.2%. South Korea’s Kospi sank 6.2% and other Asian benchmarks also tumbled. Crude prices have jumped more than 50% since the war started, spiking to their highest levels in 14 years as the conflict ensnares major oil-producing countries, hindering exports from the Persian Gulf. Prices for a barrel of Brent crude and U.S. benchmark crude jumped to almost $120 a barrel early Monday. They fell back below $110 per barrel later in the day.
Crude oil prices spike near $120 a barrel as the Iran war impedes production and shipping
CHICAGO (AP) — Oil prices have spiked near $120 a barrel as the Iran war disrupts oil production and shipping in the Middle East. Crude prices fell back Monday after the Financial Times reported that members of the Group of Seven industrial nations were considering releasing some strategic oil reserves to ease pressures on supplies. U.S. benchmark crude was trading at about $103 per barrel while Brent crude was near $108 per barrel. Supply concerns have driven crude and gasoline higher prices as the war ensnares major oil-producing countries and hinders exports from the Persian Gulf. Surging oil prices jolted other financial markets, as share benchmarks in Japan and South Korea plunged more than 5%.
US military kills 6 in strike on alleged drug boat in the Eastern Pacific
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military says it has killed six men in a strike on an alleged drug-smuggling vessel in the eastern Pacific Ocean as part of the Trump administration’s campaign against alleged traffickers. Sunday’s attack brought the death toll to at least 157 people since the Trump administration began targeting those it calls “narcoterrorists” in small vessels in early September. As with most of the military’s statements on the more than 40 known strikes, U.S. Southern Command said it targeted alleged drug traffickers along known smuggling routes. The military did not provide evidence that the vessel was ferrying drugs. It posted a video on X that showed a small boat floating on the water and then being blown up.
Europe rallies around Cyprus during Iran war as Macron visits to show support for island
PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron is traveling to Cyprus. The visit on Monday comes days after France dispatched a warship to the east Mediterranean island nation amid the Iran war. A Shahed drone struck a British air base on its southern coast last week. Macron ordered the French frigate Languedoc to waters off Cyprus to bolster the European Union member country’s anti-drone and anti-missiles defenses. The French president also decided to send ground-based anti-drone and anti-missile defenses to the island. Macron will meet Monday with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides and Greek Prime Kyriakos Mitsotakis at Cyprus’ main air base.
Jury selection to begin in South Florida for 5 charged in 2021 assassination of Haitian president
MIAMI (AP) — Jury selection is scheduled to begin in the trial of five men charged in the 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse. Arcangel Pretel Ortiz, Antonio Intriago, Walter Veintemilla, Christian Sanon and James Solages are charged with conspiring in South Florida to kidnap or kill Haiti’s former leader, plus related charges. They face possible life sentences. They have all pleaded not guilty. The trial was previously set for last year, but U.S. District Judge Jacqueline Becerra in Miami agreed to delay to Monday because of discovery challenges and the volume of evidence. Officials say Moïse was killed on July 7, 2021, when about two dozen foreign mercenaries, mostly from Colombia, attacked his home near Port-au-Prince.
Where things stand after another weekend of war
The Iran war has begun its second week. Iran has named a son of its late supreme leader as his successor. U.S. President Donald Trump already had called Mojtaba Khamenei “unacceptable” in the role. Both sides kept striking new targets over the weekend, including civilian ones. Oil prices shot above $100 a barrel. The U.S. military announced the death of another soldier. Saudi Arabia announced the first deaths in the war there. Anger grew in Arab countries over Iran’s launching of hundreds of missiles and drones. The Israeli military’s chief of staff warned that the war “will take a long time.”
What China’s latest economic plans say about its tech ambitions and rivalry with the US
BEIJING (AP) — Two major economic plans unveiled at the annual meeting of China’s legislature outline top priorities. One is building a robust domestic market. The other is building China into a tech leader. Together they highlight the government’s balancing act between its efforts to transform the economy while managing a prolonged period of sluggishness. China is such a large exporter that the choices it makes affect countries and jobs around the world. The plans were presented at the opening of the National People’s Congress and are set to be endorsed by the rubber-stamp legislature on the final day of the eight-day session on Thursday.
LONDON (AP) — A fire near Glasgow Central Station has disrupted rail services across Scotland. Rail operators say the disruption is expected for trains to, from, and through Scotland’s busiest rail station. The station remains closed Monday and officials gave no estimate for its reopening. The fire, which started Sunday in a vape shop next to the station, burned overnight. It damaged a four-story building, part of which collapsed. Officials say the building dates back to 1851. Scottish Fire and Rescue says no one was hurt.…Read more by AP