Oil prices surge past $100, Israeli strikes displace thousands in Beirut, and Iran names new Supreme Leader amid escalating tensions.
MIDDLE EAST — Crude oil prices surpass $100 a barrel amid continuing U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Iran, prompting global supply concerns.
BEIRUT, LEBANON — Israeli airstrikes on southern Beirut have displaced over 95,000 residents, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in Lebanon.
IRAN — Ongoing conflicts in Iran lead oil prices to surge above $100, significantly impacting global markets and investor confidence.
TEHRAN, IRAN — Mojtaba Khamenei is appointed as Iran's new Supreme Leader following the death of his father, continuing a significant political legacy.
LEBANON — Israeli military actions in southern Lebanon have displaced over 500,000 people, raising urgent humanitarian concerns among Lebanese officials.
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Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei is an Iranian politician and Muslim cleric. The second eldest child of Ali Khamenei, the former supreme leader of Iran, Mojtaba Khamenei served in the Iran–Iraq War from 1987 to 1988, and also reportedly took control of the Basij that was used to suppress the protests over the 2009 election.
Ekrem İmamoğlu is a Turkish politician who has served as the 32nd Mayor of Istanbul since 2019. He is currently suspended from office by the governor and remains in pretrial detention since 19 March 2025 at Marmara Prison (Silivri). He denies the accusations and claims they have been politically motivated. He is the Republican People's Party (CHP) presumptive candidate for the next Turkish presidential election.
Donald John Trump is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 45th president from 2017 to 2021.
Ali Hosseini Khamenei was an Iranian politician and Shia cleric who served as the second supreme leader of Iran from 1989 until his assassination in 2026. He previously served as the president of Iran from 1981 to 1989. His tenure as supreme leader, spanning 36 years and six months, made him the longest-serving head of state in the Middle East at the time of his death.
Nicolás Maduro Moros is a Venezuelan politician and former union leader who has been the de jure president of Venezuela since 2013. On 3 January 2026, US forces captured Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores; they were transported to the US and charged with drug trafficking to which they pleaded not guilty. Although he was de facto removed from power, according to the Venezuelan government and interim president Delcy Rodríguez, he is still the de jure president of Venezuela. Prior to his presidency, he served as the vice president of Venezuela under President Hugo Chávez from 2012 to 2013 and as minister of foreign affairs from 2006 to 2012.
Muhammad Naveed Akram is a Pakistani former footballer who played as a right-back.
Donald John Trump is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 45th president from 2017 to 2021.
Ali Hosseini Khamenei was an Iranian politician and Shia cleric who served as the second supreme leader of Iran from 1989 until his assassination in 2026. He previously served as the president of Iran from 1981 to 1989. His tenure as supreme leader, spanning 36 years and six months, made him the longest-serving head of state in the Middle East at the time of his death.
The Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting or Seda o Sima for short, formerly called National Iranian Radio and Television until the Iranian Revolution of 1979, is an Iranian state-controlled media corporation that holds a monopoly of domestic radio and television services in Iran. It is also among the largest media organizations in Asia and the Pacific region and a regular member of the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union. Its head is appointed directly by the supreme leader.
Ejike Christopher Ugboaja is a Nigerian professional basketball player who last played for BC Mark Mentors of the Nigerian Premier Basketball League (NPBL). He is also the founder of Ejike Ugboaja Foundation.
Anutin Charnvirakul is a Thai politician and businessman who has served as the 32nd prime minister of Thailand since September 2025. He is also the leader of the Bhumjaithai Party since 2012 and a member of House of Representatives since 2019.
Robyn Rihanna Fenty is a Barbadian singer, businesswoman, and actress. An influential figure in popular culture, she is known for her multifaceted career, artistic reinventions, and eclectic fashion style. Regarded as a pop and fashion icon, Rihanna is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with estimated sales of over 250 million records.
Cem Özdemir is a German politician who served as Federal Minister of Food and Agriculture in the cabinet of Chancellor Olaf Scholz from 2021 to 2025. He is a member of the Alliance 90/The Greens party.

The president of the Nigerian Senate is the presiding officer of the Senate of Nigeria, elected by its membership. The senate president is second in line of succession to the Nigerian presidency, after the vice president of Nigeria. The current president of the Senate is Godswill Akpabio since 13 June 2023.
Penelope Ying-Yen Wong is an Australian politician who is serving as the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Leader of the Government in the Senate in the Albanese government since 2022. A member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP), she has been a senator for South Australia since 2002. Wong previously served as Minister for Climate Change and Minister for Finance and Deregulation during the governments of prime ministers Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard from 2007 until 2013.
Umaru Pate is a Nigerian professor of media history and an academic.
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