The bulk of oil and gas shipments passing through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical energy chokepoints, are heading overwhelmingly to Asia, underscoring the region’s dependence on Middle Eastern supplies.

Cities worldwide are picking up speed in the move towards electric vehicles, with Oslo standing out at the forefront as governments push incentives and invest heavily in infrastructure to curb emissions.

The Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most strategically vital oil shipping lanes, continues to dominate global energy security concerns, with the bulk of crude oil and liquefied natural gas flowing from a small group of Gulf producers, according to recent visual data and reporting by The New York Times.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s approval ratings across major policy issues have deteriorated sharply over the past year, with new aggregated polling data from Nate Silver’s Silver Bulletin showing broad-based declines driven largely by economic concerns and inflation.

Global cotton production is set to remain heavily concentrated among a handful of major producers in the 2025/26 season, with China, India and Brazil accounting for the bulk of output, according to projections from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and market data from Trading Economics.

Iran launched thousands of drones and ballistic missiles in the opening weeks of its conflict with Israel and Western allies, with activity peaking early before declining sharply under sustained airstrikes.

Political parties across the world are amassing unprecedented membership numbers, with India emerging as the clear centre of gravity in global party mobilisation.

Nearly five million Brazilians are now living abroad, with the United States, Portugal and neighbouring South American countries hosting the largest communities, according to data from Brazil’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Itamaraty) and migration statistics compiled in recent years.

The United States has emerged as the world’s leading exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG), capping a decades-long shift in global energy dominance that has moved from North Africa to Asia, the Middle East and now North America.

The world has experienced all forms of war over the years; however, World War II remains the most expensive conflict in U.S. history when adjusted for inflation, costing roughly $4.7 trillion, according to historical estimates.

Homes in Australia and the United States are among the largest in the world, according to international housing data, highlighting how geography, urban planning and lifestyle preferences shape residential living space across countries.

Air travel across the Middle East faced an unprecedented wave of disruptions between February 28 and March 5, with several major airports recording cancellation rates above 90%, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.

Iran fired hundreds of ballistic missiles and more than a thousand drones during the first eight days of the conflict with the United States and its allies, according to military data compiled from Israeli sources.

From protecting trade routes to projecting force across oceans, naval power remains one of the clearest indicators of global military strength.

Escalating tensions across the Middle East have drawn renewed attention to the scale and reach of Iran’s missile and drone operations in the region.

More than 20 countries across Asia, the Middle East, Europe, Africa and Latin America have been bombed by the United States since 1945.

The United States maintains a commanding lead over Iran and Israel in overall military capacity, according to the 2025 Military Power Rankings.

Switzerland claimed the top honours in 2025's World Cheese Awards, with several of its varieties scoring highest among a field of hundreds of international entries.

Foreign investors held nearly $9.36 trillion in U.S. Treasury bonds and notes, the financial instruments the U.S. government issues to finance its borrowing, according to the latest Treasury International Capital (TIC) data for November 2025.

As of February 2026, the global nuclear balance stands at a critical juncture, with the world’s largest nuclear powers holding thousands of warheads just as cornerstone arms-control agreements move towards expiration.