WTO: Global trade growth to fall to 1.9% as Middle East conflict escalates (PRIV)
(D. Ravi Kanth, Geneva)
Global merchandise trade growth is expected to plummet to 1.9% this year, from 4.6% in 2025, amid the escalating conflict in the Middle East, according to the latest data released by the World Trade Organization on 19 March.

Finance: Markets re-calibrate as volatility rises amid Middle East conflict (PRIV)
(Kanaga Raja, Penang)
Financial markets underwent a subtle but meaningful shift during the review period, with surface-level calm masking a deeper rotation away from earlier high-performing assets, according to the Bank for International Settlements (BIS).

UN: Civilians bearing brunt of "reckless war" in Middle East, warns Turk (PRIV)
(Kanaga Raja, Penang)
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, on 19 March warned that nearly three weeks after the United States-Israel strikes on Iran began, the conflict is widening and increasingly harming civilians across the Middle East and beyond.