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Taganrog, southern Russia: Ukrainian drones damage homes and industry, kill one.
Local officials reported that a?Ukrainian 'drone attack' killed one person and damaged homes and industry in Taganrog on Sunday. Regional governor stated that falling drone debris caused the evacuation of a region hit by falling debris. Governor Yuri 'Slyusar of Rostov Region, on the eastern border of Ukraine, Yuri Telegram, said that emergency crews were working on the site where debris had fallen. "Fires have broken out and there has been damage." "People have been evacuated." In a post made on Telegram, Taganrog mayor Svetlana Kambulova spoke of "widespread damages in the city". She said that emergency crews responded 49 calls. Eight people were hurt. She wrote: "Several residential houses, industrial sites, and social sites were damaged due to falling?drone debris." Air-defence units are still in operation. Taganrog, a port city at the eastern end of the Sea of Azov and east of the Ukrainian border is the largest port in Russia. (Reporting and editing by Jonathan Oatis).
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Police: Three killed in Russian attack in Kramatorsk, eastern Ukraine
Police said that a Russian attack on the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk, which was one of many attacks in frontline zones, killed three people and injured 13. The Ukrainian national police confirmed that a 13-year-old boy was among the dead. According to a statement, Russian forces used glide-bombs in the attack on Kramatorsk. This has been a frequent target during the four-year war between Kyiv and Moscow. Two hours after the first attack, Kramatorsk was again attacked. Other cities hit in Russian ?attacks included the nearby town of Oleksiievo-Druzhkivka and the city ?of Sloviansk, farther north. The "fortress belt", which includes Kramatorsk,?Sloviansk and other heavily-defended cities, is seen as a key target in Russia's?slow westward advance to capture the?Donetsk Region. Could not independently verify battle accounts. Reporting by Ron Popeski, editing by Jonathan Oatis
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ADAMA chemical plant in southern Israel struck by Iranian missiles or debris
ADAMA, which makes active ingredients and crop protection materials, reported that its Makhteshim facility in southern Israel was 'hit either by an Iranian rocket or debris from an intercepted missile on Sunday. No injuries were reported. ADAMA, a part of the Chinese-owned Syngenta Group said that the extent of damage to the plant is not known at this time. Israel's Fire and Rescue Service said that a fire started in a southern Israel industrial area that contains several chemical manufacturing plants and?industrial facilities following an Iranian missile strike, probably debris from a rocket that was intercepted. The fire brigade of 34 crews was working to put out the blaze. They urged people to avoid the industrial area Ne'ot Hovav due to the "hazardous material" that is present. The fire department said that there is no danger to the public beyond 800 meters of the industrial area. Residents in the area are asked to stay indoors and close all windows and ventilation holes. They should also follow instructions from security and emergency services until the incident has been fully controlled. Fire and Rescue Service released video and images of the scene. The fire was a large ball and there was heavy black smoke. The Israeli military had earlier claimed that it detected missiles fired from Iran. The Israeli military?fired multiple waves at Israel on Sunday. However, there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage until the fire broke out in the south. Ne'ot Hovav, located in southern Israel, is about 8 miles (13 km) away from Beer Sheva. In the vicinity, there are a number of Israeli military bases. The'southern cities' of Arad and Dimona were hit by Iranian missiles last weekend, injuring dozens. This was one of the most serious attacks on Israeli soil of the U.S./Israeli war against Iran.
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Finland reports suspected drone territorial violations
The?defence minister of Finland reported Sunday that there was a'suspected territorial breach by unmanned aerial vehicle in the southeast?of the country. Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, which are nearby, said earlier this week that several Ukrainian drones crashed on their territories after they went astray while attacking Russian oil exportation facilities?on the Baltic Sea Coast. Ukraine has intensified drone attacks on Russian oil refineries, export routes and other military targets in recent weeks to try and weaken Russia's war-economy and because peace talks, mediated by Washington, are stalling. The origin of the drones that were detected in Finland was not immediately known. "Drones strayed onto Finnish territory." "We are treating this matter very seriously," wrote Defence Minister Antti hakkanen in a post on social media, adding that an investigation is ongoing. In a statement, the Ministry of Defence said that on Sunday morning several small objects were seen flying low in altitude over an area near a sea and in southeastern Finland. It said that one drone landed on the ground north of Kouvola. Another fell east of Kouvola. It was reported that the Finnish Air Force carried out a?identification flight with a?F/A-18 Hornet jet fighter. Anne Kauranen reported from Helsinki, and Terje Solsvik from Oslo. Mark Potter edited the article.
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Questions are raised about some trades made ahead of Trump's policy changes
Experts have questioned whether some of Donald Trump's most important policy decisions were preceded by well timed bets. This is a list. March 23, 2026: IRAN ATTACK pause. An unidentified trader or traders placed $500 million in bets on Brent and WTI futures within a minute, shortly before Trump announced that he would delay the?attacks against Iran's energy infrastructure for five days. After Trump's announcement, oil prices dropped 15%. LSEG data indicates that between 1049 and 10:00 GMT,?5,100?? lots changed hands. Selling dominated volume. Trump's announcement on social media at 1105 GMT caused over 13,000 lots, or 13 million barrels, to trade in just 60 seconds. Brent fell to $99 from $112 per barrel and WTI to $86 from $99. February 28, 2026 – IRAN STRIKES KILLED SUPREME LEADER AYATOLLAH ALI KHAMENEI Wagers made on platforms such as Polymarket and Kalshi prior to the death of Iranian Supreme leader Ayatollah Ayatollah Khamenei heightened scrutiny over prediction markets. Democratic lawmakers called for a ban on wagers that are tied to military action, which could reward those who have privileged information. A review of Polymarket’s website revealed that at the time, $529 million had been wagered on a variety of contracts tied to timing of U.S. - Israeli strikes against Iran. Another $150 million had been staked on Khamenei’s removal as supreme ruler. Prediction markets allow users to wager on real-world events through a range of tradable contracts. Bubblemaps, an analytics firm, identified six accounts which made a total profit of $1.2 million from Polymarket bets funded just hours before the raids on February 28. U.S. Rep. Mike Levin from California highlighted one particular Polymarket bet that was placed just before the Iran strike. Separately traders moved the opposite way on February 27 despite hotter than expected inflation data, which would normally prompt investors to sell long-dated Treasuries. They pushed yields on 10-year notes below 4%. Analysts say that such a shift to safe-haven assets is usually driven by macroeconomic events which are negative or imminent. The Dow Jones U.S. Airlines Index fell 5.13% that day, as oil prices increased. January 3, 2026 -- U.S. CAPTURE OF FORMER VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT NICOLASMADURO An unknown trader made a profit of approximately $410,000 in January after betting on the ouster Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Before the weekend raid on Maduro’s Caracas compound by U.S. Special Forces, a trader’s account at Polymarket had built up contracts that were?tied to Maduro’s removal. The terms implied high odds. These wagers, which were worth approximately $34,000 before his capture, soared in value when news of the U.S. military action broke on January 3. Trading data shows that unidentified traders bet millions on the U.S. Stock Market rebounding in the moments before Trump's announcement of a tariff pause. This triggered a huge rally in April last year. Trump's Truth Social post pausing the tariffs was posted at 1:18 pm. ET on April 9 triggered a 9.5% increase for the S&P 500. Data from the market shows that certain options contracts saw a surge in trading activity before it. Around 1 p.m., 5,105 call options for SPY were traded. The average price of the SPY call options was $4.20. These calls rose as high as 42 dollars, turning 2,14 million dollars into approximately $21.44 millions on paper. Other SPY calls that bet on the ETF going above $509 were traded around 1:10 pm. ET; their value increased from $624,000 to $10 million at the end of the day. The trader could not tell if the calls had been?all bought or sold by a single trader, or whether several traders were involved and if they had closed their position with a profit. Kush Desai, White House spokesperson, said that government ethics guidelines prohibit federal employees from profiting from nonpublic information. In an email, he stated that any implication of Administration officials engaging in such activities without evidence was baseless and irresponsible.
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Fears of wider Iran conflict has led to a relaxation in the Gulf markets
Investors' sentiment was affected by the sagging of most Gulf stock markets in early Sunday trading, as concerns about a wider conflict linked to Iran weighed heavily on their minds. This came after Yemen’s Houthis launched the?first? attacks on Israel since the conflict started and the U.S. sent additional forces into the Middle East. The Washington Post reported Saturday that U.S. officials had said that the Pentagon was preparing for a possible multi-week?operation on the ground in Iran. However, it remained unclear whether President Donald Trump would authorize the deployment. The Qatari Index fell by 1.1% as Qatar National Bank, which is the Gulf's largest?lender based on assets?, declined by 1.3%. Kuwait's bourse slid by 0.4%, and Bahrain's market dropped by 0.1%. Saudi Arabia's benchmark indices bucked trend and gained 0.4%, thanks to a?0.4% increase for Al Rajhi Bank as well as a 0.6% gain for Saudi?Aramco. Bloomberg News reported that Saudi Arabia's East West pipeline, which circumvents?the Strait of?Hormuz?, pumps oil at its full capacity, 7 million barrels a day, according to a source familiar with the issue. Brent crude futures rose $4.56 or 4.2% to $112.57 per barrel on Friday. This reflects skepticism about prospects for a truce in the Iran War, which has been ongoing for over a month.
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Vedanta, India's largest company, will split into five companies in the next few months.
The Financial Times, citing an Anil Agarwal interview, reported that India's Vedanta would be split into five listed companies by the end of next month as part of a reorganization program that has been ongoing for years. In December, a tribunal approved the plan of the oil-to metals conglomerate to divide?into 5 listed entities. Vedanta will be operating as Vedanta Ltd, housing the?base metals division. Vedanta Aluminum, Talwandi Sabo Power, Vedanta Iron and Steel,?and Malco Energy are the other?four entities. Agarwal, a FT reporter, said that the combined market capitalisation of five companies would be higher than the current $27 billion conglomerate. Agarwal's private parent company will retain around?half the shares of each new entity, he said. The government, which first proposed the plan in 2023, was opposed to it, as they feared that a breakup would make it more difficult for them to recover debts. In an interview with in January, Chief Financial Officer Ajay Goel said that Vedanta plans to list the four demerged units on Indian exchanges before mid-May. Preetika parashuraman, Bengaluru. Christopher Cushing, editing.
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Bahrain's Alba confirms Iranian attacks on its facilities
Aluminium Bahrain (also known as Alba) confirmed early on Sunday that its facilities had been targeted by an Iranian attack just a day earlier, Bahrain’s state news agency reported. Alba said that two people were slightly injured during the attack and was assessing the damage to the facility. Iran's Revolutionary Guards confirmed the attack after they said that they targeted Alba, Emirates Global Aluminium and other companies in response to attacks on two Iranian Steel Plants. The IRGC stated, without elaborating on the matter, that both companies were linked to U.S. aeronautics and military firms. Could not independently verify IRGC claims. Alba initiated a?shutdown of three aluminium smelting?lines in March, which accounted for 19% of its?capacity to maintain business continuity amid the ongoing disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz. The company declared force majeure on March 4, when it could not ship metals to its customers because of the closure. The U.S. and Israeli war against Iran has had a major impact on the Middle East aluminum sector. This sector accounts for around 9 % of global supply. Separately, Bahrain's Foulath Holding, parent company of Bahrain Steel declared a force majeure for its operations on Saturday due to the regional conflict, "associated security disruptions and?logistical interruptions". The company said that the current situation in the Middle East has created circumstances "outside of its?control" which have affected operations and 'logistics' across various parts of the group's business, without giving details about the magnitude of the impact. Reporting by Menna alaa el-din and Nayera abdallah Editing and Chizu nomiyama by Rod Nickel
New York Times: US allows Russian oil tanker to enter Cuba
New York Times, Sunday, reported that the United States is allowing a Russian oil tanker to arrive in Cuba. This would be an easing of the de facto oil blockade Washington has placed on Cuba.
Washington has effectively stopped all oil shipments to Cuba to exert pressure on the government in Havana. The U.S. temporarily lifted sanctions on Russia in order to improve the flow of crude oil which has been restricted by the U.S. military strikes against Iran and Israeli strikes.
The Times report said that it was unclear as to why the Trump Administration allowed the shipment through.
LSEG ship monitoring data also?showed that the U.S. sanctioned Anatoly Koodkin was on his way to Cuba. The tanker left Russia's Primorsk Port with approximately 650,000 barrels, although the New York Times reported that it had 730,000 barrels.
This amount of oil could provide a significant relief for Cuba. According to President Miguel Diaz Canel, the island nation has not received oil imports in three months. This has led to a strict rationing of gas and an intensified energy crisis.
(source: Reuters)