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Mojtaba Khamenei’s Rise Sparks Market Turmoil as Hardliners Mobilize

People attend a gathering to support Iran's new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Tehran, Iran, March 9, 2026.  Iran’s hardline factions mounted a powerful show of support for newly appointed Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei , rallying across Tehran in a display that signaled a tightening of conservative control and diminished hopes for de-escalation in the Middle East.  The demonstrations, marked by mass gatherings and imagery linking Mojtaba to his late father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, underscored the regime’s consolidation at a moment of heightened regional conflict.  Analysts warn that the hardliners’ unified backing suggests Iran is unlikely to soften its stance amid ongoing tensions with the U.S. and Israel. Global markets reacted sharply. Fears that prolonged instability could further disrupt energy supplies sent oil prices soaring and triggered steep declines in major stock indices. With one of the most significan...

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Deadly Test Run: China’s Rail Tragedy Claims 11 Lives

                                     China's rail network is the world's largest, spanning more than 160,000 km 


A devastating rail accident in southwestern China has left 11 railway workers dead and two others injured, marking the country’s worst rail disaster in more than a decade. The incident occurred on Thursday, November 27, 2025, in Kunming, Yunnan Province, when a train conducting earthquake detection equipment tests struck a maintenance crew on a curved section of track near Luoyang Town railway station.

Authorities confirmed that normal rail services have since resumed at the station, but an investigation is underway to determine how the tragedy unfolded. The workers were reportedly positioned along the test section of track when the train entered the curve, leaving little time to react.

China’s rail network, the largest in the world with over 160,000 km of track, has long been praised for its efficiency and scale, handling billions of trips annually. However, it has also faced scrutiny following several high-profile accidents. In 2011, a crash in Zhejiang killed 40 and injured 200, while in 2021, nine workers died in Gansu after being struck by a train during maintenance.

The Kunming accident has reignited concerns about worker safety protocols during test runs and maintenance operations. State-run media reported that the tragedy has triggered a major safety review across the rail system.

This incident serves as a stark reminder of the risks faced by railway workers and the importance of stringent safety measures in one of the world’s busiest transportation networks.

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