Iran shot down a US F-15E — first American aircraft lost in five weeks of war — as Iranian missiles struck a Kuwait desalination plant supplying drinking water to millions.

THE BIG STORY

→ Iran's air defenses downed a US F-15E Strike Eagle, forcing a crew rescue and raising the cost calculus for the Pentagon's five-week air campaign.

→ Iranian missiles hit a Kuwait desalination plant and oil refinery, attacking the water supply for a nation that depends on desalination for nearly all its drinking water.

→ A UK-led coalition of 40 nations pledged action to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, where daily ship transits collapsed from 130 to single digits, choking 20% of the world's oil supply.

→ The EU moved toward fuel rationing as the war entered its second month, with Slovenia already limiting purchases at the pump.

AROUND THE WORLD

→ Trump signed a 100% tariff on imported brand-name pharmaceuticals, starting at 20% now and escalating to full rate by 2030.

→ SpaceX filed for an IPO targeting a valuation above $2 trillion.

→ Samsung expects a sixfold jump in Q1 profit to a record 50 trillion won, driven by AI memory chip demand.

→ Pakistan mandated a four-day work week and moved all university classes online to conserve energy; Bangladesh cut office hours to 9-4.

→ Sudan's famine worsened as the civil war neared its third year, with Hormuz disruptions compounding mass starvation.

→ ESCWA warned 5 million more Arabs face food insecurity as war-driven prices rise 20%.

→ Turkey's inflation hit 30.87% YoY; Venezuela's bolivar continued its collapse under 600% annual inflation.

→ Cape Town dam levels dropped to 47.8%, putting 4.7 million residents on notice for water restrictions.

→ China's domestic chip makers captured 41% of AI server market; MATCH Act introduced to ban chipmaking equipment sales.

→ Artemis II astronauts tested Orion spacecraft en route to the Moon — first humans beyond low Earth orbit since 1972.