Category: World

Hedge funds and other large money managers are stepping up bets against the dollar, using options and other derivatives to position for further weakness as demand for traditional safe-haven assets eases and investors look beyond the shocks that had briefly lifted the US currency.The shift reflects a market mood that has turned more sceptical about the dollar’s ability to hold its defensive premium. After climbing sharply during the flare-up in the Middle East, the currency has surrendered much of that

America’s gross national debt is closing in on $39tn, extending a climb that has more than doubled the federal government’s outstanding obligations since 2011 and sharpening debate over how long Washington can sustain large deficits, rising interest bills and expanding borrowing needs without broader economic consequences. Official daily Treasury data put total public debt at about $38.99tn in mid-April 2026, meaning the widely shared claim that the figure has already reached $39.07tn is slightly ahead of the latest published tally,

Iranian authorities have arrested four people, including two foreign nationals, over the alleged import of SpaceX Starlink terminals, sharpening a crackdown on one of the few remaining channels for uncensored internet access inside the country. Iranian state-linked reporting, carried by Reuters on Sunday, said the arrests were made in the north-west and linked by officials to an alleged espionage network tied to the United States and Israel. The nationalities of the two foreigners were not disclosed.The case appears to

A 5.9-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of North Nias in western Indonesia early on Sunday, shaking parts of North Sumatra but triggering no tsunami warning, according to Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency, known as BMKG. The agency said the quake hit at 3.06am WIB at a depth of 10 kilometres, with its epicentre in the sea about 48 kilometres south-west of North Nias.BMKG said the tremor was felt at intensity V on the Modified Mercalli scale in

Fresh uncertainty gripped the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday after merchant vessels attempting to cross the waterway reported gunfire and shipping sources said Iranian naval broadcasts warned that passage was no longer permitted, sharpening fears over the security of one of the world’s most important energy corridors. Reuters reported that at least two vessels came under fire, while New Delhi confirmed that two India-flagged crude carriers were attacked during the attempted transit.The episode marked another abrupt reversal in a

Iran has tightened its grip on the Strait of Hormuz, warning that vessels seeking passage will face military control after Tehran linked the waterway’s closure to a United States blockade of its ports, a move that has sharply escalated a confrontation already straining global energy markets and regional diplomacy. Reports of gunfire at commercial ships, including two India-flagged vessels, have turned a political standoff into a direct threat to one of the world’s busiest maritime corridors.The latest flare-up followed

North Korea fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles into waters off its east coast early on Sunday, prompting swift condemnation from Seoul, Tokyo and Washington and extending a run of weapons activity that is deepening security concerns across North-East Asia. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missiles were detected from the Sinpo area at about 6:10 a. m. local time and were launched towards the East Sea, also known internationally as the Sea of Japan.The launch drew immediate

Air passengers face a tougher booking season as airlines trim connections, suspend weaker routes and ground aircraft to absorb a jet-fuel shock that has spread from energy markets into ticket prices and network planning. Industry officials are warning that the disruption could deepen through the northern summer, especially on thinner international and regional links where carriers have little room to absorb higher costs.Jet fuel prices have surged far faster than crude, leaving airlines with a cost problem that goes

Washington has approved a potential $11.9 billion foreign military sale to Germany covering an integrated combat system, related equipment and support, in a move that underlines Berlin’s push to strengthen high-end naval air and missile defence within NATO. The U. S. State Department cleared the package on Friday, with Lockheed Martin and RTX named as the principal contractors.The proposed sale is centred on AEGIS-based combat system computing equipment and associated radars for as many as eight ships, according to

World Bank has launched a new strategy for small states, promising a more tailored approach for countries that face outsized economic risks from isolation, narrow domestic markets and repeated external shocks. The plan, unveiled on Friday by World Bank President Ajay Banga during the spring meetings in Washington, puts jobs, private investment and more flexible financing at the centre of support for small island economies and other small countries that struggle to convert limited scale into durable growth.The initiative

Etihad Airways has set out one of its biggest Africa pushes in years, unveiling six new destinations across the continent as Abu Dhabi’s flag carrier deepens its reach into markets it says are being shaped by trade growth, cargo demand and rising cross-border mobility. The expansion adds services to Accra, Asmara, Kinshasa, Lagos, Harare and Lubumbashi, with the first of the new routes due to begin in November 2026 and the rest to follow in March 2027.The airline said

More than half of Israelis do not want Benjamin Netanyahu to continue as prime minister, according to a Channel 12 poll that has added fresh weight to a long-running pattern in domestic surveys showing a battered leader still in office but struggling to rebuild broad public confidence ahead of a national election due by October. The finding, circulated widely in Israeli media, lands at a moment when war, security, coalition arithmetic and personal leadership have become tightly fused in public

Falling oil prices after Iran said the Strait of Hormuz was open to commercial shipping have eased one of the sharpest inflation threats facing the US Federal Reserve, giving policymakers more room to consider rate cuts later this year if the decline in energy costs holds. Brent crude fell below $90 a barrel on Friday, April 17, for the first time since March 10, after dropping by more than 10% as markets responded to the reopening announcement and a temporary

Iran said on Friday that the Strait of Hormuz was open to commercial shipping during the ceasefire, easing pressure on one of the world’s most sensitive energy chokepoints and helping lift Bitcoin towards $78,000 as investors moved back into risk assets. The market reaction was swift across oil, equities and cryptocurrencies, though the rebound also reflected wider hopes that hostilities involving the US, Israel and Iran may be moving towards a diplomatic phase rather than a full military escalation.Tehran’s message

Alarm over the Strait of Hormuz is spilling far beyond the Gulf, sharpening attention on the Malacca Strait near Singapore as traders, shipowners and Asian governments weigh what a prolonged disruption in West Asian energy flows could mean for the region’s busiest maritime corridor. The immediate military confrontation is centred on Hormuz, where Iran has tightened restrictions and the United States has imposed a blockade on Iranian ports, but the commercial aftershock is already being felt along the longer route

A court in Saratov has fined a local news agency and one of its executives after the outlet published a review of the television series Heated Rivalry, in a case that underlines how far Russia’s campaign against LGBTQ+ expression now extends into ordinary cultural coverage.The Oktyabrsky District Court in Saratov imposed a 500,000-rouble penalty on SaratovBusinessConsulting, widely known as SarBC, over an article that discussed why the series had become popular. A separate fine of 50,000 roubles was handed to

Global growth prospects have darkened after the International Monetary Fund cut its forecasts and warned that the war involving the United States, Israel and Iran has delivered a fresh energy shock just as many economies were regaining stability. The Fund’s latest assessment points to weaker output, firmer inflation and mounting fiscal pressure as oil flows through the Gulf remain disrupted and governments weigh how to shield households without worsening already heavy debt burdens.The central fault line is energy. Brent

Australia’s unemployment rate held at 4.3% in March, defying a widening energy shock from the US-Israeli war on Iran and underscoring the resilience of a labour market that has so far remained tighter than many economists expected. Official figures showed employment rose by about 18,000 over the month, led by a sharp lift in full-time work, even as participation edged lower and policymakers faced a more complicated inflation outlook.The March data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed full-time employment

Saudi Arabia has pledged an additional $3 billion in support for Pakistan and agreed to extend a $5 billion deposit for a longer period, giving Islamabad fresh breathing space as it works to manage external financing pressures and a looming $3.5 billion repayment obligation to the United Arab Emirates this month. Pakistan’s finance minister, Muhammad Aurangzeb, disclosed the support in Washington, and the arrangement was confirmed by reporting that cited both countries’ finance ministries.The announcement matters because Pakistan’s foreign

The International Monetary Fund, World Bank and International Energy Agency are moving towards scheduled calls every two weeks as they deepen coordination over the economic and energy fallout from the war in the Middle East, with officials warning that prolonged disruption could sharpen inflation, weaken growth and hit poorer energy-importing countries hardest. The three bodies first set up a joint coordination group at the start of April and have since widened their joint warnings as the shock to oil, gas

Super Typhoon Sinlaku battered Saipan and Tinian in the Northern Mariana Islands on Wednesday, ripping away roofs, toppling power lines and flooding homes as one of the fiercest storms to strike the Western Pacific this year swept across the remote U. S. territory. Officials said residents were told to remain in reinforced shelters and concrete buildings as dangerous winds and heavy rain continued long after the eye moved past the islands.The storm made landfall with sustained winds of about

Paper tubes, cartons and bamboo-based alternatives are gaining commercial ground across Asia as the war-linked disruption to petrochemical supplies pushes plastic costs higher and leaves manufacturers, retailers and consumer brands scrambling for substitutes. What began as a supply shock tied to oil and chemical flows from the Middle East is now rippling through supermarket shelves, cosmetics counters and factory floors, giving an unexpected opening to packaging formats that use less plastic or avoid it altogether.South Korea’s Yonwoo, which makes

Chevron has struck new agreements with Venezuela to expand oil production in the Orinoco Belt, tightening its focus on the country’s vast extra-heavy crude reserves at a time when Caracas is trying to pull foreign capital back into its energy sector and Washington has loosened some restrictions on dealings with the country’s oil industry.The agreements, reached with state oil company PDVSA, give Chevron a larger position in Petroindependencia, where its stake rises to 49% from 35.8%, and open the way

A tanker under U. S. sanctions has passed through the Strait of Hormuz despite Washington’s new maritime restrictions around Iranian ports, raising fresh questions over how tightly the measures can be enforced and how much disruption they will inflict on a waterway central to global energy trade. Shipping data cited by Reuters showed the vessel, Rich Starry, moving through the chokepoint on Tuesday after loading methanol at Hamriyah in the UAE and setting course for China.The passage matters because