Category: World

Washington has moved from threats to enforcement, with the U. S. military beginning a blockade on shipping to and from Iranian ports across the Gulf, the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea, in a step that sharply raises the risk of a broader regional conflict even as a temporary ceasefire remains in place. U. S. Central Command said the restrictions took effect on Monday morning U. S. time and apply to vessels of any flag travelling to or from

France and Britain are preparing to convene partner countries for what President Emmanuel Macron described as a peaceful multinational mission to restore freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, marking a European push to keep one of the world’s most important energy arteries open without joining Washington’s new blockade of Iranian ports. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Britain would not support the US blockade and insisted London’s efforts were focused on getting the strait “open and fully open”.The

Britain will not back a United States blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday, drawing a firm line between protecting shipping routes and joining a wider military escalation around Iran. His intervention came after Washington announced it would block maritime traffic entering or leaving Iranian ports, while saying vessels transiting between non-Iranian ports could still pass through the strategic waterway.Starmer’s position is politically and economically significant because the strait sits at the heart

Hexagon has agreed to buy Waygate Technologies from Baker Hughes for about $1.45 billion in cash, giving the Swedish measurement technology group a bigger presence in industrial inspection and opening a new front in its push beyond traditional metrology.The deal, announced on Monday, hands Hexagon control of a business that supplies non-destructive testing equipment used to inspect critical components and assets without taking them apart or shutting them down. Waygate’s technologies span radiography, computed tomography, ultrasound, imaging and remote visual

Brussels is preparing to urge European Union governments to cut electricity taxes and trim power-grid charges, betting that cheaper power can both shield households and industry from the latest oil and gas shock and speed the shift towards cleaner technologies. The move comes as the European Commission tries to contain the economic fallout from surging fossil-fuel prices without abandoning the bloc’s longer-term decarbonisation plans.The recommendation would build on the Commission’s affordable energy agenda and on measures already trailed this

Cyclone Maila has killed at least 11 people in Papua New Guinea, with flooding and landslides tearing through Bougainville and cutting off communities already struggling with damaged roads, broken bridges and disrupted food supplies. Local authorities and relief officials said the toll could still rise as reports continue to come in from remote areas where communications remain patchy after the storm crossed the region late last week.The worst single incident reported so far was a landslide in Central Bougainville

A frantic hunt for oil cargoes that can be delivered at once has tightened the global crude market, even as headline prices have swung with every turn in the fragile ceasefire around Iran and the Strait of Hormuz. Behind the moves in futures, traders, refiners and state buyers have been competing for physical barrels from the North Sea, West Africa, the United States and anywhere else supplies can move without delay.That rush reflects a deeper market fracture. While some tanker

Two empty supertankers heading towards the Persian Gulf reversed course near the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, underscoring how quickly shipping sentiment can turn when diplomacy falters in one of the world’s most sensitive energy corridors. The movements came as talks between Washington and Tehran in Islamabad ended without agreement, leaving a fragile ceasefire under strain and traders, shipowners and refiners facing renewed uncertainty over access to Gulf crude.The failed negotiations followed 21 hours of discussion between delegations led

Police in San Francisco arrested a 20-year-old man after a Molotov cocktail was thrown at the home of OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman, in an attack that was followed within an hour by threats against the company’s headquarters, according to police statements and OpenAI. No injuries were reported, but the episode has sharpened concerns over the security risks facing senior technology executives as arguments over artificial intelligence grow more heated.Officers said they were called at 4:12am on Friday, April

Wafacash and Money Fellows have signed a strategic partnership at GITEX Africa in Marrakech aimed at digitising Daret, the traditional savings circle widely used in Morocco, in a move both companies say could widen access to formal financial tools while preserving a long-standing social practice. The agreement marks Money Fellows’ formal push into Morocco and places Wafacash, a subsidiary of Attijariwafa Bank Group, at the centre of another financial-inclusion initiative built around everyday cash and payment habits.Daret, like other

Kamala Harris has said she is considering another run for the White House in 2028, offering her clearest public signal yet that she may seek a political comeback after losing the 2024 presidential election to Donald Trump. Speaking on Friday at the National Action Network convention in New York, the former vice-president responded to a question from Rev. Al Sharpton by saying, “I might, I might. I’m thinking about it,” drawing loud applause from the audience.The remark instantly placed

S&P Global Ratings has lowered its growth expectations for both the UK and Egypt, saying the economic fallout from conflict-linked disruption across the Middle East is feeding through energy prices, trade routes and business confidence. For Egypt, S&P cut its forecast for real GDP growth in the 2025-2026 fiscal year to 4.7 per cent from 4.8 per cent, while also trimming the following year to 4.3 per cent from 4.7 per cent. For the UK, it said growth in 2026

Moscow has opened a 33-kilometre tram corridor branded T2, a cross-city route that Mayor Sergei Sobyanin says is now the world’s longest urban tram diameter, linking Chertanovskaya metro station in the south with Novogireevo on Moscow Central Diameter line D4 in the east. The launch marks the second stage of the capital’s tram-diameter programme and extends a surface-rail strategy designed to ease pressure on the underground network while improving orbital travel across densely populated districts.Sobyanin had flagged the T2

Russia said on Thursday that President Vladimir Putin had ordered a temporary ceasefire in Ukraine over Orthodox Easter, casting the move as a humanitarian gesture and urging Kyiv to follow suit, even as both sides remained deeply sceptical that any holiday pause would materially change the course of the war.The Kremlin said Russian forces were to halt combat operations from 4 p. m. on Saturday, April 11, until the end of Sunday, April 12, when Orthodox Christians in both

South Korea is sending a special envoy to Iran as Seoul steps up efforts to secure passage for 26 South Korean-linked vessels stranded around the Strait of Hormuz, underscoring how a partial US-Iran ceasefire has done little to restore normal shipping through one of the world’s most critical energy chokepoints. Seoul’s foreign ministry has appointed former ambassador to Kuwait Chung Byung-ha for the mission, with the government saying he will discuss safe transit for ships, crews and nationals as well

Washington and Tehran head into talks in Islamabad this weekend with far more at stake than a temporary pause in fighting, as negotiators face pressure to tackle the entire dispute at once rather than salvage only a narrow ceasefire. Pakistan has helped bring the sides to the table after a two-week truce took shape, but the diplomatic opening is already under strain from disputes over uranium enrichment, sanctions relief, maritime access through the Strait of Hormuz and the reach of

Air travellers in Germany faced widespread disruption on Friday after Lufthansa cabin crew staged a one-day strike that the airline and airport officials said would force the cancellation of more than 520 flights and affect about 90,000 passengers, hitting the carrier’s Frankfurt and Munich hubs during a busy holiday return period. The walkout, called by the UFO cabin crew union, ran from 00:01 to 22:00 local time and also extended to Lufthansa CityLine operations at nine German airports.The action

US unemployment benefit claims rose last week but stayed at levels that still point to a labour market holding together, even as investors and policymakers brace for a March inflation reading that could complicate the Federal Reserve’s next move.Initial claims for state unemployment benefits increased by 16,000 to 219,000 in the week ended April 4, according to Labor Department data released on Thursday. The prior week’s figure was revised up to 203,000 from 202,000. Continuing claims, a proxy for the

South Africa’s net foreign reserves fell to $73.19 billion at the end of March from $75.84 billion in February, as the country’s gross reserves also dropped to $77.76 billion from $81.06 billion, according to central bank data released on Thursday. The decline came after a stronger February reading and marks a pullback from levels that had been supported earlier this year by higher reserve values and foreign-exchange purchases.The March figures matter because foreign reserves are a key buffer for

Sub-Saharan Africa’s growth is set to hold at 4.1% in 2026, but the World Bank has cut its earlier projection and warned that a more hostile external backdrop, led by conflict-linked jumps in fuel and fertiliser costs, is making the region’s recovery harder to sustain. The lender said the outlook had been revised down by 0.3 percentage points from its October 2025 estimate, even as governments across the region remain constrained by debt, inflation risks and weaker access to external

South Africa is drawing a broader mix of overseas visitors who are staying longer, travelling with more intention and looking beyond checklist tourism, as global travel habits tilt towards slower, experience-led holidays and the country posts record inbound numbers.Official data show South Africa welcomed about 10.5 million international tourists in 2025, the highest annual total on record and above pre-pandemic levels. Statistics South Africa separately said the country recorded 18.9 million arrivals overall in 2025, while tourism authorities have highlighted

Afreximbank has been confirmed as a partner for African Energy Week 2026, due to run from October 12 to 16 in Cape Town, in a move that places one of the continent’s most active trade financiers at the centre of discussions over how African-led capital can support oil, gas, power and infrastructure projects. The partnership also signals how the event is seeking to position itself less as a conference circuit stop and more as a marketplace for financing, policy bargaining

A high-speed TGV travelling from Dunkirk to Paris struck a military truck at a level crossing in northern France on Tuesday, killing the train driver and injuring passengers in a crash that has renewed scrutiny of rail safety on one of Europe’s most intensively used networks. Authorities said the collision happened in Pas-de-Calais, between Béthune and Lens, after the train hit a trailer carrying military equipment.Emergency services rushed to the scene after the impact, which forced part of the

Romania is poised to keep borrowing costs unchanged as a fresh oil shock clouds the inflation outlook and leaves policymakers wary of loosening monetary conditions too early. The National Bank of Romania is widely expected to leave its benchmark interest rate at 6.5 per cent, preserving one of the European Union’s highest policy rates while consumer prices remain far above target and fiscal strains continue to weigh on confidence.The expected decision reflects a difficult balancing act for Governor Mugur Isărescu

Israel has warned civilians across Iran to avoid trains and railway lines, signalling a new phase in its expanding campaign against Iranian infrastructure as the conflict entered a more dangerous stage on Tuesday. The Israeli military issued the message in Persian on its official account, telling people not to travel by rail or go near railway tracks until 9pm local time, and saying their presence there could endanger their lives.The warning was brief but highly consequential. It did not