Category: World

Kyiv came under a large Russian missile and drone attack before dawn on Thursday, leaving at least one person dead, dozens wounded and rescuers searching through the ruins of a damaged residential building where residents were feared trapped. Explosions shook several districts of the Ukrainian capital during an air raid alert that lasted more than four hours, as air defences attempted to intercept a mixed barrage of ballistic missiles and drones. City officials said falling debris and direct impacts damaged homes,

South Africa’s rand firmed in early Wednesday trade as investors turned their attention to Beijing, where talks between U. S. President Donald Trump and China’s President Xi Jinping were expected to influence appetite for emerging-market assets, commodities and risk-sensitive currencies. By 0749 GMT, the rand was trading at 16.4517 against the dollar, about 0.4% stronger than its previous close. The move followed a weaker session on Tuesday, when disappointing labour market data and caution over global inflation pressures weighed on South

South Africa’s retailers are paying a widening price for weak security systems, with losses now extending beyond stolen stock to staff safety, customer confidence, delivery costs, insurance premiums and already thin operating margins. Shrinkage has become a boardroom issue rather than a store-level irritation. Retailers are dealing with shoplifting, employee theft, fraud, vandalism, armed robberies, cyber intrusions and organised syndicates that target goods with established resale value. The sector’s annual losses linked to crime and shrinkage are estimated at about R23

EVelution Energy has moved closer to anchoring a domestic US cobalt supply chain after signing a memorandum of understanding with Democratic Republic of Congo’s state cobalt buyer and Trafigura for long-term shipments of cobalt hydroxide to its planned Arizona refinery. The agreement brings together EVelution Energy, Entreprise Générale du Cobalt and Trafigura in a framework that could channel Congolese cobalt to the United States for processing into battery-grade cobalt sulphate or alloy-grade cobalt metal. The material is intended for sectors including

  Nigeria’s equities market has moved into a stronger expansion cycle as abundant domestic liquidity, expectations of looser monetary conditions and a widening valuation rerating continue to draw investors into listed banks, industrial counters, consumer goods companies and exchange-traded funds. Analysts at PAC Research have linked the rally on the Nigerian Exchange to four main forces: expanding local liquidity, expectations that monetary policy will normalise further, renewed appetite for stocks that had traded at discounts to earnings and assets, and a gradual

Washington’s fragile ceasefire with Tehran moved close to collapse after President Donald Trump rejected Iran’s latest response to a US peace proposal and described the arrangement as being on “massive life support”. Trump’s remarks on Monday marked one of the sharpest public assessments of the 10-week conflict, which has already disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, lifted energy prices and strained diplomacy across the Gulf. Speaking after reviewing Tehran’s counterproposal, he called the response “stupid” and “a piece of garbage”,

Cole Tomas Allen, a 31-year-old man from Torrance, California, has pleaded not guilty in a Washington federal court to charges arising from what prosecutors describe as an armed attempt to kill President Donald Trump and senior administration figures at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner. Allen appeared on Monday before U. S. District Judge Trevor McFadden, wearing an orange jail uniform and restrained at the waist. He did not address the court. His lawyer entered the plea on his behalf to

Washington has widened the corporate stakes around President Donald Trump’s China visit by inviting Elon Musk and Apple chief executive Tim Cook to join a business delegation accompanying him to Beijing for talks with President Xi Jinping. The trip, scheduled around high-level meetings on May 14 and 15, is being shaped as a test of whether the world’s two largest economies can stabilise a relationship strained by tariffs, technology controls, rare earth supplies, Taiwan, Iran and competition in artificial intelligence. The

Seventeen Americans exposed to hantavirus aboard the MV Hondius have landed in Omaha for medical assessment and monitoring, after an international evacuation from the Canary Islands brought a deadly cruise-linked outbreak under United States supervision. One passenger tested mildly positive for Andes virus, a hantavirus strain capable of causing severe respiratory illness, while another showed mild symptoms and was awaiting further evaluation. The infected passenger, who had no symptoms at arrival, was separated under biocontainment protocols and taken to the Nebraska

False ship positions have multiplied around the Strait of Hormuz, with vessels shown inland, clustered at impossible coordinates and moving at implausible speeds as electronic interference intensifies around one of the world’s most sensitive energy corridors. The disruption has emerged alongside renewed attacks and drone activity across the Gulf, sharpening concerns for crews, shipowners, insurers and energy buyers already dealing with curtailed traffic through the waterway. The anomalies point to expanded interference with satellite navigation and vessel-tracking systems rather than

Nairobi became the centre of a sharper debate over Africa’s economic future on Monday as the Africa Forward Summit 2026 opened with agriculture emerging as a test of whether new Africa-France partnerships can move beyond diplomacy into measurable gains for producers. Co-hosted by President William Ruto and President Emmanuel Macron, the two-day gathering brings heads of state, multilateral lenders, business leaders, innovators and civil society groups to Nairobi at a time when Africa is seeking greater control over the value generated

Gold prices fell on Monday as President Donald Trump’s rejection of Iran’s latest peace proposal deepened concern that a prolonged squeeze on the Strait of Hormuz will keep energy costs elevated and complicate the fight against inflation. Spot gold dropped 0.8 per cent to $4,678.39 an ounce, while US gold futures for June delivery declined 0.9 per cent to $4,686.20. The fall came despite renewed geopolitical strain, underscoring how the inflationary impact of higher oil prices can outweigh gold’s traditional appeal

Iran has handed Washington its formal response to a US peace proposal, but the exchange has deepened uncertainty over whether a 10-week war can be halted before the Strait of Hormuz crisis inflicts wider damage on energy markets and regional security. The response was delivered through Pakistan, which has emerged as a key mediator between Tehran and Washington. Iran’s position centres on an immediate cessation of hostilities across the region, including Lebanon, where fighting involving Israel and Hezbollah has complicated US

A Frontier Airlines aircraft struck and killed a person on a runway at Denver International Airport late on Friday, triggering an engine fire, smoke in the cabin and an emergency evacuation of more than 230 people aboard the Los Angeles-bound flight. Flight 4345, operated with an Airbus A321, was accelerating for departure at about 11.19pm local time when pilots reported hitting an individual on the runway. The takeoff was aborted, emergency crews were dispatched and passengers were evacuated using slides before

More than 70 days of near-total internet disruption have left millions of Iranians cut off from work, customers, banking tools and relatives abroad, turning a state security measure into a nationwide economic emergency. The shutdown, imposed after a fresh phase of unrest and intensified following military escalation in late February, has become one of the longest and most sweeping digital blackouts recorded in a major economy. Connectivity has at times fallen to a fraction of normal levels, leaving most households dependent

Germany’s airport operators have warned that a worsening aviation fuel squeeze could force airlines to cut services, push fares higher and leave millions of passengers facing disruption during the summer travel period. Ralph Beisel, chief executive of the German Airports Association, said the pressure on kerosene supplies and prices had become a significant risk for the country’s aviation network. The association has cautioned that smaller airports, thinner routes and price-sensitive leisure services could be hit first if airlines are forced to

Rwanda has moved to strengthen its access to the Central Corridor through a standard gauge railway link intended to connect Kigali with Tanzania’s expanding rail network and, later, the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo. The planned Rwandan section will run for about 150 kilometres from Rusumo on the Tanzanian border to Kigali, forming the final domestic stretch of the long-discussed Isaka-Kigali railway. The project is designed to give Rwanda a faster and more reliable route to the port of

Russia and Ukraine traded large-scale drone attacks as a Moscow-declared Victory Day ceasefire took effect, deepening doubts over whether either side would observe the temporary halt in fighting around one of Russia’s most politically charged national commemorations. Moscow said its air defences destroyed 264 Ukrainian drones in the early hours of Friday, including aircraft aimed at the capital and targets in Russia’s Perm region. The claims followed a day of disruption in and around Moscow, where authorities reported more than 50

Britain has confirmed two hantavirus infections among its nationals and is investigating a third suspected case on Tristan da Cunha, widening the public health response to a deadly outbreak linked to the MV Hondius expedition cruise ship in the South Atlantic. The suspected case involves a British national on the remote UK Overseas Territory, while two other British nationals have already tested positive after being connected to the same voyage. Health officials say none of the British citizens still onboard the

France have been tipped to win the 2026 FIFA World Cup by defeating Spain in the final, with Bank of America analysts placing Kylian Mbappé at the centre of their forecast for the expanded tournament in North America. The projection, based on a survey of 65 respondents across the bank’s Global Research department, gives France its third World Cup title after triumphs in 1998 and 2018. Mbappé is expected to finish as the tournament’s top scorer, while Spain’s teenage forward Lamine

A second ADNOC-linked liquefied natural gas tanker has cleared the Strait of Hormuz, signalling that Abu Dhabi is cautiously restoring limited export movement through one of the world’s most sensitive energy chokepoints despite the war involving Iran. Ship-tracking data on Wednesday showed the LNG carrier Mraweh, managed by ADNOC Logistics & Services and chartered by ADNOC Gas, had reappeared loaded off Indonesia after losing its automatic identification signal on April 19. Its position indicated that the vessel had crossed the strait

Swiss health authorities have confirmed a hantavirus infection in a man who had travelled aboard the MV Hondius, sharpening international scrutiny of a deadly outbreak linked to the Dutch-flagged expedition vessel now off Cape Verde. The patient is being treated at Zurich University Hospital, with officials indicating that wider risk to the Swiss population remains low. The case adds a new European dimension to an outbreak that has already killed three passengers and triggered medical evacuations, contact tracing and port-access negotiations