Category: World

Two China-linked supertankers carrying about four million barrels of Saudi crude have exited the Red Sea through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, defying threats against vessels connected to the kingdom’s oil trade. The Xin Long Yang and Cosnew Lake completed the passage on Thursday after sailing south along Yemen’s coast. Their movement provided an important test of whether Saudi Arabia can continue using its Red Sea export route while traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains severely disrupted. Both very large crude carriers

Argentine football supporters have launched an online petition demanding that FIFA replay the 2026 World Cup final after Spain defeated Argentina 1-0 in extra time. The Change. org campaign crossed 61,000 signatures within days of the July 19 final at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Support continued to grow on Thursday, with separate live counts showing the total moving well beyond the figure that first drew international attention. The petition was started by Gisela Sánchez, who accused Slovenian referee Slavko

Britain’s youngest workers are becoming less confident that the economy can deliver secure jobs, meaningful savings or attainable homes, as rising youth unemployment and weak entry-level hiring cloud their financial prospects. The unemployment rate among people aged 16 to 24 climbed to 16.4% in the three months to May, its highest level in about 11 years. The increase means roughly one in six young people participating in the labour market is unable to find work, compared with an overall UK unemployment

The United States and Saudi Arabia have signed a landmark civil nuclear co-operation agreement that could eventually allow the kingdom to enrich uranium, opening a new chapter in their strategic partnership while intensifying concerns over nuclear proliferation in the Middle East. US Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman signed the accord in Washington on Wednesday. The agreement, known as a Section 123 pact under US law, establishes the legal framework required for American companies to

Yemen’s Houthi movement has positioned missiles and drones near the Bab el-Mandeb strait and is prepared to resume attacks on commercial shipping, raising the risk of disruption across one of the world’s most important trade corridors. Maritime security monitors have raised their assessment of the threat after the group declared a blockade targeting vessels connected to Saudi Arabia. Ships calling at Saudi ports have been warned that they could face attack while sailing through the southern Red Sea, Bab el-Mandeb and

Tobe Hooper’s landmark horror film The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is being transformed into a fully hand-animated feature using rotoscoping, offering audiences a new visual interpretation of the 1974 production while retaining its original performances and unnerving atmosphere. Dark Sky Films and Exurbia Films have confirmed that the project is in production for a planned 2027 release. Artists will trace the original live-action footage frame by frame, recreating its characters, rural landscapes and violent confrontations through traditional illustration rather than computer-generated

US carmakers are racing to remove Chinese-designed communications hardware and software from connected vehicles as federal restrictions force a costly overhaul of supply chains, engineering systems and supplier relationships. The industry faces its first major deadline with model year 2027 vehicles, when covered connectivity and automated-driving software linked to China or Russia will be barred from new cars sold in the United States. Restrictions on vehicle connectivity hardware will take effect for model year 2030, or from January 1, 2029, for

Dozens of people were feared dead after a government-operated passenger ferry capsized off Guyana’s Atlantic coast, leaving rescue crews searching a vast stretch of water for those still missing. The MV Barima was carrying 116 passengers and 17 crew members when it overturned late on Saturday while travelling from Georgetown to Port Kaituma. Sixty-seven people, including 15 children, had been rescued by Sunday afternoon, but authorities reported no further survivors as operations continued into Monday. The confirmed survivors comprised 41 men, 11

Uganda has begun a 42-day countdown towards declaring its Ebola outbreak over after the final confirmed patient tested negative twice and was discharged from hospital on Thursday. The patient, a national of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, had been receiving treatment at Mulago National Referral Hospital in Kampala. Health authorities said the country could be declared free of the outbreak if no additional infections are detected during the monitoring period. Uganda has recorded 20 confirmed cases of Ebola disease caused by

Microsoft energy executive Darryl Willis will speak at African Energy Week 2026 as governments and investors examine how artificial intelligence and data centres could reshape electricity development across the continent. Willis, Microsoft’s corporate vice-president for the energy and resources industry, is expected to address the links between AI, cloud computing, power generation and grid expansion at the conference in Cape Town from October 12 to 16. His participation places digital infrastructure alongside oil, gas, renewable energy and electricity access on the event’s

Smoke from wildfires burning across Canada and northern Minnesota blanketed large parts of the United States on Thursday, pushing air pollution to dangerous levels and placing millions of people under health alerts from the Upper Midwest to the East Coast. More than 20 states were affected as dense smoke travelled south and east on north-westerly winds. The sharpest deterioration was recorded around the Great Lakes, where parts of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois and Ohio experienced air quality ranging from unhealthy to

European prosecutors have opened a criminal investigation into subsidy payments to companies formerly owned by Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, intensifying scrutiny of his business arrangements and possible conflicts of interest. The European Public Prosecutor’s Office is examining whether European Union funds were improperly paid to businesses within the Agrofert conglomerate and whether Czech authorities failed to recover subsidies awarded during Babiš’s earlier term as prime minister from 2017 to 2021. Czech police have been asked to assist the inquiry. A prosecutor

U. S. President Donald Trump has abandoned his proposed 20 per cent charge on cargo moving through the Strait of Hormuz, replacing it with planned trade and investment agreements with Gulf states while keeping a naval blockade on Iran in force. The reversal came a day after Trump said Washington would collect a “reimbursement fee” from vessels using the strategic waterway, a move that triggered objections over its legality, feasibility and inflationary impact. He said talks with Gulf leaders had produced

De Beers plans to suspend production at its Venetia diamond mine in South Africa for two years as weak rough-stone prices and persistent trading pressures force the group to deepen cost cuts across its global operations. The proposed shutdown at the Limpopo mine will be accompanied by a rescheduling of capital expenditure on the underground project, which was developed at a cost of about $2.3 billion. The company will continue investing in critical infrastructure during the pause to improve the mine’s

Nigel Farage’s attempt to turn scrutiny of his financial affairs into a direct electoral test has produced an unusual contest, with satirical candidate Count Binface so far emerging as his only declared challenger in the Clacton by-election. The Reform UK leader resigned from the House of Commons on July 8 and immediately announced that he would seek re-election. Polling will take place on August 13 after parliamentary authorities formally declared the Essex constituency vacant. Farage portrayed the decision as a confrontation between

Sam Neill, the New Zealand actor whose portrayal of palaeontologist Alan Grant in Jurassic Park made him one of cinema’s most recognisable stars, has died in Sydney aged 78. His family announced that Neill died on Monday, July 13, surrounded by relatives. The death was described as sudden and unexpected, although the actor remained free of the blood cancer for which he had undergone treatment. The family said Neill died with the dignity that had defined his life and thanked the staff

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government of posing a threat to international security, sharpening Ankara’s criticism of Israel as diplomatic efforts continue to contain conflict across the Middle East. Fidan said Netanyahu’s policies had become a burden not only for Türkiye and the wider region, but also for Israel itself. He argued that the Israeli leader and his political allies relied on external enemies to sustain domestic support as the country moved closer to

Search teams expanded operations in the Arabian Sea on Friday as five crew members remained missing after a K2 Airways cargo aircraft crashed while flying from Sharjah to Karachi. Pakistan Navy and Pakistan Maritime Security Agency units recovered additional debris during the third day of the operation, but the main fuselage, flight recorders and crew had not been located. Strong winds, shifting currents and poor underwater visibility were complicating efforts around the crash zone. The Boeing 737-400 freighter disappeared from radar on

Belgium became the European Union’s third-largest air freight market in 2025 as cargo volumes at its airports climbed by almost 13%, strengthening the country’s role as a gateway for e-commerce, pharmaceuticals, express parcels and time-sensitive industrial shipments. More than two million tonnes of freight and mail passed through Belgian airports during the year, placing the country behind only Germany and France among the EU’s 27 member states. The performance was led by Liège Airport, one of Europe’s biggest dedicated cargo centres,