Category: World

Samsung Electronics and its largest labour union will return to negotiations on Monday in a high-stakes attempt to prevent an 18-day strike that could disrupt semiconductor production, unsettle global technology supply chains and deepen pressure on South Korea’s export-led economy.The talks, to be held with government mediation, follow days of failed discussions over pay, performance bonuses and transparency in reward structures at the world’s largest memory chipmaker. The National Samsung Electronics Union has threatened to begin industrial action on May

California has barred Kars4Kids from airing its familiar vehicle-donation jingle in its current form after a court found the campaign misled donors about who benefited from their contributions.The ruling by Orange County Superior Court Judge Gassia Apkarian found that the long-running radio and television advertisements violated California’s false advertising and unfair competition laws by omitting material information about the charity’s mission, geographic focus and beneficiaries. Kars4Kids has 30 days from the judgment to stop non-compliant broadcasts in the state and

Health authorities are racing to contain a new Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s eastern Ituri province after 246 suspected cases and 65 deaths were recorded, while Uganda confirmed a separate fatal case involving a man who had travelled from Congo.The outbreak has been reported mainly in the Mongwalu and Rwampara health zones, with suspected cases also under investigation in Bunia, Ituri’s provincial capital near the Ugandan border. Preliminary laboratory testing detected Ebola virus in 13 of

Health authorities have moved to contain a new Ebola virus disease outbreak in Ituri province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, triggering an urgent regional coordination meeting with Uganda, South Sudan and international response partners as concern grows over cross-border transmission.The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the outbreak on Friday after investigations identified 246 suspected cases and 65 suspected deaths. Most infections have been reported in the Mongwalu and Rwampara health zones, while suspected cases have

Africa is losing about $5 billion a year to currency conversion costs, exposing a costly weakness in the continent’s ambition to build a seamless single market.A fresh assessment of cross-border trade barriers says limited currency convertibility remains one of the biggest obstacles facing businesses, traders and consumers across the continent. The cost arises because payments between African countries often pass through foreign currencies, mainly the dollar or the euro, before reaching their final destination. Each conversion adds fees, exchange-rate losses

Kazakhstan has ordered artificial intelligence to be introduced across all secondary schools by 2029, setting a tight first deadline for the government to design a pilot project within 17 days as President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev pushes education reform deeper into the country’s digital transformation agenda.Tokayev signed the decree on May 12, directing the government to prepare concrete proposals by June 1 for an initial pilot in secondary education. The wider national plan, covering 2026 to 2029, must be approved by July

Moscow’s Arbitration Court has ordered Euroclear to pay about €200 billion to Russia’s central bank, sharply escalating a legal confrontation over sovereign reserves immobilised in Europe since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The ruling gives Moscow a formal domestic judgment against the Brussels-based clearing house, although enforcement outside Russia is expected to face major legal and political barriers.Russia’s central bank filed the case in December 2025, seeking compensation for assets and proceeds it says it has been

Mexico’s tougher enforcement against ride-hailing pick-ups at airports is emerging as a logistical risk for football supporters weeks before the country helps open the 2026 World Cup.Authorities have stepped up action against app-based services such as Uber and DiDi in federal airport zones, reviving a long-running clash between digital platforms, airport taxi operators and transport regulators. The dispute is most visible at Mexico City International Airport, where enforcement operations and taxi protests have disrupted access roads and raised concerns over

A commercial vessel anchored off Fujairah has been taken by unauthorised personnel and steered towards Iranian territorial waters, intensifying concern over security at one of the world’s most important maritime chokepoints.The incident was reported 38 nautical miles, about 70 kilometres, north-east of the UAE port of Fujairah, close to the entrance of the Strait of Hormuz. The ship was at anchor when unidentified personnel boarded it and took control, leaving maritime authorities to assess whether the episode marks a fresh

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