Category: World

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

Lebanese soldiers entered Beirut’s southern suburbs and detained suspected gunmen after celebratory fire and rocket-propelled grenades were discharged during a Hezbollah funeral, an unusual assertion of state authority inside one of the group’s most sensitive urban strongholds.The operation in Kafaat followed gunfire during a procession for Hezbollah supporters killed in Israeli strikes, with residents reporting panic as bullets rang out across densely populated neighbourhoods. Army units deployed armoured patrols, set up temporary checkpoints, searched homes and seized weapons and ammunition.

 Medical teams moved to evacuate two sick people from the MV Hondius on Tuesday after a hantavirus cluster aboard the Dutch-flagged expedition cruise ship left three people dead and forced the vessel to remain off Cabo Verde while international health authorities assessed the risk to passengers, crew and ports along its planned route.The vessel, carrying 147 people, including 88 passengers and 59 crew members from 23 nationalities, has been held off Praia after authorities were alerted to a cluster of

Botswana’s beef industry is under mounting pressure as foot-and-mouth disease disrupts exports, closes key slaughter facilities and threatens rural incomes in a country where cattle remain central to household wealth, food security and national trade.Acting Minister of Lands and Agriculture Dr Edwin Dikoloti has warned that the outbreak is placing significant strain on the economy and livelihoods, with the most immediate commercial blow coming from lost access to parts of the European Union market. The disruption has affected Botswana’s ability

Chicago wheat futures advanced for a third straight session on Tuesday as drought damage across the US Plains kept traders focused on tightening prospects for the winter crop, even as forecasts for rainfall checked sharper gains.The most-active wheat contract on the Chicago Board of Trade rose 0.8 per cent to $6.44-1/4 a bushel in early Asian trade, extending a rally that last week pushed prices to their highest level in two years. Soybeans edged up 0.1 per cent to $12.23-1/2

Seven hantavirus cases have been identified aboard the MV Hondius after a suspected outbreak on the expedition cruise ship left three people dead and triggered evacuation plans for about 150 passengers and crew held off Cape Verde.The World Health Organization said on Monday that two infections had been confirmed in laboratories and five other cases were suspected as of 4 May. One patient was critically ill, while three others were reporting milder symptoms. The vessel, operated by Oceanwide Expeditions, had

Kenya is moving to keep more value from its minerals at home, signalling a sharper shift from raw exports towards processing, refining and manufacturing as global competition for critical minerals intensifies.President William Ruto set out the policy direction while opening the 2026 Kenya Mining Investment Conference and Expo in Nairobi, telling investors and government delegations that Kenya no longer wants to serve mainly as a supplier of unprocessed ores for industries abroad. The two-day forum brought together more than 500

Wall Street’s latest rally is being driven less by relief over geopolitics than by a force investors can measure more easily: earnings. Morgan Stanley strategists say the strength of US corporate profits, led by technology companies, is giving equities enough support to look beyond the market risks created by the Iran conflict and the disruption around the Strait of Hormuz.The bank’s team, led by Michael Wilson, has pointed to a broad improvement in earnings revisions for the S&P 500 over

Residents across Eastern Samar and nearby provinces rushed out of homes, offices and schools on Monday after a strong earthquake struck the central Philippines, shaking parts of the Visayas and renewing concern over the country’s exposure to destructive seismic activity.The quake hit at 2.09pm local time on May 4, 2026, with its epicentre traced near San Julian in Eastern Samar. Early readings placed the tremor at magnitude 6.1 and at a shallow depth of about 10 kilometres, before updated assessments

Swiss lawmakers are opening a politically charged debate in Bern that could determine how much capital UBS Group must hold after its takeover of Credit Suisse, setting the stage for a confrontation between financial stability concerns and fears over Switzerland’s competitiveness as a banking centre.A 13-member parliamentary panel is meeting on Monday to begin work on proposed changes to the Banking Act, a legislative package shaped by the collapse of Credit Suisse and the emergency rescue that left UBS as

North Korea’s Naegohyang Women’s FC is set to travel to South Korea this month for a high-profile Asian Football Confederation Women’s Champions League semi-final, creating one of the few sporting contacts between the two sides in years.The Pyongyang-based club is scheduled to face Suwon FC Women at Suwon Stadium on May 20, with the final fixed for May 23 at the same venue. The Korea Football Association has confirmed the fixture, while Seoul’s Unification Ministry has received a delegation list

Apple’s March-quarter sales climbed sharply as demand for the iPhone 17 line helped the company deliver its strongest quarterly revenue growth in more than four years, easing investor anxiety over a slower consumer electronics market and its uneven progress in artificial intelligence.The Cupertino-based group reported revenue of $111.2 billion for the fiscal second quarter ended March 28, up 17 per cent from a year earlier. Diluted earnings per share rose 22 per cent to $2.01, while net income reached $29.58