Category: World

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,

European Parliament lawmakers have approved the revival of temporary rules allowing online platforms to voluntarily detect child sexual abuse material, while shielding end-to-end encrypted communications from the measure.The vote on Thursday did not approve unrestricted monitoring of private messages, as some social media posts claimed. Parliament backed a modified framework that permits companies to scan certain communications voluntarily but excludes encrypted services such as WhatsApp, Signal and Telegram from the proposed extension.The decision marks the latest turn in a prolonged

ADNOC Distribution has agreed to buy Shell Downstream South Africa in a $1 billion deal that gives the Abu Dhabi fuel retailer control of one of South Africa’s largest petrol station networks and marks a decisive expansion of Gulf capital into Africa’s downstream energy market.The agreement covers 100 per cent of Shell Downstream South Africa from Shell South Africa Holdings, with the enterprise value subject to adjustments for net debt and working capital. The business includes 580 company-owned and dealer-owned

Spain reached the World Cup quarter-finals by beating Portugal 1-0 in Arlington, Texas, while setting a tournament record with a sixth consecutive match without conceding a goal.Mikel Merino scored in the 91st minute to settle a tight Round of 16 tie at AT&T Stadium, sending Spain through and ending Portugal’s campaign after a match shaped more by control, discipline and defensive concentration than attacking fluency. The result extended goalkeeper Unai Simón’s World Cup shutout sequence to 609 minutes, surpassing the

Emergency crews began stabilising a structurally compromised Midtown Manhattan high-rise after buckled columns, cracked floors and visible deflection forced evacuations around a major office-to-residential conversion site near Grand Central Terminal.The 37-storey building at 235 East 42nd Street, formerly part of Pfizer’s global headquarters, was declared unstable after workers reported structural distress on Tuesday morning. By evening, engineers had entered the affected area, installed jacks and started placing temporary steel supports designed to redistribute the load around the damaged section.The alarm

A Ukrainian drone attack set off a fire at Russia’s Saratov oil refinery overnight, extending Kyiv’s campaign against fuel assets that support Moscow’s military operations and domestic supply network.Footage circulating from the Volga region showed flames and smoke rising from the refinery area after explosions were reported around 3am local time. Saratov regional governor Roman Busargin acknowledged a drone threat and said warning systems could be activated in areas at risk, but Russian authorities did not immediately confirm damage to

FIFA’s decision to suspend Folarin Balogun’s automatic one-match ban has cleared the United States forward to face Belgium in Monday’s World Cup last-16 tie in Seattle, triggering a sharp protest from the Royal Belgian Football Association and fresh scrutiny of football’s disciplinary system.Balogun had been expected to miss the knockout match after being sent off during the United States’ 2-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina on July 1. The 25-year-old, who had scored his third goal of the tournament in

Norway reached the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time after Erling Haaland struck twice late on to seal a 2-1 win over Brazil in East Rutherford, New Jersey, ending the five-time champions’ campaign at the last-16 stage.Haaland broke the deadlock in the 79th minute with a powerful header and added a second in the 90th minute, turning a tight knockout match into one of the defining shocks of the 2026 tournament. Neymar converted a stoppage-time penalty in the 100th

Global equities advanced after weaker US employment figures reduced expectations of an imminent Federal Reserve rate increase, pushing investors back into risk assets while lifting gold and easing pressure on the dollar.The rally followed the June employment report, which showed non-farm payrolls rising by 57,000, well below market expectations of roughly 110,000. The unemployment rate eased to 4.2 per cent, but the decline was clouded by a fall in labour force participation to 61.5 per cent, suggesting that fewer people

The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is turning into a wider economic emergency, with the United Nations Development Programme warning that the crisis could cost African economies up to $3.6 billion and put about 328,000 jobs at risk if transmission spreads beyond the current hotspots.The warning has sharpened concern that a public-health crisis driven by the Bundibugyo strain, for which there is no approved vaccine or specific treatment, could reverse fragile gains in poverty reduction, disrupt cross-border