Category: World

Nigeria’s fixed-income market appears to be crossing an important threshold. For much of the past two years, yields were principally shaped by a familiar combination of aggressive government borrowing, restrictive monetary policy and investors demanding substantial compensation for inflation and currency risk. That hierarchy is changing. AAG Capital argues that liquidity is becoming the more powerful force behind pricing, potentially pushing government yields lower even while fiscal borrowing remains substantial. The distinction matters. A fiscal-driven market normally requires progressively higher yields

Washington’s rare purchase of Japanese yen has put currency intervention, US Treasury stability and global risk appetite into the same market equation, with implications extending to bitcoin and other digital assets. The US Treasury joined Japan on July 31 in buying yen to counter what Tokyo described as excessive volatility and disorderly moves in the currency. Japan’s Ministry of Finance confirmed the coordinated operation on August 3, marking the first joint US-Japan currency intervention since 2011 and the first aimed at

Protests over surging fuel costs widened across several countries on Wednesday as crude oil remained above $100 a barrel, pushing diesel and petrol prices higher and forcing governments to confront growing public anger over the economic fallout from the Middle East conflict. French fishermen blocked the Frontignan fuel depot near Sète, a day after a similar action at Fos-sur-Mer near Marseille, demanding relief from fuel costs and deteriorating operating conditions. Police intervened at Frontignan, while official data showed about 9 per

Saudi warplanes struck Houthi positions across Yemen on Wednesday as the Iran-aligned movement pressed territorial gains along the Red Sea coast and widened attacks on Saudi targets, intensifying a new front in the Middle East war. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said Saudi aircraft had carried out as many as 450 strikes during the week. Officials from Yemen’s internationally recognised government acknowledged that their forces and Saudi aircraft were attacking Houthi positions, although Riyadh had not publicly confirmed the scale of

Yemen’s Houthi movement said on Wednesday that it had shot down a Royal Saudi Air Force F-15 fighter jet over Marib province, a claim that Saudi authorities had not confirmed and that could not immediately be independently verified. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the aircraft was brought down with a locally manufactured surface-to-air missile while conducting what he described as hostile operations over Marib. He gave no details about the aircraft’s crew, the precise location of the alleged crash or

US midterm elections are emerging as a fresh policy risk for artificial intelligence-linked stocks as President Donald Trump defends rapid AI development while candidates from both parties respond to widening voter resistance to data centres and calls for tighter safeguards. The political pressure intensified this week after Trump rejected demands for a slowdown in advanced AI development and argued that existing laws and enforcement powers were sufficient to deal with misuse. His stance contrasts with growing concern among lawmakers, technology

Germany’s hospitals are accelerating preparations for a potential wartime surge of wounded patients, with military planners warning that a NATO conflict could send hundreds of casualties into the health system each day. The Bundeswehr has built scenarios involving 300 to 1,000 wounded service personnel arriving daily, a scale that would rapidly overwhelm Germany’s five military hospitals and require extensive use of civilian facilities. Military medical planners say roughly a third of the most seriously wounded could need intensive care, putting pressure

Middle East supply disruptions are accelerating Africa’s drive to expand domestic refining and production as governments and companies seek to reduce exposure to volatile fuel costs and vulnerable shipping routes. Disruption around the Strait of Hormuz and Red Sea has pushed energy markets higher, raising import bills across a continent where most countries remain net buyers of crude or refined petroleum products. The African Development Bank says 43 of Africa’s 54 countries are net importers of crude oil or petroleum products,

Monaco is poised to leave the Financial Action Task Force’s grey list next month after completing an on-site review of reforms aimed at strengthening controls against money laundering and terrorist financing, with Bulgaria and Côte d’Ivoire also moving towards removal. The Paris-based watchdog is expected to consider the three jurisdictions at its plenary meeting from October 26 to 30, after determining in June that each had substantially completed the action plan required to address strategic deficiencies in its anti-money-laundering and counter-terrorist-financing

SOCAR plans to take a final investment decision by the end of 2026 on a petrochemical expansion in Türkiye valued at up to $7 billion, placing higher-value manufacturing at the centre of Azerbaijan’s effort to broaden its energy economy beyond crude oil and gas sales. The State Oil Company of the Republic of Azerbaijan is assessing new production units and upgrades to existing facilities at Petkim, its petrochemical subsidiary in Aliağa, İzmir. The programme is designed to increase domestic production of

Djibouti has joined the Artemis Accords, becoming the 72nd country and eighth African nation to endorse the US-led principles for peaceful, transparent and coordinated civil space exploration. Djibouti’s ambassador to the United States, Mohamed Siad Douale, signed the accords on behalf of his government at NASA Headquarters in Washington on Monday, September 14. NASA Deputy Administrator Matt Anderson hosted the ceremony, which was also attended by US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Frank Garcia. The accession extends African participation in

A federal judge has stopped the Trump administration from imposing fixed limits on how long foreign students, exchange visitors and journalists may remain in the United States, blocking a major immigration rule one day before it was due to take effect. U. S. District Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV in Boston issued a preliminary injunction on Monday, September 14, finding that the Department of Homeland Security had relied on “exceptionally weak” rationales and had failed to meet requirements of the Administrative

A new round of 50 per cent US tariffs on Canadian goods took effect early Tuesday, adding the levy to 110 tariff items while removing 10 others from the list. The changes, effective from 12.01am Eastern Time on September 15, cover products including selected cheeses, motorboats, all-terrain vehicles, furniture, mattresses, lamps, aluminium products, paper goods and iron or steel structures. They form part of a package of measures signed by President Donald Trump on September 8 after Canada activated retaliatory tariffs

Bob Mackie, the Emmy- and Tony-winning designer who transformed television and stage costuming with flamboyant creations for Cher, Carol Burnett, died on Monday in Palm Springs, California. He was 87. A representative for Mackie said he died of pneumonia at 10.40am on September 14. His team announced his death through his official social media account, saying he had spent his life fulfilling his ambition to be a fashion and costume designer. Mackie’s death prompted tributes from performers whose public images were closely

Zurich Airport has moved two autonomous electric shuttle buses to Level 4 operation without a driver or safety monitor on board, shifting human oversight entirely to a remote control centre after an 18-month testing programme. The airport said the first fully automated runs began in early September, marking the latest stage of a pilot launched with autonomous-driving technology company WeRide in March 2025. The two Robobus vehicles now handle their defined airside route independently, while trained personnel monitor operations from a

The US Supreme Court has refused to let the Postal Service enforce new restrictions on mail-in ballots before the November midterm elections, leaving in place a lower-court order that bars the rules while legal challenges continue. The justices on Monday rejected the Trump administration’s emergency request to lift an injunction imposed by US District Judge Indira Talwani in Boston. The court said in an unsigned order that the government was unlikely to succeed on the merits of its challenge to Talwani’s

US Senator Bernie Sanders and former Trump adviser Steve Bannon will appear at a Washington gathering on Tuesday, joining labour, religious and political figures calling for controls over advanced artificial intelligence. The Pro-Human Assembly, organised by the Future of Life Institute, is expected to bring together participants who rarely share a political platform but have converged around concerns that advancing AI could threaten jobs, autonomy, democratic institutions and public safety. Organisers say the meeting will focus on keeping humans in control

Chevron’s Australia president expects liquefied natural gas prices to remain elevated for about six months as war-driven disruption to Middle East supply keeps the global market tight. Balaji Krishnamurthy, who leads Chevron’s Australian operations, said at the Gastech conference in Bangkok on Monday that higher prices were likely to persist while the market adjusts to reduced Qatari exports and constrained shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. He said Australian LNG was commanding a premium because of its proximity to major Asian

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said on Monday that its air defences had intercepted and destroyed an MQ-1 unmanned aircraft over the Strait of Hormuz, adding another disputed military incident to the escalating confrontation with the United States around the strategic waterway. The IRGC said its Aerospace Force used a new air-defence system operating under Iran’s integrated air-defence network to engage the aircraft above the strait. It did not disclose the precise location, altitude, time of interception or the weapon used,

Austria has denied entry to Iran’s nuclear chief Mohammad Eslami, preventing him from addressing the International Atomic Energy Agency’s annual General Conference in Vienna after a travel-ban exemption was not approved. Eslami, Iran’s vice-president for nuclear affairs and head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, had been expected to speak at the opening of the five-day gathering on Monday. Iran’s state news agency said on Saturday that he had left Tehran for Vienna to attend the conference and hold meetings

President Donald Trump has urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to stop attacking Russian oil refineries, arguing that the strikes are worsening a global diesel shortage as fuel prices climb sharply in the United States. Trump said on Sunday that he had already spoken directly with Zelenskyy about the issue and wanted Ukraine to select other targets inside Russia. Speaking during a visit to Ireland, he said Ukrainian attacks were reducing Russian diesel supplies and “hurting the world”. “Mr Zelensky has to do

General aviation manufacturers posted higher aircraft shipments and sharply stronger billings in the first half of 2026, although weaker piston-aircraft deliveries left the industry's performance uneven across major segments. The General Aviation Manufacturers Association said manufacturers delivered 1,458 aeroplanes worldwide through the second quarter, up 1.7 per cent from 1,433 in the same period of 2025. Aeroplane billings climbed 15.5 per cent to $14.3 billion from $12.4 billion, showing that revenue growth outpaced the modest increase in unit deliveries. Business jets produced

Sweden’s centre-left opposition held a narrow lead early Monday after a national election that could determine whether the far-right Sweden Democrats enter government for the first time, leaving the final result dependent on remaining ballots. Preliminary figures from the Swedish Election Authority put the opposition bloc led by Social Democrat Magdalena Andersson ahead of Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson’s governing alliance, with the margin narrow enough to keep both sides from claiming victory. With votes counted from 6,195 of Sweden’s 6,312 election districts,

Indonesian rescuers were searching the Java Sea on Sunday for 140 people missing after the passenger vessel Virgo Transport 8 sank during severe weather, with 102 survivors rescued and one person confirmed dead. The ship was carrying 243 people when it lost contact early on September 13 while sailing from Surabaya in East Java to Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan, according to Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency. Authorities said the vessel later sank, prompting a large-scale operation involving rescue ships, naval

Nepal has put the reconstruction requirement from the devastating August 26 floods at about $4.78 billion, sharply exceeding the government's initial estimate of direct physical damage and economic losses. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the figure came from a Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment prepared after floods tore through northern river valleys, destroying homes, transport links, hydropower facilities and other critical infrastructure. The assessment estimated direct damage at about $1.8 billion and associated losses at roughly $883 million. Of the reconstruction