World News

Merchant ships avoid Strait of Hormuz after renewed US airstrikes

President Donald Trump said no single nation would be allowed to control the Strait of Hormuz, underscoring one of the central obstacles to securing a lasting agreement with Iran

US inflation rises to 3.8% in April, erodes Americans' spending power

Inflation is also notably above the Federal Reserve's target of 2%, which means Fed policymakers may decide to forego any cuts to their key short-term interest rate this year

Ukraine to buy 20 new Gripen jets, Sweden to donate older jets sooner

Ukraine's air force is made up of a mixture of ‌Soviet-made and western aircraft. Gripen is seen as a cost-efficient alternative to fighters like the more advanced American F-

France becomes first EU country to reimburse anti-obesity drugs: Minister

Patients in France are currently paying around €300 ​per month on average for the drugs, she said, without indicating how many people currently follow such treatments

Ex-BP Chairman Manifold hits back at 'lies' told about his conduct

Manifold's dismissal is the latest in a prolonged period of leadership upheaval at BP, which has included 3 CEOs in as many years, and raises fresh questions about company's internal processes

Kuwait reports missile, drone attack as Iran ceasefire strain escalates

The announcement by Kuwait's military comes as West Asia remains on the edge over the ceasefire and ongoing negotiations between Tehran and Washington

Trump refiles $10 billion defamation suit against WSJ over Epstein report

Trump's lawsuit said the Rupert Murdoch-owned newspaper tarnished his reputation with an article describing a birthday card to deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein as bearing Trump's signature

Global temperatures may reach near-record highs in next 5 years: UN report

The report said it is very likely that the global mean near-surface temperature will temporarily exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius above the 1850-1900 average levels for at least one year between 2026-2030

Japan woos visiting Philippine President with arms sales, China in mind

Marcos is the first potential major customer of Japanese arms since Takaichi's government scrapped a ban on lethal weapons exports

Congo seeks experimental Ebola antibody as outbreak crosses 1,000 cases

Eastern Congo faces a "catastrophic collision" of war and disease as fighting and displacement accelerate the spread of Ebola and undermine efforts to isolate patients and trace contacts

Trump's Iran bind deepens as Hormuz crisis fuels war pressure at home

Adding to the challenge are his own comments over the years, lambasting his predecessors for signing or considering deals similar to the one that has the best chance of success

'No nation will control Hormuz': Trump as he threatens to blow up Oman

Iran's Tasnim news agency cited a military source as saying that the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Navy fired toward a US oil tanker that was trying to transit the strait, forcing it to turn back

US imposes sanctions on Iranian agency trying to control shipping in Hormuz

Sanctions target Iran's Persian Gulf Strait Authority and any person or entity cooperating with the agency, which approves transit in the strait and charges tolls that could reach $2 mn per vessel

Trump admin tells prosecutors to stand down on Venezuela's Delcy Rodriguez

Directive to pause scrutiny into Rodriguez was meant to avoid upsetting the administration's efforts to stabilise Venezuela after the capture of her predecessor, Nicolas Maduro, among other reasons

Asian shares turn cautious as fresh US strike on Iran lifts oil prices

It also took a little steam out of the tech-driven bull run in stock markets, with Japan's Nikkei easing 0.2 per cent, while South ‌Korean shares went flat

US launches fresh defensive strikes on Iran after drone threat near Hormuz

Two US officials said that US military forces shot down four Iranian drones and struck a base that was about to launch a fifth drone after determining they posed a threat to the Strait of Hormuz

Iran expands restrictions on distribution of news by int'l media outlets

The new restrictions come three months after the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran that grew into a continuing, occasionally flaring war in the region

SpaceX Starship rockets grounded pending probe into test flight mishap

Minutes after Starship blasted off from Texas on Friday, the booster separated as normal, but engines conked out as it made its way back to Earth

Zelenskyy asks Trump for more US air defence aid against Russian attacks

Russian military has intensified its aerial attacks, firing almost 90 missiles as well as hundreds of drones at Kyiv last weekend in an effort to overwhelm air defences

Washington paper mill implosion leaves 2 dead, 9 workers still missing

Before any bodies can be recovered, crews on Wednesday must first stabilise the tank, which was at risk of collapsing further and leaking more of the caustic liquid