World News

ECB hikes rates to 2.25% as Iran conflict stokes inflation concerns

European bonds held gains after the announcement, with the 10-year yield three basis points lower at 3.05 per cent . The euro was steady against the dollar at $1.1538

Indian-crewed tanker hit off Oman in suspected third US strike this week

Three Indian sailors died in a US strike on the Settebello tanker off Oman a day earlier

Trump says will take over Iran's Kharg Island, warns of heavier strikes

Trump said the US will attack Iran again with intensified strikes on Thursday night but he would rather not hit bridges and power plants

The war in Ukraine has now gone on longer than World War I

Parallels between the two wars abound, from the grinding nature of the fighting to the way new technologies reshaped warfare

British defence minister Healey resigns amid dispute over defence funding

Britain's's defence and finance ministries have been locked in talks for months over how to meet rising demands to expand military spending, delaying Britain's Defence Investment Plan since last year

Global warming hits 1.37°C, may cross Paris accord limit in 4 years: Study

There is evidence that carbon dioxide emission growth is slowing, but society needs to massively increase decarbonisation efforts during this critical decade, the study added

Indian-American arrested in California over alleged $100 million bank fraud

As alleged, Makhijani falsified title insurance records, concealed true lien positions, and used a network of shell companies to mislead a federally insured bank out of nearly $100 million

Europe is finally beginning to reinvent itself for a changing world

Europe is accelerating efforts to strengthen its economy through market integration, industrial support and tougher trade measures, while reducing reliance on US policy under Donald Trump

Inside the White House panic over Epstein files and growing MAGA backlash

The president's top advisers gathered in a series of Situation Room meetings as they struggled to contain a scandal engulfing Donald Trump himself

Meeting Epstein was 'grave error in judgment': Bill Gates tells lawmakers

Gates said he was introduced to Epstein through people involved in his professional work and was drawn in by Epstein's claims that he could help raise billions of dollars for global health initiatives

FBI seizes 13 websites allegedly used by China to recruit US workers

Law enforcement officials identified the website through information from targets who came forward to report what they believed to be suspicious interactions

Anthropic pledges $200 million to study AI's economic impact, job losses

The announcement comes on the heels of Anthropic rival OpenAI on Monday outlining goals that included ensuring gains from the technology are 'widely shared'

Kuwait closes its airspace temporarily amid fresh Iranian strikes

Flights circled outside of Kuwait for some time before the announcement, after the military said its air defences were firing

Asian shares decline after another AI-led sell-off drags Wall Street lower

Hong Kong's Hang Seng edged 0.2 per cent higher, to 24,468.82, but the Shanghai Composite index fell 0.2 per cent to 3,983.80

US firms remain cautious about investing in China despite improved profits

Just 49 per cent of the companies surveyed by the US-China Business Council said they planned to invest in the Asian country this year, up one percentage point from a record low last year

Canada proposes to ban social media accounts for children under 16

The legislation would also regulate the companies behind artificial intelligence chatbots by imposing on them a duty to act responsibly through measures such as crisis intervention protocols

US refunds $22 bn in tariffs after court setback to Trump's trade policy

Administration began processing refunds in April after the Supreme Court ruled that President Trump didn't have the authority to impose tariffs using the International Emergency Economic Powers Act

Lee Raymond, former Exxon chief who led historic Mobil merger, dies at 87

Son of a South Dakota railroad engineer, Raymond became one of corporate America's most prominent leaders as chief executive officer of Exxon Corp. from 1993 to 2005

Strait of Hormuz 'closed to all vessels', says Iran's IRGC after US strikes

'Effective immediately, due to insecurity in the region, the Strait of Hormuz is declared closed to all vessels, including oil tankers and commercial ships,' IRGC said

China lures foreign patients with cutting-edge, low-cost medical care

China is pushing to upgrade its economy and reshape its global image from just a manufacturing hub into a provider of high-value services, and demand for medical tourism is surging