India scrambles to steady rupee as oil shock bites – World
India is scrambling to salvage a sinking rupee as surging oil prices linked to the Middle East conflict threaten to disrupt the world’s fastest-growing major economy. The currency has dropped more than 5 per cent since the crisis erupted in February, extending losses from 2025 and making it Asia’s worst-performing major currency in 2026 so […]
Qantas flight diverted after man bites flight attendant – World
Australia’s Qantas was forced to divert a flight bound for the United States over a disruptive passenger, with local media reporting the man bit a flight attendant. The flight from Melbourne was headed to Dallas on Friday when it was forced to make a stop-off in Papeete, the capital of French Polynesia, due to the […]
North America’s largest commuter rail system shuts down as unions launch strike
250,000 daily commuters stranded as five unions shut down New York’s Long Island Rail Road North America’s largest commuter rail system, the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR), shut down early Saturday after five unions representing nearly half of its workforce went on strike across the New York City area, according to media reports. The Washington […]
‘Extended truce’ fails to stop Israeli attacks on Lebanon – World
• Strikes on Harouf medical centre kill six, including paramedics; at least five villages targeted• Evacuation warnings trigger another wave of displacement; civilians dismiss ceasefire as ‘meaningless’ BEIRUT: Israel launched a series of airstrikes across southern Lebanon on Saturday, striking at least five villages and prompting a new exodus of residents, despite a 45-day extension […]
WHO declares Ebola outbreak in Congo, Uganda an emergency of international concern
80 dead, 246 suspected cases in DRC; agency warns neighbouring countries to activate emergency mechanisms People at Bunia General Referral Hospital following confirmation of an Ebola outbreak involving the Bundibugyo strain in the Ituri province, Democratic Republic of Congo, on May 16, 2026. PHOTO: REUTERS The World Health Organisation on Sunday declared an Ebola outbreak […]
Malaysia calls off search, rescue operation for victims of migrant boat tragedy
Sixteen migrants dead off Malaysia’s Pulau Pangkor as smuggling routes claim more lives at sea Malaysian authorities ended a nearly week-long search and rescue operation for victims of a boat capsizing tragedy involving Indonesian migrants in waters off Pulau Pangkor island last week, media reports said Sunday. At least 16 people were killed, while 23 […]
Iran conflict reshapes energy markets as US gas demand surges – World
WASHINGTON: The United States is entering a period of structurally higher industrial natural gas demand, with consumption expected to remain at record levels through at least 2027, even as the Iran war intensifies disruptions across global oil markets and tightens energy supplies worldwide. According to the latest Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO) from the US Energy […]
Seven injured as driver in Italian city runs over pedestrians – World
A driver injured seven people, four of them badly, when he drove on a sidewalk in the northern Italian city of Modena on Saturday and then got out possibly holding a knife, the mayor said. Early eyewitness accounts said the driver, aged in his 30s, apparently “aimed for the sidewalk, hitting a bike, then crashed […]
Tens of thousands turn out for UK far-right rally, counter protest – World
Tens of thousands of people rallied on Saturday in London at a march organised by far-right activist Tommy Robinson and a counter-demonstration fused with a pro-Palestinian protest, amid a huge police presence. London’s Metropolitan Police said ahead of the duelling events that it would mount one of its largest operations in recent years, as the […]
Trump returns from China with stability and a stalemate – World
President Donald Trump’s visit to Beijing this week may have produced modest results by the standards of US-China summits but it highlighted a clear benefit for China: after the extremes of last year’s trade war, the countries have reverted to their familiar economic and strategic standoff. Two days of talks between Trump and Chinese leader […]