Author: staff
Published on 23/04/2026 – 16:33 GMT+2 QatarEnergy has launched its first liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports from the Golden Pass project in Texas, marking a milestone in its largest US investment. The cargo was loaded at the Sabine Pass facility, a joint venture with ExxonMobil, as the project moves towards full commercial operations. The shipment was carried onboard the Al-Qaiyyah LNG carrier, which has a capacity of 174,000 cubic metres. “This is a significant industry milestone that marks a new chapter in QatarEnergy’s global efforts to meet rising LNG demand and ensure reliable supplies to international markets,” said Saad Sherida…
It’s not all gloom and doom for folks planning a summer getaway. Let’s face it, we could all probably use an escape (or excuse) to reboot our wellbeing. While some airlines are expected to scale back flights in the coming months, new flight paths are also being added – just in time for European summer holiday planning. Finnair Finland’s flag carrier has started its rollout of 14 new destinations, from across Europe, to as far as Oceania. In March, Finnair added Stavanger, Norway; Umeå, Sweden; Catania, Italy and Luxembourg to its European network. All flights are available via its Helsinki…
The EU rules around nudification tech come after Elon Musk’s AI tool Grok was heavily criticized earlier this year for allowing users to generate images of real people in bikinis or fully nude without their consent. The chatbot may have generated as many as 3 million non-consensual sexual images and 20,000 child sexual abuse images in the 11 days before changes were made to stop the spread of such photos, according to an estimate by the Center for Countering Digital Hate, a non-profit focused on online safety. X has since stepped in to restrict the feature, but the uproar prompted EU…
European Union leaders have gathered in Cyprus for an informal summit that will kick off an internal process to establish a mutual assistance clause that could, one day, stand in for NATO’s Article 5, should the United States withdraw from the alliance, something that President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened. Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the war in the Middle East, the worsening energy crisis and the fate of the EU long-term budget will also be on the table. However, no decisions will be made on Thursday or Friday due to the meeting’s informal nature. As the holder of the…
Published on 23/04/2026 – 16:09 GMT+2 The US military seized another oil tanker in the Indian Ocean on Thursday that it said was associated with smuggling Iranian oil, as the wartime sea standoff between the US and Iran continued. The seizure of oil tanker Majestic X followed Iran’s attack on three cargo ships on Wednesday in the Strait of Hormuz, capturing two of them. The US Defence Department released footage of the seizure of the vessel, showing US troops on the deck, stating that the US military “will continue global maritime enforcement to disrupt illicit networks and interdict vessels providing…
The sanctions also include four banks from Kyrgyzstan, Laos and Azerbaijan, in a bid to crack down on sanction-busting strategies and efforts to pay for Russian oil and gas through the back door. EU businesses are also banned from dealing with Russian companies that handle or exchange cryptocurrencies. The list of sanctioned Russian banks now extends to 70 lenders. The sanctions make it much harder for foreign banks to handle international trade, especially as they will be prohibited from using SWIFT, a financial messaging system used to communicate payment instructions across the world. The EU is also curbing exports of…
Arctic sea ice, which has been monitored by satellites since 1978, has beenshrinking dramatically in recent decades. On 22 March, with winter already over, the period of greatest accumulation, the maximum extent for 2026 is thought to have been reached – 14.33 million square kilometres, according to the United States (US) National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC). It is the lowest peak since records began, something now seen for the second consecutive year. With this region warming almost four times faster than the rest of the planet, new sea routes and business opportunities are opening up for many countries…
A US envoy has asked FIFA to replace Iran with Italy in the upcoming World Cup this summer, despite Italy’s failure to qualify. US special envoy Paolo Zampolli said he made the request as it would be a “dream” to see four-time World Cup winners Italy at the final tournament in the US, Mexico and Canada. “I confirm I have suggested to Trump and (FIFA President Gianni) Infantino that Italy replace Iran at the World Cup,” Zampolli told the FT. “I’m an Italian native and it would be a dream to see the Azzurri at a US-hosted tournament. With four…
The war in the Middle East, involving Iran, has now done what no trade dispute, tariff threat or industrial malaise of the past two years managed to achieve. According to a flash Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) surveys released Thursday by S&P Global, business activity across the euro area fell sharply in April. The services sector, the engine of the bloc’s 2025 recovery, posted its weakest reading since the pandemic lockdowns of early 2021. Input costs surged to a more than three-year high. Business confidence dropped to its lowest since late 2022. Weakest level in over a year The flash Eurozone…
While booking a trip well in advance gives you something to look forward to, we’re huge fans of a last-minute getaway. Bad day at work? Time to look at Skyscanner. Good day at work? We’re straight on Google Travel. To be honest… we don’t need a reason to add to our air miles. If you’re the same and you need a little inspiration for where to go on your next unexpected break, you might just want to take a look at lastminute.com’s latest Travel Horizons Report. Based on traveller departures from the UK, Italy, France, Germany and Spain, the travel…