Author: staff
Canada turned back three senior Iranian football officials at the border this week, including a man described as a former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander, as the row over Iran’s participation in the World Cup sharpened into a diplomatic incident on FIFA’s doorstep. Mehdi Taj, president of the Iranian Football Federation, secretary general Hedayat Mombeini and deputy secretary general Hamed Momeni had obtained visas and flown to Toronto to attend the FIFA Congress in Vancouver when Canadian authorities revoked their entry permits. The Iranian federation said officials at the airport had insulted “one of the most distinguished institutions of…
Lufthansa has introduced a new economy product it says is ideal for someone seeking bargain fares, who doesn’t need flexibility and is travelling light – ideally day-trippers and business travellers. Germany’s flag carrier charging budget airfares – could there be a catch? Well… Starting from April 2026, travellers can take advantage of the German airline’s Economy Basic flights for trips on 18 May onwards, available on selected short and medium haul flight routes across Lufthansa Group carriers. “The Economy Basic fare is the ideal choice if you’re travelling only with one personal item and know when you plan to fly,…
“The Governing Council is not pre-committing to a particular rate path,” the ECB said in a statement that observed that “upside risks to inflation and the downside risks to growth have intensified.” The Bank said that implications of the war for medium-term inflation and economic activity will depend on the intensity and duration of the energy price shock and the scale of its indirect and second-round effects. “The longer the war continues and the longer energy prices remain high, the stronger is the likely impact on broader inflation and the economy,” it said. The ECB observed that longer-term inflation expectations remain…
“This work is carried out shoulder-to-shoulder, for our mutual benefit and in deep transatlantic partnership,” he added. Trump late Wednesday lashed out at Germany, a sign of his rising anger over allied reluctance to help with the war he launched against Iran and his pique at Merz criticizing the conduct of the campaign. “The United States is studying and reviewing the possible reduction of Troops in Germany, with a determination to be made over the next short period of time,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. Germany hosts about 36,000 U.S. troops at key bases like Ramstein that both help defend…
Authorities in the Netherlands say recrutiment of army reservists has seen a significant boost, particularly after the recent enlistment by the country’s queen and her eldest daughter, with authorities now scrambling to arm and train new recruits. In February, photos of Queen Maxima in training and aiming a pistol on a shooting range were published around the world. That royal seal of approval, together with recruitment campaigns running across the media, has proven so successful that the military is now working overtime to arm, train and accommodate the influx of newcomers. At the Defence Ministry, it’s known as “the Amalia…
Published on 30/04/2026 – 10:17 GMT+2•Updated 10:28 Brent crude, the international standard for oil prices, jumped by over 7% during early trading on Thursday, touching $126 per barrel, the highest intraday level since 2022 when Russia initiated the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The US benchmark crude, WTI, also rose more than 3% and hit over $110 per barrel. At the time of writing, prices have corrected slightly with the front month contract for Brent trading at around $122 per barrel and WTI at roughly $108.5. Prices are now the highest they have been since the start of the Iran war.…
The number incorporated weaker than expected figures from France, where GDP was flat from the fourth quarter. But the region’s largest economy Germany performed better than feared, growing 0.3 percent, while growth in Italy and Spain slowed by less than forecast. The war — and the resulting surge in oil and gas prices — has sharply changed the economy’s trajectory. The German government has halved its growth forecast for this year to only 0.5 percent. The International Monetary Fund earlier this month downgraded its 2026 growth forecast for the eurozone to 1.1 percent, from a prior estimate of 1.3 percent.…
Ukraine is demanding a long-term ceasefire in Russia’s all-out war instead of the short parade-day truce the Kremlin floated to US President Donald Trump, as Kyiv accused Moscow of seeking a few hours of quiet to protect a military parade rather than pursuing genuine peace. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Thursday that Kyiv would first see “what exactly is this about,” in response to the proposal that came on Wednesday evening after Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested a temporary truce in a phone call with Trump. “We will clarify what exactly this is about — a few hours of…
Kenyan marathon runner Sabastian Sawe was given a celebratory welcome in Nairobi on Wednesday after his record-breaking win at the London Marathon. He arrived at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, where he was greeted by family and Sports Minister Salim Mvurya. Sawe made history on Sunday by completing the marathon in 1 hour, 59 minutes and 30 seconds, breaking the previous men’s world record by 65 seconds and becoming the first to run under two hours in a sanctioned race. Speaking at the airport, he said the achievement was shared with his supporters and country. His coach, Claudio Berardelli, said Sawe…
Published on 30/04/2026 – 12:06 GMT+2 Annual inflation in the 21 countries that use the euro rose to 3.0% from 2.6% in March, driven by a 10.9% increase in energy prices, the European Union’s statistics agency Eurostat reported on Thursday. Among the main components, energy recorded the highest annual increase in April at 10.9%, compared with 5.1% in March. This was followed by services at 3.0% (down from 3.2%), food, alcohol and tobacco at 2.5% (up from 2.4%), and non-energy industrial goods at 0.8% (up from 0.5%). Prices across Europe have been fuelled by soaring energy costs due to the…