Author: Fatimah Idera

Equities meandered Tuesday as investors awaited the latest developments on Donald Trump’s trade war.

A Japanese plane headed from Tokyo to Texas made an emergency landing after a passenger attempted to open one of its doors during the flight. All Nippon Airways Flight 114 was diverted to Seattle due to an unruly passenger. According to the Port of Seattle police, they received reports of a man trying to open the exit doors mid-flight. The individual, who hasn’t been identified, experienced a medical crisis and was restrained by fellow passengers and the flight crew. He was taken to a hospital after landing, and it’s unclear if charges will be filed. “The safety of our passengers…

Difficult economic conditions, exacerbated by the U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs, and persistently weak demand for many products have forced companies across Europe to freeze hiring or cut jobs. According to a report by Reuters, some of the layoffs announced since the beginning of April are as follows: Stellantis: The automaker agreed with trade unions to implement up to 200 voluntary redundancies at its Termoli plant in central Italy on May 8. Additionally, it plans to cut 500 jobs through voluntary exits at its Melfi assembly plant in southern Italy. On April 3, Stellantis temporarily laid off 900 workers at…

The White House has said it is monitoring the case of Lucy Connolly in an escalation of free speech tensions with Sir Keir Starmer. State department officials are examining the treatment of Connolly, the wife of a Conservative councillor, who was jailed for 31 months over a social media post about the Southport attacks. Judges threw out an appeal brought by the 42-year-old last week, meaning she will not be released before August. Campaigners raised her case with Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, as part of a wider effort to challenge what they regard as draconian hate speech…

A Federal Judge has ordered Trump administration on Friday to facilitate the return of a gay Guatemalan man who said he was deported to Mexico despite fearing he would be persecuted there, after officials acknowledged an error in his case. U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy in Boston issued the order days after the Justice Department notified him that its claim that the man had expressly stated he was not afraid of being sent to Mexico was based on erroneous information. The Justice Department said last week that upon further investigation, officials were unable to identify any Immigration and Customs Enforcement…

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has issued orders requiring journalists to have official escorts within much of the Pentagon building, effective immediately. This move bars credentialed reporters from most of the Department of Defense headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, unless they have official approval and an escort. The decision is reportedly based on concerns about operational security and protecting classified national intelligence information. Hegseth emphasized that protecting sensitive information is “an unwavering imperative for the Department,” as unauthorized disclosure could put U.S. Service members’ lives in danger. However, the Pentagon Press Association has criticized the new rules, calling them a “direct…

U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to escalate the trade war by imposing a 50 per cent tariff on European Union goods starting June 1 and warning Apple of a potential 25 per cent levy on imported iPhones. Trump’s statements, made via social media, caused global markets to fluctuate, with major U.S. stock indexes and European shares falling, the dollar weakening, and gold prices rising. The EU’s total exports to the U.S. last year was approximately $566 billion, with Germany, Ireland, and Italy leading the way. A 50% tariff could increase consumer prices on goods like German cars and Italian olive…

U.S. singer-songwriter and pianist Billy Joel said on Friday he is canceling all his scheduled concerts after he was recently diagnosed with normal pressure hydrocephalus, a brain disorder. Billy Joel is undergoing physical therapy and has been advised to refrain from performing while he recovers. According to a statement on social media. “I’m sincerely sorry to disappoint our audience, and thank you for understanding,” Joel said. Joel’s condition was exacerbated by recent concert performances, leading to problems with hearing, vision, and balance, according to the statement. The condition, which is more likely in people over the age of 65, occurs…

The federal government is winding down production of the penny coin following a bipartisan effort to nix the lowest-denomination of U.S. currency over cost concerns. The Treasury Department placed its final order for blank pennies in May and expects to stop putting new pennies into circulation by early 2026. President Donald Trump directed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to cease production of the coin in February, describing spending on penny minting as wasteful. This move is supported by both Republican and Democratic lawmakers who introduced separate bills in the House of Representatives and the Senate calling for an end to penny…

Finance ministers and central bank governors from the Group of Seven democracies papered over their differences on Thursday, pledging to tackle excessive imbalances in the global economy and saying they could increase sanctions on Russia. There had been doubt before the meeting whether it would issue a final communique, in light of divisions over U.S. tariffs and Washington’s reluctance to refer to Russia’s war on Ukraine as illegal. But after three days of talks, participants signed on to a lengthy document devoid of previous language on fighting climate change and which also softened references to the Ukraine war. “We found…