International News

GENEVA, Switzerland, May 6 ------ The World Health Organization said it was tracing people on a flight between the island of Saint Helena and Johannesburg taken by a cruise ship passenger who died of hantavirus. There had been 82 passengers and six crew onboard the April 25 flight, South African-based carrier Airlink told AFP. They included a Dutch woman whose husband died of the virus on the ship and whose condition "deteriorated during a flight to Johannesburg," the WHO sai

WASHINGTON, May 6 ------ The United States has completed its offensive operations against Iran, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, even as Washington warned it was ready to unleash a "devastating" response to any new attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Rubio's remarks came after Washington's top military officer said American forces remain ready to resume combat operations if ordered, as clashes in the vital waterway threatened to unravel a fragile ceasefire. The w

KYIV, Ukraine, May 6 ------ Russian drone and missile strikes targeting Ukraine’s power grid during the night killed at least five people and wounded 39 others, Ukrainian authorities said, less than a day before Kyiv said that it would enact a ceasefire and three days before Moscow promised its own pause in hostilities. President Volodymyr Zelensky rebuked Moscow for what he said was its “utter cynicism” in launching the attacks after Russia announced a unilateral ceasefire o

May 6 ------ Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he discussed a potential drone cooperation agreement with Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa during a meeting. In a Telegram post, Zelensky described the talks as “productive” and said he had proposed making a “drone deal” to expand cooperation, with both sides agreeing that their teams would work out the details. The Ukrainian leader said Kyiv is ready to share its experience in defending against large-scale drone

NEW YORK, May 5 ------ Oil prices jumped after a drone strike sparked a fire at an Emirati energy installation, threatening a fragile US-Iran ceasefire, while US warships entered the crucial Strait of Hormuz. Seoul and Taipei hit record highs as Asian traders joined the rally in tech shares, but US equity indices retreated from record finishes last week. Oil prices climbed, with the benchmark international contract Brent crude for July delivery jumping more than five per cent

MELBOURNE, Australia, May 5 ------ The prime ministers of Japan and Australia agreed to deepen cooperation in a wide range of areas, including energy security, defense, and critical minerals, as the Iran war threatens global supply chains. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi met her Australian counterpart, Anthony Albanese, at Australia’s Parliament House on Monday during Takaichi's first visit to the country as national leader. Takaichi said they held strategic discussion

KYIV, May 5 ------ Russia declared a unilateral ceasefire with Ukraine between May 8-9, when Moscow marks its annual World War II Victory Day commemorations, and threatened a "massive missile strike" on Kyiv if Ukraine violated it. Ukraine responded by declaring a truce of its own between May 5 and 6, saying it was "not serious" to expect it to observe a ceasefire during a Russian military holiday. The quarrelling between the two sides comes with a lull in US-led diplomatic e

May 5 ------ European countries are increasingly striking joint production deals with Ukraine, particularly in the drone sector, as Kyiv’s ability to rapidly produce affordable battlefield hardware improves. The latest such announcement was made this week when Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Kyiv will help Warsaw build the country’s new drone fleet, although he did not outline the size of the future fleet. These joint production deals allow European companies to access