Global

Airspace closures across the Middle East have triggered sweeping flight cancellations and global knock-on delays, as pressure mounts on the region’s key aviation hubs in Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi. Dublin Airport said all services between Ireland and the Middle East scheduled for today are canceled, with 5,000 to 6,000 passengers affected so far, underscoring how the disruption is rippling through long-haul travel networks. Gulf gateways are central to east–west traffic linking Europe with Asia and Australia. Twenty-three…

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres marked the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine with an urgent appeal for an “immediate, full and unconditional ceasefire,” calling the war “a stain on our collective conscience” and warning of escalating global risks if the fighting continues. Speaking at a United Nations Security Council session convened to commemorate the anniversary, Guterres said “the cascading consequences of this blatant violation of international law” have rippled far beyond…

U.S. Supreme Court curbs Trump’s tariff powers, teeing up potential $175 billion in refunds The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday ruled 6-3 that President Donald Trump exceeded his authority by imposing sweeping “reciprocal” tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, a decision that curbs the White House’s latitude on trade and could trigger tens of billions of dollars in refunds to importers. Writing for the conservative-majority court, the justices concluded that IEEPA “does not authorize the president to…

NAIROBI, Kenya — Kenya moved Wednesday to ease refinancing pressures, launching tender offers to buy back up to $500 million of outstanding Eurobonds and preparing a new dual-tranche dollar issue aimed at extending the country’s debt maturities. In a regulatory notice, the government said it would repurchase up to $350 million of its 8% bond due in 2032 and up to $150 million of its 7.25% bond maturing in 2028, amounts inclusive of accrued interest. The tender offer closes Feb. 25. To fund the buybacks, Kenya plans to issue…

Somalia urges U.N. to block any forced changes to Palestinian territories, condemns Israel’s recognition of North Western State of Somalia UNITED NATIONS — Somalia on Thursday called on the international community to prevent any attempt to forcibly alter the geographic status of the Palestinian territories, while condemning Israel’s December move to recognize North Western State of Somalia and denouncing reported plans to relocate Palestinians to Somali soil. Somalia warns the U.N. Security Council against unilateral…

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is gathering a slate of foreign leaders in the U.S. capital to inaugurate the “Board of Peace,” a new initiative he casts as a vehicle to consolidate a fragile calm in Gaza and project an alternative model of U.S.-led crisis management far beyond the Middle East. About two dozen heads of state and senior officials are expected, including several of Trump’s closest ideological allies — among them Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Argentina’s President Javier Milei — but few of the…

HONG KONG — A Hong Kong court sentenced pro-democracy media mogul Jimmy Lai to 20 years in prison after convicting him under the city’s national security law, drawing swift condemnation from the United Nations, the European Union and Western governments concerned over the future of press freedom in the territory. Lai, 78, the founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper, was found guilty in December on two counts of foreign collusion under the sweeping security legislation imposed by Beijing in 2020, as well as one count…

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and OCP Group, a global leader in plant-nutrition solutions, announced a five-year strategic partnership to accelerate scientific innovation for sustainable agriculture and resilient food systems. The collaboration, designed to bolster the IAEA’s Atoms4Food initiative, brings together the IAEA’s expertise in nuclear and isotopic techniques with OCP’s fertilizer science and field reach to address soil fertility, crop productivity and post-harvest safety. The agreement signals an…

About 300 jobs at Amazon’s Irish operation are under threat as the tech giant confirmed 16,000 corporate layoffs worldwide, completing a plan for roughly 30,000 reductions since October while signaling more cuts could follow. Amazon employs nearly 6,500 people in Ireland and said it would not comment on how many local roles are affected. RTÉ News reported that approximately 300 Ireland-based positions are at risk, following around 150 losses in the country during a global round of redundancies last October. The latest…

Xi backs UN-centered order in meeting with Finland’s Orpo as Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ raises questions BEIJING — President Xi Jinping said China seeks to uphold a United Nations–based world order during talks with Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo in Beijing, a pointed message as Washington courts allies for a new “Board of Peace” initiative announced by U.S. President Donald Trump this month. “China is willing to work with Finland to firmly uphold the international system with the United Nations at its core,” Xi told Orpo…