Key Points —Haiti and the Dominican Republic agreed on April 17 to reopen shared airspace starting May 1, 2026, ending a suspension that began in March 2024. —Flights will connect Cap-Haitien in northern Haiti with three Dominican airports, but Port-au-Prince remains excluded due to ongoing gang control. —The United Nations welcomed the agreement as a […]

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Key Points — Argentina’s Cabinet Chief Manuel Adorni presented his first gestión informe to the Cámara de Diputados Wednesday April 29 at 10:40 a.m. local time, with President Javier Milei, Karina Milei, Economy Minister Luis Caputo, Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno, and Capital Humano Minister Sandra Pettovello watching from the central gallery palco. — The Adorni […]

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Sophie Corcoran challenging 10,000 Interns Foundation, which works with people from under-represented groups

An influencer is taking a charity that organises internships for black and minority ethnic people to court because they do not organise schemes for white people.

Sophie Corcoran, a GB News commentator, applied to a programme the 10,000 Interns Foundation was running with the Bar Council. She said she was “shocked to discover that the scheme is restricted to applicants of a particular racial background”.

Russian International Affairs Council head Ivan Timofeev has told RT India that the UAE’s decision could reshape the global energy market

The United Arab Emirates’ decision to withdraw from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries is a natural move, a top Russian policy expert has said.

Membership in any organization is relevant when it corresponds to national interests, Russian International Affairs Council General Director Ivan Timofeev said on an RT India panel. “When the perception of the national interest changes, it’s reasonable to expect that a state or member changes its stance.”

Timofeev added that given the current tensions in the Middle East, it is natural to expect a major player like the UAE to “strive to keep more free hands in terms of supplies... extraction [and] other factors which determine its national income.”

Though the Iran war significantly triggered the decision, the origins of this move emerged beforehand, he said. “But what is clear is that the attack against Iran stimulated and galvanized this way of thinking.”

Russia has welcomed the UAE’s move as a “sovereign decision.”

Also speaking on the panel, the host of RT’s New Order, Afshin Rattansi, noted that the UAE is already preparing for the post-war scenario. “There will be conversations in Delhi at the BRICS summit exactly about what a multipolar world means for energy resources,” he said.

Housing secretary and housing minister latest to criticise idea, which has also been ruled out by No 10

Senior ministers have poured scorn on the idea of freezing private sector rents for a year, less than 48 hours after the Guardian revealed Rachel Reeves was considering it.

Steve Reed, the housing secretary, and Matthew Pennycook, the housing minister, became the latest government figures to criticise the idea, which has since been ruled out by No 10.

The Trump administration’s policy of detaining most migrants facing deportation without bail has just suffered a setback in court. A three-judge panel of the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, based in New York, ruled unanimously on Tuesday that the administration cannot broadly apply mandatory detention by classifying nearly any undocumented migrant as an “applicant for admission,” even if they have been living in the United States for years.

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The world is facing the biggest global energy supply shock on record, which will drive inflation and dampen economic growth globally

The Middle East war has triggered the biggest global energy supply shock on record and will drive a sharp rise in commodity prices, pushing inflation higher and slowing economic growth worldwide, the World Bank has warned. 

Attacks on energy infrastructure and shipping in the critical Strait of Hormuz have cut global supply by about 10 million barrels per day in the early stage of the US‑Israeli war on Iran, according to the bank’s Commodity Markets Outlook released on Wednesday. 

Energy prices are set to jump by 24% this year to their highest level since 2022, while overall commodity costs will rise by 16%, the World Bank said, adding that the war has triggered “the biggest energy supply shock in history.” 

Prices could climb further if the conflict intensifies, with oil potentially averaging $115 per barrel this year under the bank’s more severe disruption scenario.  

Natural gas prices are also forecast to rise, with the EU particularly exposed to supply disruptions and higher import costs. Regional natural gas futures have surged in recent weeks. 

The shock will ripple far beyond oil and gas, according to the report. Fertilizer prices are projected to climb by 31% this year, driven by a 60% surge in urea, raising concerns over agricultural output and food affordability. Prices for metals such as aluminum, copper and tin are also expected to hit record highs. 

“The poorest people, who spend the highest share of their income on food and fuels, will be hit the hardest, as will developing economies already struggling under heavy debt burdens,” said World Bank Chief Economist Indermit Gill. 

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Brent crude briefly topped $117 per barrel on Wednesday, its highest level since March, amid supply concerns and after the UAE announced plans to exit OPEC, adding further uncertainty to global oil markets. 

“The current situation is likely to keep inflation elevated globally, especially as disruptions in oil and commodity markets persist,” Iranian economist Peyman Molavi told RT, warning that uncertainty around Hormuz remains a key risk for further price increases. 

He added that the UAE’s decision could increase market volatility by giving producers more freedom over pricing and output. 

Talks between Washington and Tehran remain stalled, with US President Donald Trump reportedly rejecting an Iranian proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and lift the naval blockade while postponing nuclear negotiations to a later stage.