Asia

The U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear on Monday a request by Sberbank to avoid a lawsuit filed under the American anti-terrorism laws alleging it had done business with a group accused of downing a Malaysia Airlines plane over Ukraine in 2014. The Supreme Court rejected Sberbank’s appeal against a lower court ruling that allowed the family of Quinn Schansman (18-year-old American passenger) who died in the crash to sue the state controlled lender. Schansman's Family sued under the Anti-Terrorism Act. This law allows U.S. citizens injured by "acts of international terrorism", to seek damages through private civil suits. The...

NATO member Poland scrambled its aircraft early Sunday morning to ensure the safety of the air after Russia launched airstrikes against Ukraine. Ukrainian officials reported missiles and drones falling on the Lviv area near the Polish border. In a recent post, Poland's operational control said that "Polish aircraft and allied aircraft operate in our airspace while ground-based radar reconnaissance and air defence systems have been brought up to the highest level of readiness." After Poland shot down suspected Russian aircraft in its airspace, in September, eastern-flank NATO member countries are on high alert. Drone sightings and air incursions have caused...

Lithuania suspended air traffic on Vilnius Airport because balloons may have flown in its airspace. Flights were diverted to other countries, said the airport operator late Saturday. In recent weeks, drone sightings have caused havoc in European aviation. This has happened at airports such as Copenhagen and Munich. "Attention: the airspace above Vilnius Airport has been closed," the airport stated in a website statement. The closure is expected to last up until 2:30 am local time (2330 GMT). Flights diverted to Poland and Latvia The airport website and airline announcements are the best places to check for updates, according to...

Officials said that a Russian drone struck a passenger train in a station at the northern Sumy region of Ukraine, injuring several dozen people. "A brutal Russian strike on the railway in Shostka region, Sumy," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy posted on Telegram. He included a video showing a burning wrecked passenger carriage, as well as others that had their windows blown out. He claimed that dozens of rail workers and passengers were injured. Oleh Hryhorov, regional governor of Ukraine, said that the attack occurred on a train traveling from Shostka towards the capital Kyiv. He said that medics and rescuers...

India and China are resuming direct flights this month between certain cities, ending a more than five-year suspension. The move signals a gradual easing of tensions bilaterally, the Indian foreign ministry announced on Thursday. Since 2020, there haven't been any direct flights between China & India. This is despite China being India's largest bilateral trading partner. The Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who visited China for the first time since 2007 to attend the a Meeting The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Regional Security Block Modi and Chinese president Xi Jinping discussed ways to improve trade ties in the face of global...

Local residents reported that cell phone and internet service was restored in Afghanistan Wednesday, 48 hours after sources from the diplomatic and industrial sectors claimed connectivity had been abruptly cut off on the Taliban administration's orders. Residents in Kabul, and other cities, reported that the cell phone service of Roshan and Etisalat, the largest foreign-owned providers, was restored in the late afternoon. According to the companies that provide internet access, it has been restored. An official of the Taliban's information department stated that the outage was due to technical issues and services would be restored quickly. He did not respond...

Draft regulations from India's aviation regulator show that the requirement that airlines only lease planes with crews in emergency situations is being removed. This could help carriers cope better with any aircraft shortages. The proposed rules may help airlines such as India's largest carrier IndiGo, which took two planes and crews on a so-called "wet lease" from Turkish Airlines. This allowed it to provide connectivity between flights in Europe and the United States. Air India has been irritated by the partnership. It unsuccessfully tried to lobby the Indian government to stop it. They argued that it would give more air...

Flightradar24 data shows that at least 14 flights were scheduled to depart from Kabul Airport on Wednesday, but the status of others is unclear. This follows an internet shutdown across Afghanistan. The Taliban's Monday order to cut off internet and cell phone services has caused chaos in banks, businesses, and aid organizations. Afghans are also unable to communicate with their family members and friends. Many people are stranded, as flights have been cancelled. The Taliban administration did not explain the blackout of connectivity and we were unable to contact them for a comment. The United Nations called for the restoration...

Ryanair announced on Tuesday that it would not resume low-fare flights from and to Tel Aviv in the winter of 2019, as the airport refused to confirm its summer 2026 slots, or to guarantee the airline access to the low-cost terminal. The airline claimed that the Israeli airport repeatedly forced Ryanair, during the summer months due to security concerns, to use the expensive Terminal 3 rather than the cheaper Terminal 1, making tickets previously sold unprofitable. Ryanair's spokesperson stated that the airline would not restart flights from/to Tel Aviv during the winter months until the historic summer slots of 2026...

Director general of the Nigerian civil aviation authority said that they are looking at certifying China’s C919 jets for Nigerian carriers. This is because Nigerian airlines have taken on more aircraft, and relations with Beijing are warming up. COMAC, a Chinese planemaker, is currently producing the C919 narrow-body aircraft to compete with the leading Western planemakers Airbus & Boeing and has had several discussions with Nigeria about the aircraft. This month, the Nigerian aviation minister said that Nigeria is open to COMAC to use the country as an access point to the larger African market. COMAC, the state-owned company, faces...

These are the most popular stories from the Wall Street Journal. These stories have not been verified and we cannot vouch for the accuracy of these stories. Danish biotechnology firm Genmab has agreed to purchase cancer treatment developer Merus, listed on Nasdaq, for approximately $8 billion in cash. U.S. president Trump and congressional leaders will hold last-minute discussions just as Republicans are preparing for a shutdown of the government by mid-week, which could include a new round of firings. Hegseth, the Defense Secretary, will address senior officers and enlisted members of the military at a gathering that will be held...

The official gazette reported that a shareholder meeting at Kuwait Airways, a state-owned airline, approved reducing the capital to erase 300 million dinars of losses accumulated over time. Kuwait Airways has previously stated that it plans to break even by 2025, after years of losses. The airline hasn't disclosed its financial results from 2023 or 2024. Regional carriers were also affected by the COVID-19 epidemic, as their global counterparts. However, many Gulf airlines are now a key player in regional efforts to diversify economies, particularly in tourism. MEETING APPROVES CAPITAL REDUCTION Kuwait Airways' chairman stated in August that the airline...

A major Australian pension fund, Aware Super, has said that it will continue to invest in U.S. real estate, as they are confident of the long-term economic fundamentals, and that domestic consumption levels, won't be affected by current political volatility. One of Australia's largest pension funds (A$190 billion, or 125 billion dollars) announced this week it will be embarking on an $1.3 billion venture to purchase a U.S. Industrial Property Fund that owns three Los Angeles logistics sites. Superannuation funds, Australia's compulsory retirement saving scheme worth A$4.1 trillion (US$2.7 trillion), are turning more and more to international investments for higher...

The third quarter of recent history was both one of best and worst for dealmakers around the world. According to Dealogic, megadeals generated a staggering $1.26 trillion worth of global mergers and purchases during the third-quarter - an increase of 40% over the previous year. This was the second best third-quarter ever by deal value. Data show that only 8,912 transactions were completed, down 16% on last year. This is the lowest third-quarter deal volume for 20 years. Dealmakers are in a strange situation, as they had high hopes for 2025 following the election of Donald Trump. Trump's punishing Tariffs,...

The third quarter of recent history was both one of best and worst for dealmakers around the world. According to Dealogic, megadeals generated a staggering $1.26 trillion worth of global mergers and purchases during the third-quarter - an increase of 40% over the previous year. This was the second best third-quarter ever by deal value. Data show that only 8,912 transactions were completed, a drop of 16% compared to last year. This is the lowest third-quarter deal volume for 20 years. Dealmakers are in a strange situation, as they had high hopes for 2025 following the election of Donald Trump....

Howard Lutnick, the Commerce Secretary announced Monday that the United States and Kazakhstan had reached an agreement on locomotives worth $4 billion. Lutnick, in a blog post on X, said that the deal was reached after a phone call between President Donald Trump of the United States and Kazakh president Kassym Jomart Tokayev. Lutnick stated that "these locomotives will provide connectivity in Europe and Asia, connecting The Middle Corridor with American technology as its core." He didn't mention the U.S. firms involved or their role in manufacturing the locomotives. Trump imposed a 25% tariff on the central Asian nation, which...

Three sources with knowledge of the matter have confirmed that Mercuria plans to remove almost 100,000 metric tonnes of aluminum from the London Metal Exchange's warehouses. This could result in a reduction in the dominant position held by the commodity trader. Since May, Mercuria, a Swiss company, has held over 90% of all aluminium warrants (title documents conferring ownership) 0#LMEWHL>. LME data shows that as of September 4, LME's holdings of aluminium on or available warrant totaled more than 426,000 tonnes . Aluminium is not illegal in the United States. Mercuria announced on September 5 and 8 that it would...

Farmers and industry officials in Indian Kashmir say that apple growers are facing huge losses as floods and road closures disrupted the peak harvest period, leaving growers and trucks in uncertainty. Landslides have closed the National Highway linking Jammu to Srinagar since August 26, a vital route for transporting apples out of this region. Heavy rains caused sudden flooding that led to the deaths of dozens by mid-August. The Kashmir Valley Fruit Growers and Dealers Union chairman, Bashir Ahmad Basheer said that if the situation continues, our entire sector will suffer and collapse. He added that the disruptions in traffic...

These are the most popular stories from the Wall Street Journal. These stories have not been verified and we cannot vouch their accuracy. Mexico is planning to increase import tariffs on almost 1,500 products including cars, steel, textiles and appliances to protect the domestic industry and job opportunities, particularly from cheap Chinese goods. This comes amid wider trade talks with both the U.S. Oracle has signed an unprecedented $300 billion cloud computing contract with OpenAI to support massive AI expansion starting in 2027. This is one of the biggest tech contracts ever, and signals a high-stakes wager on ChatGPT’s continued...

Israel's military confirmed that a missile fired from Yemen at Israel on Thursday fell in an area open outside Israeli territory. No sirens were activated. This was the third launch of this kind within 24 hours. Yemen's Iran supported Houthis have recently increased attacks and launched missiles in response to Israeli attacks against Yemen. The Houthis launched missiles and drones towards Israel from thousands of kilometers away, calling it an act of solidarity with Palestinians. The majority of missiles or drones that were launched either missed their targets or were intercepted. Israel has responded by bombing areas in Yemen controlled...

Two sources familiar with the matter said that JD.Com's property investment arm and two other firms are planning to launch a Singapore based real estate trust (REIT), with assets valued at potentially more than $1 billion. Sources said that JD Property (the unlisted infrastructure investment platform and asset management platform for JD.Com) is creating the REIT in partnership with Partners Group, a Swiss investment firm, and EZA Hill Property which is backed up by Asian investment firm Hillhouse. Sources who refused to name themselves because the matter was private said that the REIT plan could be listed at the Singapore...

Australian data centre operator AirTrunk on Tuesday said it secured an A$16 billion ($10.40 billion) sustainability-linked refinancing for its Asia-Pacific operations. AirTrunk, in a website statement, said that this refinancing includes a S$2,25 billion green loan to build a data center in Singapore. This makes AirTrunk APAC's largest sustainable financier. AirTrunk, a hyperscale data center firm, announced that it had secured the support of 60 banks and financial institutions. This brings its total financing including operations in Japan to more than A$18 billion. The company, which was acquired by a Blackstone-led group for A$24 billion late last year, introduced a...

On Thursday, Marco Rubio, the U.S. secretary of state announced that all visas for truck drivers would be suspended immediately. Rubio wrote in a blog post on X that "the increasing number of drivers from abroad operating large tractor-trailer truck on U.S. highways is putting American lives at risk and undermining the livelihoods of American trucks." The Trump administration has taken several steps to address concerns regarding foreign truck drivers that do not speak English. In April, Trump signed an executive directive requiring that commercial drivers in the U.S. meet English proficiency standards. Sean Duffy, the Transportation Secretary, announced earlier...

A senior official revealed on Wednesday that Uganda was in discussions with credit export agencies and development finance institutions to have 85% a planned rail project funded with debt. This is due to concerns about the already high public debt. In October of last year, Turkey's Yapi Merkezi was awarded the contract for the construction of the 2.7 billion euro ($3.15 billion) rail. Preliminary works have already begun. Perez Wamburu said that some of the potential financiers are the OPEC Fund for International Development (FIDA), the Africa Development Bank, the Islamic Development Bank, and some European export credit companies. Wamburu...