North America

The head of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will be questioned on Capitol Hill, on May 19, after a report revealed that'systemic failures within the agency led to the devastating mid-air collision last year which killed 67 people. The collision of an American Airlines regional plane and a Black Hawk Army helicopter in January 2025 near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, was the most deadly aviation accident to occur in the United States for more than two decades. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford is scheduled to appear before a Senate Aviation Subcommittee on Wednesday, April 17, to answer questions regarding the...

Hermes Airports, Cyprus' airport operator, said on Wednesday that the number of seats available to Cyprus this summer would be "no more than" 5%. The Iran war has dampened the outlook for tourism in the region. Since the U.S. launched the war against Iran, in late February, the number of tourists to the island has decreased. On March 2, a single drone attack hit a British military base in Cyprus. Hermes, the company that operates Larnaca and Paphos airports, has said that airlines have reduced their schedules by about 600,000. Passenger arrivals will also be down around 9% or approximately...

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio informed reporters on Tuesday that ten civilian sailors have died as a result of the ongoing conflict along the Strait of Hormuz. Speaking at the White House, Rubio said that the U.S. will continue to deploy assets to defend the freedom of navigation on the main thoroughfare. "They are isolated, they are starving, and they're vulnerable. At least 10 civilian sailors have died because of this," Rubio stated, without giving any additional details. Rubio said that the U.S. is taking a defensive position by enforcing their blockade against Iranian ports. He said that the...

Court documents state that a?man working as a contractor for the Federal Aviation Administration in New Hampshire was arrested and charged after the White House had received an email from the suspect about his plans to "neutralize/kill' the president. Documents show that Dean DelleChiaie, a resident of Nashua in New Hampshire, was arrested on Monday for interstate communication of an alleged threat. The Secret Service filed a court document stating that the FAA suspended DelleChiaie's job in mechanical engineering when it discovered that he used his "work computer" to conduct searches on assassination efforts. The FAA refused to comment. DelleChiaie's...

U.S. Treasury?Secretary Scott Bessent urged China on Monday to step?up diplomatic efforts to convince Iran to open up the Strait?of Hormuz for international shipping. He added?that this subject will?be?discussed?when Donald Trump meets Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing next week. Bessent stated during a Fox News Channel live interview that "China should step up and do some diplomacy to get the Iranians open the Strait." Bessent stated that China bought 90% of Iran's electricity, "so?they?are financing the largest state-sponsor of terrorism." He stated that he was encouraging China to "join us" in the international operation to open up the strait....

Baltic Exchange, world's leading provider of benchmark indices for shipping, denies allegations made by Mercuria that its data on oil tanker prices caused losses to the commodity trader. Mercuria, a Swiss company, said in a court filing dated April 30 that the losses were due to oil tanker prices which did not take into account the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Mercuria has sued the 'Baltic Exchange claiming that they have not met their statutory and contractual responsibilities in producing the TD3C Benchmark based on the voyages from the Middle -East to Asia. The London-based exchange owned by Singapore's...

Investor confidence was boosted by the opening of most major Gulf exchanges on Monday. Donald Trump, the U.S. president, said that the United States would start efforts on Monday morning to help ships stuck in the Strait of Hormuz. He did not give any details of his plan. Iran's military warned U.S. troops on Monday to avoid entering the Strait of Hormuz, after President Donald Trump announced that the United States was going to start helping free ships stranded by the U.S. and Israeli war against Iran. He did not provide any details of the plan. Trump's priority is to...

A court filing revealed that commodity trader Mercuria has sued the Baltic Exchange - the top provider of shipping benchmark indices in the world - for losses caused by data on oil tanker prices which did not take into account the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. and Israeli 'war' with Iran began on February 28. Since then, hundreds of ships have been stranded in the Gulf. 20,000 seafarers are unable to pass through the crucial chokepoints. Only a handful of ships will make the journeys every day. In a filing dated April 30, and submitted via...

Panama President Jose Raul Mulino stated that his country has a 'positive relationship' with China despite the fact that it is caught in a dispute between China and the U.S. He also defended Panama's 'takeover' of Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison's port contracts. He spoke at a regular news conference after receiving a message he described as "high level" from the Chinese government, which acknowledged that the dispute over port contracts would be heard by an international arbitration court and was not a matter between the Panamanian or Chinese governments. The message received by China's ambassador to Panama marked a "friendlier...

MARA Holdings announced on Thursday that it would 'buy Long Ridge Energy & Power for $1.5 billion, including debt. This is a major step in the bitcoin mining company's efforts to reposition itself as a digital energy and infrastructure company. It is one of the biggest companies in the world that mines and holds bitcoins. Now, as AI advances and demand increases, it has shifted its focus to digital infrastructure. MARA's previous focus on cryptocurrency is complementary to its revised strategy. However, it is looking more to energy assets in order to have enough power to develop data centers. IDEAL...

Adani Ports & SEZ, India's largest private operator by volume, posted a 10.5% increase in profit for the March quarter on Thursday. This was boosted largely by a rise in cargo volumes. The company reported a net profit for the third quarter of?33.29billion rupees ($350.03m), up from 30.14billion rupees one year earlier. Analysts say that disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz caused shippers to reroute their cargo. This has led to an increase in container volumes, transshipments, and'stopovers' at Adani Ports. The firm's ports business, which is its largest, saw a 30.5% increase in revenue, while its logistics division grew...

The U.S. and Israel war on Iran is causing financial stress for companies in Australia and New Zealand. Higher fuel prices are stoking inflation, reducing consumer and business confidence and weighing on corporate earnings. Below are some of the companies from Australia and New Zealand who have reported an impact on their business due to the Middle East conflict. Air New Zealand, New Zealand's flag carrier, announced that it would be raising fares in response to the volatility of jet fuel prices in early March. It was one of the first airlines to do so. The airline announced on April...

The shares of logistics firm Expeditors international of Washington rose 6.3% on Tuesday after it posted a higher-than-expected quarter profit. This was due to increased air freight volumes and strong demand for its customs brokerage services. Expeditors, for example, benefited from the fact that U.S. importers used freight and customs brokers to help them navigate President Donald Trump’s evolving trade policies. The company's brokerage services revenue jumped by 17%, to $1.15billion in the first quarter. The company's largest segment, customs brokerage, contributed 41% of its overall revenue. But CEO Daniel Wall stated that the company anticipates "the freight climate to...

Wall Street closed lower on Monday as the S&P 500 fell from its record highs. This was after a South Korean vessel was struck by an explosion 'in the Strait of Hormuz, and Tehran showed 'its grip on Middle East Oil, dampening expectations of'strong - first-quarter earnings. After reports of the latest clashes, energy stocks rose. After U.S. president Donald Trump announced that the U.S. Navy was opening the strait, an explosion aboard a South Korean ship may have convinced commercial shippers it is still dangerous. Tehran claimed it had forced a U.S. ship to turn around after it tried...

Wall Street closed lower on Monday. The S&P 500 fell from record highs after an explosion hit a South Korean ship in the 'Strait of Hormuz. Tehran also demonstrated its control over Middle East oil. This dampened optimism for strong earnings reports for the first quarter. After reports of the latest clashes, energy stocks rose. The explosion aboard a South Korean ship may have convinced commercial shippers that the strait is still dangerous after U.S. president Donald Trump announced the U.S. Navy will open it. Tehran claimed it forced a U.S. ship to turn back when it tried to enter...

Wall Street fell?from its record highs Monday, after a South Korean vessel was struck by an explosion on the 'Strait of Hormuz' and Tehran exhibited its grip on Middle East Oil. This dampened optimism about a strong first-quarter earning report. The energy stocks increased after reports of the latest clashes. The explosion aboard a South Korean ship may have convinced commercial shippers that the Strait is still dangerous after U.S. president Donald Trump announced the U.S. Navy will open it. Tehran claimed it had forced a U.S. ship to turn around after it tried to enter the strait. The UAE...

Wall Street's major indexes fell on Monday as conflicting reports about a U.S. Warship near the Strait of Hormuz exacerbated tensions in the Middle East and dampened the?optimism of the previous week's earnings. Tehran claimed that it had forced a U.S. Warship to turn around 'after it attempted to enter the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's semiofficial Fars News Agency reported that two missiles hit the warship. However, the United States has denied this report. The United Arab Emirates said that it also intercepted 3 missiles fired by Iran over its territorial water, and a 4th one crashed into the sea....

S&P 500, the blue-chip Dow and the benchmark S&P 500 both fell on Monday. Investors were weighing the heightened concern over the Middle East conflict with the optimism generated by?last weeks earnings. Reports contradicting each other about a U.S. In a volatile start to the week, market sentiment was dampened by conflicting reports about a?U.S. Tehran claimed that it forced a U.S. Warship to return after it tried to enter the Strait of Hormuz. The semi-official Fars News Agency in Iran reported that two missiles hit the warship. However, the United States has denied this report. Investors paused after a...

Wall Street's major indexes are on course for a choppy opening on Monday, as 'heightened investor anxiety' over the Middle East conflict has tempered optimism following last week's earnings. Futures were thrown into turmoil at the start of the week following conflicting reports regarding a U.S. Warship near the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran claimed that it forced a U.S. Warship to return after it tried to enter the Strait of Hormuz. The semi-official Fars News Agency in Iran reported that two missiles hit the warship. However, the United States has denied this report. Investors were prompted to pause after a...

Wall Street futures were volatile on Monday following?conflicting news reports about a?U.S. The presence of a warship in the Strait of Hormuz has heightened investor anxiety about the Middle East conflict. The futures market fell after the Fars news agency reported that two missiles were fired at a U.S. ship attempting to cross through the Strait of Hormuz. Later, they reduced their losses after an Axios journalist posted on X a statement that a senior U.S. government official denied the attack. The fluctuations highlighted how sensitive investors are to headlines relating to the conflict, especially when they consider geopolitical risk...

Amazon.com announced on Monday that it would be launching "Amazon Supply Chain Services", which will allow other businesses to access its logistic network. The company announced that businesses of all sizes and types can now store, move and deliver anything from raw materials to final products, using Amazon's supply-chain network. This includes freight, fulfillment and distribution, as well as parcel shipping. In premarket trading, UPS and FedEx shares fell by 1.5% and 2.5% respectively. Amazon announced that Procter & Gamble and American Eagle Outfitters, both apparel firms, were among the earliest to sign up for a supply-chain service. Amazon has...

Carol Tome, CEO of United Parcel Service, said that the company's efforts to grow its share of lucrative prescription drug delivery market are likely to pay off in the second half this year, despite the Iran War clouding the global economic outlook. That premium business, which can involve safe and speedy handling of temperature-sensitive medicines or radioactive treatments, is more recession-resistant than sectors like retail, housing or manufacturing, she said. This is important because the U.S./Israeli conflict against Iran could spark a recession that would reduce demand for delivery services. Tome said this week that despite the challenges of recent...

FedEx and UPS, the two largest parcel delivery companies in the United States, said that they would refund any tariff refunds to customers on Tuesday as the U.S. Government began reclaiming the levies illegally collected. Last week, thousands of 'companies' rushed to submit claims following the launch of a system to refund tariffs to companies by the U.S. Government. The U.S. Supreme Court, in?February, struck down the tariffs that President Donald Trump sought under a law intended to be used in times of national emergency. This was a crushing defeat for the Republican president. Around $166 billion of U.S. tax...

United Parcel Service reiterated on Tuesday its full-year target for revenue despite a projected?return of growth in the?June quarter. This was due to soaring fuel costs resulting from?the U.S. war with Israel in Iran, which put an improvement in their business at risk. The largest parcel delivery company in the world forecast revenue of $89.7 Billion for 2026, an increase of 1.2%. UPS shares, which are regarded as economic indicators because they include customers such as retailers, factories, and prescription drug manufacturers, fell by 5.2% during early trading. Shares of rival FedEx fell?1%. "It's early in the year, and there's...