Latest News
-
USAID has cancelled the rape survivors kits that were to be sent to Congo due to conflict.
The United Nations and aid organizations said that the U.S. administration of President Donald Trump cancelled a contract for the supply of emergency kits to rape victims in Congo, as violence exploded in the east in this year. This left thousands without access life-saving medications, they added. The emergency kits contain medication to prevent HIV, other sexually transmitted diseases, and unwanted pregnancies. It was not previously reported that the decision to cancel a contract for 100,000 post-rape kit had been made. The U.S. Agency for International Development's contract was meant to supply Congo's war-ravaged east provinces for an entire year. However, thousands of health centers were left without supplies when the fighting escalated. State Department, the agency that manages USAID did not reply to requests for comments by email or text message. For this article, I spoke with officials from the United Nations as well as four other aid organizations that treat rape victims in eastern Congo. A team visited South Kivu Province to speak to survivors and healthcare workers. One health worker from Congo who did not want to be identified for fear of reprisals said: "When you look at the eyes of a victim of rape, you get the feeling that her gaze has died." "You will never forget telling that person that you do not have medicine or know how to assist them and asking them leave. In January, M23 rebels, backed by Rwanda, swept through the east of the nation, capturing two major cities in an escalation to a decades-long war. Since then, the UN says that 67,000 rapes have been reported. Many more are likely to go unreported. UN experts and aid organizations have documented sexual violence in the Congo as a weapon used for war. PIPELINE DISRUPTED After taking office, Trump ordered a 90 day pause in foreign aid and stopped grants from USAID. The contract between USAID and a kit supplier was about to be signed when Elon Musk announced that he would close the agency by January. At the time, Elon was leading a department aimed at improving the efficiency of the U.S. Government. USAID, according to the UN, and other aid organizations, immediately canceled the contract that would have resupplied tens of thousands of health centers by March. The supplier has been agreed to remain anonymous to protect sensitive operations in Congo. Noemi Damonte, deputy representative of the United Nations Population Fund in Kinshasa, said that when USAID terminated the large funding it had provided to this American NGO all its activities were immediately halted. The pipeline was disrupted in a very unfortunate moment. The kits are packaged in a box that contains HIV medication, which is meant to prevent infection within 72-hours. They also contain antibiotics, tests for sexually transmitted disease and emergency contraception. USAID paid for the supplies to be delivered to over 2,000 facilities. Amadou Boucoum, country director for CARE International, said that the kit was important because it would reassure a woman who had been traumatized by rape that she wouldn't contract AIDS, she wouldn't become pregnant, or she'd get venereal disease. UNFPA provided a document that showed that only seven of the 34 health zones of North Kivu had a minimal amount of post-rape kit left. Less than 1 in 4 survivors needs are being met. Only 13% (or survivors) who request assistance receive HIV prevention medication within 72 hours. The U.S. State Department says it will continue to fund life-saving programs around the world, but the contract for the supply of post-rape kit to survivors is still cancelled. Trump said the U.S. pays for foreign aid disproportionately and wants other countries shoulder more of the load. According to data from the government, the U.S. spent $65 billion on foreign aid last year. Nearly half of that was through USAID. UNFPA, along with other aid organizations, is trying to raise $35 million in order to replace the funding that the United States has lost from Western donors like the Gates Foundation. UNFPA's document stated that the cancellation of abortions could lead to the death of survivors, the spread HIV, unwanted pregnancy, and unsafe, high-risk abortions.
-
Dubai wants to reduce traffic congestion with the 2026 launch of Joby air taxi
Air taxis could soon be available for Dubai commuters to avoid traffic. Joby Aviation has conducted its first test flight in the emirate of its fully electric air taxi this week. This is a significant milestone in the efforts by the city to integrate airborne transportation into existing mobility networks, as early as next. Joby is hoping that its air-taxis can ease the pressure on Dubai's existing ground transportation system and provide travelers with a faster alternative, as Dubai continues to experience increasing congestion. Anthony Khoury said, "We want people to commute differently." The company estimates that a journey from Dubai’s main airport DXB, to Palm Jumeirah will take approximately twelve minutes on the Joby Aerial Taxi, as opposed 45 minutes in a car. Khoury, Joby's CEO, says that the company has a long-term goal of making its aerial taxis affordable for everyone to use. However, early pricing is likely to target high-income travelers. Early days of any new technology may be more expensive. According to Joby Aviation, the demonstration flight took place on Monday in an isolated desert area southeast of Dubai’s downtown. It was intended to mimic a typical aerial-taxi journey. The experimental aircraft performed a vertical takeoff in front of senior government officials and representatives from the transport industry. It then flew several miles and returned to land vertically. The Joby Aerial taxi, developed by a Californian company, is the first electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL). It can travel up to 160 km (100 miles), at speeds of 320km/h (200mph). Joby's air taxi is designed as an eco-friendly vehicle that emits zero emissions. It also has a low noise level, making it suitable for commercial use. Khoury stated that the aircraft would be flying near residential areas in the city. "Hopefully, people won't notice it at all," he said. Joby's eVTOL has been heralded as the future for urban air, but the industry faces many challenges. These include securing regulatory approvals and developing enough vertiports. Morgan Stanley lowered Joby's target stock price from $10 to $7, citing near-term execution risk and wider aerospace industry concerns including tariffs, supply-chain problems, and other issues. Joby's stock is currently trading for $10.55. Joby signed an exclusive contract in early 2024 with Dubai's Roads and Transit Authority, which granted the company the exclusive right to operate aerial taxis within the city for six years. Dubai International Airport (DXB), Palm Jumeirah and Dubai Downtown are the four initial vertiports that will be opened by 2026. Joby's president of Original Equipment Manufacturing, Didier Papadopoulos said, "In aviation, it's rare to see transformations such as this." "Each once in awhile, you get this propelling move into the future. You're seeing something really exciting and I am excited that you will be riding on this point into the future. (Reporting and editing by Mahal Dahan and Louise Heavens in Dubai, with reporting by Abdelhadi Ramahi in Dubai.
-
Analysts estimate that Ukraine's gas reserves are more than 8 billion cubic meters.
ExPro, an analysis firm, said that gas reserves in Ukrainian storage sites exceeded 8 billion cubic meters (bcm), but remained at the lowest levels in the past 11 years. After Russian missiles damaged the production facilities to the east of Ukraine, Ukraine was forced to increase gas imports and withdraw more gas from storage this winter and in the spring. ExPro reported that the storage facilities were nearly 26% full and volumes were 19.6% or 1.9 bcm lower than the same date a year earlier. According to the consultancy, gas injection volumes were higher than in previous years and between 1 June and 28 1,25 bcm was pumped into gas storage facilities. Since the start of this year's injection season, on April 17, 2.6 billion cubic meters of gas have been pumped into gas storage facilities. Last month, the Ukrainian energy minister stated that Ukraine would need to import at least 4,6 bcm (billion cubic meters) of gas in order to heat its homes during winter 2025/26. (Reporting and editing by Joe Bavier; Pavel Polityuk)
-
Sydney is pounded by a 'Bomb Cyclone' with high winds and heavy rains
The "bomb-cyclone" that hit Australia's largest state, with strong winds and heavy rains, forced airlines to cancel flights within the country and prompted evacuation warnings for coastal communities. Authorities warned on Tuesday that the weather in parts of New South Wales would also worsen over the next 24 hour, with winds of up to 125 km/h (78mph) and up to 250mm (9.8 inch) of rainfall. Jihad Dib, Minister of Emergency Services, said that the size and scope of the system is "enormous". He said at a press conference held on Tuesday that the situation would worsen in the next 24 to 48 hours. Residents in areas at risk of coastal erosion are being warned to evacuate their homes. Minor flood warnings have also been issued for a number of communities along the Mid North Coast. The Sydney Airport website shows that Qantas Airways has cancelled 11 domestic flights from Sydney, and Virgin Australia 12 flights. No international flights were affected. Virgin Australia sent an email to say that the weather conditions in Sydney and Newcastle had affected some services. The Australian weather bureau described a "bomb-cyclone" or "bombogenesis" as a system of low pressure that forms quickly and causes the pressure to drop dramatically within a short time. The bureau stated that the weather system will shift to the Tasman Sea and then ease off by Thursday. Helen Reid, Senior Meteorologist, said that "damaging winds and large waves will continue to affect much of the coastline through Wednesday." She also warned that warnings would continue. The conditions will continue to improve into Friday, with just a few isolated light showers remaining on the east coast of the United States by the end the week. Reporting by Renju José and Christine Chen in Sydney, Editing by Jamie Freed & Louise Heavens
-
After a power cable failure, the high-speed train line in Spain's Andalusia is cut.
A power cable failure on high-speed trains between Madrid and Andalusia left passengers stranded overnight and into Tuesday morning. In Madrid and other southern Spanish cities, including Seville, world leaders were attending a United Nations Conference on Development Financing. Around 20 trains had been blocked or could not depart on Monday night, while another 10 were cancelled on Tuesday morning. A spokesperson for the state-owned railway infrastructure provider ADIF confirmed that traffic between Yeles and La Sagra was suspended at 8:30 pm (0630 GMT), after a catenary wire malfunctioned. He said that the cause of the malfunction is unknown and ADIF has postponed four times the return to service. The company has announced that trains between Madrid, Andalusian cities and other Spanish cities have been cancelled. ADIF has called upon regional emergency services for assistance and evacuation of stranded passengers. Some had spent hours trapped inside trains during a scorching heatwave that engulfed the country. As part of the government's push to decarbonise transportation, Spain has seen a rapid expansion of its high-speed network. It connects most of the major cities in the country, but it is susceptible to cable accidents as it crosses vast swathes that are sparsely populated. Early May, a copper cable theft caused the same line to be paralyzed for over 12 hours. Three operators operate the line, Renfe, a former state-owned monopoly, Ouigo, a division of French state railway operator SNCF, as well as Iryo, owned by a consortium that includes Italy's Trenitalia. (Reporting and editing by Saad sayeed; Inti landauro)
-
InPost parcel lockers to be acquired by Advent for a 3.5% stake
Bookrunners reported on Tuesday that a company controlled by Advent International, a private equity firm, had offered institutional investors an approximately 3.5% stake in the parcel locker firm InPost. AI Prime & Cy S.C.A., a company owned by Advent. InPost offered 17.5 millions shares through an accelerated placement at 13.25 euros per share. This represents a discount by 6% from Monday's closing prices of 14.1 euro in Amsterdam. The bookrunner stated that once the placement is completed, AI Prime will hold a stake of around 6,5% in InPost. In September 2024, the company sold a 4% stake to InPost at 17 euros per share. Advent bought the majority of InPost's shares in 2017. It was its largest shareholder up until it sold a portion to Czech investment company PPF Group. According to InPost, PPF is the owner of 28.75% of the parcel company. InPost, under Advent, has built a dominant position in Poland in the last few years, with automated parcel lockers scattered around towns and cities, and increased its international expansion. InPost shares have fallen by around 15% this year as a result of concerns that its biggest customer Allegro will become less dependent on InPost to deliver goods. Reporting by Anna Pruchnicka, Gdansk; editing by Milla Nissi-Prussak.
-
Maguire: US power pollution increases with increased coal use
The U.S. power industry has already reached its highest level in three years. However, emissions will continue to rise during the summer peak months due to increased use of air conditioners and coal and gas plants. According to Ember, the U.S. power industry's emissions due to the burning of fossil-fuels increased by 5% in the first five months 2025 to 640 millions metric tons. As gas prices have risen, power companies have reduced their natural gas usage. This has led to a 32 million ton increase in emissions. The increased use of air conditioners in homes and offices has led to a rise in electricity demand. These higher generation trends, in turn, will further increase the total pollution levels of the power sector even though electricity production from renewable sources like solar farms has reached record highs. COAL-HEAVY According to LSEG, the coal-fired electricity generation in the United States increased by 14% compared to the same period of 2024. This equates to 14,9 million megawatt hours. The main driver of this increase in coal usage was the steep rise in natural gas prices during the first quarter of the current year. This increased cost pressure for utilities and encouraged them to use cheaper coal in their generation mix. LSEG data indicates that Henry Hub natural Gas Futures, the main benchmark for U.S. Natural Gas, have averaged $3.53 per BTU (million British thermal units) this year. This compares with an average price of $2.15 BTU in the first half 2024. According to LSEG, the gas-fired electricity production from January to June decreased by 4.2%, to 31.8 millions MWh. The U.S.'s higher percentage of coal-fired power in the generation mix has a major impact on emissions. According to Ember, coal-fired power plants emit approximately 950,000 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide for every terawatt of electricity produced. This compares to about 540,000 tons CO2 per TWh for gas-fired power plants. It explains why fossil fuel energy output has risen much more than overall fossil fuel emission this year. Peak Period There are two distinct peak times of electricity use in the U.S. every year: heating during winter, and cooling during summer. Since more than a decade now, the amount of power used in the summer is greater than the amount needed for heating. This is because air conditioners use more electricity. The trend is expected to continue this year after the U.S. experienced record-breaking heatwaves in the second half of June. Further hot spells are predicted for July, August, and September. In order to meet this increase in electricity demand, utilities will require more power from all sources of production, but particularly from fossil fuels, which is needed to cover the majority of system usage at night, when solar generation ceases. Gas prices are still well above the levels of last year, so most power plants will continue to prefer coal over gas. This will lead to a new rise in power emissions. They are already at the highest level since 2022, and they are on track to reach their annual peak during the next few months as the power companies use all their power to meet the demand. These are the opinions of a columnist who writes for. You like this article? Check it out Open Interest The new global financial commentary source (ROI) is your go-to for all the latest news and analysis. ROI provides data-driven, thought-provoking analysis on everything from soybeans to swap rates. The markets are changing faster than ever. ROI can help you keep up. Follow ROI on You can find us on LinkedIn.
-
The INDIA RUPEE is on the rise, and near-tenor swap maturitys reduce central bank's forward books
The Indian rupee edged up Tuesday, following regional peers as well as the dollar index's fall to a 3-year low amid persistent concerns over U.S. fiscal policies and trade. The Reserve Bank of India released data after the close of the market on Monday showing that its FX forward book had shrunk to $65.2 billion by the end of the month, from $72.6 billion the previous month. Data is released one month after the event. Reserve Bank of India’s aggregate short dollar positions in FX futures and forwards reached a new record in February, amid dollar selling interventions by the central banks to support the rupee. The rupee is up about 2.5% from its all-time low in February of 87.95, thanks to the dollar's weakness. The central bank's short dollar position was likely affected by the maturity of the near-term swaps, which were worth $7.4 billion for the bucket up to one month in April. The RBI has opportunistically revalued some of its short dollar positions, while also allowing some positions to mature, said B. Prasanna. The dollar index fell to its lowest level in many years on the back of concerns over the U.S. budget deficit and the uncertainty surrounding trade agreements with major countries. As of 10:20 am IST, the rupee had risen 0.2% to 85.59 US dollars. U.S. Treasury secretary Scott Bessent warned Monday that as the deadline of July 9 approaches, countries may be informed about sharply increased tariffs. White House officials said an update was due "very soon" on the trade agreement with India. (Reporting and editing by Jaspreet K. Kalra)
Google: EU tech regulations are holding back innovation
Alphabet’s Google warns its critics and EU antitrust regulators on Tuesday that European Union rules designed to rein in Big Tech are hampering the innovation of European businesses and users.
The U.S. technology giant will also ask regulators for more detailed guidelines to help it adhere to the rules and its critics provide proof of costs and benefits in order to prove their argument.
Google faces pressure from the EU Digital Markets Act to respond to allegations that it favors its own services, such as Google Shopping and Google Flights, over those of rivals. Fines up to 10% of Google's global revenue could be imposed.
Google announced more changes in its search results earlier this month to showcase rival products. However, critics claim that these do not create a level playing ground.
Clare Kelly, Google's lawyer, will speak at a workshop organized by the European Commission. The event is intended to provide Google critics with the opportunity to ask questions.
According to a copy her speech, she will claim that the changes made by Google after discussions with critics and the Commission have led to European users paying higher prices for tickets because they can't directly access airline websites.
Kelly will say that European airlines, restaurants and hotels have reported a loss of direct bookings up to 30%, while users complained about cumbersome workarounds.
Oliver Bethell will be Google's second lawyer. He will ask regulators for specific details on what the company must do and critics for hard evidence.
He will say, "If we understand exactly what compliance looks, not only in theory but also taking into account on-the-ground experience, we can quickly and confidently launch compliant services across the EEA."
The EEA includes the 27 EU member states, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway.
"We need assistance in identifying areas on which we should concentrate. Bethell explained that this means providing real evidence about costs and benefits we can discuss with the Commission.
The workshop begins at 0700 GMT. Reporting by FooYunChee, Editing by Mark Potter
(source: Reuters)