Iran vs US
Iran-US nuclear deal ‘within reach’ as third round of talks begin in Geneva
Geneva — Iran and the United States have reopened indirect nuclear negotiations amid cautious optimism that a diplomatic deal could...
US politics
Federal judge blocks Trump policy deporting migrants to ‘third countries’
A US federal judge has ruled that the Trump administration’s policy of deporting certain immigrants to so-called “third countries” is...
Growing share of Republicans question Trump’s steadiness amid age concerns
A notable minority of Republican voters now say Donald Trump appears increasingly erratic, according to a new poll conducted just...
On this day
On this day in 1802: Victor Hugo was born
Few authors have shaped the moral imagination of modern Europe as profoundly as Victor Hugo, whose novels and political activism...
MSTRpay
MSTRPay accelerates Central Africa strategy with Cameroon Agent appointment
MSTRPay has appointed Mr Nguekeu Temomo Emmanuel as a non-exclusive country agent for Cameroon, reinforcing its structured market development and...
Ukraine
How CIA and MI6 uncovered Putin’s war plans — and why warnings were doubted
In the months before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, US and British intelligence agencies concluded that Vladimir...
Financial insights
US and LATAM markets open cautiously
Wall Street opened Thursday’s session on a tentative note, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq fluctuating in early trade as...
Asia closes mixed amid policy and tech focus
Asian markets closed with divergent performances as investors digested policy signals and technology sector developments. In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225...
African bourses close broadly steady
African markets ended the session largely stable, with selective gains in financial and telecom stocks offsetting weakness in commodities-linked counters....
European equities end mixed as investors digest global signals
European markets closed on Thursday with a mixed tone, as investors weighed corporate earnings, bond yield movements and fresh geopolitical...
Singapore market opens mixed as regional flows shape early trading
Singapore’s equity benchmark, the FTSE Straits Times Index, opened Thursday in a mixed pattern, reflecting calm but alert trading amid...
AI
AI chatbots found less accurate for vulnerable users, MIT research shows
Leading artificial intelligence chatbots provide less accurate and less helpful information to users with lower English proficiency, less formal education...
Banking
Is traditional banking dead? The branch fights back
For more than a decade, analysts have forecast the extinction of the traditional bank branch, arguing that digital channels would...
‘Know Your Agent’ becomes essential as autonomous payments open new fraud frontiers
Artificial intelligence is rapidly gaining financial autonomy, with software agents now able to search, select and pay for goods on...
Africa
What Africa’s banks can steal from China’s playbook
In 1994, a relatively modest development lender was launched in Beijing with $4.3bn in capital. Within two decades, it had...
What the US Supreme Court–Trump tariff feud means for Kenya
A landmark ruling by the Supreme Court of the United States has reignited trade tensions after it blocked President Donald...
Climate & Energy
‘A devastating force’: How Mediterranean storms became serial tragedies
A succession of violent storms has battered the Mediterranean basin this year, prompting scientists to describe an ‘atmospheric machine-gun’ pattern...
Blockchain
Bitcoin tops $69.5K as equities rebound on strong earnings
Bitcoin climbed above $69,500 on Thursday, extending gains as global equity markets rebounded and robust corporate earnings data fuelled renewed...
Business of the week
From call centre to tech titan: GoTo’s meteoric rise reshapes Indonesia’s digital economy
GoTo — the technology powerhouse born from a humble ride-hailing service — has evolved into one of Indonesia’s most influential...
Hidden financial giants
Iran-US nuclear deal ‘within reach’ as third round of talks begin in Geneva
Geneva — Iran and the United States have reopened indirect nuclear negotiations amid cautious optimism that a diplomatic deal could...
Hidden giants: The Rabiu family and Nigeria’s quiet financial powerhouse
While Africa’s billionaire class is often associated with headline names and high-profile conglomerates, one family has built a vast financial-industrial...
Hidden Giants in Finance: Euronet and the invisible rails moving US$200bn a year
Every day, trillions of digital signals move quietly between banks, wallets, ATMs, and payment apps — and behind much of...
America’s quietly powerful Pritzker dynasty
Few families shape global capital as discreetly as the Pritzkers. Best known publicly for building the hotel empire behind Hyatt...
Europe’s hidden financial giant: the foundation behind IKEA
Behind one of the world’s most recognisable retail brands sits a little-known Dutch foundation that quietly controls assets worth tens...
The Grosvenor family (Duke of Westminster)
Few fortunes in Britain are as substantial — or as discreet — as that of the Grosvenor family, headed today...
Newshub long read
Crowns and controversies: two centuries of scandal inside Britain’s royal family
For more than 200 years, the British monarchy has balanced ceremony with crisis, projecting stability while repeatedly confronting scandal —...