US aims to deploy Qatar-gifted luxury jet as Air Force One for Fourth of July
Business

US aims to deploy Qatar-gifted luxury jet as Air Force One for Fourth of July

There are efforts to possibly deliver the Boeing 747 even earlier, to align with Trump’s birthday on June 14 The US Air Force is targeting a Fourth of July delivery for a Boeing 747 gifted by Qatar that would join the Air Force One fleet in time for the nation’s 250th anniversary, a US official and a person familiar with the programme said. The White House accepted the luxury jet from Qatar in 2025 ‌and asked the Air Force to rapidly upgrade the aircraft to presidential standards, with L3Harris tapped to carry out the overhaul. If the company meets its deadline, US President Donald Trump will have a new presidential aircraft in time for the national celebrations. The person said there were efforts to possibly deliver the jet three weeks earlier to align with Trump’s birthday on June 14, ahead of the July 4 deadline. The Qatari gift has drawn criticism from Democrats and advocates of good government, who warned it was a conflict of interest that could influence ⁠presidential decisions. Trump has dismissed complaints of accepting the 13-year-old aeroplane with a US$400 million list price, saying it would be “stupid” to turn down the offer.

May 6, 2026
US allies in Asia are looking to build middle-power coalitions
Business

US allies in Asia are looking to build middle-power coalitions

Faced with the US’ unreliability and China’s ascent, countries such as the Philippines are creating new networks of partnerships “Under the new system, we will strategically promote equipment transfers while making even more rigorous and cautious judgments on whether transfers are permissible,” she added, confirming long-running speculation that Tokyo would relax decades-old restrictions on exports of high-end military equipment. Thanks to its post-war pacifist constitution, Japan previously limited military equipment exports to non-lethal categories, namely for transport, rescue, surveillance, minesweeping and early warning systems purposes. Though Tokyo will still refrain from sending armaments to nations engaged in conflict, as many as 17 major defence partners can now benefit from Japan’s cutting-edge military technology. Takaichi’s cabinet chief, Minoru Kihara, clarified the policy is “intended to safeguard Japan’s security and further contribute to the peace and stability of the region”.

May 6, 2026
Trump-Xi summit hides simmering trade tensions under the surface, industry experts say
Business

Trump-Xi summit hides simmering trade tensions under the surface, industry experts say

The scheduled summit next week between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping will almost certainly include proclamations about cooperation, friendship and respect between the leaders of the world’s two largest economies, but beneath the surface, major trade conflict is building, said trade experts on Wednesday. In the past, a weaker China was forced to grit its teeth and grudgingly accept US tariffs, export restrictions and other restrictions, but Beijing has quietly and...

May 6, 2026
Passengers on hantavirus-stricken cruise ship sway between fear and boredom
Business

Passengers on hantavirus-stricken cruise ship sway between fear and boredom

A deadly outbreak followed by days stranded at sea are a far cry from the Atlantic odyssey they were expecting on the MV Hondius It was billed as an Atlantic odyssey to some of the most remote islands in the world. Instead, the cruise on the hantavirus-stricken MV Hondius was left stranded off Cabo Verde, formerly known as Cape Verde, with passengers in their cabins, medical workers in protective suits tending to the sick and the ship’s operator seeking a safe port. The outbreak has left three dead and eight confirmed or suspected cases linked to the ‌Dutch-flagged expedition ship. Passengers, some of whom have been aboard since March 20, have reported moods swinging between fear and boredom: empty lounges, quiet decks, hot drinks, face masks, medical checks, and the uncertainty of not knowing when and how their journey will end. On Wednesday, specialist teams evacuated three people as the vessel prepared to extend its voyage to Spain’s Canary Islands with the consent of local authorities. After four days stationed off the West African archipelago, the ship set sail late Wednesday towards the Canary island of Tenerife, where around 150 remaining passengers and crew may finally disembark under medical supervision.

May 6, 2026
France’s ex-president Sarkozy escapes second ankle tag sentence
Business

France’s ex-president Sarkozy escapes second ankle tag sentence

Last year he became modern France’s first president to go to jail, in a case related to alleged Libyan funding in his 2007 election campaign Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy will not serve time with an electronic ankle tag as punishment for illegal funding of his 2012 re-election bid, an informed source said on Wednesday. Sarkozy, 71, has faced a raft of accusations since leaving office after a single term from 2007 to 2012. He has denied all allegations in all cases. Last year, he became modern France’s first-ever president to go to jail, serving 20 days in a case related to alleged Libyan funding in his 2007 election campaign. His appeal trial in the case is ongoing. He has also received two definitive convictions in other cases. In one of them, the country’s top court last year upheld a six-month term in the so-called “Bygmalion” case, finding he had overspent on his failed 2012 re-election bid with a PR firm called Bygmalion and then attempted to cover it up. It was not clear at the time if he would have to wear an ankle tag.

May 6, 2026
US strikes Iranian tanker amid reports Washington and Tehran near deal
Business

US strikes Iranian tanker amid reports Washington and Tehran near deal

Trump reiterated that Iran ‘cannot have a nuclear weapon’ as both sides combined military pressure with diplomatic efforts to end deadlock The strike highlighted the fragility of a ceasefire that has largely held since April 8, as both sides combined military pressure with diplomatic efforts to reopen critical energy shipping routes through the Gulf. Trump said Iranian officials were eager to reach an agreement with Washington. “We’re dealing with people that want to make a deal very much, and we’ll see whether or not they can make a deal that’s satisfactory to us,” he told reporters at the White House. “We’ve had very good talks in the last 24 hours, and it’s very possible we’ll make a deal.” But the president also threatened a sharp escalation if talks collapse.

May 6, 2026
Israel strikes Beirut for the first time since Lebanon ceasefire
Business

Israel strikes Beirut for the first time since Lebanon ceasefire

Israeli media says a commander in Hezbollah’s elite Radwan force was targeted and killed in the city’s southern suburbs Israel struck Beirut ⁠on Wednesday for the first time since agreeing to a ceasefire with Hezbollah last month, with Israel saying it targeted a commander of the militant group’s elite Radwan force in the city’s southern suburbs. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz announced the action in a joint statement. Israeli media reported that the commander was killed in the strike, but there was no immediate confirmation from the Israeli military or Hezbollah. The Lebanon ‌ceasefire has underpinned a broader US-Iran truce, with a halt to Israeli strikes in Lebanon being a key Iranian demand. As Iran and the US say they are drawing closer to a deal to halt their conflict, the strikes threaten the ceasefire that halted Israeli attacks on Beirut. Israeli troops have remained in areas south of the Litani River and strikes continued in southern Lebanon. Iran ally Hezbollah has responded by firing and launching armed drones towards Israeli soldiers.

May 6, 2026 · 2 dk okuma
FBI reportedly probing leaks behind article on bureau chief Kash Patel’s drinking
Business

FBI reportedly probing leaks behind article on bureau chief Kash Patel’s drinking

Such an investigation would be unusual because it focuses on the journalist rather than the officials who leaked the information The FBI has opened a criminal leak investigation focusing on a journalist who wrote a critical article about Kash Patel, the head of the US law enforcement agency, the cable news channel MS Now reported on Wednesday. Patel filed a US$250 million suit last month against The Atlantic magazine and the author of the article, Sarah Fitzpatrick, calling it a “sweeping, malicious, and defamatory hit piece”. The Atlantic story accused Patel of frequently drinking to excess and said he was in danger of losing his job as FBI director. MS Now, citing two people familiar with the matter, said the FBI has launched a so-called “insider threat investigation” into the Atlantic story, which cited two dozen anonymous sources. The network said the investigation is highly unusual because leak probes are generally focused on government officials who leak information and not the journalists who publish it. An FBI spokesman, Ben Williamson, denied to MS Now that an investigation was under way.

May 6, 2026
CNN founder Ted Turner dies at 87
Business

CNN founder Ted Turner dies at 87

Aside from business and sports deals, Turner gained attention for his personal life and his ventures in philanthropy and the environment Ted Turner created CNN in 1980, revolutionising the way America, and the world, got their news, and then went on to become one of the most prominent business leaders and philanthropists of his era. A brash risk taker, Turner – whose death aged 87 was announced on Wednesday – helped reshape the television industry in the late 20th century. He also made a name for himself with spectacular business deals, his ownership of professional sports clubs, a marriage to actress Jane Fonda, his leadership of a competitive yachting team and then a devotion to charitable and environmental causes. Born in Cincinnati, Ohio in November 1938, Robert Edward “Ted” Turner III went to a military boarding school in Tennessee, and then attended Brown University, but was expelled before graduating. Turner took over a faltering family advertising business after his father, despondent over financial problems, committed suicide. After buying a number of radio stations, Turner’s purchase of a struggling Atlanta station in 1970 was his first move into television.

May 6, 2026
China condemns Japan’s first overseas ‘offensive missile’ test since WWII
Business

China condemns Japan’s first overseas ‘offensive missile’ test since WWII

Beijing says Japan’s ‘neo-militarism’ is a ‘scourge’ that threatens regional peace and stability China condemned what it called Japan’s first “offensive missile” test overseas in eight decades, saying Tokyo’s “neo-militarism” and intensified arms race had gained momentum and threatened regional stability. According to China, it was the first time Japan had launched an “offensive” weapon abroad since World War II. The missile can be used for both offensive and defensive purposes, but deploying it outside Japanese territory can be seen as an offensive posture. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said it marked a significant departure from Japan’s post-war pacifist stance. He pointed to Japan’s wartime history of aggression against Southeast Asian countries, including the Philippines. “The former aggressor has not only failed to deeply reflect on its historical crimes but has instead dispatched military forces overseas and launched offensive missiles under the guise of so-called ‘security cooperation’,” he said.

May 6, 2026
Thailand vows strict tourist oversight after public sex incidents
Business

Thailand vows strict tourist oversight after public sex incidents

The pledge followed a Monday incident in Phuket where a couple was found performing a sexual act in a popular tourist area Thailand vowed on Wednesday to tighten oversight of tourists’ behaviour after a series of incidents involving foreigners caught having sex in public, warning they damaged the country’s image. Tourism is vital to the Southeast Asian nation’s economy but foreign arrivals are yet to return to their pre-Covid highs. Visitors displaying “inappropriate behaviour”, including illicit drug use, would face prosecution as it “contradicts the beautiful culture of Thailand”, the prime minister’s office said in a statement. The pledge followed an incident on Monday evening on the southern island of Phuket where a couple was found performing a sexual act in a tuk-tuk in a popular tourist area. Authorities said they were working to revoke the visas of a 41-year-old Spanish man and a 43-year-old Peruvian woman, and then deport and blacklist them. The pair admitted to the act and were charged under public indecency laws, the government statement said.

May 6, 2026
ASEAN leaders under pressure to address economic fallout of Iran conflict
Economy

ASEAN leaders under pressure to address economic fallout of Iran conflict

Summit in the Philippines also set to discuss Myanmar and South China Sea A vendor selling vegetables tends to customers at a public market in Manila, the Philippines. Rising prices of basic goods will be in the spotlight at the ASEAN summit in the Philippine city of Cebu this week. © Reuters MANILA/JAKARTA -- The escalating impact of the Iran war on Southeast Asia is expected to dominate this week's ASEAN Summit in the Philippines, as leaders seek to mitigate the effects of the conflict on their economies. The heads of government will also discuss the ongoing crisis in Myanmar and the conclusion of negotiations for a South China Sea code of conduct, according to officials.

May 6, 2026