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Hermes shares sink as Iran war hits Middle East sales, tourism

Shares in French luxury group Hermes sank 14% at the open on Wednesday after it said the Iran war hit sales in the Middle East as well as in Europe, with fewer tourists visiting Paris or London and buying designer items.Investors' hopes for luxury demand to recover this year have been dashed by the conflict which has dented Dubai mall sales and sent energy prices soaring, hitting consumer confidence.Hermes, which carefully controls production and sales to maintain exclusivity, has been the most resilient company in an industry-wide slowdown, but even it was not immune to the conflict's impact

Kering shares slide after Gucci sales disappoint

China weighs curbs on exports of solar manufacturing equipment to US

Education|Europe|Political|World

Georgia overhauls higher education as it shifts away from the West

When anti-government protests began in Georgia in late 2024, Luka Mishveladze started sleeping on the floor at his university building to be closer to student rallies.Some 18 months later, the 20-year-old student is now a protest organiser, demonstrating outside the same building in the capital Tbilisi against government reforms of higher education that look set to force his university's closure."It was hard for me to realise that this was happening in reality, that I am losing my university, the place I am used to calling home," Mishveladze told Reuters. Opponents of the government see the o

French inflation rises to 2.0% in March

Hungary's Magyar will talk to MOL leadership, focus on fuel supplies

Business|Economy|Finance|Stock Markets|World

BlackRock urges investors to spread hedge fund bets amid market swings

BlackRock's hedge fund team is urging investors to spread their exposure across multiple hedge fund strategies, as AI-related and geopolitical disruption increases the speed of market swings, creating winners and losers at different times.Investors should demand clarity on what is truly driving hedge fund returns and where correlated risk might be growing in their portfolios, BlackRock said in its Spring Hedge Fund Outlook on Wednesday. It is the world's largest asset manager with roughly $14 trillion under management."Overlapping exposures and the use of leverage across platforms warrant cl

No signs of major default cycle in private credit, Ares CEO says

Foreign investors grow more wary of India as FX curbs hit bonds, earnings risks haunt equities

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Environment|Science|US|World

Severe storms accompanied by tornadoes damage communities from the Plains to the Midwest

A day after severe storms damaged communities in the Plains and the Midwest, forecasters warned that storms could bring giant hail, tornadoes and severe wind gusts to the regions again on Tuesday afternoon and evening. Authorities in Kansas reported several people with minor injuries after storms passed through on Monday. Three people were left with minor injuries in rural Franklin County, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) southwest of Kansas City, according to the sheriff’s office. In Ottawa, a city of about 13,000 people, officials said there was structural damage, but there w

Crime|Political|US|World

Historians suing Trump administration say National Archives won’t commit to preserving presidential records during lawsuit

The historians who are suing over the Trump administration’s eschewal of a Watergate-era records retention law for presidential documents said Tuesday that the National Archives won’t agree not to destroy those records while their case is litigated.The American Historical Association is seeking an emergency court order in a lawsuit it filed last week in the wake of a Justice Department memo that said the Presidential Records Act is unconstitutional.The Presidential Records Act requires presidents and their staff to preserve White House records and turn those records over to the National Ar

Trump says Iran talks could resume over next two days, NY Post reports

A 15-year-old pleaded for his life as investigators say an elaborate plot lured him to his death

Economy|Political|US|World

US Democrats will try, and try again, to rein in Trump's Iran war powers

The U.S. Senate will vote as soon as Wednesday on the latest Democratic-led effort to rein in President Donald Trump's war powers, and party leaders promised on Tuesday to keep bringing up such resolutions as long as the Iran war continues."Forty-five days into this war, Congress has been sidelined because our Republican colleagues refuse to take a strong stand against this war and duck it completely because they're afraid of Trump," Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said in a Senate speech on Tuesday.Trump said on Tuesday talks to end the Iran war could resume in Pakistan over the

Celebrity|Crime|Entertainment|Lifestyle|US

‘Mormon Wives’ star Taylor Frankie Paul will not face new domestic violence charges

Taylor Frankie Paul, a star of “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives " and a recently scrubbed season of “The Bachelorette,” will not be charged in recent fights with her former partner, the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office said Tuesday. Police in the Salt Lake City suburbs of Draper City and West Jordan have been investigating claims of domestic violence in 2024 and this February from Paul's ex-partner Dakota Mortensen, the father of her 2-year-old son. Paul has also made allegations against Mortensen, but those were not addressed in the documents. A

Court orders DC judge to end criminal contempt inquiry into Trump officials involved in deportation flights

California woman says she was raped by Rep. Eric Swalwell in 2018

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World

New trial over death of soccer icon Maradona begins after first case ended in scandal. Here’s what to know

A new trial to determine who bears responsibility for the death of football icon Diego Maradona has started in Argentina under public scrutiny, nearly a year after the original case ended in a mistrial.Maradona, one of the most influential and charismatic footballers in history, died from heart failure on November 25, 2020, while under home care in Buenos Aires province, two weeks after undergoing surgery for a subdural hematoma in his brain. His death shocked the world, prompting thousands of fans to mobilize globally and demand justice.The previous trial over his death, which lasted almost t

Business|MidEast|Political|World

Israel’s new spymaster is a Netanyahu aide who believed war with Iran would topple the regime

The incoming director of Israel’s Mossad spy agency believed a war with Iran could trigger the swift collapse of the regime, according to three Israeli sources familiar with internal consultations – an assessment that has failed to materialize after more than 40 days of fighting.Roman Gofman, currently serving as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s military secretary, told the Israeli leader in planning discussions that the Iranian regime could be toppled, a view shared by the agency he is set to lead, and one that proved overly optimistic.Gofman is slated to assume the post in June for

King Charles to head to US to woo Trump and restore 'closest of friendships'

King Charles to address joint meeting of Congress and meet privately with Trump on US state visit

Economy|Europe|Finance|World

Orban's defeat topples a pillar of Europe's far right, prompts scrutiny of MAGA links

Europe's far right has lost one of its biggest champions with the defeat of Hungary's nationalist leader Viktor Orban in Sunday's election.Orban's government provided a blueprint for right-wing populist and illiberal politicians, earning plaudits from the likes of U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.In his 16 years in office, he promoted ethno-nationalism, clamped down on civil society and the media, and fought against immigration, LGBTQ rights and liberalism. He was also the European leader with by far the closest ties to Trump's MAGA movement – illustrated

Crime|MidEast|World

Journalist detained in Kuwait after posting Iran war video, advocates say

Ahmed Shihab-Eldin, a Kuwaiti-American journalist known for his work at VICE, HuffPost and Al Jazeera, has been detained in Kuwait, according to press freedom advocates, after sharing videos related to the Iran war.The arrest comes as Kuwait and other Gulf states have cracked down on individuals for posting imagery of Iranian missile strikes and other subject matter deemed sensitive. Watchdog groups have decried the strict laws.In Shihab-Eldin’s case, he had been sharing information on his Substack and social media when the war began, but suddenly stopped posting on March 2.He was in Kuwait,