World News

File photo of a motorist at a gas station in Los Angeles, California. (Frederic J. BROWN/AFP) Brent oil jumped nearly over 1.5 per cent as traders seized on resurfacing tensions in the crude-rich Middle East. The market had surged at the start of the week after drone attacks at Saudi oil facilities on Saturday. Traders remain on red alert for further developments, including the US and Saudi response, with both putting the blame at Iran's door. "There's been a fairly sharp move higher in oil after a couple of incidents occurred in a short space of time that threaten to raise supply fears in the Middle East," XTB analyst David Cheetham told AFP. "First off, reports that Saudi Arabia will look to import oil to offset its own reduced production suggests that the impact of last weekend's attacks is greater than the kingdom is letting on, with hopes of a swift return to the prior level of output looking hopeful to say the least. "Not long after this, the Iranian foreign minister tweeted … [Read more...] about Oil prices soar again on Mideast tension

A black panther found roaming the rooftops near the northern French city of Lille like a stray cat on Wednesday (Sep 18) evening was captured after being cornered inside a home, local authorities said. A black panther walking along the roof guttering of a building in Armentières, northern France early evening on Sep 18, 2019. (Photo: AFP/Ligue Protectrice Des Animaux Du Nord De La France/LPA-NF/Cristina Devulder) The regional fire department tweeted pictures of the big cat, one of which showed it peering in the top-floor window of a three-storey red-brick building. Another showed it staring out over the city, ears pricked, like one of the stone gargoyles that jut out over the facade of Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris. "Called out ... for a dangerous animal, the northern fire service was confronted with a big feline roaming the gutters," the fire service tweeted. The regional La Voix du Nord newspaper reported that the panther, which had escaped from a private apartment, … [Read more...] about Black panther found roaming French rooftops

A FedEx pilot was arrested in China and released on bail, the company said on Thursday (Sep 19), amid an ongoing row with Beijing over the US firm's delivery irregularities involving telecoms giant Huawei. FedEx is facing multiple investigations in China, where it has come under fire for delivery issues related to Chinese telecoms giant Huawei. (AFP/SCOTT OLSON) Todd Hohn, a former US Air Force pilot, was arrested by Chinese authorities a week ago as he waited for a commercial flight in the company's Asia hub of Guangzhou, after making a round of deliveries. After the arrest, authorities searched his luggage where they found air gun pellets, a source close to the matter told AFP. "Chinese authorities in Guangzhou detained and later released one of our pilots on bail after an item was found in his luggage prior to a commercial flight," a FedEx spokeswoman told AFP, confirming information first published in the Wall Street Journal. Chinese authorities have opened a criminal … [Read more...] about US FedEx pilot arrested by Chinese authorities

Three people have been killed in Venice after a powerboat attempting to break an offshore record slammed into an artificial spit of land in the dark, Italian firefighters and media reports said Wednesday (Sep 18). Venice sees everything from tiny gondolas to speedboats and vast cruise ships cross its waterways AFP/Ludovic MARIN Italian champion Fabio Buzzi and two British racers died in the crash late Tuesday while another Italian racer survived, the reports said citing Giampaolo Montavoci, president of the national offshore and endurance commission. The accident happened as the vessel, some 20 metres long and able to travel up to 130 kilometres an hour, tried to break the Monte Carlo to Venice record. Firefighters said they pulled three bodies from the submerged boat while the survivor had been thrown clear. The vessel was nearly at the finishing line when it hit the Punta Sabbioni spit, built to protect the city's "Mose" flood barrier, reports said. Large boulders piled up … [Read more...] about Three killed in Venice offshore racing accident

The cost of school uniforms weighs heavily on many a parent's budget, and in Japan authorities have got involved, raiding one of the country's biggest department stores on suspicion of price collusion. School uniforms in Japan are often sold through a handful of specific vendors designated by schools. (Photo: AFP/Odd Andersen) Daimaru Matsuzakaya Department Stores and its subsidiary were raided on Wednesday (Sep 18) by the Japan Fair Trade Commission, according to the firms' parent J Front Retailing. "We take this situation very seriously and will fully cooperate with the inspection," J Front Retailing said in a brief statement. The department store chain, along with several other local vendors, is suspected of colluding to keep prices high for uniforms for five public high schools in Aichi region in central Japan. School uniforms in Japan are often sold through a handful of specific vendors designated by schools. Uniforms are usually more expensive than regular clothes, … [Read more...] about Japan raids stores over school uniform cartel