Top World News

May 5, 2026 - World

London-headquartered bank’s shares slide as it sets aside an extra $300m to cover effects of Middle East conflictBusiness live – latest updatesHSBC has taken a $1.3bn (£961m) hit to profits, fuelled by the fallout from the US-Israel war on Iran and fraud in the troubled private credit sector.The London-headquartered bank said profits fell 4% in the first three months of the year, dropping $100m to $9.4bn, compared with the same period in 2025. Revenue increased 6% to $18.6bn. Continue reading...

May 5, 2026 - World

Kremlin tightens security ahead of Russia’s biggest national celebration on 9 May amid fears of Ukrainian drone strikesRussia shut down airports and temporarily cut mobile internet access for many users in Moscow on Tuesday, as it tightened security ahead of the 9 May Victory Day parade marking the defeat of Nazi Germany.The parade – Russia’s foremost national celebration – has already been scaled back and will proceed without heavy military hardware for the first time in nearly two decades, amid fears of long-range Ukrainian drone strikes. Continue reading...

May 5, 2026 - World

French president pitches in for Nikol Pashinyan, who faces stiff challenge from pro-Russia parties in vote next monthEmmanuel Macron has made an unabashed pre-election pitch on behalf of Armenia’s prime minister, Nikol Pashinyan, saying the country’s destiny lay with Europe.The French president also accused Russia of abandoning Armenia after the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war that led to Azerbaijan displacing tens of thousands of Armenians. Continue reading...

May 5, 2026 - World

The move puts the country’s access to EU funds at risk and it could take weeks until a stable majority can be assembledin BucharestPresident Dan is set to issue a statement at 6pm local time (4pm UK). Continue reading...

May 5, 2026 - World

US defence secretary tells press Iran is attempting ‘international extortion’ but the ceasefire remains in placeDonald Trump sends warships to break Iran’s strait of Hormuz blockadeIran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, is travelling to Beijing later today for talks with his Chinese counterpart “on bilateral relations and regional and international developments”, his ministry said on its Telegram account.While Beijing condemned the initial US and Israeli strikes on Iran which started the war in late February, China has largely adopted a posture of neutrality ever since and has urged for a diplomatic resolution to the conflict. Continue reading...