Egypt’s Suez Canal, once a cornerstone of the nation’s foreign currency earnings, suffered a staggering drop in revenue last year, with officials attributing the near two-thirds decline to regional instability and escalating maritime threats in the Middle East. The Suez Canal Authority announced on Wednesday that total canal revenues in 2024 fell to $3.991 billion, down sharply from a record high of $10.25 billion in 2023. The authority cited a dramatic fall in shipping traffic, brought on by security concerns linked to the ongoing conflict in Gaza and Houthi rebel activity in the Red Sea. Canal traffic has dropped by…
Tekijä: Ohene Anochie
Ohene Anochie
Senior Reporter at AMN News Agency, known for his insightful journalism and in-depth coverage of current events.
A deadly fire aboard a crowded riverboat in northwestern Democratic Republic of Congo has left at least 50 people dead and hundreds missing, after the vessel caught fire and capsized late Tuesday night on the Congo River near Mbandaka. Local authorities identified the boat as HB Kongolo, a wooden motorized vessel carrying around 400 passengers. It had departed from the port of Matankumu and was bound for Bolomba territory when the incident occurred. According to Compétent Loyoko, the regional river commissioner, the fire began when a woman attempted to cook on board — a common but hazardous practice on Congolese…
Veteran Israeli journalist and author Yisrael Medad has drawn a historical thread through Israel’s current political turbulence, linking today’s visceral opposition to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to ideological battles stretching back nearly a century. In a powerful opinion piece published by JNS, Medad, a former director of educational programming at the Menachem Begin Heritage Center, suggests that the ongoing unrest and social fissures witnessed across Israel—including verbal attacks, violent protests, and stark societal polarization—are rooted in foundational disputes within Zionism itself. A graduate of Yeshiva University who made aliyah in 1970, Medad has spent decades documenting Israel’s evolving media, political,…
Australian authorities have charged a 15-year-old Swedish citizen with serious terrorism-related offences after uncovering a plot involving overseas contract killings tied to a transnational criminal syndicate operating across Scandinavia. In a coordinated operation announced in a joint statement by Australian, Swedish, and Danish police, the teenager was accused of “allegedly using an encrypted application to facilitate plans for overseas contract killings on behalf of a transnational criminal syndicate.” According to Lars Feldt-Rasmussen, Deputy Chief Superintendent of Denmark’s National Special Crime Unit, the suspect attempted to recruit individuals from Australia to carry out killings in both Denmark and Sweden, fueling ongoing…
Sir Grant Shapps, former British defense minister, has launched a scathing attack on former US President Donald Trump over what he described as “disgusting” remarks and a dangerously sympathetic stance toward Russian President Vladimir Putin amid the ongoing war in Ukraine. Appearing on the foreign policy podcast One Decision, Shapps condemned Trump’s recent reaction to a deadly Russian missile strike on the Ukrainian city of Sumy—which killed at least 35 people, including women and children—as morally weak and reminiscent of terrorist justifications. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump had described the strike as “terrible,” adding, “I was told…
The Dutch right-wing coalition government has unveiled controversial funding plans for its newly agreed spring financial statement, drawing widespread criticism after it emerged that €600 million will be slashed from the national healthcare budget and unemployment benefits will be reduced from two years to 18 months. The four ruling parties reached consensus on the spring budget proposal early Wednesday after marathon talks lasting 25 hours. However, key details on how the measures would be financed remained tightly guarded until leaks to national daily AD revealed the cost-saving mechanisms. According to the report, in addition to cuts to social security and…
The family of “Sarah,” a non-verbal, intellectually disabled woman who was allegedly sexually abused as a child at the same foster home at the centre of the Grace scandal, says they have been left “potentially financially vulnerable” after participating in the Farrelly Commission of Investigation. The family claims the commission has agreed to cover “only a fraction” of the legal and related costs they incurred while engaging with the inquiry, which examined decades of alleged abuse and institutional failings. The long-awaited Farrelly Commission report, published Tuesday, concluded there was no evidence that Grace — the central figure in the inquiry…
The Atlantic Music Expo (AME) in Cape Verde’s capital, Praia, has once again proven itself to be more than just a music market it is a vibrant celebration of cultural identity, global collaboration, and artistic innovation. This year’s edition carries even deeper resonance, as it coincides with Cape Verde’s 50th anniversary of independence from Portuguese colonial rule. Held annually, the AME has evolved into a major event for music industry professionals across Africa and the Americas, while drawing large crowds to its eclectic public concerts that honor the islands’ rich and diverse musical traditions. Music as Cape Verde’s Greatest Treasure…
Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino has publicly rejected the idea of allowing U.S. military bases on Panamanian soil, following a proposal made by U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth during a regional security summit in Panama City. Speaking at the Central American Security Conference earlier this week, Hegseth floated the possibility of establishing American military bases along the Panama Canal. While he stressed that any deployment would require Panama’s consent, President Mulino swiftly dismissed the idea, emphasizing the nation’s sovereignty and constitutional limits on foreign military presence. “No foreign military bases will be established in Panama,” Mulino affirmed in a…
The Committee of Permanent Representatives (Coreper) today endorsed the Council’s position on amending the EU gas storage regulation, approving a two-year extension of existing gas storage obligations and introducing greater flexibilities for member states. This agreement forms the Council’s negotiating mandate ahead of interinstitutional talks with the European Parliament. Strengthening Energy Security with Extended Storage Targets In response to ongoing geopolitical instability and volatility in global energy markets, the Council supports the European Commission’s proposal to extend the requirement for EU member states to fill gas storage facilities to at least 90% ahead of each winter season. This extension, set…
