Author: Finance for Sight

SANAA: Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen said Sunday they attacked a US aircraft carrier group in the Red Sea a day after a wave of air strikes the White House said killed senior rebel leaders. “In response to this aggression, the armed forces conducted a military operation… targeting the US aircraft carrier USS Harry Truman and its accompanying warships”, the group said in a statement. The Huthis said they had launched 18 missiles and a drone at the American ships. There was no immediate comment from the United States about the claim. Iran says US has ‘no authority’ to dictate…

JOHANNESBURG: South Africa’s rand gained on Friday due to record high gold prices that were driven by investors seeking safe haven assets amid worries over a global trade war. At 1457 GMT, the rand traded at 18.1850 against the dollar , about 0.7% firmer than its previous close. The South African currency had fallen earlier this week on domestic political tensions sparked by a revised national budget. “The rand is ending the week on a strong note, bolstered by global market sentiment rather than domestic developments, despite uncertainty surrounding the ratification of the proposed budget,” said Zain Vawda, market analyst…

WASHINGTON: US strikes killed multiple Houthi leaders in Yemen, the White House said Sunday, adding Iran was “put on notice” to stop backing the rebel group and its attacks on Red Sea shipping. The airstrikes Saturday “actually targeted multiple Houthi leaders and took them out,” National Security Advisor Michael Waltz told ABC News. “We just hit them with overwhelming force and put Iran on notice that enough is enough,” he said in a separate appearance on Fox News. He also reiterated a US warning that “all options are on the table” to prevent Iran from attaining a nuclear weapon. The…

Toronto’s main stock index rose 1% on Friday ahead of Mark Carney’s appointment as prime minister of Canada, while still set for a weekly loss amid growth concerns from an ongoing trade war. The Toronto Stock Exchange’s S&P/TSX composite index was up 1.01% at 24,446.46, with a majority of sectors clocking gains. Carney, a former central banker and political novice, has projected himself as the best person to take on U.S. President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly discussed annexing Canada and escalating tariff wars, potentially risking a recession for Canadians. TSX’s technology index led the gains, rising 2.3%, boosted by…

CAIRO: At least nine Palestinians including three local journalists were killed on Saturday in an Israeli air strike on Gaza’s northern Beit Lahiya town, the local health ministry said, as Hamas leaders held ceasefire talks with mediators in Cairo. Several were critically injured as the strike hit a car, with casualties inside and outside the vehicle, health officials told Reuters. Witnesses and fellow journalists said the people in the car were on a mission for a charity called Al-Khair Foundation in Beit Lahiya, and they were accompanied by journalists and photographers when the strike hit them. At least three local…

BUCHAREST: Thousands of Romanians took to the streets of Bucharest on Saturday to show their support for the European Union, amid political disputes over a presidential election rerun scheduled for May. Romania is due to repeat its two-round presidential election on May 4 and 18 after the Constitutional Court voided the initial ballot in December following accusations of Russian meddling in favour of Calin Georgescu, who had been leading in the polls. The cancellation of the ballot has placed the EU and NATO state at the centre of a dispute between Europe and U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration over free…

U.S. equities staged a modest recovery on Friday, after a turbulent week marked by a broad selloff as investors assessed the economic fallout of the Trump administration’s chaotic trade policies, putting major indexes on track for weekly losses. The technology sector, which bore the brunt of the selloff, spearheaded sectoral gains with a 2.8% rise. An index tracking banks gained 2.9%, while chip stocks such as Nvidia and Broadcom advanced, aiding the broader chip index’s 3% rise. “These growth companies that have been selling off these highs, the reality is their valuations were high, but they’re good companies and they’re…

GAZA CITY: Gaza’s civil defence agency said nine people including journalists were killed in Israeli strikes on Saturday, attacks which could further endanger the fragile truce in the Palestinian territory. Following the reported strikes, the deadliest since the ceasefire took hold on January 19, Hamas accused Israel of a “blatant violation” of the truce which largely halted more than 15 months of fighting. The first phase of the truce ended on March 1 without agreement on the next steps, but both Israel and Hamas have refrained from returning to all-out war. A senior Hamas official said on Tuesday fresh talks…

The government on Friday officially launched the Pakistan Crypto Council (PCC), with an aim to regulate and integrate blockchain technology and digital assets into its financial landscape, according to a statement from the Finance Division. The development comes a week after the government appointed Bilal bin Saqib as the Chief Advisor to the Finance Minister for the PCC. The PCC is a government-backed initiative aimed at regulating, fostering, and integrating blockchain and cryptocurrency innovations into Pakistan’s financial and economic framework. “The Pakistan Crypto Council has officially been launched, marking a significant step in the country’s efforts to regulate and integrate…

WASHINGTON: At least 19 were killed as U.S. President Donald Trump launched large-scale military strikes against Yemen’s Houthis on Saturday over the group’s attacks against Red Sea shipping, warning “hell will rain down” on them if they do not stop. Trump also warned Iran, the Houthis’ main backer, that it needed to immediately halt support for the group. He said if Iran threatened the United States, “America will hold you fully accountable and, we won’t be nice about it!” The unfolding strikes – which one official said would last days and maybe weeks – represent the biggest U.S. military operation…