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• The Democratic Republic of Congo reported on Tuesday that confirmed Ebola cases have risen to nearly 600, prompting increased public awareness of safety measures. • Medical staff, humanitarian workers, and public health officials report a critical shortage of basic equipment necessary to prevent the disease from spreading. • The International Rescue Committee has issued an urgent call for funding to contain the outbreak, which is currently centered in Ituri province.

• European markets, including the Stoxx 600 and FTSE 100, are reacting to geopolitical tensions and potential trade disruptions. • The U.S. Trade Representative has proposed tariffs of up to 12.5% on 60 trading partners, including the EU, China, and Japan, over alleged failures to ban forced labor goods. • In corporate news, Zara parent company Inditex saw its stock rise over 5% following a fiscal first-quarter earnings update on Wednesday.

• The BSE Sensex plummeted by 1,092 points and the Nifty 50 dropped below 23,600, despite an initial positive start to the trading day. • Market volatility occurred as reports emerged that Washington and Tehran reached a tentative understanding to prolong a ceasefire and ease maritime restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz. • Global sentiment was influenced by Brent crude prices slipping to approximately $93 a barrel and a 1.6% advance in Asian equities driven by AI-stock enthusiasm.

Travellers warned to beware of debit card cons after one was charged £1,500 for a kebab and another £3,000 for corn on the cobWhen Lisa Selby* used her debit card to pay for two slices of barbecued cheese from a beach vendor in Rio de Janeiro, she expected to pay 40 reais (£5.90) for the snack.But shortly after the payment had gone through, she realised that she had been charged 4,000 reais (£590) after the vendor added two extra zeros to the card reader. Continue reading...

• European stock markets, including the Stoxx 600, FTSE, DAX, and CAC, pushed higher on Friday as investors reacted to global geopolitical and economic trends. • Market participants are closely monitoring the escalating tensions between the U.S. and Iran alongside a series of new economic reports. • In Germany, the GfK Consumer Confidence report for June showed a slight improvement, with the indicator rising from -33.1 to -29.8 due to better income expectations.

Laura Clery says she was able to call 911 and have the fridge lifted off her by firefighters after she was pinned under it US comedian Laura Clery has described how she almost died when her 600lb fridge fell on her while she was at home with her two young children and found herself pinned under the massive appliance and struggling to breathe.In an Instagram post on Thursday, Clery said the experience was the “most terrifying night of my life as a single mom”. Continue reading...

• AI infrastructure and semiconductor stocks have driven over two-thirds of the STOXX Europe 600's gains since April, according to TS Lombard strategist Davide Oneglia. • Reported by Seeking Alpha on May 20, 2026, the data highlights a heavy market concentration in chipmakers and AI compute suppliers. • This trend is significant as these specific tech sectors are offsetting a broader macroeconomic slowdown across Europe.