News about World markets
Malta will become the first country where the authorities will distribute OpenAI’s ChatGPT Plus subscription free of charge to residents. All citizens of the country will have access to the service for a year, but after completing an AI course.
Travel is increasingly shifting from geography to emotion. The main question travelers are asking themselves in 2026 is not the destination, but the meaning of the trip. This is according to a new global report on travel trends by Hilton, based on a survey of more than 14,000 travelers from the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia and other countries.
Spanish national police, with the support of Italian law enforcers and Europol, detained in Naples 12 people suspected of a series of audacious robberies of tourists in Spain. The criminals targeted expensive watches.
Abu Dhabi’s sovereign wealth fund Mubadala Energy has backed the construction of a new $13 billion liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminal in the US.
Starbucks is betting on India while continuing its austerity drive. The coffee giant will open its first technology office in the country. The company wants to bring some of its IT development under its own control and refuse the services of external contractors.
Europe could face shortages of a number of medicines amid escalating conflict over Iran and logistical disruptions across the Strait of Hormuz.
The probability of Moldova gaining full membership in the EU by 2030 is 2-4%, and by 2040 – 35-45%. And that is subject to a number of conditions that depend little on Moldova itself.
The visuals of this week’s summit between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping were carefully crafted to showcase the equality between the U.S. and China.
The Kremlin announced on Saturday that Russian President Vladimir Putin will travel to Beijing on May 19-20 to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping to discuss deepening bilateral cooperation and addressing key international issues. The leaders are expected to sign a joint statement and a number of agreements during the visit.
Reuters reports that Amazon.com Inc is facing a class action lawsuit from consumers seeking refunds for overcharges on the company’s goods. The inflated prices resulted from the imposition of duties that the U.S. Supreme Court later recognized were illegally imposed by President Donald Trump.
Crypto traders lost more than $210 million in one hour, from 16:00 to 17:00 Moscow time, on May 15 against the background of the bitcoin (BTC) exchange rate dropping below $78.7 thousand. In percentage terms, the drop amounted to more than 2%, and from the previous high – more than 4%. The price of Ethereum (ETH) sagged by the same values respectively, at the moment falling to $2.2 thousand.
US President Donald Trump would not want to go to war against the People’s Republic of China should Taiwan declare independence.
Kazakhstan has officially announced its readiness to join the Zangezur corridor project. This move could dramatically change the entire logistical map of Eurasia and create a new strategic route from China and Central Asia to Turkey and Europe, bypassing traditional routes.
Retail turnover in Ukraine in the first quarter of 2026 increased by 11.2% compared to the same period of 2025. In March, the growth accelerated to 12.8 percent in annual terms, the State Statistics Service of Ukraine said.
When the United States hosted the World Cup in 1994, its global partners included Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Mastercard, Pontiac, and the Japanese brands Canon, Fujifilm and JVC. Three decades later, FIFA’s sponsorship structure has changed radically: companies from China and the Middle East are increasingly present at the world’s biggest soccer tournament – and this is already raising political questions in the United States.
Global wine consumption in 2025 has fallen to its lowest level since 1957.
Russia, the world’s largest wheat exporter, may not have enough wheat to harvest this year. This is due to abnormally cold weather and heavy rains, which led to the worst start to the spring sowing season in Russia in many years.
This question has been worrying investors since the events of February. After several years of rapid growth, Dubai’s real estate market has begun to slow down. Homeowners are increasingly going for discounts, and sales are sagging, especially in the segment of properties under construction.
China has become the largest supplier of cars to Moldova, taking 18% of the import market in 2025. This was reported by IDIS Viitorul expert Veaceslav Ionita.
The conflict in the Middle East, now in its 11th week, has led to the closure of a crucial shipping channel and a spike in energy prices.
