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  • ‘Why was this young life taken away?’: Protests after Dublin city death

    ‘Why was this young life taken away?’: Protests after Dublin city death

    A wave of raw grief and public outcry has swept through central Dublin after the tragic death of a young man, Yves Sakila, prompted hundreds of local residents and community activists to gather in protest and honor his memory. The incident, which unfolded in the heart of the Irish capital, has left communities reeling, with attendees gathering to question how such senseless loss of the young life has sparked demands for greater action on street safety and more transparent investigations into the circumstances surrounding his passing.

    Protesters carried placards bearing messages demanding justice, the question: “Why was this young life taken away?” became the central rallying cry of the demonstration, which brought together people from multiple local communities to stand in solidarity with Sakila’s family, who have yet to receive full clarity on social media to express their condolences, with many calling for urgent answers as Dublin’s law enforcement agencies have launched a full probe into what led to the fatal incident.

    The gathering was largely peaceful, with participants holding a moment of silence to honor Sakila’s life rather than just to protest. Community leaders speaking at the event highlighted growing concerns over urban safety in the city, which has seen a string of high-profile violent incidents in recent months, and called on national and local authorities to implement new measures to prevent more young lives from being lost to violence.

    Local law enforcement confirmed they are continuing to interview witnesses and collect evidence to establish the full sequence of events that led to Sakila’s death. As the investigation continues, the community remains united in their calls for justice and their demand for make Dublin’s streets safer for all residents.

  • Man jailed for fatal Boxing Day hit-and-run

    Man jailed for fatal Boxing Day hit-and-run

    A tragic hit-and-run collision near Blanchardstown Shopping Centre in west Dublin, Republic of Ireland, has claimed the lives of a married couple, leading to a five-year prison sentence for the 46-year-old driver responsible. John Halpin, a resident of Whitestown Avenue in Blanchardstown, entered guilty pleas to three counts: dangerous driving resulting in the deaths of Anthony Hogg, 39, and Georgina Hogg Moore, 38, failing to stop after the crash, and fleeing the accident scene despite knowing he had caused serious injury to multiple people.

    Halpin’s partner, 35-year-old Nicole Fallon, who shares the same address, also pleaded guilty to the charge of impeding Halpin’s arrest by law enforcement. In handing down her sentence, Judge Martin Nolan issued a three-year suspended sentence, ruling that the court must take into account the severe impact that imprisoning Fallon would have on the four children she shares with Halpin, according to reporting from Irish national broadcaster RTÉ.

    The couple’s 17-year-old daughter, Becky Joy Hogg, who was walking alongside her parents at the time of the December 26, 2024 crash, delivered a harrowing victim impact statement to the court. She recalled that her parents had been heading out for a rare evening date, while she was planning to meet friends in the same general direction. The trio decided to walk together, with Becky walking ahead of her parents, who she described as looking visibly happy and content in that moment.

    Becky told the court she heard her mother’s scream before she fully processed what was happening, when the vehicle struck the crossing. She turned to see her father lying on the concrete, bleeding severely from his injuries. Initially, she thought the screaming she heard next came from her mother, but quickly realized both of her parents had been struck by the car. Georgina was dragged underneath the vehicle and was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, while Anthony later passed away from his injuries while receiving treatment at hospital. Becky herself suffered non-fatal injuries to her hip and ankle in the collision.

    Detective Alan Murphy told the court that the three family members were crossing the road at a marked pedestrian crossing when the light for pedestrians was green, confirming they had the right of way. Witnesses who saw the crash recalled hearing the screech of car tyres, and observed the vehicle speeding away from the scene immediately, with no skid marks left on the road to indicate Halpin had attempted to emergency brake before impact.

    Forensic specialists who investigated the crash determined that Halpin had been driving at approximately 85 kilometers per hour (around 52 miles per hour) in an area with a posted speed limit of 60 kilometers per hour (37 miles per hour), meaning he was traveling well above the legal speed limit when the collision occurred.

    When Irish police (known locally as gardaí) first attended the address where Halpin’s car was registered, they were met by Fallon, who told officers she had no idea where Halpin was and claimed he had not returned home all day. Investigators later learned that Halpin had in fact fled back to the house immediately after the crash, and Fallon quickly moved his car to a different nearby housing estate, along with hiding Halpin’s jacket and two mobile phones to obstruct the investigation.

    Halpin eventually turned himself in to gardaí later that same night. During questioning, he told investigators he could not explain his actions or why he chose to leave the scene. The court heard that at the time of the crash, Halpin and Fallon’s eight-month-old infant was being treated in hospital, and the couple had been taking turns staying with the baby at the medical facility. Halpin told gardaí he was returning from the hospital that evening, and claimed he was exhausted from the stressful situation, and had not seen the green pedestrian crossing light. He told officers he might have been adjusting the radio or air conditioning controls when the crash happened.

    Tests confirmed Halpin was not intoxicated at the time of the crash, and no evidence was found to indicate he was using his mobile phone while driving. The court was also told that Halpin has a total of 33 previous criminal convictions, including charges for drug possession and multiple prior road traffic offenses, including previous convictions for drink driving and driving without valid insurance.

    In his sentencing remarks, Judge Nolan noted that all drivers recognize that accidental mistakes can happen behind the wheel, but courts are required to weigh aggravating factors when determining appropriate sentences for fatal collisions. The judge confirmed that Halpin did not intend to kill the couple, but emphasized that he should have seen the crossing pedestrians. The road was straight, the area was fully lit by streetlights, and the Hoggs had a clear green pedestrian signal to cross.

    Judge Nolan identified Halpin’s excessive speed and his decision to flee the scene, when he must have known he had hit people, as key aggravating factors in the case. For Fallon, the judge confirmed that her actions of lying to gardaí and moving Halpin’s vehicle to hide evidence clearly impeded the official investigation into the fatal crash.

  • Air France and Airbus found guilty of manslaughter over 2009 plane crash

    Air France and Airbus found guilty of manslaughter over 2009 plane crash

    Fifteen years after one of the deadliest aviation disasters in French history, a French appellate court has handed down a landmark guilty verdict against two major industry players: Air France and aerospace giant Airbus. On Thursday, the Paris Appeals Court reversed a 2023 lower court ruling that had cleared both companies of wrongdoing, finding them liable for corporate manslaughter in the June 1, 2009 crash of flight AF447.

    The ill-fated flight, traveling from Rio de Janeiro to Paris, crashed into the Atlantic Ocean roughly 700 miles off the coast of South America, after its speed sensors failed during a storm, triggering an aerodynamic stall that sent the Airbus A330 plummeting 38,000 feet into the water. All 216 passengers and 12 crew members on board lost their lives, with victims hailing primarily from France, Brazil, and Germany.

    The crash sparked one of the most complex and extensive search operations in aviation history. For nearly two years, the plane’s wreckage lay undisturbed on the deep ocean floor, spread across a 10,000-square-mile search area. It was only in 2011, after months of targeted deep-sea exploration, that investigators recovered the flight’s black box, which revealed the critical sequence of sensor failures and crew errors that led to the disaster.

    Recovery efforts for victims’ remains were equally grueling. In the first three weeks of operations, just 51 bodies were pulled from the water, leaving many families waiting years to lay their loved ones to rest. Nelson Marinho, a father of one victim, told BBC News Brasil in 2019 that he did not get to bury his 40-year-old engineer son, Nelson Marinho Filho – the last passenger to board the flight that day – until more than two years after the crash.

    When the first trial concluded in April 2023, the lower court had ruled there was insufficient evidence to prove the two companies bore legal responsibility for the disaster. Prosecutors and families of victims appealed that ruling, leading to the new verdict this week.

    The court sentenced each company to pay the maximum possible fine under French law: €225,000 (approximately $261,700) apiece. But the fine has drawn sharp criticism from many victim families, who have dismissed the penalty as little more than a symbolic token. Even so, the guilty verdict marks a significant reputational blow to both companies, which have spent 15 years denying all liability in the crash.

    During closing arguments in November, deputy prosecutors called the companies’ conduct “unacceptable,” accusing them of advancing baseless, unsubstantiated arguments to evade responsibility. Legal analysts in France now widely expect both firms to appeal the new ruling to France’s highest court. The BBC has reached out to both Air France and Airbus for public comment following the verdict, but has not yet received a response.

  • Germany charges alleged Iranian agent for scouting out Jewish figures with a view to attacks

    Germany charges alleged Iranian agent for scouting out Jewish figures with a view to attacks

    BERLIN – German federal prosecutors announced Thursday that two men have been formally charged with espionage and attempted murder conspiracy, alleging the pair were directed by an Iranian intelligence agency to collect intelligence on prominent German Jewish and pro-Israel figures ahead of planned deadly attacks.

    In accordance with German privacy regulations, the first defendant, a Danish national arrested last June in Danish territory, is only publicly identified as Ali S. His alleged accomplice, an Afghan national named Tawab M., was taken into custody in Denmark this past November. Prosecutors confirmed that the indictment was officially filed with the Hamburg State Court on May 7 this year.

    Court documents and official statements outline the full scope of the alleged plot: Ali S. stands accused of operating as a covert agent for the Intelligence Organization of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), maintaining direct and regular contact with the IRGC’s elite Quds Force – the branch of the Iranian military responsible for extraterritorial operations. By early 2025, the defendant received explicit orders to surveil and gather detailed operational information on four high-priority targets.

    The named targets include Josef Schuster, president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany – the country’s largest umbrella organization representing Jewish communities – and Volker Beck, a former veteran German lawmaker and current head of the German-Israeli Society. The plot also targeted two unnamed Jewish grocery store owners based in Berlin. German prosecutors emphasized in their official statement that all surveillance activities were explicitly carried out to prepare for upcoming assassination attacks and arson operations on German soil.

    Investigators add that Ali S. conducted pre-attack reconnaissance of multiple locations across Berlin throughout 2024, and actively worked to recruit additional co-conspirators to carry out the violent plot. By May 2025, he had established contact with Tawab M., who allegedly agreed to source a firearm for an unnamed third party and coordinate that individual’s attempt to assassinate Beck.

    Following Ali S.’s arrest last year, German officials immediately summoned Iran’s ambassador to Berlin to the German Foreign Ministry to address the allegations. At that time, the Iranian Embassy in Berlin issued a formal rejection of the claims, dismissing them as “unfounded and dangerous allegations” of a planned attack against Jewish targets in Germany.

  • Russia holds nuclear drills on land, sea and air, joined by its ally Belarus

    Russia holds nuclear drills on land, sea and air, joined by its ally Belarus

    In the final stretch of a high-stakes joint military exercise focused on nuclear capabilities, heavy military convoys transporting intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) rolled through forested training grounds Thursday, as nuclear-powered submarines departed their Arctic and Pacific basins and combat aircrews scrambled to their alert positions across Russia and its western ally Belarus.

    The three-day drill, which launched Tuesday, unfolds against a sharply escalated backdrop of long-range Ukrainian drone attacks deep into Russian territory. Recent strikes targeting Moscow’s outer suburbs have left three civilians dead and damaged multiple residential and industrial structures, eroding the Kremlin’s long-held narrative that the ongoing conflict in Ukraine — now stretching into its third year — remains a distant threat that does not disrupt ordinary Russian life.

    During a visit to a Belarusian military unit participating in the exercise, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko personally inspected Russian-made Iskander short-range ballistic missiles, which are modified to carry nuclear warheads. “I dreamed about this machine a long time ago,” Lukashenko told reporters during the inspection.

    Russian defense officials released detailed figures on the scale of the exercise: more than 64,000 military personnel, over 200 missile launch systems, more than 140 fixed-wing and rotary aircraft, 73 surface combat vessels, and 13 submarines, eight of which are outfitted with nuclear-armed ICBMs. According to the ministry, the core training objective of the drills is to practice “preparation and use of nuclear forces under the threat of aggression,” while also strengthening combined operational coordination between Russian and Belarusian military units. Belarus has served as a key Russian ally since the 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and currently hosts Russian nuclear weapons on its territory, including the advanced, nuclear-capable intermediate-range Oreshnik missile system.

    This exercise marks the latest iteration of the Russian government’s public demonstration of its nuclear deterrent capabilities, a strategy that Russian President Vladimir Putin has leaned on repeatedly since ordering the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The core goal of this posture is to dissuade Western nations from expanding military support to Kyiv, particularly by restricting Ukraine’s access to longer-range strike weapons that can hit targets deep inside Russia.

    Earlier this year, Putin signed off on a revised Russian nuclear doctrine that introduced a key new provision: any conventional attack on Russia backed by a nuclear-armed power will be treated as a combined attack on the Russian state. Analysts widely view this revision as a deliberate lowering of the threshold for potential Russian nuclear use, explicitly designed to deter Western nations from approving Ukrainian long-range strikes against Russian territory. The updated doctrine also extends the Russian nuclear umbrella to cover Belarus, with Putin confirming that while Moscow will maintain ultimate control over nuclear weapons deployed in the ally’s territory, Belarus would be allowed to participate in target selection in the event of armed conflict.

  • UK offers cheaper chocolate and tickets to the zoo in bid to ease cost of living squeeze

    UK offers cheaper chocolate and tickets to the zoo in bid to ease cost of living squeeze

    LONDON – Facing simmering internal party unrest and growing public frustration over soaring household expenses, the British government has rolled out a series of modest cost-cutting measures designed to ease cost-of-living strains and rebuild voter support, according to a recent announcement from top Treasury official Rachel Reeves. The targeted relief comes as inflation faces new upward pressure spurred by the Iran war, which has disrupted key global energy supply chains. Reeves outlined the package Thursday, noting that the policy package is crafted to shield families and businesses from unexpected price shocks while setting the foundation for long-term economic stability.

  • Gonorrhoea and syphilis hit record levels in Europe

    Gonorrhoea and syphilis hit record levels in Europe

    Newly released surveillance data from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has revealed an alarming public health crisis across the continent: rates of two major bacterial sexually transmitted infections (STIs), gonorrhoea and syphilis, have reached their highest levels in more than a decade in 2024. The official figures paint a stark picture of accelerating transmission, with confirmed gonorrhoea cases climbing to 106,331 — a staggering 303% jump from 2015 levels. Over the same nine-year period, syphilis diagnoses more than doubled to hit 45,557 in 2024.

    ECDC officials have identified growing gaps in routine STI testing and prevention services as a key contributing factor to this explosive surge, and are calling for immediate coordinated action from public health bodies across the region to reverse the trend. Bruno Ciancio, head of ECDC’s Directly Transmitted and Vaccine-Preventable Diseases unit, emphasized the serious long-term health risks associated with undiagnosed STIs. “These infections can cause severe complications, such as chronic pain and infertility, and in the case of syphilis, permanent damage to the heart or nervous system,” Ciancio explained. He added that even more concerning, cases of congenital syphilis — which occurs when an infected mother passes the infection to her newborn during childbirth, often leading to lifelong health complications — have nearly doubled between 2023 and 2024.

    Despite the rising caseload, Ciancio noted that basic protective measures remain effective at reducing transmission risk: “Protecting your sexual health remains straightforward. Use condoms with new or multiple partners, and get tested if you have symptoms.”

    Among the 31 European countries participating in the ECDC surveillance program, Spain reported the highest absolute number of confirmed cases for both infections in 2024, recording 37,169 gonorrhoea cases and 11,556 syphilis cases. The data also highlights stark disparities in infection rates across population groups: men who have sex with men remain the most disproportionately affected demographic, accounting for the sharpest long-term increases in both gonorrhoea and syphilis transmission. Public health experts also flagged a notable surge in syphilis cases among heterosexual women of reproductive age, a trend that directly ties to the rise in congenital syphilis diagnoses.

    While gonorrhoea and syphilis continue to spread at unprecedented rates, the data offers one small point of relief: chlamydia, the most commonly reported bacterial STI across Europe, has seen a 6% drop in confirmed cases since 2015, falling to 213,443 total diagnoses in 2024.

    The United Kingdom withdrew from the ECDC surveillance program following Brexit, but the UK government publishes independent annual data for England. Figures released by the UK Health Security Agency in December 2024 show the same upward STI trend playing out across the country: England recorded 71,802 gonorrhoea cases and 9,535 syphilis cases in 2024, alongside 168,889 chlamydia diagnoses. In response to a record 85,000 gonorrhoea cases reported in 2023, the UK rolled out a national gonorrhoea vaccination program in 2025 to curb transmission.

    Public health officials stress that many STIs can progress without obvious symptoms, making routine testing critical for early intervention. For gonorrhoea, common symptomatic presentations include pelvic or urinary pain, abnormal genital discharge, and genital inflammation, though a large share of infections are asymptomatic. The UK’s National Health Service (NHS) notes that infection can be prevented through consistent, correct condom use and vaccination for eligible groups. Syphilis symptoms, which often go unnoticed in early stages, include painless sores on the genitals or mouth, a non-itchy rash on the palms of the hands or soles of the feet, patchy hair loss, and flu-like systemic symptoms; symptoms often fade temporarily even as the infection remains active in the body. Like gonorrhoea, syphilis is preventable through condom use and fully treatable with common antibiotic regimens when caught early. Without prompt treatment, however, both infections can cause irreversible chronic health damage.

  • Germany urges the EU to offer Ukraine ‘associate membership’ and boost talks with Russia

    Germany urges the EU to offer Ukraine ‘associate membership’ and boost talks with Russia

    BRUSSELS – In a new proposal shared with top European Union leadership, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has called on the 27-nation bloc to explore granting associate membership status to Ukraine, a move he argues will unlock progress toward a negotiated end to the more than four-year-long war with Russia, documents obtained by the Associated Press confirm. Merz’s proposal lands at a pivotal moment for the EU, as leaders weigh whether to launch an independent European negotiating channel with Russian President Vladimir Putin after U.S.-mediated peace efforts stalled, with Washington’s strategic focus shifted to escalating conflict in Iran.

    Under the terms laid out by Merz, Ukraine would gain full access to participate in EU-level meetings and secure non-voting observer seats in both the European Commission, the bloc’s powerful executive arm, and the European Parliament. The German chancellor stressed that this framework is not a watered-down alternative to full membership, emphasizing it would go far beyond the existing Association Agreement that currently structures relations between Kyiv and Brussels. To guard against democratic erosion, Merz also proposed a snap-back mechanism that would reverse associate status if Ukraine fails to uphold required democratic governance standards. Crucially, Merz reaffirmed his support for the longstanding EU commitment to launch full official membership negotiations with Ukraine without delay, a position already restated by European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen last month.

    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has already signaled cautious optimism about the progress of accession talks, telling the public in a recent address that the development is “very important for us” and noting that Kyiv has completed all required reforms to move the process forward. The accession process requires candidate states to align their national legislation with EU standards across 35 distinct policy chapters, covering everything from judicial independence and rule of law to agricultural and fisheries regulation. Every chapter requires unanimous approval from all 27 EU member states to open, and again to close after alignment is complete. For months, Hungary served as the primary blocker to opening negotiations, but the recent swearing-in of a new Budapest administration has sparked widespread speculation that Budapest’s long-held opposition may soften.

    Despite the momentum for expanding EU-Ukraine ties, Merz’s proposal faces resistance from many Brussels-based officials, who argue that full EU membership must remain a strictly merit-based process that only concludes once all reform benchmarks are fully met. Merz has also proposed extending the associate membership framework to other candidate states in the Western Balkans, a region that will be the focus of a major EU leaders’ summit scheduled for next month.

    On the conflict itself, Merz argued that closer EU integration through associate membership will create the necessary political foundation to advance a negotiated peace agreement, writing that “this is essential not only for Ukraine’s but for the entire continent’s security.” For Ukraine, integration into Western institutional structures is viewed as a core long-term security guarantee. While full NATO membership remains Kyiv’s ultimate goal, the current U.S. administration has repeatedly ruled out NATO accession for Ukraine in the near term, and many other Western capitals remain wary of extending membership while active conflict continues.

    With U.S.-led mediation efforts stalled, EU capitals have increasingly debated the need for a parallel European-led negotiating track, and begun floating potential candidates to serve as EU mediators in the event Putin agrees to direct talks. Earlier this month, Costa confirmed the bloc’s growing interest in an independent European role, saying “we need, in the right moment, to have talks with Russia to address our common issues on security,” adding that this channel would not interfere with ongoing U.S.-led efforts but is necessary to advance Europe’s own core security priorities.

    European media has been rife with speculation over potential mediators, with names including former German Chancellor Angela Merkel – a fluent Russian speaker with long-standing personal ties to Putin – and former European Central Bank President Mario Draghi emerging as leading contenders. Putin himself has suggested he would be open to talks with former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, but the proposal has been widely rejected even in Berlin. Schröder’s close personal and business ties to Russian state energy firms, and his longstanding friendly relationship with Putin, have destroyed his domestic political credibility since Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine. EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas recently noted that allowing Putin to handpick the European negotiator “would not be very wise,” particularly given Schröder’s role as a “high-level lobbyist for Russian state-owned companies.”

    For his part, Zelenskyy has welcomed European involvement in the peace process, saying over the weekend that “Europe must be involved in the negotiations. It is important for Europe to have a strong voice and presence in this process, and it is worth determining who will represent Europe specifically.”

    Reporting for this article was contributed by Moulson in Berlin and Susie Blann in Kyiv.

  • EasyJet boss says summer flights won’t be hit by jet fuel shortages

    EasyJet boss says summer flights won’t be hit by jet fuel shortages

    As peak summer travel season approaches, the chief executive of British low-cost carrier EasyJet has moved to reassure passengers that the airline will not face disruptions from jet fuel shortages, even as geopolitical tensions in the Middle East linked to the Iran conflict roil global energy markets and shift traveler booking habits.

    Kenton Jarvis, EasyJet’s CEO, told the BBC that travelers have no reason to panic over fuel availability, and can book summer flights with full confidence. The ongoing conflict has disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint that traditionally carries a large share of jet fuel supplies bound for European markets, pushing fuel prices to nearly double their pre-conflict levels at their peak. This market volatility has come alongside shifting policy plans in the UK, where proposed restrictions on Russian-derived diesel and jet fuel imports were recently softened amid widespread industry concerns over supply crunches and further price hikes.

    Against this tense backdrop, Jarvis stressed that EasyJet has not encountered any fuel supply issues at any of its operating bases across the UK, Europe, or other global locations. The airline maintains constant close coordination with fuel suppliers, airport operators, and national governments, he said, and none of these stakeholders have flagged upcoming supply risks. “I would absolutely say don’t panic about it, at EasyJet we fully intend to fly the summer schedule that we have on sale,” Jarvis stated, adding that the carrier has no plans to introduce sudden fuel surcharges on existing or new ticket bookings.

    To offset supply disruptions from the Gulf region, Jarvis noted that jet fuel production has ramped up in Norway, West Africa, and the Americas, while jet fuel refining capacity outside the Middle East has expanded substantially. These market adjustments have kept supply flowing to European airports, he argued.

    The most visible shift EasyJet has recorded is a move toward shorter booking windows, with strong demand concentrated on flights departing within the same month, while bookings for trips further in advance have slowed. “As you look further out people are more cautious, people are waiting and watching, but they are booking… and I expect that strong late booking market to run through the summer,” Jarvis said. This trend of delayed bookings is not unique to EasyJet: rival travel operator Jet2 reported last month that bookings have shifted increasingly close to departure since the Iran conflict began, while Tui Group recorded a 10% drop in early summer holiday booking revenue from UK customers. The Advantage Travel Partnership, a UK travel agent consortium, confirmed that while consumer appetite for travel remains solid, many travelers are holding off on long-term bookings to monitor how the geopolitical situation develops.

    Jarvis’s comments came as EasyJet released its half-year financial results covering the six months ending in March, reporting a pre-tax loss of £552 million – a standard result for European airlines, which typically post winter losses ahead of peak summer profits that cover off-season costs. The carrier reiterated that its full-year second-half financial performance will face headwinds from elevated fuel prices and uncertain consumer demand.

    Earlier this year, EasyJet announced it would cut available summer seat capacity by just 0.3%, and confirmed that the Iran conflict added an extra £25 million to its fuel bill in March alone. Price data illustrates the scale of market volatility: before the first US and Israeli airstrikes in late February, European jet fuel traded at $831 per tonne. By early April, that price spiked to $1,838 per tonne before pulling back to around $1,300 in recent weeks.

    To mitigate exposure to these price swings, EasyJet has hedged 72% of its jet fuel needs for the six months through September at pre-conflict price levels, with that hedging ratio falling to 53% for the 2026-2027 winter period. Industry analysts note that EasyJet is more exposed to fuel price fluctuations than many of its European competitors. “The recent spike in fuel prices looks set to take a big toll on profitability,” said Aarin Chiekrie, equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown. “Even if the Middle East conflict is resolved in the near term, fuel prices are likely to remain elevated for some time.” Rival airline Ryanair offered a similar assessment to EasyJet earlier this week, stating that Europe remains relatively well supplied with jet fuel despite geopolitical disruptions.

  • Energy shock from Iran war to weigh on Europe’s growth, boost inflation

    Energy shock from Iran war to weigh on Europe’s growth, boost inflation

    FRANKFURT, GERMANY – The European Commission has downwardly revised its regional economic growth outlook and lifted inflation projections, citing severe upward pressure on energy prices driven by escalating conflict in the Middle East. In a bleak but cautiously measured assessment released Thursday, the bloc’s executive body confirmed the European economy will avoid a full contraction despite mounting headwinds from the global energy market shock.

    As a major net importer of energy, the EU economy is uniquely exposed to volatility triggered by Middle East tensions, commission officials explained in an official statement. Skyrocketing fuel costs have translated directly to higher monthly utility bills for households across the bloc, while input costs for businesses have surged, squeezing profit margins across a wide range of industries.

    The commission’s 2026 spring economic forecast cuts expected annual growth for the 20-nation eurozone to 0.9% this year, down from the 1.2% growth projection it released in its 2025 autumn update. For 2027, growth expectations have also been trimmed to 1.2%, from the previous estimate of 1.4%. On the inflation front, the forecast now puts average annual eurozone inflation at 3.0% for 2026, a full 1.1 percentage points higher than the commission’s earlier 1.9% projection.

    This revised inflation figure sits well above the 2% annual inflation target maintained by the European Central Bank (ECB). The unexpected jump in projected inflation has fueled widespread market expectations that the ECB will move to raise its key benchmark interest rates later this year in a bid to cool persistent price pressures.

    Energy market volatility was ignited after heightened risk of attacks from Iranian drones and speedboats forced the suspension of most commercial ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, the critical maritime chokepoint that carries roughly one-fifth of the world’s total annual oil and natural gas supplies. The disruption immediately sent global crude prices climbing sharply. Beyond energy markets, the outbreak of conflict has also eroded consumer confidence across the EU, which has fallen to its lowest point in 40 months as households grow increasingly concerned about potential job losses and ongoing price hikes.

    Despite the sweeping downward revisions, the commission stressed that the bloc’s economy will still register modest positive growth this year and next, dodging the outright recession that many analysts have warned could follow a major energy shock. Even so, the forecast outlines a clear downside risk: if energy prices remain elevated for an extended period, growth would drop even lower than current projections while inflation would climb further beyond target levels, extending pressure on both households and policymakers.