real-time news
from real people

(AWP Alliance News) - Dubai airport's passenger traffic plunged by two-thirds in March following Iran's attacks on the United Arab Emirates during the Middle East war, the emirate's media office said in a statement on Monday. Traveller numbers at Dubai International, usually the world's busiest for international passenger traffic, sank to 2.5 million, down 66% year on year, Dubai Media Office said. The airport endured 'a period of regional disruption that significantly constrained airspace capacity and flight schedules', it said. 'With airspace within the UAE now fully restored, Dubai Airports is moving decisively to scale up operations, increasing flight movements in line with available regional routing capacity.' Dubai International was targeted several times by drones as the oil-rich UAE bore the brunt of Iran's retaliation for US-Israeli strikes. Quarterly traffic was down 21% to 18.6 million in the first quarter of 2026. Dubai International handled a record 95.2 million passengers last year, and had been expecting to receive 99.5 million this year. 'The extraordinary events of the past few weeks are unprecedented for any major airport hub,' Dubai Airports Chief Executive Officer Paul Griffiths was quoted as saying in the statement. source: AFP Copyright 2026 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

(AWP Alliance News) - Manufacturing activity growth in the eurozone accelerated in April as customers front-loaded purchases due to anticipated imminent price rises and possible supply disruptions, data published by S&P Global showed Monday. The S&P Global eurozone manufacturing purchasing managers' index climbed to a 47-month high of 52.2 points in April from 51.6 points in March, and in line with the flash reading published in late April. Climbing further above the neutral 50-point mark separating growth from contraction, it indicates manufacturing activity growth in the eurozone sped up in April. The manufacturing output index rose to an eight-month high of 52.3 points in April from 52.0 points in March, beating the flash reading of 52.2 points. Notably, input price inflation rose considerably higher in April and was close to a four-year peak, while output prices climbed at their sharpest pace since January 2023. As customers front-loaded purchases, all eight eurozone countries covered by the survey registered manufacturing PMI readings above the neutral 50-point mark, for the first time sine June 2022. Ireland had the sharpest growth, followed by the Netherlands. Meanwhile, eurozone manufacturers continued to favour a lower workforce capacity amid a further cut in headcounts. It extended the current sequence of job shedding to almost three years, as employment was reduced despite backlogs of work increasing. Business optimism fell further from February's four-year high. Growth expectations dove to their lowest since November 2024. Chris Williamson, chief business economist at S&P Global Market Intelligence, cautioned: 'Although the PMI has risen to its highest for nearly four years, the survey is more a cause for alarm than celebration. Production and orders books are being buoyed by the building of safety stocks as a result of widespread concerns over supply shortages and rising prices emanating from the war in the Middle East. 'Look instead to the survey's future output expectations index for a truer picture of the economic situation that is developing in the eurozone. Manufacturers' optimism about the year ahead has sunk to its gloomiest for nearly one-and-a-half years, the war having shattered the growing confidence that had been building earlier in the year.' He added: 'Producers are concerned not only that the war will dampen demand, building on existing headwinds such as US tariffs and the Ukraine war, but also that war-related supply shortages will curb production in the months ahead. 'The danger is that policymakers may be lulled into complacency about economic growth in the face of these stronger headline PMI numbers, but there is a clear signal from the survey that this growth is not going to persist. On the other hand, the survey data also suggest that coming inflation shock may be greater than many have been anticipating, creating a major dilemma for rate setters.' The PMI draws upon a panel of around 3,000 manufacturers in the eurozone. Responses were collected between April 9 and 23. Final services and composite indices will be released Wednesday. By Tom Budszus, Alliance News slot editor Comments and questions to newsroom@alliancenews.com Copyright 2026 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

(AWP Alliance News) - The US has launched an effort to 'guide' stranded ships from the Iran-gripped Strait of Hormuz, as it tries to counter economic disruptions which have outlasted the peak of fighting with no peace deal in sight. A day after US President Donald Trump announced what he called Project Freedom, the Joint Maritime Information Centre said the US had set up an 'enhanced security area' south of typical shipping routes and urged mariners to co-ordinate closely with Omani authorities 'due to anticipated high traffic volume'. The strait lies between Iranian and Omani territory. The centre warned that passing close to the usual routes, known as the traffic separation scheme, 'should be considered extremely hazardous due the presence of mines that have not been fully surveyed and mitigated'. The US-led maritime taskforce's announcement marked the start of the effort to revive traffic and restore confidence among commercial vessels passing through the strait. It risks unravelling the fragile ceasefire that has held even without progress on the issues that sparked the war. It was unclear whether any vessels had accepted the US offer and Iran's military officials told state broadcaster IRIB on Monday that ships must co-ordinate with them. 'We warn that any foreign military force - especially the aggressive US military - that intends to approach or enter the Strait of Hormuz will be targeted,' Major General Pilot Ali Abdollahi said. The moves came as 'unknown projectiles' struck a ship in the Strait of Hormuz, according to the British military, in a second attack in hours. The UK Maritime Trade Operations [UKMTO] centre issued the alert, saying a tanker had been targeted off Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, at around 2340 on Sunday. All crew were reported safe and no environmental impact was reported, the centre said. Earlier on Sunday, a cargo ship travelling north near Sirik, Iran, said it had been attacked by multiple small craft, according to the UKMTO. No injuries were reported. They were the first reported attacks in the area since April 22. The disruption of the waterway through which roughly a fifth of the world's oil typically passes has become one of the most enduring consequences of the war that the US and Israel launched on February 28. It has squeezed countries in Europe and Asia that depend on Persian Gulf supplies and added new volatility to energy prices for households and businesses worldwide. Announcing the ship shepherding effort in a social media post on Sunday, Trump promised 'neutral and innocent' countries 'that we will guide their Ships safely out of these restricted Waterways, so that they can freely and ably get on with their business'. US Central Command said the initiative would involve guided-missile destroyers, more than 100 aircraft and 15,000 service members. Ships and seafarers, many on oil and gas tankers and cargo ships, have been stuck in the Persian Gulf since the war began. Crew members have described seeing intercepted drones and missiles explode over the waters as their vessels run low on drinking water, food and other supplies. 'They are victims of circumstance,' Trump wrote, describing the effort as a humanitarian gesture 'on behalf of the US, Middle Eastern Countries but, in particular, the Country of Iran'. He also sounded a warning: 'If, in any way, this Humanitarian process is interfered with, that interference will, unfortunately, have to be dealt with forcefully.' Iran's state-run IRNA news agency called Trump's announcement part of his 'delirium'. Ebrahim Azizi, head of the national security commission of Iran's parliament, said any interference in the strait would be seen as a ceasefire violation. Trump spoke hours after Tehran said it was reviewing the US response to its latest proposal to end the war and made clear these are not nuclear negotiations. The fragile three-week ceasefire appears to be holding. By Adam Schreck and Sam Metz, Associated Press Press Association: News source: PA Copyright 2026 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.