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Icy temperatures plunged swathes of Europe into a second day of travel chaos Tuesday, with weather-related accidents causing six deaths from the continent’s bitterest cold snap this winter so far.Five of those deaths since the mercury dropped on Monday were in France alone, while a woman died in Bosnia as heavy snow and rain sparked floods and power outages across the Balkans.Paris’s two main airports, Roissy-Charles de Gaulle and Orly, were to cancel many flights early Wednesday to allow ground crews to clear snow from runways and de-ice planes.Forty percent of flights at Charles de Gaulle were to be scrapped, and 25% at Orly.In Britain, temperatures plunged to -12.5C overnight Monday-Tuesday in Norfolk, eastern England, while temperatures below -10C across the Netherlands brought trains to a standstill on Tuesday morning.“Last night was the coldest night of the winter so far,” Britain’s Met Office said, with nearly all of the United Kingdom on alert for snow and ice and more snowfall expected.With the chill making roads perilous, three people died in accidents linked to black ice in southwestern France on Monday morning, authorities said, while a taxi driver died in hospital on Monday night after veering into the Marne river in the Paris region.His passenger was still being treated for hypothermia, according to a police source. Another driver also lost his life east of Paris on Monday after a collision with a heavy goods vehicle.Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport, the Netherlands’ main flight hub, meanwhile saw a second day of weather-driven cancellations Tuesday, with at least 600 flights grounded and travellers facing huge queues at the airline counters.Dutch airline KLM, which is responsible for removing ice from most aircraft at Schiphol, warned that it had nearly run out of de-icing fluid, blaming the “extreme” weather conditions and supply delays.Trains from the Dutch national railway operator NS only began rolling again after 10:00am (0900 GMT), with services limited afterwards.But planes got off the ground again from Liverpool in northwest England and Aberdeen in northeast Scotland, after the cold had forced both airports to close on Monday.After nearly 40 centimetres (16 inches) fell in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo at the weekend, a woman died in hospital after being hit by a tree that collapsed under the weight of the snow on Monday, according to the police.Dozens of villages across neighbouring Serbia were left without power in the wake of the snowfall, while downpours caused several rivers to overflow in Bosnia and forced the evacuation of dozens of homes in Albania.More than 300 schools were shut in Scotland Tuesday, the national BBC broadcaster reported, with Scottish train services also severely disrupted.“Tuesday will bring more severe snow and ice to the north of Scotland - and with it, continued travel disruption and risks to people and communities,” Scottish transport minister Fiona Hyslop warned late on Monday.“It’s important that people plan ahead, consider their travel plans and work from home if that’s an option.”Several smaller French airports were closed on Tuesday, according to the transport ministry.In the French capital, Monday’s snowfall had settled overnight across much of Paris’s pavements, with pedestrians forced to navigate treacherously icy streets.Tour guide Valeria Pitchouguina said the sight of Paris snowed under was “truly extraordinary”, but the ice was complicating efforts to shepherd her groups up the steep steps to the picture-postcard district of Montmartre.“When it’s like that and snowy and icy, it’s something else, it’s less like climbing Montmartre and more like climbing Mont Blanc,” Pitchouguina told AFPTV. 

The Qatar Stock Exchange (QSE) general index dropped 15.67 points, or 0.14%, to 11,206 points at the start of trading on Tuesday, compared with the previous session's close. Leading the decline was the transportation sector, which fell by 0.36%, followed by Banks and Financial Services (-0.25%), Insurance (-0.11%), and Industrials (-0.09%). In contrast, gains were recorded in Consumer Goods and Services (+0.03%), Real Estate (+0.05%), and Telecoms (+0.01%). By 10:00 am, QSE reported a turnover of QR 89.811 million from 42.432 million shares traded across 3,559 transactions.

The Qatar Stock Exchange (QSE) general index dropped 43.36 points, or 0.39%, to 11,033 points at the start of trading on Thursday, compared with the previous session's close. Losses were recorded across four sectors: The Telecoms and the Banks and Financial Services sectors both declined by (-0.64%), Consumer Goods and Services (-0.24%), and Industrials (-0.14%). In contrast, gains were recorded in Insurance (+0.23%), Transportation (+0.21%), and Real Estate (+0.05%). As of 10:00 am, QSE recorded 2,480 transactions worth QR 31.144 million, distributed to 10.895 million shares.

Meituan’s shares dropped the most since April after warning of losses this quarter from a price-based battle with Alibaba Group Holding Ltd and JD.com Inc, wiping out a combined $27bn in market value from the three Internet commerce leaders.China’s food delivery leader issued its dire prediction after reporting “irrational competition” eradicated most of its profit in the June quarter. That spooked investors already nervous about deepening losses in the online arena, prompting a series of downgrades on Meituan. Shares in Alibaba and JD both slid about 5%, while Meituan was down 13% at one point. The Hang Seng Tech Index led losses in Asia on Thursday, slumping as much as 2.3%.The plunge in profitability illustrates how Meituan is facing its greatest challenge in years from twin rivals that — till recently — had largely ceded the domestic meal sector. That changed in 2025 when JD.com, pursuing growth during a consumption downturn, and Alibaba’s Ele.me began offering generous subsidies to cash-strapped diners.The Beijing-based company now expects “significant losses” for its core local commerce business including food delivery in the current quarter, Chief Financial Officer Chen Shaohui told analysts on a post-earnings call on Wednesday.“We expect there will be continued fierce competition in the near term,” Chen said. “That will bring negative impact on our financial results.”The three-way battle in the food arena eroded profitability across the sector and forced Meituan to defend its core business on multiple fronts. This month, JD.com reported a halving in net income for the quarter. Alibaba has posted muted growth and is set to report earnings on Friday.In past months, the trio has invested billions of dollars in incentives and in hiring delivery riders. This strategy backfired with investors, who sold off shares in Meituan and JD.com, erasing roughly $100bn of their combined market value at one point.Following a warning from industry regulators, the three corporations in August pledged to cease their “disorderly competition” and avoid a self-destructive price war.Faced with margin pressure at home, Meituan is looking overseas. Its own aggressive pricing strategy forced Deliveroo Plc to retreat from Hong Kong after a decade of operating in the city.