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22 minutes ago
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Bank of England expected to raise UK interest rates twice this year to fight inflation shock from Middle East crisis – business live
UK central bank has left rates on hold, and warned that CPI inflation will be higher in the near term as a result of the ‘new shock to the economy’ from Middle East crisisWhy are mortgage rates going up when the Bank of England base rate hasn’t changed?Fed holds interest rates steady as Iran war drives up oil prices and inflation fearsMiddle East crisis live: Trump threatens to ‘blow up’ entire South Pars gasfield if Iran strikes QatarEuropean stock markets have dropped sharply at the start of trading, hit by worries about surging energy prices.In London, the FTSE 100 blue-chip share index has tumbled by 162 points, or 1.6%, to 10,142 points.“Fears of a sustained energy shock have resurfaced after the escalation in the Iran war sent oil and gas prices soaring. The prospect of a longer, more drawn-out conflict is in sharp focus, as both sides ratchet up attacks on energy infrastructure.Brent crude remains highly volatile but has traded as high as $114 a barrel today, threatening to climb back towards recent scorching levels. Gas prices have surged by 25%, reaching a range not seen since early January 2023.The Company is ready to restart production and exports quickly with an improvement in the security environment. Continue reading...
The Guardian
25 minutes ago
Hungary’s Orbán says he won’t back down and allow EU’s €90bn loan to Ukraine – Europe live
Hungarian PM, who is facing an upcoming election, appears in no mood to compromise as EU leaders meet in Brussels this morningGermany’s chancellor Friedrich Merz also called for de-escalation in the Middle East, welcoming what he said were signals by US president Donald Trump that combat action in Iran could come to an end, which could allow Europe to contribute to securing peace in the region.“I am expressly grateful that the US president sent a signal in this regard last night that he is prepared to bring the fighting to an end,” he told reporters ahead of an EU summit in Brussels in comments reported by Reuters. Continue reading...
The Guardian
30 minutes ago
Europe’s biggest airlines say fuel price spike caused by Iran war will drive up fares
Carriers warn they cannot hold off passing on costs for long and some airlines plan to increase flights via AsiaBusiness live – latest updatesEurope’s biggest airlines have said that that the spike in fuel prices caused by the war in the Middle East will drive up fares and are advising passengers to book early.While carriers have partly hedged the price of jet fuel, bosses said they could not avoid passing on additional costs to passengers for long. Continue reading...
The Guardian
31 minutes ago
Badenoch offers new explanation for Tory attack on Muslim event, saying party objecting to gender segregation – UK politics live
Tory leader continues to back Nick Timothy after he said public prayer for Ramadan was an ‘act of domination’Starmer claims Tories have ‘problem with Muslims’ after Timothy tweetCleverly is trying to show a video, but it is not working. So he just invites Kemi Badenoch to start her speech.The Conservatives are launching their local elections campaign. There is a live feed here. Continue reading...
The Guardian
35 minutes ago
BoE delivers message Britons don’t want to hear as inflation – and rates – look set to rise
Decision to hold interest rates is backed by gloomy assessment of economy as Iran war pushes up oil pricesBank of England holds interest rates at 3.75%Business live – latest updatesThe US-Israel attack on Iran has already driven prices higher and not just at the petrol pumps, the Bank of England said on Thursday in a gloomy assessment of the UK’s economic outlook.An inflation rate that was on track to fall from 3% to the Bank’s 2% target in the coming months is now expected to rise to 3.5%. That is one probable impact of the US and Israel’s war on Iran. Continue reading...
The Guardian
39 minutes ago
Democrats move to impeach Pam Bondi after ‘fake’ Jeffrey Epstein briefing – US politics live
Anger grows after a closed-door briefing from attorney general where she refused to commit to testify under oath despite subpoenaDemocrats walk out in protest at Epstein briefing from BondiSign up for the Breaking US News US emailAnswering a reporter’s question on Iran’s missile capabilities, considering the country has managed to strike numerous states in the Gulf, Gen Dan Caine, the chair of the joint chiefs of staff, said Tehran retains “some capability” to attack American assets.“They came into this fight with a lot of weapons.,” he said, adding that the US continues to be “as aggressive and assertive” in striking Iran. Continue reading...
The Guardian
49 minutes ago
‘A weight’s been lifted’: MP Charlotte Nichols on speaking up about her rape trial
After a 1,088-day wait, a jury acquitted the man Nichols accused. She describes her experience of the system as a complainant – and explains why she went publicWarning: this article contains graphic testimonyCharlotte Nichols on her rape trial ordeal – podcastSitting in the House of Commons, waiting for the speaker to call her name last week, the MP Charlotte Nichols was doing breathing exercises to try to keep calm. “I was just trying to get myself into the headspace where I could say what I wanted to say without either completely garbling it or just crying or bottling it at the last minute.”She didn’t bottle it. She stood up, asked MPs to be gentle with her, and then went public with her biggest secret. Continue reading...
The Guardian
1 hour ago
Bank of England holds interest rates at 3.75% and signals rise is possible within months
Decision comes as concerns mount over economic fallout from Iran war bringing inflation shockAnalysis: BoE delivers message Britons don’t want to hearBusiness live – latest updatesThe Bank of England has kept interest rates on hold and signalled it could be forced to increase borrowing costs within the coming months as the US-Israel war on Iran threatens to drive inflation in the UK above 3%.As households brace for a surge in living costs, the Bank’s rate-setting monetary policy committee (MPC) voted unanimously to keep its base rate at the current level of 3.75% amid growing concern over the surge in energy prices triggered by the conflict. Continue reading...
The Guardian
1 hour ago
St Patrick’s Day float referencing Epstein files draws condemnation in Ireland
Charities call display, which mimicked a sexual assault, ‘an act of public grooming’ that normalises sexual violenceRape crisis charities in Ireland have condemned a St Patrick’s Day float that mimicked a sexual assault and featured signs saying “Epstein files”.Rape Crisis Ireland called the display “an act of public grooming” that normalised sexual violence, while politicians labelled it a disgrace. Continue reading...
The Guardian
1 hour ago
PwC partners who fail to embrace AI have no future at firm, US CEO warns
Paul Griggs says senior staff at consulting firm who are not ‘paranoid about being AI-first’ are likely to be replacedBusiness live – latest updatesThe US boss of PricewaterhouseCoopers has warned that partners who do not get to grips with AI have no future at the consulting firm.Paul Griggs said senior staff who were not “paranoid about being AI-first” would probably be replaced by others who were ready to embrace the technology. “I don’t think anyone gets a free pass here. Anyone,” Griggs told the Financial Times. Continue reading...
The Guardian
1 hour ago
Buzz kill: US breweries shutter as fanfare over craft beers appears to fade
Covid-related downturns and reductions in alcohol consumption have taken a toll on a once booming industryIn the early 2000s, Chris Bell, then a student at University of Colorado Boulder, followed a common path among people interested in brewing beer. He started doing so at home, then spent years working at established craft beer makers Long Trail Brewing in Vermont and Avery Brewing in Colorado before opening Call to Arms Brewing Company in 2015 in Denver.In a crowded market, the business was successful. Its More Like Bore-O-Phyll beer won a gold medal in the fresh or wet hop ale category at the 2018 World Beer Cup. A local outlet called it one of the city’s best breweries, and it had a 4.7 rating from more than 400 reviews on Google. Continue reading...
The Guardian
1 hour ago
First Thing: Trump threatens to ‘blow up’ all of Iran’s South Pars gasfield if Tehran strikes Qatar
The move would be a major escalation in the US-Israel war against Iran. Plus, FBI director admits to buying data tracking Americans’ locationsGood morning.Donald Trump threatened to “massively blow up” the world’s largest gasfield after Israeli strikes on Iran’s South Pars field led Tehran to take revenge on energy facilities across the Middle East.What’s happening to oil and gas prices? Brent crude rose by 8% to $116 a barrel. European gas prices jumped, with the Dutch wholesale gas price up 24%.What do we know about the war’s economic cost? The war cost the US $12.7bn by day six – the total is likely to have now exceeded $18bn. Here’s a visualization of how that has been spent.Could US-Israeli attempts to take out Iranian leaders backfire? Some analysts think so. “It is not an approach that produces Jeffersonian democrats but hardened resistance fighters. It breeds more resistance,” said Sanam Vakil, an Iran expert at Chatham House.Follow our live coverage here.Who has spoken out? Labor rights activist and co-founder of the UFW Dolores Huerta, 95, released a statement on Wednesday saying: “I have kept this secret long enough. My silence ends here.” The report also includes the stories of two women, who were daughters of organizers in the movement, who said they were children when the grooming and abuse began. Continue reading...
The Guardian
2 hours ago
Analysis from West Point warns that strait of Hormuz blockade will strangle US defense industry
Report shows how minerals critical to defense readiness have seen a ‘near total’ disruption in seaborne tradeSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxThe closure of the strait of Hormuz is causing a “paralyzing, real-time problem” for any prospective manufacturing surge in the US defense industrial base, and even for the repair of defense equipment damaged by Iranian attacks, according to analysis published by West Point’s Modern War Institute.In particular sulphur, a vital upstream input in the extraction of critical minerals including copper and cobalt, has seen a “near total” disruption of seaborne trade in the straits, which makes up half the world’s total shipments, and prices have spiked nearly 25% since the war began, and seen a 165% rise year on year, the report said. Continue reading...
The Guardian
2 hours ago
Independent autism committee that challenges RFK Jr’s overhaul draws criticism
Kennedy’s appointees promoted ‘treatments’ like bleach enemas, but new committee has only one autistic memberThe first public meeting of US autism advisers – notably, since Robert F Kennedy Jr reshaped the committee – was cancelled recently with few details, coinciding with the creation of a rival organization that has prompted some questions within the autistic community about their focus.Kennedy, the secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) who has long argued for a debunked link between vaccines and autism, chose entirely new members for the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) in late January, with fewer autistic people and several anti-vaccine advocates. Continue reading...
The Guardian
2 hours ago
Tropical Cyclone Narelle to make landfall in far north Qld on Friday as category 5 storm, bringing 315km/h wind gusts
Massive storm tracking a path to Queensland coast, which intensified offshore Thursday morning to category 5, fuelled by warm waters in Coral SeaCyclone Narelle path tracker mapGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastSevere Tropical Cyclone Narelle is expected to make landfall in far north Queensland on Friday morning as a monster category 5 storm, bringing destructive wind gusts of 315km/h, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.The severe cyclone rapidly intensified over the past 48 hours and on Thursday morning had built to a category 5 storm that was barrelling west, sitting about 355km east of the small town of Coen. Coen has a population of approximately 330. Continue reading...
The Guardian
2 hours ago
Woman has sentence quashed by Tanzania court after over a decade on death row
Lemi Limbu, who has severe intellectual disabilities, remains in prison and will now face retrial for the murder of her daughterA woman with severe intellectual disabilities in Tanzania has had her conviction and death sentence quashed after spending more than a decade in prison awaiting execution.Lemi Limbu, now in her early 30s, was convicted of the murder of her daughter in 2015. On 4 March, a court in Shinyanga, northern Tanzania, declared she can appeal. She will face a retrial, but a date has yet to be set. Continue reading...
The Guardian
3 hours ago
‘Eerily silent’: Cape York residents batten down the hatches ahead of Tropical Cyclone Narelle’s arrival
Residents of Coen and surrounding towns in far north Queensland spent Thursday sandbagging, stockpiling food and preparing for power outages ahead of possible category 5 stormCyclone Narelle path tracker mapGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastIn some ways, it seemed a pleasant, wet season morning in the remote Aboriginal community of Coen in tropical far north Queensland on Thursday – and Sara Watkins was preparing for a sausage sizzle.“It’s a day that you’d spend going fishing,” she said. Continue reading...
The Guardian
6 hours ago
Leo Varadkar: LGBTQ+ rights in Europe face ‘chill wind’ from east and west
Ireland’s former taoiseach warns of conservative Russian influence and says US is now ‘off the pitch’ under TrumpLGBTQ+ rights in Europe are caught in a “chill wind” from east and west as Vladimir Putin’s Russia exports its conservative agenda and the “Americans are off the pitch” under Donald Trump, Ireland’s former taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said.Varadkar, who in 2017 became Ireland’s first out gay prime minister, said Europe needed to “step up” to avoid the continent becoming further squeezed by global forces seeking to chip away at recent progress. Continue reading...
The Guardian
6 hours ago
Malinauskas steps up One Nation attack ahead of SA election – as it happened
This blog is now closedTropical Cyclone Narelle tracker map: where and when will it hit the Queensland coast?Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAgriculture minister says government monitoring any price gouging of fertiliserJulie Collins, the federal minister for agriculture, said the government is monitoring any price gouging for fertiliser amid the turmoil in the Middle East.I think our government has been very clear that this should not be seen as a commercial opportunity for anybody. This is about what is in the national interest. This is a conflict that is impacting globally, and what we need Australians to do is to act in the national interest, and that includes everybody along that supply chain. Continue reading...
The Guardian
6 hours ago
Power prices expected to fall by up to 10% from July, bringing ‘welcome relief’ to Australia’s east coast
Increased wind and solar generation, along with falling electricity contract prices, are expected to deliver lower energy billsFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastPower prices on Australia’s east coast are predicted to fall from July because of increased output from wind generation and batteries, and falling electricity contract prices, with potential savings up to $1,320 for some small businesses.In a draft decision on Thursday, the Australia Energy Regulator (AER) proposed a price reduction for customers on standing electricity plans – known as the “default market offer” – of between 1.3% to 10.1% for residential customers, and between 8.5% and 21.2% for small businesses, depending on the region. Continue reading...
The Guardian
7 hours ago
‘Waiting for days’: India feels impact of gas supply chain disruption amid Iran conflict
People struggle to cook and businesses bear brunt as closure of strait of Hormuz slows imports of liquefied petroleum gasFor four days, Maya Rani, 36, has been arriving each morning at a gas distributor’s office in Delhi, her six-month-old daughter in her lap, waiting for hours. And each day she returns home empty-handed, told that a cooking gas cylinder may not be available for at least another week. Around her, the queue keeps growing, people clutching forms and documents, hoping to secure a cylinder.The flame in her kitchen began to fade last week and her husband, as he always does, took their 5kg cylinder to a local refiller. This time, there was nothing. The only option left was to apply for a government-subsidised supply, a process that has meant repeated visits, long waits and no certainty. Continue reading...
The Guardian
7 hours ago
Jihadist violence in Nigeria and DRC rose sharply last year even as global deaths from terror fell
Nigeria had largest increase in terrorism-related deaths, ranking fourth in global index behind Pakistan, Burkina Faso and NigerJihadist violence rose sharply in Nigeria and Democratic Republic of Congo last year, even as global deaths from terrorism dropped to their lowest level in a decade, according to a new report.Nigeria recorded the largest increase in terrorism deaths globally in 2025, with fatalities rising by 46% from 513 in 2024 to 750, placing it fourth in the Global Terrorism Index, behind Pakistan, Burkina Faso and Niger. Continue reading...
The Guardian
8 hours ago
Hungary’s Orbán to face pressure over Ukraine loan veto at EU summit
Hungarian PM shows no sign of backing down while Volodymyr Zelenskyy urges EU to resolve disputeHungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orbán, will face pressure from other EU leaders to stop blocking a vital €90bn loan for Ukraine over a political dispute about an oil pipeline.Ahead of an EU summit on Thursday, Orbán, who faces elections next month, showed no sign of backing down in his veto of the loan. He said he would not allow it until the damaged Soviet-era Druzhba pipeline supplying Hungary with Russian oil via Ukraine was repaired. Continue reading...
The Guardian
8 hours ago
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