6 h. ago War in Middle East 'to push oil price to $100': Experts sound alarm as Israel and Iran trade blows

Brent crude - the global benchmark for oil - reached a five-month high above $78 a barrel as Israel and Iran exchanged missile attacks.

Events

10 h. ago Rhetoric heats up and modern missiles evade defences as the conditions are set for yet more violence in the Middle East

Israel’s rhetoric has gone up into the use of the N (azi) word as the battlespace is being shaped for more bloodletting, World affairs editor Sam Kiley reports from Tel Aviv

Events

14 h. ago Mapped: Where Iran and Israel’s missiles have struck as Tehran hits major hospital

Tensions escalate after Israel launches largest bombardment on Iran in decades early on Friday

Events

15 h. ago Juventus star breaks ranks and speaks out on awkward Donald Trump visit

Juventus players were invited to the Oval Office for a meeting with Donald Trump on Wednesday, with the US president proceeding to discuss the Civil War and the escalating crisis in the Middle East

Politics

16 h. ago Tucker Carlson and Ted Cruz’s fiery interview saw the pair clash over antisemitism, Iran and the Bible

The former Fox News anchor and Texas Senator exchange bitter barbs as tensions over prospect of U.S. entering new war in Middle East spill over

Politics

17 h. ago Tucker Carlson and Ted Cruz’s fiery interview saw the pair come to blows over antisemitism, Iran and the Bible

The former Fox News anchor and Texas Senator exchange bitter barbs as tensions over prospect of U.S. entering new war in Middle East spill over

Politics

18 h. ago UK interest rates expected to remain on hold; rate cuts in Norway, Switzerland and the Philippines – business live

Central bankers warn that trade war worries, and conflict in the Middle East, could hurt growthNewsflash: We have a third interest rate cut this morning!Norway’s central bank has surprised analysts by cutting its policy rate by a quarter of one percentage point, to 4.25%. The rate had been set at 4.5% since December 2023.“Inflation has declined since the monetary policy meeting in March, and the inflation outlook for the coming year indicates lower inflation than previously expected.A cautious normalisation of the policy rate will pave the way for inflation to return to target without restricting the economy more than necessary.”“The uncertainty surrounding the economic outlook is now greater than normal. If the economy takes a different path than currently envisaged, the policy rate path may be adjusted. But our objectives stand firm. We will finish the job and ensure that inflation is brought all the way back to 2 percent.”The Monetary Board also noted indications of a deceleratio...

Politics

19 h. ago Bank of England expected to leave interest rates on hold as Middle East conflict pushes up oil price – business live

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news, as Switzerland and Philippines cut interest ratesNewsflash: We have a third interest rate cut this morning!Norway’s central bank has surprised analysts by cutting its policy rate by a quarter of one percentage point, to 4.25%. The rate had been set at 4.5% since December 2023.“Inflation has declined since the monetary policy meeting in March, and the inflation outlook for the coming year indicates lower inflation than previously expected.A cautious normalisation of the policy rate will pave the way for inflation to return to target without restricting the economy more than necessary.”“The uncertainty surrounding the economic outlook is now greater than normal. If the economy takes a different path than currently envisaged, the policy rate path may be adjusted. But our objectives stand firm. We will finish the job and ensure that inflation is brought all the way back to 2 percent.”The Monetary Board also noted indications of...

Economics

20 h. ago Bank of England expected to leave interest rates as Middle East conflict drives up oil price – business live

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial newsEurope’s main stock markets have dropped at the start of trading.In London, the FTSE 100 index has lost 33 points, or 0.37%, to 8810 points. Mining stocks are among the fallers. Continue reading...

Economics

23 h. ago Europe must stand without the US – but the latest war in the Middle East shows it has no idea how | Nathalie Tocci

If Europe was not so in hock to Washington, it would sanction Israel over Gaza and condemn its unilateral attack on IranThe rupture in the transatlantic relationship has left European leaders struggling to know how to think, let alone act, with any autonomy. Europe most urgently needs a mind of its own on the Middle East.Tragically, EU governments were just beginning to turn the page after a year and a half of complicity with the Israeli government’s war crimes in Gaza. Donald Trump’s obscene plans for a Gaza “riviera” and “humanitarian” initiatives that breach humanitarian principles were creating distance with the US, and European governments were starting to craft their own course.Nathalie Tocci is a Guardian Europe columnist Continue reading...

Events

33 h. ago ‘I may do it, I may not’: Donald Trump taunts Iran over airstrikes as Starmer holds Cobra meeting

Thousands flee Tehran as Ali Khamenei insists Iran won’t surrender to White House pressure

Politics

33 h. ago Fed keeps rates unchanged after Trump knocks chairman Jerome Powell – live

The Federal Reserve holds interest rates steady and policymakers signal borrowing costs are still likely to fall this yearRussian deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov warned on Wednesday that direct US military assistance to Israel could radically destabilise the situation in the Middle East, where an air war between Israel and Iran has raged for six days.In separate comments, the head of Russia’s SVR foreign intelligence service, Sergei Naryshkin, was quoted as saying that the situation between Israel and Iran was now critical. Continue reading...

Politics

36 h. ago Justice Sotomayor dissents US supreme court decision that ‘authorizes untold harm to transgender children’ – live

Justice Sonia Sotomayor says decision ‘does irrevocable damage to the Equal Protection Clause’ and ‘invites legislatures to engage in discrimination’US supreme court upholds ban on youth gender-affirming careRussian deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov warned on Wednesday that direct US military assistance to Israel could radically destabilise the situation in the Middle East, where an air war between Israel and Iran has raged for six days.In separate comments, the head of Russia’s SVR foreign intelligence service, Sergei Naryshkin, was quoted as saying that the situation between Israel and Iran was now critical. Continue reading...

Society

37 h. ago Putin wades in: Russia warns Trump against bombing Iran and says Israel is 'millimetres away' from sparking nuclear 'catastrophe' with its airstrikes as Trump considers US military attack

Fears that the United States could wade into yet another war in the Middle East grew yesterday when a security source revealed Trump was considering joining Israel in strikes on Iran

Events

38 h. ago By dragging the US into Iran, Trump risks giving Tehran the final showdown it wants

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards are experts at insurgency and may be relishing the prospect of conflict, says world affairs editor Sam Kiley

Politics

39 h. ago UK transport secretary calls HS2 an ‘appalling mess’ as she confirms delay

Heidi Alexander vows to ‘sort out’ HS2 project; UK inflation dips to 3.4% as transport costs ease while food prices jumpUK inflation eases to 3.4% amid falling fuel and air fare pricesInflation pressures remain sticky in the UK, according to Rob Wood, chief UK economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics.Looking ahead, we continue to expect CPI inflation to average 3.4% for the rest of the year as strong wage growth, minimum wage hikes and tax increases pass through to retail prices. We think headline inflation will struggle to dip below 3% before April 2026. By that point, inflation will have been above target almost continuously for five years, risking further deanchoring of inflation expectations and persistent wage pressure.Granted, US president Trump’s trade war could lead to some diversion of Chinese exports previously bound to the US, which could cut UK inflation. But war in the Middle-East has boosted oil and natural gas prices, adding 10bp to our forecast inflation peak and risks p...

Politics

40 h. ago Iran's supreme leader Khamenei trades war threats with Trump in 'incredibly dangerous moment' for Middle East

Ayatollah warns any US air strikes on Iran would have ‘serious irreparable consequences’ as US President considers military action

Politics

42 h. ago Is it safe to travel to Cyprus – and can I claim a refund if I cancel my holiday?

Governments of the UK, Ireland, Australia, Canada and the US all maintain that visiting the Mediterranean island is safe

Politics

47 h. ago Why Europe should hijack Nato for its own purposes | Paul Taylor

As the Trump administration’s security focus shifts towards countering China, European governments are living on borrowed timeCall it the five-for-five summit. When Nato leaders meet in The Hague next week, European allies will sign up to a phoney transatlantic bargain in which they pretend they will spend 5% of their economic output on defence and Donald Trump pretends in return that he is committed to Article 5 of the Nato treaty, the mutual defence clause that he has repeatedly undermined.The Nato secretary general, Mark Rutte, is deploying all his considerable political wiles and powers of persuasion to contrive a short, “no surprises” summit at which fundamental differences over Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, trade, the Middle East and liberal democratic values are deliberately excluded.Paul Taylor is a senior visiting fellow at the European Policy Centre Continue reading...

Politics

57 h. ago ‘What if the strikes hit us on the highway?’: Thousands flee Tehran amid bombardment

Fearful residents endure fraught journeys out of Iranian capital as Israel issues evacuation order Middle East crisis – live updatesThe Israel-Iran war in maps, videos and satellite imagesAs Farhad* and his friends left Tehran, they had plenty of time to survey the destruction. Smoke billowed from rooftops and flames flickered behind them as they inched their way through miles-long traffic to escape Israel’s bombardment of Iran’s capital city.Despite leaving early on Tuesday morning, it took Farhad six hours to reach his ancestral village, a journey that usually would take no more than two-and-a-half hours. Continue reading...

Events