Author: Olivia Carter

Introduction: Oil falls back as geopolitical fears easeGood morning, and welcome to our rolling coverage of business, the financial markets and the world economy.The geopolitical fears that have gripped the markets for almost two weeks are fading, after President Trump declared that Israel and Iran have negotiated a ceasefire.The oil price has slumped back to its levels before the Israel-Iran conflict began, easing fears of a stagflationary slump hurting the world economy.Brent crude tumbled on Monday, as hopes rose for a lasting pause in the Middle East clashes. It’s dropped by another 3.1% this morning to $69.25 per barrel.A chart…

Peter SaullPolitical editor, BBC East MidlandsBBCLabour’s Natalie Fleet said she used to tell her friends: “I can’t be an MP – I was a teenage parent””You’ve ruined your life, not only for you, but for your unborn daughter.”Natalie Fleet fell pregnant at 15 and says she was made to feel like it was entirely her fault, despite being a victim of statutory rape.The Labour MP for Bolsover in Derbyshire is now campaigning to change the law to stop rapists having parental rights – and says she has the the prime minister’s backing.Fleet grew up on a council estate in Sutton-in-Ashfield…

Oil prices tumbled by nearly 5% on Tuesday after Israel agreed to a ceasefire with Iran after nearly two weeks of conflict.Brent crude, the international benchmark for oil prices, fell to $68 a barrel, which is below the level it was at when Israel launched missiles against Iran’s nuclear sites on 13 June.Prices had spiked in recent days as concerns grew that Iran could disrupt global supplies by blockading the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route for oil and gas. Stock markets in Asia rose as US President Donald Trump declared the ceasefire “is now in effect”, after which…

A Tesla robotaxi drives on the street along South Congress Avenue in Austin, Texas, on June 22, 2025Joel Angel Juarez | ReutersTesla was contacted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Monday after videos posted on social media showed the company’s robotaxis driving in a chaotic manner on public roads in Austin, Texas.Elon Musk’s electric vehicle maker debuted autonomous trips in Austin on Sunday, opening the service to a limited number of riders by invitation only.In the videos shared widely online, one Tesla robotaxi was spotted traveling the wrong way down a road, and another was shown braking hard in the middle…

Lee Bolton PhotographySome of the films are shown at Crystal Palace’s Everyman CinemaThe founder of a south London film festival says it “will never happen again” if the local councils insist on rating the films themselves.Crystal Palace International Film Festival (CPIFF) launched in 2009 and attracts filmmakers to venues including the West Norwood Picturehouse.Neill Roy, who set up the festival he says attendees call the “world’s coolest”, says Lambeth and Bromley Councils want to charge more than £6,500 to rate all 132 films – a cost he claims no film festival has the budget for.Bromley said “there is no change…

After years of no sexual intimacy with my wife, I am now craving the comfort of somatic connection. Not actual sex, but simply cuddling and being held close while nude. But my wife has refused. I have suggested we try “progressive desensitisation” therapy, which would involve lying down together, with one item of clothing removed, but with no physical contact. We would build from there in the knowledge that this would not lead to sexual contact. My wife, when I suggested it, was not at all interested in this, and in fact, she was actively opposed.She told me the problem…

Portuguese giants Benfica have become the latest football side to receive US investment with Lenore Sports Partners (LSP) today finalizing its purchase of a 5.24% stake in the Lisbon club.Jean-Marc Chapus, co-founder of private equity firm Crescent Capital, is the lead among the quartet of investors who have bought the stake in what is the first instance of American investment in a Portuguese side. In a statement Blackbridge Sports LLC, who connected LSP with Benfica’s holding company in 2022, said that the new minority owners “will play a pivotal role in further strengthening Benfica’s international presence, particularly in the strategically…

How best to bond with a teenage boy? When my son, Hugo, finished his A-levels, I knew I wanted to “take a journey” with him, to have some sort of final trip before he left home. Ideally a journey that would leave both of us with a few happy memories.The Guardian’s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more.Easier said than done: a midlife woman and a teenage boy are completely different beasts. I wanted to walk. He wanted to be driven. I wanted to get up early. He wanted to…

Assam and West Bengal, India – Ufa Ali could barely stand. On May 31, the 67-year-old bicycle mechanic returned to his home in India’s northeastern state of Assam after spending four harrowing days stranded in Bangladesh, the neighbouring country he claims he had only heard of “as a slur” since birth. Ali’s weeklong ordeal began on May 23 when he was picked up by the police from his rented house in Kuyadal, a small village in Assam’s Morigaon district, during a government crackdown on “declared foreign nationals” – a category of people unique to Assam. The state is a tea-producing…

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.The UK’s competition regulator is proposing to loosen Google’s control of its search engine in the first application of Britain’s tough new digital market rules. The Competition and Markets Authority said on Tuesday that Google could be required to implement new “fair ranking” measures in its search results and give publishers more control over how it uses their content, including in output generated by artificial intelligence. The CMA said it was minded to hand Google “strategic market status” — a label introduced under new…