Pessimism takes root in UK as shoppers struggle to afford essentials

• The Israeli Defense Force conducted widespread strikes targeting Iran's missile and nuclear infrastructure on Thursday, marking escalation in the month-long Operation Roaring Lion with strikes on facilities including the Arak Reactor. • Oil prices surged and US stock markets fell sharply Thursday amid renewed uncertainty about potential conflict resolution, with investors expressing doubt over prospects for ending the Iran war. • The escalation coincides with Houthi forces joining the conflict through attacks on Israel and a critical April 6 deadline for potential wider regional military engagement.

• Regional diplomats from Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Egypt met in Pakistan on Sunday to establish a framework for direct US-Iran negotiations, with foreign ministers expected to reconvene Monday to discuss peace terms. • Iran's parliament speaker Mohammed Bagher Qalibaf warned that Iranian forces are "waiting for the arrival of American troops on the ground to set them on fire," while dismissing the US 15-point action list as negotiating under pressure. • The US has deployed thousands of troops to the Middle East including 2,500 Marines aboard USS Tripoli and elements of the 82nd Airborne Division, signaling preparations for potential ground operations despite diplomatic efforts.

Stock markets in Asia drop sharply, with investors nervous over escalation of Middle East conflictBusiness live – latest newsThe price of oil has risen sharply to $116 a barrel after Donald Trump said he wanted to “take the oil in Iran”, sending Asian stock markets tumbling.Brent crude, the international benchmark for oil, rose by 2% in early trading on Monday, after Trump said that he could seize the Iranian export hub of Kharg Island. Continue reading...

City Property, which manages buildings for council, accused of ‘coercive and unfair’ increases and issuing eviction noticesTenants at one of Glasgow’s leading cultural hubs are battling what they describe as “unsustainable” rent increases, with critics describing the landlord responsible as a “rogue agency” imposing similar rises on vulnerable organisations across the city.With tenants expected to sign new leases or receive notices to quit this week, hundreds of protesters gathered outside the offices of City Property last Friday. The demonstration reflects growing concern about the conduct and accountability of the arm’s-length organisation that manages hundreds of buildings on behalf of Glasgow city council. Continue reading...

Dry ground, iron-rich earth and strong winds combined to create an eerie dust storm that was filmed in DenhamGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe skies of Shark Bay in Western Australia turned an eerie blood red before Tropical Cyclone Narelle made landfall, a phenomenon an expert said was caused by an iron-infused dust storm.Narelle crossed into WA on Friday, hitting the state roughly 900km north of Perth in the food bowl region. Continue reading...

Interest rates as high as 4.45% and a steep cut in next year’s allowance fuel forecast of last-minute rush Savers who want to make the most of this year’s cash Isa allowance are being urged not to leave it to the last minute, as the deadline for applications falls on the Easter weekend.The Isa wrapper allows people to save or invest money and benefit from the returns free of tax. Each tax year, people can pay in up to £20,000, which can then be moved around in subsequent years without the tax benefits being lost. Continue reading...

Four masked men entered the villa of the Magnani Rocca Foundation, near Parma in northern Italy, and made off with the artworks Thieves stole paintings by Renoir, Cézanne and Matisse from a museum in Italy a week ago, police have said.Four masked men entered the villa of the Magnani Rocca Foundation, near Parma in northern Italy, and made off with the artworks on the night of Sunday 22 March, a police spokesperson said, confirming a report on the Rai television network. Continue reading...

Charity believes Middle East crisis may lead to even busier spring and summer in 2026The number of people helped by RNLI lifeguards on the beaches of the UK and the Channel Islands doubled last year and the charity believes the Middle East crisis may lead to an even busier spring and summer in 2026.While RNLI lifeguards went to the aid of about 18,000 people in 2023 and 2024, this leapt to more than 35,000 in 2025, the spike put down to a combination of good weather and an increased interest in seaside pursuits. Continue reading...

Even after electoral disaster, Iran war gives many MPs pause for thought about timing of leadership contestA week after Labour’s election victory in July 2024, officials at Labour HQ held their first crisis meeting about the May 2026 local elections.The party had just secured a 174-seat majority and already strategists were predicting it would be very tough, though none were assuming the prime minister’s own position would be vulnerable. Continue reading...

Apology published in News Corp paper as part of agreed joint statement to resolve legal dispute over ‘undercover’ story, with Cairo also apologising to activist Ofir BirenbaumFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Daily Telegraph has apologised to a popular Middle Eastern restaurant for “causing distress” after it sent a pro-Israel activist to the Sydney eatery as part of its so-called operation “undercover Jew”.The apology was published on page two of the News Corp paper as part of an agreed joint statement to resolve a now settled legal dispute between the restaurant Cairo Takeaway, and the pro-Israel activist Ofir Birenbaum. Continue reading...

Injecting $1.5bn via petrol subsidies into an inflated economy may change things for the Reserve Bank board at its next meetingFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastEconomists will say that what millions of motorists gain in cheaper fuel through the prime minister’s three-month fuel excise cut, they will lose in more expensive mortgages.It may be good politics, but injecting $1.5bn via petrol subsidies into an economy that is already struggling with a resurgent inflationary problem is not going to make the Reserve Bank of Australia’s job any easier. Continue reading...