Driving

• Stocks surged following the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz amid a 10-day Israel-Lebanon ceasefire and President Donald Trump's blockade measures, signaling reduced energy supply constraints. • The market reaction reflects investor optimism over improved shipping lanes and normalized energy flows, with financial commentators attributing the gains to Trump's diplomatic efforts. • The reopening of this critical global shipping chokepoint addresses a major source of market volatility tied to Middle East tensions.

Conflict is pushing up price of energy and food, fuelling higher borrowing costs and hitting growth, report saysIran war escalation could trigger global recession, IMF warnsBusiness live – latest updatesThe Iran war risks triggering a rise in global debt levels, forcing governments to choose between cushioning a cost of living shock and maintaining sound public finances, the International Monetary Fund has warned.Against a volatile backdrop of the Middle East conflict, the Washington-based fund said the war could add to the already strained position of government finances throughout the world. Continue reading...

UK motoring group fined £4.2m for not showing full price of lessons at time of bookingThe AA has been fined £4.2m and ordered to make payments to more than 80,000 learner drivers for not showing the full price of lessons at the time of booking, an illegal practice known as “drip pricing”.The UK competition watchdog, which launched an investigation into the practices employed by the AA Driving School and BSM Driving School last year, said that the AA-owned businesses must repay more than £760,000 as a result. Continue reading...

• Tesla shares rose 7.2% Thursday after the company announced successful deployment of advanced autonomous driving features in two additional states, bringing the full self-driving beta program to 15 states nationwide. • Multiple Wall Street analysts upgraded Tesla's stock, raising average price targets by 12-15%, citing accelerated path to profitability and potential for robotaxi revenue streams beginning in late 2026. • The autonomous driving announcement offset broader semiconductor sector weakness, with Tesla demonstrating differentiation from legacy automakers lacking comparable self-driving capabilities.

Singer, 55, said he had broken his sobriety after three ‘devastating’ bereavements and has not drunk alcohol sinceChico Slimani, a memorable X Factor contestant, was found guilty of drink-driving on Thursday, telling the court that his arrest came just hours after he broke his sobriety.The singer, 55, whose real name is Yousseph Slimani, reached the quarter-final of the TV talent show in 2005, later releasing a No 1 single, It’s Chico Time. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Trips on Sydney’s key thoroughfares have fallen by thousands per day, according to government dataGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastRoad traffic is falling on Australia’s east coast as fuel prices bite, with most key Sydney highways recording 20% fewer weekend trips.The number of trips recorded on Sydney’s key thoroughfares has fallen by thousands of trips a day, according to New South Wales government data shared exclusively with Guardian Australia. Continue reading...

Charity says it dealt with 75 incidents last year involving 100 or more animals living in one propertyThe cost of living crisis and an increase in people experiencing mental health difficulties have led to a rising number of multi-animal rescue incidents in England and Wales, an RSPCA superintendent has said.The animal charity this week had to confirm that a shocking photograph of more than 250 poodle-cross dogs found at a property in the UK was not faked with artificial intelligence. The RSPCA took in 87 of the dogs and the remainder went to the Dogs Trust, another charity. Continue reading...

In today’s newsletter: As cases charged hit their highest level on record in England and Wales, a look at what is behind the increase and whether the criminal justice system is keeping paceGood morning. Disturbing new data shows that stalking offences recorded by police in England and Wales have surged over the past decade, with sharp rises in every region. The number of cases charged by the Crown Prosecution Service has also climbed to the highest level on record.But those figures only tell part of the story. Stalking is not a single incident but a pattern of behaviour – one that can leave victims living in constant fear, reshaping every aspect of their lives.NHS | Wes Streeting has accused resident doctors of “torpedoing” their own pay rises and training jobs by walking out on strike again, as tens of thousands of doctors began a six-day stoppage in England.Middle East | Diplomatic negotiations aimed at halting the war in the Middle East appeared to be faltering a day before a deadline imposed by Donald Trump with a threat to destroy Iran’s bridges and attack its power plants.UK News| Children are reporting online sextortion attempts in record numbers in the UK, as campaigners urge tech companies to do more to stamp out the crime.Space | Artemis II astronauts broke Apollo 13’s distance record, hugging each other in the cramped capsule as they made history by being the four humans to travel the farthest from Earth.Weather | Parts of the UK are forecast to experience the warmest temperatures of the year so far in the wake of Storm Dave, which caused widespread damage and disruption over the Easter weekend. Continue reading...

The average traditional funeral now costs £4,623 – up 1.3% since January – says report from Pure Cremation The war in Iran is pushing up the cost of living in the UK but it is also driving up the “cost of dying” as higher gas prices feed through to funerals.A new report says the average cost of a funeral in Britain is running ahead of inflation, with the war seemingly partly to blame as it has pushed up the price of gas used in crematoria. Continue reading...

Kimberly Carroll ‘truly sorry’ after calling in to court hearing via Zoom from behind the wheel of a moving vehicleA woman who dialed into a court hearing in Detroit while in her car this week was berated by the judge, who asked “Do you think I’m that stupid?” when she appeared on video apparently driving the vehicle.Fox2 Detroit reported that defendant Kimberly Carroll called late into a hearing relating to a financial matter, and was asked by the judge, Michael K McNally, to turn on her camera. Continue reading...