July

Trump sets Fourth of July deadline as he vents impatience at speed of EU’s implementationDonald Trump has said the EU must ratify its trade deal with the US by 4 July or face “much higher” tariffs, after European officials fell short of agreement on the pact.Trump said he spoke to the EU chief, Ursula von der Leyen, about the issue and, he posted on his Truth Social platform, “agreed to give her until our Country’s 250th Birthday or, unfortunately, their Tariffs would immediately jump to much higher levels”. Continue reading...

• The Nasdaq achieved its 12th consecutive daily gain on Thursday, marking the longest winning streak since July 2009, as easing Middle East tensions and strong corporate earnings sustained broad market momentum. • The S&P 500 closed at a new record of 7,041.28, while the VIX declined to 17.94, reflecting reduced market volatility amid improved geopolitical sentiment. • TSMC's blowout Q1 results—with net profit rising 58.3% year-over-year to a record level and revenue of $35.9 billion—added significant momentum, confirming sustained AI-driven chip demand across the technology sector.

After suspending routes owing to Iran war, airline will operate more direct flights to India and KenyaMiddle East crisis – live updatesBritish Airways will offer a reduced flight schedule to the Middle East when it resumes services in July, and use the aircraft to operate more direct flights to India and Kenya.The airline has currently suspended services to the region because of the Iran war, and plans to resume flights to Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh in mid-May, as well as services to Dubai, Doha and Tel Aviv on 1 July. It is cutting its Dubai flights from three-a-day to one daily flight, and reducing services to Doha, Tel Aviv and Riyadh from two to one a day. Continue reading...

Increased output from wind generation and batteries, and 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 due to 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...