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Il presidente degli Stati Uniti sospende brevemente l'operazione 'Project Freedom' per la scorta di navi attraverso lo stretto di Hormuz Business live – ultimi aggiornamenti I prezzi del petrolio sono scesi e i mercati azionari hanno recuperato mentre Donald Trump ha vantato i "grandi progressi" verso un "accordo finale" con l'Iran, mentre ha accelerato lo slancio del trading guidato dall'IA. Il presidente degli Stati Uniti ha dichiarato che sospenderà brevemente la sua operazione "Project Freedom" di scorta alle navi attraverso lo stretto di Hormuz, che trasporta circa un quinto dell'offerta globale di petrolio ed è stato bloccato dall'Iran dalla fine di febbraio, scatenando una crisi energetica. Continua a leggere...

• Il presidente Trump ha annunciato martedì sera la sospensione di 'Project Freedom', l'operazione di scorta alle navi nello Stretto di Hormuz, citando i 'grandi progressi' verso un accordo completo con l'Iran e le richieste di Pakistan e altri paesi. • Trump ha dichiarato che la sospensione durerà 'per un breve periodo di tempo per vedere se l'Accordo potrà essere finalizzato e firmato', pur mantenendo in vigore il blocco navale statunitense dei porti iraniani. • La mossa rappresenta un cambiamento significativo nella postura conflittuale di Trump verso l'Iran dopo mesi di escalation militare, sebbene il Segretario di Stato Marco Rubio abbia continuato a criticare l'Iran per aver di fatto chiuso il passaggio strategico del petrolio.

Islamabad has reportedly switched to lower-profile role but believes peace can make progress without face-to-face meetingsPakistan is passing proposals between Iran and the US to keep talks alive behind the scenes and inch towards a peace agreement, officials and experts say.Pakistani officials say that they are conscious of the fact that at stake is not only regional peace, but the health of the global economy and the livelihoods of millions of the poorest people in the world – including in Pakistan, whose monthly energy import bill has almost tripled as a result of the war. Continue reading...

• US stock indexes rose on April 22, 2026, with the S&P 500 up 0.9% nearing its all-time high, Dow Jones Industrial Average gaining 317 points or 0.7%, and Nasdaq composite jumping 1.3%. • Brent crude oil surged 3.6% to $102.04 per barrel due to uncertainty over the US-Iran war impacting Persian Gulf petroleum flows. • Corporate earnings boosted shares: GE Vernova soared 12.1% after exceeding first-quarter profit expectations, Boston Scientific rallied 8.6%, Boeing climbed 5.7%, and Philip Morris rose 6.9%.

The campaign, fronted by a CGI squirrel, is part of government initiative to boost financial risk taking, amid fears UK growth is being stymiedNils Pratley: the ‘Savvy Squirrel looks a hit too tame’City firms are pinning their hopes on a government-endorsed advertising blitz fronted by a finance “savvy” CGI squirrel to encourage cautious British savers to shift out of cash and start investing.The long-awaited retail investment campaign, which will cost up to £50m, is part of the chancellor Rachel Reeves’ nationwide push to encourage more financial risk taking, amid fears risk-averse consumers are losing out and ultimately stymying UK growth. Continue reading...

Budget outlines funding for autonomous drone warfare program as experts say military unprepared for risksThe Pentagon is aiming to increase funding more than a hundredfold for an autonomous drone warfare program, according to budget documents released this week, signalling a major pivot towards AI-powered war.In its 2027 budget, the Pentagon has asked for over $54bn to fund the Defense Autonomous Warfare Group, a 24,000% increase on last year. Continue reading...

Trump administration to launch online portal on Monday after supreme court struck down tariff policy earlier this yearDonald Trump said US negotiators will be in Pakistan on Monday, and he again threatened to destroy its power plants and bridges if no deal is reached.Trump did not say who would lead the delegation, but a White House official said it was vice-president JD Vance. Continue reading...

Americans having less kids plus an ageing population could be a recipe for disaster that further erodes social stabilityRemember environmentalist Paul Ehrlich’s 1960s-vintage prediction about how overpopulation would deplete the Earth’s resources and condemn millions to starvation? His Malthusian condemnation of humanity’s voracious appetite has kept a grip on the debate over the future of the planet, even scaring the young out of having children.Ehrlich was wrong. Yet as we have come around to the thought that overpopulation won’t kill us all, we are being walloped by another demographic emergency: we are not having too many kids, we are having too few. This problem is real. Continue reading...

US president’s desperation for war to end has seen him trying to speed through a process he does not fully controlMiddle East crisis – live updatesA set of mismanaged and premature media announcements by Donald Trump and Tehran has led to the collapse of any progress towards a peace settlement between Iran and the US.The recent missteps ended with Iran saying it would reinstate a complete block on the movement of commercial shipping through the strait of Hormuz and that it would not allow any of its stockpile of highly enriched uranium to be exported out of the country. Continue reading...

Typhoon expected to make landfall Tuesday in Northern Mariana Islands and bring heavy winds, rain and floodingA dangerous super typhoon in the Pacific Ocean is barreling toward a group of remote US islands.Super Typhoon Sinlaku is expected to make landfall Tuesday in the Northern Mariana Islands and bring destructive winds, widespread heavy rain and flooding, the National Weather Service said Monday. Continue reading...

• Comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) is brightening in the night sky and could become visible to the naked eye after April 13, with observations in early April showing it at magnitude 6, approaching naked-eye visibility thresholds. • Light-curve data from the Comet Observation database indicates the comet could brighten to approximately magnitude 4 in coming weeks as it approaches perihelion on April 20, when it will pass within 47.4 million miles from the sun. • The comet will make its closest approach to Earth on April 27 at approximately 44 million miles distant, with close approaches to the sun typically increasing comet activity and brightness as ice sublimates into glowing gas.

• The International Monetary Fund's Executive Board concluded its 2026 Article IV Consultation on April 2, stating there is "little room to cut interest rates in 2026" despite moderating inflation expectations. • The IMF projects U.S. GDP growth will reach 2.4% in 2026, up from 2.0% in 2025, while the federal funds rate is forecast to decline only from 3.6% to 3.4% — representing barely a single rate cut for the entire year. • Inflation is on track to hit the 2% target by early 2027, but the IMF warns that growth will peak this year and slowly decay toward 1.8%, while U.S. debt continues climbing annually.

Six teenage girls have been arrested after shops were stormed by young people earlier this week as part of social media trend Sadiq Khan has warned against any repeat of “utterly unacceptable” scenes of disorder in Clapham earlier this week, saying culprits who assault and intimidate shop workers will face the full force of the law.The mayor of London said more arrests will be made in the coming days, and urged anyone considering more violence over the Easter weekend to think again. Continue reading...

Nasa mission enters its second day, with crew hoping to become first people to get close to the moon in over 50 yearsFour astronauts are preparing to leave Earth’s orbit and slingshot towards the moon as Nasa’s Artemis II mission enters its second day.The high-stakes 10-day voyage will mark the first time in half a century that humans leave space close to Earth and return to the vicinity of the moon. It is a crucial test of Nasa’s ambition to land humans back on the lunar surface this decade, and stay there permanently. Continue reading...

Jewish families ‘narrowly escaped being struck by the car’ after girl swerved towards them in Ripponlea, police sayFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA 13-year-old Melbourne girl has been charged with 52 offences including allegedly shouting antisemitic remarks, throwing eggs and swerving a stolen car towards members of the Jewish community.Victorian police said in a statement on Tuesday that the girl and two other girls were alleged to have been seen driving the stolen black Hyundai sedan in the south-eastern suburbs of Hampton, Ripponlea and Caulfield over multiple days last week. Continue reading...

Both weapons, fired after Starmer authorised US to carry out further attacks from British bases, failed to hit Chagos Island targetMiddle East crisis live – latest updatesIran has reportedly fired missiles towards a joint US-UK base on the island of Diego Garcia after warning that British lives were “in danger” after Keir Starmer backed the US to carry out further strikes from British bases.Tehran fired two intermediate-range ballistic missiles at the Chagos Islands but neither hit, the Iranian news agency Mehr reported. Continue reading...

Affected communities in Queensland and the NT can apply for an Australian government disaster recovery payment from 2pm SaturdayGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThousands of people are bracing for Severe Cyclone Narelle as it barrels towards the Northern Territory, with winds of up to 195km/h expected from the dangerous storm as it moves west from far north Queensland.Narelle was downgraded from a category four to a two as it moved through the Gulf of Carpentaria after making landfall across Cape York on Friday, forecasted to hit eastern Top End late Saturday. Continue reading...

California, Nevada and Arizona face record highs, with heat alerts and park trail closures as temperatures spikeStates across the US south-west recorded blistering temperatures at the tail end of winter, with forecasts indicating hotter days are still to come.California, Nevada and Arizona were all under heat warnings on Thursday amid record-breaking temperatures. Continue reading...

Roberts did not name Donald Trump, but US president has decried ‘corrupt judges’ who ruled against himSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxThe chief justice of the United States, John Roberts, said on Tuesday that hostility directed in personal terms at judges is “dangerous, and it’s got to stop”.The comment came just days after Donald Trump’s latest social media broadside against judges who have ruled against him and his administration. Continue reading...

• Mobile World Congress 2026 showcased a fundamental shift in smartphone design and capabilities, with 10 major announcements signaling the end of conventional "dumb" smartphones and the emergence of AI-integrated mobile devices. • Tech analyst Rob Enderle identified key announcements from the conference demonstrating how artificial intelligence is becoming a core differentiator in next-generation smartphones rather than a secondary feature. • This transition reflects broader industry momentum toward on-device AI processing and intelligent assistants, reshaping consumer expectations for mobile technology capabilities.