Meeting

Shareholder agm briefly adjourned after protesters wearing T-shirts labelled ‘No more big oil’ burst into songThe chair of NatWest was forced to defend the bank against accusations of “climate backtracking” at a chaotic annual shareholder meeting, which was temporarily suspended owing to singing protesters.Not long after the meeting began in Edinburgh, it was adjourned for about half an hour after a protester interrupted Rick Haythornthwaite’s opening speech. Continue reading...

• U.S. stock futures fell late Sunday with Dow Jones Industrial Average futures down 130 points or 0.3%, S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq-100 futures also declining after record highs on Friday. • West Texas Intermediate crude futures rose 2% above $96 per barrel following collapsed U.S.-Iran talks announced Saturday. • The Federal Reserve's interest-rate committee meets Tuesday-Wednesday, with Chair Jerome Powell's likely final press conference anticipated amid market highs.

Sources say cabinet ministers warned PM against alienating civil service after firing of official over Mandelson scandalUK politics live – latest updatesCabinet ministers have expressed concern about Keir’s Starmer’s decision to sack Olly Robbins as the Foreign Office’s top official over the Peter Mandelson vetting scandal as they warned him not to alienate the civil service, sources have told the Guardian.Several ministers spoke out about the decision to sack Robbins during a gloomy cabinet meeting on Tuesday, according to multiple government sources. Continue reading...

• President Trump announced hopes for a Friday meeting with Russian leaders to pave the way for a second sit-down including Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy. • He tempered expectations, noting complex diplomacy amid ongoing conflict stalemate. • The potential talks signal U.S. push for resolution, potentially altering European security dynamics.

Former US president and New York mayor read to a group of children and led a sing-along at a Bronx childcare centerBarack Obama met with Zohran Mamdani for the first time on Saturday at a childcare center where the former Democratic US president and mayor of New York City read to preschoolers and led a sing-along.The meeting comes as Mamdani, a democratic socialist who marked his 100th day in office just over a week earlier, is also trying to build a working relationship with Donald Trump – Obama’s Republican presidential successor. Continue reading...

HSBC, Barclays, Lloyds, NatWest and Santander will this week discuss with chancellor how to limit effects of conflict The bosses of Britain’s “big five” retail banks have been summoned to a meeting with the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, this week to discuss how to limit the economic impact of the crisis in the Middle East triggered by the US and Israel’s attacks on Iran.The chief executives of HSBC, Barclays, Lloyds, NatWest and Santander have been asked to attend an emergency summit that comes amid increasing acceptance that a major economic hit from the Iran war is unavoidable. Continue reading...

PM summons senior figures from Meta, TikTok, Google and X and says social media is ‘putting our children at risk’Keir Starmer has told social media bosses “things can’t go on like this” in a Downing Street meeting over internet safety.The prime minister summoned senior figures at Meta, TikTok, Google and X to No 10 on Thursday morning as his government considers imposing new restrictions on platforms, including an Australia-style ban for under-16s. Meta owns Facebook and Instagram, and Google owns YouTube. Continue reading...

Second day of ‘faux-royal’ tour sees Duke of Sussex speak candidly about challenges of new fatherhood as amused football fans watch onIt was an unusual sight. As a group of children were rocking out to the Wiggles, Prince Harry kicked a football on Whitten Oval in Melbourne, home of Australian rules team the Western Bulldogs.“Just a regular Wednesday,” a member of the crowd, dressed mainly in suits and from the advocacy and academic fields, said. Continue reading...

• Finance ministers and central bank governors gathered in Washington for IMF and World Bank Spring Meetings are confronting an unprecedented global energy shock caused by the Iran war and Strait of Hormuz closure, according to IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva. • Georgieva warned that "there will be no neat and clean return to the status quo ante," indicating long-term economic impacts regardless of ceasefire outcomes or efforts to reopen shipping routes. • The energy crisis is already affecting hundreds of millions of people globally, with decisions made at the meetings regarding resource allocation and emergency funding expected to have tangible impacts on livelihoods in the coming weeks.

• Anthropic postponed releasing Claude Mythos, an AI excelling at coding and vulnerability scanning, following high-level meetings with US financial regulators. • Mythos demonstrated ability to chain unknown security flaws in software at unprecedented speed, sparking 'agent-to-agent war' concerns in cyberspace. • Partners like Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, Google, Cisco, CrowdStrike, and JPMorgan Chase received restricted previews under Project Glasswing.

Cheng Li-wun’s visit to Beijing has sparked controversy in Taiwan, with critics accusing her of being too close to ChinaIn a rare meeting with Taiwan’s opposition leader, China’s president, Xi Jinping, declared that people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait were Chinese and wanted peace.The meeting in Beijing between Xi and Cheng Li-wun, the chair of Taiwan’s Kuomintang (KMT), is the first such contact in a decade. The visit has sparked controversy in Taiwan, with Cheng’s critics accusing her of being too close to China, a country that many in Taiwan see as a threat. Continue reading...

Secretary general says Trump ‘clearly disappointed’ with alliance as US media report White House is considering a plan to ‘punish’ some membersThe US president, Donald Trump, has once again lashed out against Nato after a tense and lengthy meeting with the alliance’s secretary general, Mark Rutte, who admitted Trump was “clearly disappointed” with allies over their refusal to get involved in Iran.In another angry ALL CAPS post on social media overnight, Trump said:“NATO WASN’T THERE WHEN WE NEEDED THEM, AND THEY WON’T BE THERE IF WE NEED THEM AGAIN. REMEMBER GREENLAND, THAT BIG, POORLY RUN, PIECE OF ICE!!!” Continue reading...

• India's Reserve Bank of India began its 3-day monetary policy meeting on April 7th, with the decision scheduled for announcement on April 8th, affecting regional market sentiment. • A CNBC TV18 poll indicates market consensus expects no change to repo rates in the upcoming policy decision, suggesting the RBI will maintain its current monetary stance. • The policy meeting comes amid mixed signals from Indian corporate earnings, with HDFC Bank reporting business growth above expectations while Kotak Mahindra Bank fell short.

• The Federal Reserve maintained the federal funds rate unchanged at 3.5%–3.75% during its March 2026 meeting, marking the second consecutive session without adjustment. • Policymakers cited solid economic expansion despite subdued job gains and elevated inflation above target levels. • The decision reflects caution amid global volatility, including Middle East conflicts driving oil prices up over 40% and renewed US trade frictions.

• UL Research Institutes’ Chemical Insights scientists deliver over 16 presentations at the Society of Toxicology’s 65th Annual Meeting and ToxExpo in San Diego starting March 23, 2026. • Key posters cover topics like PFAS exposure disrupting melanin synthesis in melanocytes, inhalation risks from 3D printing resins in dentistry, and thyroid hormone disruption using new approach methodologies. • Findings aim to provide decision-ready evidence on chemical health risks, as stated by VP Russell Thomas: 'Generating practical, decision-ready evidence about chemical exposures and health risks.'

Prime minister says US–Israeli war on Iran has shifted the international reality, likening current economic shock to Covid pandemic and Ukraine invasionFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAnthony Albanese says the federal government is preparing new measures to help shield households from the economic fallout of the war in Iran, likening supply chain and fuel disruptions to the Covid-19 pandemic.Announcing a snap meeting of national cabinet on fuel supply set to take place on Thursday morning, the prime minister used a speech to the Australian Automotive Dealer Association in Sydney to warn the international reality had shifted because of the US and Israeli-led bombings. Continue reading...

• The Federal Reserve opened a two-day monetary policy meeting this week with a rate decision expected Wednesday, as officials evaluate the impact of surging oil prices and Middle East conflict on inflation trajectories. • Uncertainty around geopolitical fallout is deepening divisions within the central bank over the interest rate path forward; officials are widely expected to leave rates unchanged on Wednesday despite elevated crude prices. • Rising oil and gasoline prices are weighing on earnings estimates and consumer spending forecasts, creating additional complexity for Fed policymakers balancing inflation and growth concerns.