The Guardian

Budget airline says passengers are leaving it later to book flights owing to economic uncertainty Business live – latest updates Middle East crisis – live updates The budget airline easyJet has warned the impact of the Iran war on bookings and oil prices will hit its profits, having driven up fuel costs by £25m in the last month alone. It said it expected to report an increased pre-tax loss of £5…

Ukrainian president says nearly 700 Russian drones and 19 ballistic missiles mostly targeted Kyiv, Odesa and Dnipro Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia “does not deserve any easing … or lifting on sanctions” after an overnight attack killed 16 and wounded 100 people in Ukraine. He said: “ Russia is betting on war, and the response must be exactly that: we must defend lives with al…

Ministers drawing up contingency plans for ‘reasonable worst-case scenario’ if supply of CO 2 is disrupted Business live – latest updates The UK could face some gaps on supermarket shelves this summer if disruption caused by the Iran war continues, with shortages of carbon dioxide potentially hitting supplies of chicken, pork and fizzy drinks. Government ministers are reportedly drawing up contin…

Peter Kyle did not dispute Times’ report that under a ‘reasonable worst-case scenario’ supermarkets might start running out of some items Good morning. ‘We don’t comment on leaks,’ is the usual government response to an unsanctioned lobby scoop. But this morning Peter Kyle , the business secretary, took a different response. Asked about a Times splash saying the government is making plans to deal…

UK’s biggest supermarket voices caution for year ahead despite annual profits rising 8.5% to £2.4bn Business live – latest updates Tesco has warned that profits could fall back in the year ahead amid “increased uncertainty caused by the conflict in the Middle East”. The warning came after the UK’s biggest supermarket hit its highest share of the market in a decade. Continue reading...

ONS figure for February suggests economy was gaining momentum before conflict stoked inflation with soaring energy prices The UK economy unexpectedly expanded by 0.5% in February, before the war in the Middle East dashed hopes of an uptick in growth this year, official figures show. The unusually large increase reported by the Office for National Statistics, suggests the economy had gained moment…

AEC to recount votes in electorate of Narungga after Chantelle Thomas won the seat at the March state election Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast One Nation’s claim to the seat of Narungga has hit a snag weeks after the South Australian election. Uncounted ballot papers were discovered on Thursday, forcing a recount …

Court finds law – which effectively meant protesters could not march without risk of arrest – is unconstitutional Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast New South Wales’ highest court has struck down an anti-protest law brought in after the Bondi beach terror attack which gave police the power to restrict marches, includ…

New meeting to come after rare direct talks between the countries mediated by US; Netanyahu earlier says Israel about to ‘overwhelm’ part of southern Lebanon US and Iran in indirect talks to extend two-week ceasefire The US defence secretary and the chair of the military’s joint chiefs of staff will hold a press conference on Thursday morning US time about the US-Israel operation against Iran, th…

Wednesday’s strike brings the total of those killed in US military strikes on alleged drug boats to at least 177 Three people were killed in a US strike on another alleged drug-trafficking boat, the fifth such deadly attack in as many days, military officials have announced. US southern command said it conducted “a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations” …

Some petrol stations may see short-term fuel outages as refinery output slows, but national supplies should not be affected Full report: Geelong oil refinery fire Geelong oil refinery fire: what we know so far Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Victorian motorists are being warned to brace for a spike in petrol price…

Two killed, including a child, in Kyiv with another death in the city of Dnipro amid strikes across the country Russian forces attacked Kyiv and other cities early on Thursday, killing three people, including a 12-year-old child, injuring more than 20 and badly damaging buildings, officials said. Moscow has fired hundreds of drones on its neighbour almost nightly since the beginning of the four-y…

Energy crisis unfolding in Middle East has added political urgency, and more funding, to transform South Korea’s solar industry In Guyang-ri, a farming village of 70 households about 90 minutes south-east of Seoul, people gather for communal free lunches six days a week. The meals are funded by the village’s one-megawatt solar installation, which generates roughly 10m won ($6,800) in net profit e…

Journalist Will Coldwell tells the story of how a British businessman was imprisoned in Dubai – and how his family finally got him home When Albert Douglas found out he was facing a long prison sentence in Dubai, he tried to escape the UAE … and failed. What followed was years of court proceedings, time in prison and even, Douglas says, beatings and torture. In recent years, scores of business ow…

Accusations refer to attack on Iran without congressional authorization and strikes on alleged drug smuggling boats House Democrats filed six articles of impeachment against Pete Hegseth on Wednesday, accusing the defense security of “high crimes and misdemeanors”, in reference to the attack on Iran without congressional authorization and deadly strikes on suspected drug smuggling boats, among ot…