Exxon and Chevron quarterly earnings fall despite soaring oil prices

Exxon Mobil and Chevron reported drops in profit in their first quarter despite surging oil prices, a result of stalled deliveries and supply disruptions in the Middle East.Exxon’s quarterly earnings fell to $4.2bn from about $7.7bn the same quarter last year, a decline of about 46%, while Chevron’s profits fell to $2.2bn from about $3

Firm bookings, fast refunds: easyJet and On The Beach aim to reassure jittery travellers with holiday pledges

Forget the best infinity pool or alluring sea view: travel firms are now competing for the summer holidaymakers’ pound with pledges of the least likely cancellation – or the fastest refund.Airlines and travel companies have been vying to announce fresh commitments to reassure jittery consumers who are booking flights ever later since the start of the US-Israel war on Iran.The hostilities have been driving up oil prices, with jet fuel costs rising even more sharply. More worrying for many thinking of a summer trip, as the standoff and blockades around the strait of Hormuz continue, is the prospect of scarcity leading to flights being axed.Some European airlines such as Lufthansa have already cancelled thousands of flights owing to rising fuel costs, while Virgin Atlantic has introduced a fuel surcharge on long-haul flights

Parents already have controls over smartphones – they should use them | Letters

A crucial facility seems to be missing from the coverage of smartphones in schools – and outside (I was wrong about the danger of smartphones in schools. It’s far, far worse than I thought, 22 April). Parental controls, which both Apple and Android have, enable downtimes to be set to ensure phones don’t work in school. They can also set downtimes for outside school and block inappropriate apps.We use these for our 14-year-old daughter to keep her safe and manage the addictive effects of phone use

‘Awkward and humiliating’: UK job hunters share frustration with AI interviews

Nearly half (47%) of UK job seekers have had an AI interview, research from the hiring platform Greenhouse has found.In its survey of 2,950 active job seekers, including 1,132 UK-based workers, with additional respondents from the US, Germany, Australia and Ireland, it found that 30% of UK candidates had walked away from a hiring process because it included an AI interview.We asked people about their experiences of AI interviews. The responses included those who found it “awkward” and “humiliating”. Others spoke of wanting a human element in the interviews, and said they were not sure if their interview had even been reviewed

Allen and Wu toil in 100-minute frame ‘embarrassment’, Higgins leads Murphy

Wu Yize and Mark Allen’s semi-final is poised at seven frames all after their afternoon session ended with a bizarre frame – the longest in the World Snooker Championship’s Crucible era – clocking in at just over 100 minutes.Allen began the afternoon trailing 6-2 overnight to an opponent high on confidence and belief, but fought back in style, winning five frames in succession to edge 7-6 ahead.The session at the Crucible concluded with a remarkable 14th frame, with a cluster of eight reds jammed around the black ball on the edge of a corner pocket. It resulted in a lengthy stalemate, 55 minutes passing without a ball being potted.Allen led the frame 47-13 and so did not want a re-rack

Lando Norris takes Miami GP sprint pole as lightning fears loom over F1 return

With Formula One returning after its early season enforced break, the Miami Grand Prix is proving an enticing prospect given most of the teams used the time to work furiously on upgrades to their cars. Many of which are being deployed here. Intriguing enough were it not also for the updated regulations being given their debut outing and the threat of lightning storms on Sunday potentially causing a schedule change.Five weeks have passed since the last round in Japan on 29 March after the Saudi Arabian and Bahrain GPs were cancelled because of the war in the Middle East, a break welcomed by many as an unexpected opportunity to assess their cars, which are still very much a work in progress after the rule changes this season.Mercedes held the whip hand in the opening races, and are still unbeaten, with Kimi Antonelli leading his teammate George Russell at the top of the world championship by nine points