Strait of Hormuz not open, Abu Dhabi’s oil chief says as crude prices rise

The boss of Abu Dhabi’s state-owned oil company has said the strait of Hormuz is “not open” despite the US-Iran ceasefire agreed earlier this week, as uncertainty over the truce pushed the price of Brent crude towards $100 a barrel on Thursday.Sultan Al Jaber, the chief executive officer of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc), said passage through the crucial waterway was subject to “permission, conditions and political leverage” by Iran. He said energy security and global economic stability depended on the strait being opened “fully, unconditionally and without restriction”.Al Jaber wrote on LinkedIn: “The weaponisation of this vital waterway, in any form, cannot stand. This would set a dangerous precedent for the world – undermining the principle of freedom of navigation that underpins global trade and, ultimately, the stability of the global economy

BA to reduce Middle East flights when services resume in July

British 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.It will drop Jeddah in Saudi Arabia permanently as a destination from 24 April. Flights to Bahrain and Amman are paused until 25 October

Retail workers call for more security after Waitrose sacking for tackling shoplifter

Retail workers have called for more security guards in stores after a Waitrose worker was sacked for confronting a shoplifter.Waitrose has been criticised over its treatment of Walker Smith after the Guardian reported he was fired two days after he stopped a shoplifter taking items from an Easter egg display, including Lindt chocolate bunnies.Joanne Thomas, the general secretary of Usdaw, the shop workers’ union, said: “Usdaw supports a physical security presence in stores and we have ongoing conversations with employers about protection for retail workers on the frontline of the rise in retail crime.“The results of our 2025 annual survey show that 59% of members would welcome more security in stores because security guards provide reassurance, act as a deterrent and have specialist experience to deal with incidents.“While not as popular as a physical security presence, members also value other security measures such as improved CCTV, facial recognition technology, body-worn cameras and headsets that help to identify perpetrators, record incidents and link workers to a central control for support

Oil prices plunge 15% to below $100, stocks surge and dollar slumps after Trump announces US-Iran ceasefire – as it happened

Markets have been cheered by news of the two-week ceasefire between the US, Israel and Iran. However, this excludes Lebanon, where Israel has carried out its biggest wave of air strikes today since the war there began on 2 March.Iran has agreed to reopen the strait of Hormuz, where around 1,000 ships have been trapped. A senior Iranian official told Reuters Tehran could open the key shipping route on Thursday or Friday ahead of peace talks in Islamabad.Brent crude, the international oil benchmark, has tumbled 15

McDonald’s CEO blames mother’s etiquette training for awkward burger bite in video

The chief executive officer of McDonald’s recently blamed etiquette guidance from his mother for a February on-camera taste test that made him a target for ridicule – and summarily recorded another video of him eating one of the fast-food giant’s offerings in a manner potential consumers found awkward.Chris Kempczinski suggested to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) earlier in April that he was simply heeding maternal advice to never talk with his mouth full when he took the humorously small bite at the center of a viral video which depicted him discussing and sampling the new Big Arch burger from McDonald’s.“I blame it all on my mom because she told me, ‘Don’t talk with your mouth full,’” Kempczinski remarked to Tim Higgin, a WSJ columnist, in an interview captured on video. “And I think, probably in that case, I should have just said, ‘You know what? To hell with it. I’m gonna go talk with my mouth full

Crispin Odey drops £79m libel claim against FT over sexual misconduct allegations

Crispin Odey, the former hedge fund manager, has dropped his £79m libel claim against the Financial Times over its reporting of sexual misconduct allegations against him, his lawyers have said.In 2023, the FT published several articles from 20 women alleging sexual assault and harassment against Odey, covering a period of five decades. He has previously denied the allegations against him.On Friday, lawyers for the former hedge fund tycoon, 67, said he had been “forced to accept” that the newspaper was “likely to succeed in establishing” its public interest defence.A letter said: “Having just endured the stress and strain of a three-week trial in the Upper Tribunal, he does not wish to pursue another lengthy trial at considerable cost, only to fail on the issue of public interest, even if he was successful, as he believes he would be, in demonstrating that he is not the violent predator he was presented as being in the articles