Author: Henry

Energy regulator Ofgem has granted Tesla a licence to supply electricity to homes and businesses across England, Scotland and Wales, opening the door for Elon Musk’s company to enter the British energy market for the first time. The approval allows Tesla to sell electricity directly to domestic and commercial customers, mirroring the model it already operates in Texas under the Tesla Electric brand, where the company positions itself as a provider of low-cost sustainable power for homes, electric vehicles and local communities. The licence covers electricity supply only. Tesla will not be able to offer combined gas and electricity deals,…

The world’s most critical oil shipping lanes are under sustained attack, with six vessels struck in the space of just two days as Iran escalates its campaign against energy infrastructure across the Persian Gulf and beyond. Two foreign oil tankers in Iraqi waters were set ablaze in Iranian strikes, killing at least one crew member. Thirty-eight others were pulled from the water by rescue teams. Separately, three vessels were hit by projectiles near the Strait of Hormuz — the narrow waterway through which roughly one-fifth of all global crude oil passes — according to the United Kingdom’s maritime agency. A…

A preliminary US military inquiry has concluded that American forces were responsible for a Tomahawk missile strike that killed at least 175 people — the majority of them children — at an elementary school in southern Iran on 28 February. The school in the town of Minab sat on land that was originally part of an Iranian Revolutionary Guards Navy base. When US Central Command drew up strike coordinates targeting that base, it relied on targeting data provided by the Defense Intelligence Agency that had not been updated to reflect the building’s current use as a school. By the time…

When Trump told CBS the Iran war was “very complete, pretty much,” the S&P 500 jumped 0.5 percent instantly — then gained another 0.5 percent by close, finishing up 0.8 percent, its best single-day performance in over a month. Oil fell back below $90 a barrel from nearly $120. That single sequence is the clearest illustration in the source text of how closely Trump’s public statements track market movements. What The Text Actually Documents On oil prices: On stocks: On the tariff parallel the text draws: The Three Tensions The Text Identifies 1. Markets vs. households The text directly states…

A high-level meeting between the leaders of the world’s two largest economies is now weeks away, yet the groundwork that typically underpins such encounters remains largely unfinished. The summit between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, scheduled for March 31 to April 2, was confirmed by the White House — but China has yet to officially announce the dates, consistent with its usual diplomatic practice. What is less usual is how little has been settled about what the two sides actually hope to get out of it. Scott Bessent, the US Treasury Secretary, is expected to meet Chinese…

America’s once-feared financial weapon is showing signs of wear, and the shift in how Washington handles its most powerful economic tools is becoming impossible to ignore. For decades, the United States Treasury’s ability to cut off governments, companies and individuals from the global financial system gave Washington extraordinary leverage over adversaries — without firing a shot. That era appears to be drawing to a close. The clearest sign came last week, when the Treasury Department announced it would allow Russian oil tankers currently stranded at sea to deliver their cargo to India — a direct relaxation of sanctions that have…

Newly released government documents show the Prime Minister received a formal advisory note flagging Lord Mandelson’s links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein less than two weeks before confirming the appointment — raising fresh questions about Sir Keir’s judgement. A 147-page cache of internal government files, released after MPs forced disclosure, has laid bare the full timeline of Lord Mandelson’s appointment as UK ambassador to the United States and the messy fallout that followed his sacking last year. The documents reveal that on 11 December 2024 — nine days before Mandelson was formally confirmed in the role — the Prime…

At least six people are dead and five more injured after a man reportedly soaked himself in petrol and set himself alight inside a passenger coach in western Switzerland on Tuesday evening. The incident occurred in Kerzers, a small town around 12 miles west of the Swiss capital Bern, shortly after 6.25pm local time. The coach, which was carrying a number of passengers at the time, was rapidly engulfed in flames after the man allegedly ignited the blaze from inside the vehicle. Videos circulating on social media showed flames rising several metres into the air from the burning coach. Photographs…

A powerful new synthetic drug known as flakka has been spreading rapidly across parts of the United States and has been reported in Australia and potentially parts of Europe, prompting serious concern among law enforcement and health officials about its extreme and sometimes deadly effects. The substance, which gets its street nickname “gravel” from its appearance as small colourful crystals resembling decorative aquarium stones, belongs to the same chemical family as the bath salts drugs that made international headlines several years ago. It can be snorted, smoked, injected or swallowed, making it accessible through multiple methods of consumption. The behavioural…

Republican presidential hopeful Marco Rubio used a speech in Detroit to set out his case for a sweeping overhaul of the American tax system, arguing that the kind of pro-business reforms he is proposing could breathe new life into cities that have struggled through years of economic decline. Speaking before a packed audience of business and political leaders at the Detroit Economic Club, the Florida senator described the city as the perfect backdrop for a conversation about building a new American economy, pointing to Detroit’s recent rebound as evidence of what can be achieved under pro-growth leadership. Rubio outlined a…