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Oil prices plummet as Iran declares Strait of Hormuz “open” during ceasefire3 Hours agoArchie MitchellBusiness reporterGetty ImagesOil Prices have plummeted since Iran announced that the Strait of Hormuz will be “completely opened” to commercial vessels for the remainder of ceasefire. The S&P 500 index, which represents the largest US-listed companies, closed up 1.2% on the back of this announcement. The Cac in Paris and Dax index in Frankfurt both closed the day around 2% higher, while London’s FTSE 100 ended the day 0.7% higher. Since the US and Israel launched their military strikes on Iran in late February, the Strait of Hormuz is effectively closed by Iran. Tanker traffic has slowed down to a trickle. This has led to a drastic reduction in the amount of oil, gas and other commodities available to global markets, causing prices spikes. It rose above $100, reaching a high of $119 per barrel by March. Later, on Friday, the price rose to $92. BIMCO’s chief safety and security officer Jakob Larsen said that the status of mine threats within the traffic separation scheme was unclear. BIMCO believes shipping firms should avoid the area. This means that the Traffic Separation Scheme has not been declared safe for transit as of yet. The IMO’s Secretary General Arsenio Dominguez stated on social media that they are verifying the recent announcement regarding the reopening of Strait of Hormuz in terms of its compliance to freedom of navigation for merchant vessels and secure transit using the IMO established Traffic Separation Scheme. The RAC motoring group said that petrol and diesel prices in the UK had dropped slightly for the first since the US-Israeli war with Iran began. Pump prices began to fall on Thursday and continued through Friday, the RAC said. However, the price of filling up a tank remains higher than it was in February. THANK YOU! “Trump added Iran had agreed to “never close the Strait of Hormuz Again… It will no longer be a weapon against a world”. The BBC reported that despite Iran’s announcement it “doesn’t change anything”. The operator, who didn’t want to be identified, said that they did not feel the need to take unnecessary risks. Their company’s approach is to not be the first through the Strait. Another company, Stena Bulk which operates oil tanks in the region said it was “monitoring the developments closely”. The company said that “the safety of our crews and vessels governs all routing decisions, and we won’t transit until we are confident it is safe”. Kieran Tompkins of Capital Economics, a senior climate and commodities analyst, said that the ceasefire due to end in 9 days “offers a very narrow window of time for oil tankers” to navigate the Strait and load up before leaving. The Bayes Business School’s ManMohan Sodhi said that consumers would continue to feel the pressure, even if there is a long-term peace agreement. “Supply chain will take months to clear,” said he. The drop in oil prices came as the US extended the waiver on its Russian oil sanctions, despite initially saying it wouldn’t.

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Thousands celebrate open-air Mass with Pope Leo in Cameroon – in pictures13 hours agoPaul Njie,BBC Africa, Japoma Stadium, DoualaandHafsa KhalilEPAMore than 120,000 people have joined Pope Leo XIV in Cameroon for an open-air Mass, the biggest crowd so far during his 11-day Africa tour.Arriving in the economic city of Douala on Friday, the Pope reiterated his message of peace after visiting the country’s Anglophone region hit by a decade-long rebellion the day before.He later warned of the dangers of artificial intelligence (AI), which he said was leading to the spread of “polarisation, conflict, fear and violence”.ReutersJubliant crowds welcomed the Pope as he arrived at the Japoma Stadium. The Popemobile, as it is known, waved to the crowds waiting for him. “Reject all forms of abuse or violence that deceive by promising easy gain but hardens and makes the heart insensitive,” he said. “Do not be corrupted into temptations that waste energy and do not serve society’s progress. Some attendees told the BBC that they were happy to hear the Pope and to have seen him, echoing a growing wish for peace to return to this conflict-hit country. Some worshipped by clapping their hands together, while others prostrated themselves. Some clasped their hands together, while others prostrated themselves.ReutersReutersOn the fifth day of his Africa tour – and his third in Cameroon – the Pope also visited the St Paul Catholic Hospital in Douala.And in the capital, Yaounde, he gave a speech at the Catholic University of Central Africa, in which he spoke about AI’s role in bringing about a “transformation in our very relationship with the truth”.He said that when simulation became normal, people lost touch with reality. He said that when simulation became the norm, people lost touch with reality. “We become accustomed to dialogue and encounters because we feel threatened by those who are different. This leads to polarisation, violence, and fear. The Pope also condemned “the relentless pursuit of raw materials and rare earths”, metals such as cobalt that are heavily mined and widely used in electronics and are therefore necessary for the AI boom. His 11-day tour began on Monday in Algeria, marking the world’s first visit by a Pope to a Muslim majority country. On Saturday, he travels to Angola and ends his tour of Africa in Equatorial Guinée.

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The Japan Meteorological Agency introduced a new term for days exceeding 40C after a blistering summer. Summer 2025 saw the highest temperatures since records began, with an average temperature 2.36C higher than average. Tokyo had 25 days above 35C compared to an average of 4.5 days. Kyoto recorded 52 days above the same temperatures, compared to an average of 18.5. This summer, JMA predicts that Japan will experience above-normal temperatures from June to August.

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The venue announced that the concert would not be held due to “formal and legal reasons”. Marta Cienkowska described the decision to book West, Poland’s Culture and Heritage Minister, as “unacceptable”. It comes after West cancelled a concert in France, and a week after he was banned from entering the UK to headline Wireless Festival. “I am neither a Nazi nor an antisemite,” wrote West. “I love Jewish People.” West also said that he was “lost in reality” due to his bipolar disorder. Anyone found guilty of publicly promoting Nazism in Poland can be jailed for three years. Cienkowska wrote in X that “we are talking about an antisemitic artist who has expressed antisemitic opinions, downplayed crime, and profited by selling swastika t-shirts.” “This is a deliberate cross of boundaries and normalisation of hate. “Culture can’t be a place for those who use it to spread hate. The show in Marseille has been postponed “until further notice”. The show in Marseille has been postponed until further notice.

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Pensioner detained by ICE in US returns to France13 hours agoKathryn ArmstrongGetty ImagesA French woman in her eighties who was detained at an immigration enforcement centre in the US has returned to France, the country’s foreign minister says. Pensioner detained in US by ICE returns to France13 Hours agoKathryn ArmstrongGetty ImagesA French woman aged 80 who was detained in an immigration enforcement center in the US, has returned to France. “Mum is now free!” It’s a relief, he told French outlet Ouest-France after her release.French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot confirmed Marie-Therese arrived back in France on Friday morning. He added: “We are happy about that.” The New York Times reported, citing her son, that she was still wearing her prison uniform which was covered with stains and hole when her brother and sister were reunited at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport. He told the newspaper that his mother met Billy in 1960, when he served as a soldier at the Nato Base of Saint-Nazaire and he was a secretary. Billy later returned to the US and the pair lost touch. They married other people and had children. Ouest-France reported that the pair reconnected and visited each other with their spouses in 2010. By 2022, they were both widowed and began a relationship. Billy was a “charming, adorable man”, Marie-Therese’s son said, adding that the couple were in love “like teenagers”.They married last year and Marie-Therese relocated to Alabama, applying for a green card – a long-term visa – that would grant her the right to remain in the US.She had not yet received the green card when Billy died suddenly in January, leaving her immigration status unclear.Shortly afterwards, one of his sons and Marie-Therese reportedly entered a dispute over his inheritance.Billy’s son “threatened her, intimidated her, and even went so far as to cut off her water, internet, and electricity,” her son told Ouest-France.Marie-Therese hired a lawyer but was arrested by ICE the day before a scheduled hearing. Her children were alerted by her neighbours. “They handcuffed both her hands and her feet like she was dangerous criminal,” said he. Since the start Donald Trump’s second tenure in office, ICE’s role has been central to the administration’s mass-deportation initiative. Its budget and mission has been significantly expanded, and it plays a crucial role in removing illegal immigrants from the US. “There have certainly been violent acts that have caused us concern, but what is most important is that Marie-Therese is back in France. “EuropeFranceUnited States