Oil price tops $100 a barrel again after Trump announces strait of Hormuz blockade – business live
Posted on Monday April 13, 2026

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news

• Strait of Hormuz blockade explained: why is Trump threatening it now and will it increase the price of oil?

Shares in European airlines are dropping in early trading, amid disappointment that the talks between Washington and Tehran broke up without a breakthrough last weekend.

British Airways’ parent company, IAG, are down over 2% this morning, with budget rivals Wizz Air (-6.5%) and easyJet (-3.8%) falling more sharply.

Read more...

Rolls-Royce secures nearly £600m in UK goverment cash to develop small reactors
Posted on Monday April 13, 2026

Engine-maker CEO hails ‘critical milestone’ for company in race to deliver SMR technology built at Wylfa plant on Anglesey

• Business live – latest updates

Rolls-Royce has secured up to £599m from Britain’s national wealth fund as it races to develop the UK’s first small modular nuclear reactors.

The fund will help support Rolls-Royce’s design of small modular reactors (SMRs) at Wylfa on the island of Anglesey (called Ynys Môn in Welsh).

Read more...

Britain could adopt single market rules without MPs’ vote as part of UK-EU reset
Posted on Sunday April 12, 2026

Exclusive: Ministers planning new legislation for alignment without full parliamentary scrutiny if in national interest

Ministers are planning to fundamentally reshape Britain’s relationship with the European Union, with new legislation that could result in the UK signing up to EU single market rules without a normal parliamentary vote.

In a major development in the prime minister’s push for closer ties with the continent after the Iran war, the Guardian understands ministers are bracing to face down opposition to “dynamic alignment” with the EU from those who “scream treason” over the powers in a new EU-UK reset bill.

Read more...

Private firms providing services to NHS made £1.6bn profit in two years, research finds
Posted on Monday April 13, 2026

Exclusive: MPs say profit-making levels in England are ‘scandalous’ and call for cap on amount private companies can make from NHS

Private firms providing services to the NHS including healthcare and consultancy have made £1.6bn in profits over the last two years, research reveals.

The findings – on the basis of contracts worth £12bn – have prompted claims of “scandalous” profiteering, concern that the health service is being “taken for a ride” and calls for ministers to impose a cap on maximum profit levels.

£2bn of the £12bn of contracts went to firms with owners based outside the UK.

£533m of that £2bn went to companies owned by people living in tax havens such as Jersey and the Cayman Islands.

Firms, especially those owned by private equity outfits, used £353m of their £12bn NHS income to pay interest on debts.

Read more...

‘It feels as if I’ve made a new best friend’: my experiment with AI journalling
Posted on Sunday April 12, 2026

What’s it like to have a diary that talks back to you, offering comments and advice on your hopes, fears and lunch plans? I spent two months finding out

Ever since I was a teenager, I have kept some form of diary. These days I favour a paper one for creative brainstorming, and the Journal app on my iPad where I do a speedily typed brain dump every morning. I have always found it a great way to impose some sort of order on my random thoughts, a form of meditation.

But I had never even heard of AI journalling until a Google search led me down a rabbit hole where I encountered people enthusing about two apps, Rosebud and Mindsera. It sounded as if Mindsera’s minimalist design was the best for writers. Out of curiosity, never intending to stick with it, I downloaded a free trial.

Read more...

Meta‘s AI glasses and the dawn of wearable tech - podcast
Posted on Monday April 13, 2026

Elle Hunt on her month wearing Meta’s smart glasses and the privacy concerns around the technology

According to Mark Zuckerberg, Meta’s AI-powered glasses are “personal super intelligence” that “let you stay present in the moment”.

Journalist Elle Hunt reports on her time wearing them for a month. Elle tells Nosheen Iqbal about the highs and lows of the experience, the features that could be transformative for people with vision impairments or hearing loss, and the risks wearable tech poses to our privacy.

Read more...

Rory McIlroy holds nerve to be the Master again as rivals succumb to tension
Posted on Sunday April 12, 2026

• 2025 winner joins Nicklaus, Faldo and Woods in retaining title

• He triumphs on 12 under by one shot from Scottie Scheffler

You are left wondering how on earth Augusta National managed to inflict such psychological torture on Rory McIlroy for all those years. Or maybe that is precisely the point, that ­McIlroy’s ending of his Masters hoodoo in 2025 placed him into a fresh head space where failure is not an option. It turns out Green Jackets are like London buses. Back in Augusta, where he became only the sixth man in history to complete a career grand slam, McIlroy entered the record books once more. He is now the fourth golfer to successfully defend the Masters, after Jack ­Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods. As a six-time major winner, he has surpassed Seve Ballesteros.

What next, Rory? He could walk on Rae’s Creek. McIlroy’s latest Masters triumph arrived with the 36-year-old considerably short of his best for much of the tournament. That only emphasises his excellence.

Read more...

Premier League: 10 talking points from the weekend’s action
Posted on Monday April 13, 2026

De Zerbi looks past Simons, Arsenal fans are not helping their team and Ngumoha can give PSG something to think about

Football is such that, when you’re down, there’s a good chance the game boots you in the solar plexus, and that’s exactly what happened to Tottenham at the Stadium of Light, Sunderland’s winner coming by way of a deflection. But you can also take steps to help yourself and, though Roberto De Zerbi’s midfield setup made some sense – he picked three hard-runners in order to compete with Sunderland’s physicality – even pre-match, it wasn’t clear who would create their chances. It’s true that Dejan Kulusevski, James Maddison and Mohammed Kudus are out injured, but in that context, it is surely even more important a place in the XI, whether in midfield or out wide, be found for Xavi Simons, left on the sidelines until the 85th minute. Simons is not perfect, but of the players De Zerbi has available he is the only one with the imagination and technique to make things happen. He may lack physicality, but what Spurs need more than anything is quality. Daniel Harris

Match report: Sunderland 1-0 Tottenham

Match report: Arsenal 1-2 Bournemouth

Match report: Chelsea 0-3 Manchester City

City improve in good weather, says Guardiola

Read more...