European stock markets fall and oil and gas prices jump 5% as strait of Hormuz ‘chaos’ worries investors – business live
Posted on Monday April 20, 2026

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news

• Tehran has ‘no plans to participate’ in new talks, state media reports, as it accuses US of violating ceasefire

Energy producers are benefitting from the jump in the oil and gas price.

BP (+2.7%) and Shell (+2.4%) are leading the FTSE 100 risers.

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Trump administration launches tariff refund system as first step in paying back billions – US politics live
Posted on Monday April 20, 2026

Trump administration launches online portal on Monday after supreme court struck down tariff policy earlier this year

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Oil prices have risen sharply and European stock markets have fallen after the US seizure of an Iranian vessel dented hopes for a peace deal.

Brent crude, the international benchmark for oil prices, rose by 4.8% on Monday to $94.69 a barrel.

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Electric car sales soar 51% in mainland Europe as Iran war drives up fuel prices
Posted on Monday April 20, 2026

Data shows 224,000 new EVs were registered in March, with Norway leading way in terms of switching

• Business live – latest updates

Sales of electric cars soared 51% in continental Europe last month, amid a rise in petrol and diesel costs driven by the Iran war.

Data shows that 224,000 new electric vehicles (EVs) were registered in March, and 500,000 across the first three months of the year – a 33.5% increase on a year earlier, according to analysis of national sales data in 15 countries by New AutoMotive and E-Mobility Europe, a trade body.

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Victoria Beckham ties up with Gap as retailer hopes luxe push will drive comeback
Posted on Monday April 20, 2026

Ex-Mattel boss behind Barbiemania pivots retailer towards more premium fashion after reopening UK stores

From the 80s through to the early noughties it was the go-to high street store for casual hoodies and jeans, before falling out of favour. Now almost 30 years after its heyday, Gap is hoping to turn things around. Key to its comeback strategy? A pivot to more premium fashion.

On Thursday the retailer will unveil a collection with the luxury fashion designer Victoria Beckham. The collaboration is the next step in the luxification of Gap being led by Richard Dickson, who joined Gap Inc as its president and chief executive from Mattel, the US toymaker, in 2023.

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How a fiery attack on Sam Altman’s home unfolded
Posted on Saturday April 18, 2026

Molotov cocktail attack on OpenAI CEO’s home comes amid growing discontent against artificial intelligence

In the early hours of 10 April, a man approached the gate of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s house in San Francisco and hurled a molotov cocktail at the building before fleeing. The suspect, 20-year-old Daniel Moreno-Gama, was arrested less than two hours later while allegedly attempting to break into the headquarters of OpenAI with a jug of kerosene, a lighter and an anti-AI manifesto.

Federal and California state authorities have charged Moreno-Gama with a range of crimes including attempted arson and attempted murder. His parents issued a statement this week saying that their son had recently suffered a mental health crisis. Moreno-Gama, who has not yet entered a plea, faces up to life in prison if convicted.

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Sonos Play review: a great jack-of-all-trades portable speaker for home or away
Posted on Monday April 20, 2026

Quality wifi bookshelf speaker can go mobile with Bluetooth, long battery life and water resistance, in return to form

The Play is a new portable wifi and Bluetooth home speaker that packs the best of Sonos into a jack of all trades that is intended to be a reset point in the company’s recovery from its app debacle that lost it faith, favour and a chief executive.

It is the first truly new music speaker since Sonos launched its new app in May 2024, which junked fan-favourite features while causing stability and usage problems for new and old customers alike. The company has spent the best part of two years fixing mistakes, bringing back core features and ensuring the system actually works.

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Haaland keeps his cool and turns up heat on Arsenal as Gabriel loses his head
Posted on Monday April 20, 2026

Erling Haaland scored a winner and refused to take a dive but could not resist a little dig at the fading Gunners

Man of the weekend in the Premier League? It is not in doubt. Erling Haaland deserves the acclaim and not only because he scored the winner for Manchester City in the top-of-the-table showdown against Arsenal – his 23rd goal of the season in the competition and 34th for City overall. Another Golden Boot is within reach; Haaland’s only rival is Brentford’s Igor Thiago, who has 21. Another league title is also there for the taking.

Yet Haaland trumped it all with something he did not do at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday. It was an old-school battle between him and the Arsenal centre-half Gabriel Magalhães; a wrestling match at times, so much pushing and pulling, all about the upper body strength. There was always the potential for it to bubble over and that is what happened in the 84th minute.

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Jack Draper faces French Open fitness race as knee injury worries deepen
Posted on Monday April 20, 2026

• Player forced to miss Madrid Open and Italian Open

• Latest setback for Briton represents another painful blow

Jack Draper has been sidelined for at least another month as injuries continue to disrupt his hopes of establishing himself as one of the top players in the world.

Draper has withdrawn from the Madrid Open this week and the subsequent Italian Open due to the aggravated knee tendon injury that forced him to retire from his opening match at the Barcelona Open last week.

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