Europe opens higher as peace-driven risk rally lifts stocks, metals surge and Brent slumps
Executive summary: European equities opened firmer, led by the Euro Stoxx 50 and CAC 40, as a broad risk rally followed reports of a U.S.-Iran peace breakthrough. Brent crude fell sharply, while gold, silver, platinum and palladium all surged, pointing to a fast rotation into havens and industrial metals at the same time. The euro and pound also strengthened against the dollar, while natural gas weakened. The move matters because it combines lower energy costs with stronger equity sentiment, but the scale of the commodity swings suggests traders are still pricing in headline risk and not a fully settled geopolitical... [Continue Reading]
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Tokyo and Asia-Pacific close sharply higher as peace deal headlines hit oil, lift metals and cyclicals
Executive summary: Asia-Pacific markets ended the session with a broad risk-on tone, led by a powerful surge in Japan and South Korea after headlines around a U.S.-Iran peace deal. The Nikkei 225 jumped +6.0% to 69,317.5, the Kospi surged +13.9%, and the ASX 200 rose +3.4%. Oil slumped -10.5% while gold, silver and palladium rallied strongly, signaling a sharp rotation into lower energy costs, precious metals and cyclical assets. [Continue Reading]
Tokyo Opens Higher as Oil Slides and Precious Metals Surge, Asia-Pacific Risk Appetite Improves
Executive summary: Tokyo and broader Asia-Pacific markets opened with a firmer tone, led by gains in Japan, South Korea and Australia, while Hong Kong lagged. The sharpest cross-asset move was in commodities, where WTI crude fell -8.3% and palladium jumped +9.8%. Equities also found support from a softer USD/JPY and a modestly weaker dollar against the yuan, even as the Hang Seng slipped and natural gas eased. [Continue Reading]
US-Iran peace deal finalised as Trump says Strait of Hormuz will reopen
The reported US-Iran peace deal has moved from expectation to public confirmation, with Pakistan's prime minister and Donald Trump both saying the agreement is now complete. Shehbaz Sharif said the two sides had declared the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon, and said the formal signing ceremony would take place in Switzerland on 19 June. Trump separately said he had authorised the end of the US naval blockade on Iranian ports and called for the Strait of Hormuz to reopen.Iranian state media has also repeated the claims, while a senior Iranian foreign ministry... [Continue Reading]
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Trump says Israeli strikes on Beirut may derail US-Iran peace deal
Donald Trump has said Israeli strikes on Beirut should not have happened, as he warned they may have complicated a near-final agreement between the US and Iran. He said the framework deal was expected to be signed on Sunday, local time, and suggested the Strait of Hormuz would be open soon after. The comments add a new layer to an already fast-moving diplomatic process that had been presented as close to completion.Trump said the Israeli attack came at a sensitive moment and should not disrupt what he described as an important process. He later criticised Benjamin Netanyahu directly, saying he... [Continue Reading]
Trump says US-Iran deal could be signed as Tehran disputes Sunday timing
President Donald Trump said the emerging US-Iran agreement could be signed as early as Sunday, while Iranian officials continued to dispute that timetable and said the process may take several more days. The reported framework is tied to ending the conflict and reopening the Strait of Hormuz to shipping, making it one of the most consequential diplomatic developments in the region in recent weeks. Pakistan has also been cited as saying preparations are under way for an electronic signing, adding to the sense that talks are moving quickly even as the two sides describe the timing differently.Trump said the deal... [Continue Reading]
US-Iran deal signing shifts to electronic format as Tehran denies Sunday plan
The planned signing of a US-Iran agreement has been changed from an in-person ceremony to an electronic process, after conflicting public accounts from Washington and Tehran over when and how the deal would be finalised. US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that the agreement was scheduled to be signed on Sunday, and linked it to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps denied that any Sunday signing had been planned and criticised Trump for focusing on that date.The change comes as talks have moved quickly and mediators have sought to prevent any disruption before... [Continue Reading]
Why the price of gold is trending down amid war-driven inflation
Gold prices have come under pressure as the war involving the United States, Israel and Iran has pushed up inflation and kept interest-rate expectations elevated. The metal fell from a high of $5,303 per troy ounce on 28 January to $4,235 on Friday, according to the supplied report. The decline comes despite gold's usual role as a safe-haven asset during periods of geopolitical stress.The report says the conflict has disrupted traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for oil and gas shipments, since the start of the war. That has helped drive energy prices higher, feeding into inflation... [Continue Reading]
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Iran sets funeral and burial dates for late Supreme Leader Khamenei
Iran has announced dates for funeral ceremonies and burial for its late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, months after he was killed in a joint US-Israeli air strike. According to state media, the funeral will begin in Tehran on July 4, with a further ceremony in Qom on July 7 before burial in Mashhad on July 9. The burial had initially been planned for March but was postponed because of the war.The announcement sets out a three-stage national farewell across some of Iran's most significant religious and political centres. Tehran will host the opening ceremonies over three days from July 4,... [Continue Reading]
UK sets end date for Russian diesel and jet fuel imports
The UK government has said it will ban imports of diesel and jet fuel made from Russian oil by 1 January 2027. The measure is part of sanctions on Moscow linked to the war in Ukraine. It follows an earlier move in May to phase out diesel and jet fuel refined in third countries from Russian crude oil, after ministers said they needed extra flexibility because of global oil supply issues.Trade Minister Chris Bryant said the end date was a clear signal that the government was continuing to increase pressure on Russia. He said the temporary general licence covering these... [Continue Reading]
John Healey quits as UK defence secretary amid wider defence spending row
John Healey resigned as UK defence secretary after saying the government had failed to commit enough money to defence, deepening a dispute inside the Labour government over military funding. Hours later, the armed forces minister, Al Carns, and two ministerial aides also left their posts, according to the supplied report. The resignations have sharpened pressure on Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer at a time when the government is trying to settle its defence investment plans.Healey said the Treasury had been unwilling to provide the resources needed to defend the country at a time of rising threats. The row centres on... [Continue Reading]
EU agrees to launch membership talks with Ukraine and Moldova
European Union member states have agreed to open accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova, in a move that formally launches the next stage of the two countries' long path towards possible EU membership. The decision was taken by ambassadors from the bloc's 27 nations at a meeting in Brussels, with an intergovernmental conference due to be held on Monday in Luxembourg. That meeting is expected to open key negotiation clusters, marking the start of detailed talks on the conditions for joining the bloc.EU Council president Antonio Costa and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said the decision recognised the... [Continue Reading]
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Iran says deal with US closer than ever as Trump warns Tehran to get act together
Iran has said a deal with the United States is closer than ever, in comments that come as Donald Trump warned Tehran to "get act together". The remarks point to a renewed push in long-running efforts to narrow differences between the two countries. No formal agreement was announced in the material supplied, but the language used suggests talks or contacts remain active.The incident is centred on Iran and the United States, with the latest comments reported on 12 June 2026. The supplied material does not give a venue for the remarks or identify the Iranian official who made them. It... [Continue Reading]
Bondi gunman faces 19 additional charges in Sydney court
Naveed Akram has been charged with 19 additional offences in connection with the Bondi Beach shooting case, adding to the 59 charges he was already facing. The new paperwork was filed in a Sydney court on Wednesday, according to court records cited in the hearing. The case relates to the shooting at a Jewish festival celebrating Hanukkah at Bondi Beach last December, in which 15 people were killed.Akram, 24, had already been charged with 15 counts of murder, 40 counts of attempted murder and one count of committing a terrorist act. His defence lawyer, Leonie Gittani, told the court that... [Continue Reading]
US border wall completion targeted for late 2027, CBP says
The United States expects to complete construction of the southern border wall by the end of 2027, according to Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott. He said the reinforced barrier is intended to run along most of the US-Mexico border, with some exceptions where officials have decided a wall is not needed. Scott made the remarks at an event in Washington, describing the project as a primary border wall with additional technology to follow later.Scott said the wall would stretch from San Diego to the Gulf of Mexico, but that there would be gaps in selected areas. He cited... [Continue Reading]
Xi Jinping meets Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang after seven years
Chinese President Xi Jinping has met North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang, in a visit described in the supplied material as Xi's first to North Korea in seven years. The talks took place on Tuesday and were accompanied by symbolic events including a tree planting, a performance of Chinese and North Korean songs and a banquet hosted by Kim. Both sides said they wanted to deepen cooperation, but the material provided says there was no mention of North Korea's nuclear weapons programme.According to the supplied rows, the two leaders agreed to expand cooperation across politics, economy and culture,... [Continue Reading]
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India: Preliminary probe says trapped gases caused deadly blast at Visakhapatnam Steel Plant
A preliminary inquiry has said a deadly explosion at the Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Ltd plant in Visakhapatnam, in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, was caused by the sudden release of entrapped gases from liquid steel. The blast killed eight workers at the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant, also known as RINL, and sent molten metal onto people working below. The incident happened on Monday afternoon during casting operations at the steel complex.According to the investigation report by the chief inspector of factories, the explosion took place at about 4.15 pm while a full steel ladle was being rotated and centred.... [Continue Reading]
OpenAI confidentially files for US initial public offering
OpenAI has confidentially filed for a United States initial public offering, according to the supplied report, but has not disclosed the size or terms of the offering. The company also said a timeline has not yet been determined. The filing places the ChatGPT-maker among a growing group of artificial intelligence firms moving towards public markets as investor interest in the sector remains strong.The company said in a statement that it may remain private for some time because there are things it wants to do that are likely easier as a private company. The report says Reuters previously reported that OpenAI... [Continue Reading]
Meta seeks contempt order against NSO Group over WhatsApp targeting attempts
Meta says it will ask a US federal court to hold NSO Group in contempt after WhatsApp disrupted new spear-phishing attempts linked to the spyware company. The move follows what Meta described as fresh efforts to target WhatsApp users despite a permanent injunction barring NSO from targeting the messaging service and its users. Meta said it also removed test accounts and groups that it said were created by NSO on the platform.According to Meta, the latest attempts were similar to earlier "1-click phishing campaigns", in which a single click on a malicious link can compromise a device or account. The... [Continue Reading]
EU to discuss Aughinish Alumina and Russia-linked alumina exports with Irish leader
The European Commission says its foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, will discuss Aughinish Alumina and alumina exports to Russia when she meets Ireland's Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, in Dublin on Tuesday. The issue was raised publicly at a Commission briefing as part of a wider conversation about support for Ukraine and pressure on Russia. Officials said the matter would be addressed as a concern in its own right.A Commission spokesperson said several topics would be discussed at the meeting, including Ukraine and further pressure on Russia. Asked whether alumina could feature in the next EU sanctions package, another spokesperson declined to... [Continue Reading]
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