Reeves tells Americans Trump’s Iran war is a ‘mistake’
Posted on Wednesday April 15, 2026

UK chancellor steps up criticism, telling Washington event she is unconvinced conflict has made world a safer place

• Middle East crisis – live updates

Rachel Reeves has stepped up her criticism of Donald Trump’s war on Iran, describing it as a “mistake” that has destabilised the global economy and damaged living standards around the world.

In a marked fraying of the transatlantic relationship, the British chancellor said Trump breaking off from diplomatic talks with Iran and launching airstrikes seemed to have left the president in a worse place that he started.

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Government’s 1.5m housebuilding target in England is suffering subsidence | Nils Pratley
Posted on Wednesday April 15, 2026

As the country’s biggest housebuilder cuts land buying and the Iran war pushes up costs, setting an ambitious figure appears even more foolish

This is what the government didn’t want to hear when its target to build 1.5m new homes in England during this parliament already looked out of reach. The country’s biggest housebuilder is trimming its purchases of new land because the Iran war has created “a less certain backdrop”.

Barratt Redrow’s “disciplined approach” isn’t a downing of tools, it should be said. The company had previously expected to buy between 10,000 and 12,000 plots; now it will acquire between 7,000 and 9,000. In money terms, it equates to about £100m less from a £800m-£900m budget. It is a scaling-back, as opposed to the outright halt to buying new land that London-focused Berkeley Group announced a couple of weeks ago.

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Big US banks rake in near $50bn profit as Iran war shakes markets
Posted on Wednesday April 15, 2026

Six lenders, including Bank of America, Morgan Stanley and JP Morgan report jump in first-quarter earnings

Big US banks raked in nearly $50bn (£37bn) worth of profits in the first three months of the year, as they benefited from stock market turbulence triggered by the US-Israeli war on Iran.

Wall Street’s largest lenders have reported a jump in first-quarter earnings, reflecting the surge in demand for trading services as investors dumped risky stocks and bonds and sought safer havens for their cash.

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$30m an hour: big oil reaping huge war windfall from consumers, analysis finds
Posted on Wednesday April 15, 2026

Exclusive: Climate action blockers including Saudi Arabia, Russia and major fossil fuel firms set to make extra $234bn by end of 2026

• Middle East crisis – live updates

The world’s top 100 oil and gas companies banked more than $30m every hour in unearned profit in the first month of the US-Israeli war in Iran, according to exclusive analysis for the Guardian. Saudi Aramco, Gazprom and ExxonMobil are among the biggest beneficiaries of the bonanza, meaning key opponents of climate action continue to prosper.

The conflict pushed the price of oil to an average of $100 (£74) a barrel in March, leading to estimated windfall war profits for the month of $23bn for the companies. Oil and gas supplies will take months to return to pre-war levels and the companies will make $234bn by the end of the year if the oil price continues to average $100. The analysis uses data from a leading intelligence provider, Rystad Energy, analysed by Global Witness.

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‘Misogyny with a marketing budget’: UK AI firm accused of sexist advert
Posted on Wednesday April 15, 2026

Narwhal Labs ad for ‘AI employee’ contains strapline: ‘She outworks everyone. And she’ll never ask for a raise’

A British AI company that recently secured millions of pounds of investment has been accused of running a misogynistic and sexist advertising campaign.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has received at least seven complaints about the campaign by Narwhal Labs, which includes an advert depicting a woman next to the strapline: “She outworks everyone. And she’ll never ask for a raise.”

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Snap Inc blames AI as it lays off 1,000 workers
Posted on Wednesday April 15, 2026

Cuts by Snapchat’s parent company come in response to a declining stock price and pressure from an activist investor

Snapchat’s parent company plans to lay off 16% of its employees, around 1,000 people, citing “rapid advancements in artificial intelligence”, the social media company told staff on Wednesday in an internal memo. The staff reduction is part of a wave of tech industry layoffs in the past year, with many firms blaming AI for the cuts.

Snap Inc’s layoffs follow demands last month from Irenic Capital Management, an activist investor whose portfolio manager wrote a letter to the Snap Inc CEO, Evan Spiegel, calling on him to reduce costs and headcount while criticizing the company’s current strategy. In Spiegel’s memo to staff, he claimed that the layoffs would move Snap towards profitability and suggested that artificial intelligence could fill the lack of human labor.

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Arsenal v Sporting: Champions League quarter-final, second leg – live
Posted on Wednesday April 15, 2026

⚽ Champions League news; 8pm BST kick-off (first leg: 1-0)
⚽ Bayern v Real Madrid – updates | Live scores | Mail Simon

It’s a curious thing, this training top: in photos those vertical stripes are very bright, on the TV (mine, at least) they’re very subtle. I haven’t seen one in the flesh to know the truth of it.

An email! “Barry Glendenning is absolutely right - Arteta’s anxiety and stress has rubbed off on his players and that is why they are losing,” writes Jeff Sax. “He lacks the composure and confidence that Pep for example has.” I think there’s some truth to this, but I’m also just not completely convinced by this squad. I mean, it’s really good. But it’s not great, and the real issue is that when the players look around the dressing room, that’s also what they think. They look like they don’t truly believe they can win the league, and perhaps the only thing that can convince them they’re a title-winning squad is actually winning the title.

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Bayern Munich v Real Madrid: Champions League quarter-final, second leg – live
Posted on Wednesday April 15, 2026

⚽ Champions League news; 8pm BST kick-off (first leg: 2-1)
⚽ Arsenal v Sporting – updates | Live scores | Mail Michael

Nearly 20 minutes to go but the Allianz Arena is absolutely rocking, and has been for over an hour, with Bayern’s ultras getting into the stadium nice and early. They have already announced plans for tifos as the teams come out for kick-off, so we’ll keep you updated on that.

Is Manuel Neuer the greatest goalkeeper of all time? Probably not, that honour is still with Lev Yashin (I think), but the German is (for me) a comfortable second. Neuer made nine saves in the first leg of this tie – two of them were stunning stops – and proved again that he is still one of the best goalkeepers in the world at the age of 40. Other keepers have played into their forties, but it has felt like something of a gimmick. Neuer is still playing at the highest level because he’s simply too good to leave out.

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