Plus, EV sales soar in Europe as drivers shun expensive petrol.

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Daily Briefing

Daily Briefing

By Claire Beers

Hello. The world awaits the fate of a ceasefire after the US seizes an Iranian ship, UK's Starmer faces parliament over Mandelson vetting and Europeans shun expensive petrol, sending EV sales soaring.

Plus, British royals to mark what would have been late queen's 100th birthday. 

Today's Top News

 

A view of an Iranian-flagged cargo ship as the US Navy Arleigh Burke-class Aegis guided missile destroyer USS Spruance conducts its interception. REUTERS/CENTCOM 

War in Iran

  • Concerns have grown that the ceasefire between the US and Iran might not hold after the US said it had seized an Iranian cargo ship that tried to ‌run its blockade and Iran vowed to retaliate.
  • Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said that every rational and diplomatic path should be used to reduce ‌tensions, but added that vigilance and distrust in interactions with the US were an "undeniable necessity".
  • Follow our live page for the latest updates throughout the day. 

In other news

  • A gunman killed seven of his ‌children and an eighth minor in a domestic violence incident in Louisiana, before police fatally shot him during a vehicle chase.
  • British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will address parliament over his handling of the appointment of Peter ‌Mandelson as US ambassador after it emerged he had failed a vetting process.
  • Pro-Russian former President Rumen Radev is set for a runaway victory in Bulgaria's election, potentially ending years of weak coalition governments and sidelining long-dominant political ‌forces.
  • Pope Leo sought to downplay his feud with US President Donald Trump, saying reporting about comments he has made so far during his Africa tour "has not been accurate in all its aspects".
  • Reuters Europe editor Rachel Armstrong interviewed Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado following her rally in Madrid. Hear more on the Reuters World News podcast. 
 

Business & Markets

 
  • Oil prices jumped more than 6% on fears that the US-Iran ceasefire could collapse.
  • Sales of fully electric cars in Europe's main auto markets jumped by almost a third, as drivers looked for alternatives to combustion engines after the war in Iran ‌caused the highest spike in petrol prices in years.
  • Major Asian airlines have reported surging demand on European routes as travelers shun disrupted Middle Eastern hubs, in ‌a shift analysts suggest could persist for some time even after the Iran conflict ends.
  • South Korean President Lee Jae Myung heads into talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra ‌Modi in New Delhi, aiming for a big boost in economic cooperation. 
  • The reusable booster of the New Glenn rocket launched from Florida by Jeff Bezos' company Blue Origin touched down successfully but the rocket failed to deploy the AST SpaceMobile communications satellite it was carrying into the correct orbit.
 

Inside Lebanon: A journalist's perspective

 

Smoke rises on the Lebanese side of the Israel-Lebanon border. REUTERS/Florion Goga

Why is Lebanon always in crisis? 'If you ask a lot of Lebanese, they'll say, we don't have great neighbors.'

Beirut bureau chief Maya Gebeily discusses this complicated and dangerous moment in a country in crisis. Lebanon has endured civil war, foreign occupation, economic collapse and political paralysis. Then came the war with Israel.

Hear how Maya and her team cover the complexities of this nation in conflict settings and daily life, on Reuters On Assignment.

Listen now
 

And Finally...

A portrait of Queen Elizabeth is displayed at a bus stop following her passing. REUTERS/John Sibley

The British royals will mark what would have been the late Queen Elizabeth's 100th birthday by attending several events in the United Kingdom. Elizabeth, Britain's longest-reigning and longest-lived monarch, was born on April 21, 1926, going on to spend 70 years on the throne before her death in September 2022 at the age of 96.

Read more