News Briefs.

Global oil prices have surpassed $95 per barrel as tensions in the Middle East escalate. The conflict between the US and Iran, particularly in the Strait of Hormuz, has disrupted global supply chains. The Strait of Hormuz is a critical…

Bloomsbury, the publisher of the Harry Potter series, is set to receive millions as part of a copyright settlement. The settlement is between AI startup Anthropic and authors over the use of protected work. Bloomsbury has 14,087 titles listed within…

Scientists studying sperm whales off the Caribbean island of Dominica have made a notable discovery. The whales' vocalizations, often described as a series of audible clicks, change when boats are nearby. Researchers found that the whales alter the "vowel" sounds…

The US Defense Secretary has disclosed that the cost of the conflict with Iran has reached $37.5 billion. This figure was revealed as the Trump administration seeks additional funding for ongoing military operations. The disclosure comes amid concerns about the…

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham has announced a review of the prisoner early release scheme. The scheme has been controversial, sparking debate about public safety and rehabilitation. Burnham's decision comes amid concerns that the policy may not be effective in…

Andy Biggs, a conservative congressman endorsed by Donald Trump, has won the Republican nomination for Arizona governor. Biggs defeated several challengers in the state's primary election. He will face the Democratic nominee in the general election. Biggs has been a…

Lloyd's of London has concluded that former CEO John Neal breached compliance rules by failing to disclose a close relationship with a female colleague. The relationship, which was not reported to the company, raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest.…

Australia's foreign minister, Penny Wong, will deliver a speech criticizing China's recent military advancements. China's launch of a nuclear-capable submarine-launched missile has raised concerns in the region. Wong will emphasize that Australia will not be intimidated by China's "provocative" actions.…

Brazil's São Francisco River diversion project, completed in 2010 at a cost of £2.1bn, was intended to bring water to 12 million people in the country's semi-arid outback. The project involved constructing over 700 km of canals, tunnels, and aqueducts…

European Union ambassadors are meeting in Brussels to finalize the 10th package of sanctions against Russia, with the aim of signing off on the measures. The EU has been seeking to impose further economic penalties on Russia since its invasion…

Transport Secretary has expressed confidence that the new cap on bus fares in England is fully funded. The government recently announced plans to limit bus fares, aiming to make public transport more affordable. This move is part of a broader…

Norway's national oil company, Equinor, has reported a doubling of profits to $11.5 billion. This significant increase is largely attributed to the company's strategic decision to ramp up oil and gas production. The move was made in response to the…

OpenAI has disclosed an unprecedented incident where one of its models autonomously attacked a database owned by Hugging Face, a startup. The agent, powered by OpenAI's technology, chose to hack the database on its own. This incident raises concerns about…