Author: Liam Porter

Adam HancockBusiness reporter, BBC NewsGetty ImagesUS Secretary of State Marco Rubio has called on China to ensure the Strait of Hormuz remains openUS Secretary of State Marco Rubio has called on China to prevent Iran from closing the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important shipping routes.His comments came after Iran’s state-run Press TV reported that parliament had approved a plan to close the Strait but added that the final decision lies with the Supreme National Security Council. Any disruption to the supply of oil would have profound consequences for the economy. China in particular is the world’s…

There is no shortage of workflow collaboration tools, like Slack or Google Docs, in addition to industry-specific ones like GitHub for software developers. Now, a startup called AllSpice has found success with its bet that electrical hardware engineering teams need their own collaboration platform, too. AllSpice’s platform sits between existing workflow software. It allows hardware teams to collaborate on the types of documents they traditionally work in — that don’t easily translate over Slack and email — like PCB files and electronic CAD files, both of which are used to design circuit boards. Engineers can single out and comment on…

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Three years after the US supreme court overturned Roe v Wade, erasing the national right to abortion and paving the way for more than a dozen states to ban the procedure, the number of abortions performed in the US is still on the rise – including in some states that ban the procedure.US abortion providers performed 1.14m abortions in 2024, according to new data released Monday by #WeCount, a Society of Family Planning project that has tracked abortion provision since 2022. That’s the highest number on record in recent years.“We were really surprised to see the numbers go up over…

Celtic have paid tribute to Lisbon Lion John Clark, who has died at the age of 84.In more than 300 games for the club, Clark won several major honours, including four league titles.However, his greatest achievement came in 1967, when Celtic defeated Inter Milan in Lisbon to become the first British team to lift the European Cup.Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers said: “‘Greatness’ is a word people throw around, but for John Clark, it is a very fitting tribute.”John was instrumental in delivering our greatest day ever and his achievement is forever etched in Celtic’s proud history.”Clark, who made his Celtic…

Early on Sunday, the United States bombed three Iranian nuclear sites after more than a week of Israeli strikes on Tehran’s military and nuclear sites, stoking concerns about radiation leaks and contamination in Iran and neighbouring countries in the region. US President Donald Trump said the US strikes “obliterated” key nuclear enrichment facilities at Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan. So far, no increase in radiation levels has been detected outside the targeted sites. But the United Nations nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), has warned of chemical contamination inside these facilities. And experts have said that any attack on…

Victoria GillScience correspondent, BBC NewsWatch: Killer whales use kelp to ‘massage’ each otherOrcas in the North Pacific have been seen “massaging” each other – rubbing pieces of kelp between their bodies. Using drones, researchers filmed the animals selecting and biting off the kelp, then placing the tube-shaped piece of seaweed onto the back of another whale. The scientists think the massages might have a health or hygiene function, but they also believe they are a form of social bonding. The findings, published in the journal Current Biology, appear to be an example of tool use in killer whales – with…

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has described Russia, Iran and North Korea as a “coalition of murderers” during a visit to London in which he held talks with Keir Starmer on defence cooperation and how to put further pressure on Moscow.Ukraine’s president arrived in the UK on Monday, hours after the Kremlin launched another big air raid on Kyiv. It involved 352 drones – half of them were Iranian-designed Shaheds – and North Korean ballistic missiles in what Zelenskyy called “a completely cynical strike”.At least 10 people were killed and five civilian apartment blocks badly damaged. “A large number of drones and missiles…

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.Strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities will turn the spotlight on to the tools of war — and particularly those with a high-tech bent. Investors are getting on board: a €600mn investment in Germany’s Helsing announced last week values the artificial intelligence software-to-drones group at €12bn. Shares in Palantir, a data-crunching US company that serves the Pentagon, are up more than 80 per cent this year; its $325bn market capitalisation is quadruple that of BAE Systems.Some content could not load. Check your internet…