Oil could be driven over $100 a barrel by Iran conflict, analysts warn, as stock markets drop – business live

Analysts are warning that the US-Israel war with Iran could drive oil prices up to $100 a barrel.Consultancy firm Wood Mackenzie is warning that higher oil and gas prices are certain, and that oil prices could potentially exceeding $100/barrell if tanker flows through the Strait of Hormuz are not quickly restored.They say tanker traffic has been effectively halted, after Iran warned shipping away from the waterway and insurers withdrew coverage.In the current scenario, oil prices over US$100/bbl are possible if transit flows are not re-established quickly, according to Alan Gelder, SVP of Refining, Chemicals and Oil Markets at Wood Mackenzie.Gelder explains:double quotation mark“The key question is when do vessels re-establish export flows

Rolls-Royce boss ‘open’ to Germany joining UK’s fighter jet project

The boss of Rolls-Royce has said he would welcome Germany helping to build Britain’s next-generation fighter jet, arguing that it would bring in more business for the project.The aircraft, designed to replace the Eurofighter Typhoon, is a joint effort between the UK, Italy and Japan. Rolls-Royce is building the engine for the jet, which has attracted fresh attention as plans for a rival Franco-German warplane edge towards collapse.Tufan Erginbilgiç, who has run the engineering company since 2023, told the Guardian he would “definitely be open” to Germany joining the global combat aircraft programme (GCAP), also known as Tempest.“We already work with Germany … we have a big position in Dahlewitz [a Rolls-Royce factory near Berlin]

US military reportedly used Claude in Iran strikes despite Trump’s ban

The US military reportedly used Claude, Anthropic’s AI model, to inform its attack on Iran despite Donald Trump’s decision, announced hours earlier, to sever all ties with the company and its artificial intelligence tools.The use of Claude during the massive joint US-Israel bombardment of Iran that began on Saturday was reported by the Wall Street Journal and Axios. It underlines the complexity of the US military withdrawing powerful AI tools from its missions when the technology is already intricately embedded in operations.According to the Journal, US military command used the tools for intelligence purposes, as well as to help select targets and carry out battlefield simulations.On Friday, just hours before the Iran attack began, Trump ordered all federal agencies to stop using Claude immediately

Datacentre developers face calls to disclose effect on UK’s net emissions

Datacentre developers are facing pressure to reveal whether their projects will increase the UK’s net greenhouse gas emissions, amid concerns the sites could double national electricity demand.Campaign groups have written to the UK technology secretary, Liz Kendall, warning that the energy required by new AI infrastructure poses a “serious threat to efforts to decarbonise the electricity grid”.Developers should demonstrate that their projects will not cause an increase in the UK’s overall CO2 emissions or local water scarcity, as part of a forthcoming national policy statement (NPS) on datacentres, the letter says.“Without these commitments, such vast electricity use will inevitably generate vast climate emissions,” the campaigners write.The letter is signed by Foxglove, a group that campaigns against big tech dominance, and five other non-governmental organisations including the environmental campaign group Friends of the Earth

Is 14 the magic number? Promoted trio make instant Super League impact

When the Super League fixtures were released late last year, it was hard not to be drawn to this weekend. Clearly the headline attraction was Leeds Rhinos and Hull KR squaring off in Las Vegas but there was also another game that carried immense intrigue.Super League’s decision last year to expand to 14 teams was met with scepticism, to say the least. The general feeling was that there simply was not enough quality in the Championship, and with Salford Red Devils going into liquidation due to financial problems, the notion of three second‑tier teams coming up at once did not exactly scream of excitement.Which is what made this first meeting between two of those sides one to watch

Andrew Dillon reveals AFL’s Olympic-sized ambitions for Brisbane 2032

On the eve of the 2026 season, the AFL boss, Andrew Dillon, has hinted at Olympic-sized plans for the AFL while emphasising Origin and Opening Round are here to stay.Dillon was in Sydney on Monday to promote the Opening Round which includes home games for all four NSW and Queensland clubs and just one match in Victoria, a format which he says has resulted in bumper crowds for round one.“What we’ve found in the last couple of years is that focus on NSW and Queensland is helping to grow awareness in NSW and Queensland and at the same time it hasn’t taken away from our round one,” Dillon said“The last two round ones have been the two highest attended rounds we’ve ever had of over 400,000 – last year 451,000 people attended, a record for round one.”But looking slightly beyond the impending season, Dillon revealed he has grand ambitions for getting Australian rules football on to the Brisbane 2032 Olympics stage.The AFL chief said he had spoken “at a high level” about bringing Australian rules to the Olympics with Brisbane 2032 boss, Andrew Liveris