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Vance heads to Pakistan for Iran talks as Israeli assault on Lebanon tests truce
US Vice President JD Vance sets off on Friday for Pakistan to lead mediated talks with Iran in a bid to find a resolution to the war as massive Israeli strikes on Lebanon this week tested a fragile US-Iran ceasefire. Meanwhile Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has authorised direct negotiations with Lebanon that are expected in Washington next week. The talks will be overseen by US Vice President JD Vance, envoy Steve Witkoff, and President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner. France 24, April 10

US prepares to punish Nato states for Iran rift
Britain has been told by the Trump ­administration that it will be audited along with other Nato members to ­decide which should be punished for disappointing the president during the war in Iran, The Times understands. The UK is also facing pressure along with Nato allies to step up military support to secure the Strait of Hormuz, and there will be consequences for those countries that fail to assist. The growing pressure from Washington comes as Sir Keir Starmer voiced his strongest criticism yet of President Trump, saying he was “fed up” with the effect the US leader’s ­actions had on pushing up energy bills for households and businesses. The two men spoke by phone last night about “the need for a practical plan to get shipping moving again as quickly as possible” through the strait. Trump’s plans to punish and reward Nato members are under discussion but one option is to move US troops out of countries deemed to be less supportive, in both a military and economic blow to the host nation. The Times, April 9

North Sea oil prices hit record high as Iran keeps hold over Strait of Hormuz
A rush among European and Asian refineries to secure oil cargoes has pushed North Sea prices to a record high as Iran’s stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz triggers fresh angst in the market. Forties Blend, a marker for oil for immediate delivery, hit almost $147 a barrel on Thursday, above the highs reached on the eve of the 2008 financial crisis as traders scrap for oil cargoes to replace huge volumes now trapped in the Gulf, according to LSEG data. The physical barrels from the North Sea were trading far above the roughly $97 price of Brent, the international benchmark, for delivery in June - another sign of fear of shortages in the oil market. The rush to secure cargoes was so intense it disrupted a vital pillar of the oil market. Traders said they were unable to buy Brent contracts for difference - which track the gap in prices between barrels for immediate delivery and for future delivery - for next week after the prices for the CFDs exceeded $30 a barrel, breaching the Intercontinental Exchange’s threshold. ICE is the main bourse for European oil trading. Financial Times, April 10

Google, Meta, Snap and Microsoft slam EU over child sexual abuse law lapse
The European parliament has blocked the extension of a law that permits big tech firms to scan for child sexual exploitation on their platforms, creating a legal gap that child safety experts say will lead to crimes going undetected. The law, which was a carve-out of the EU Privacy Act, was put in place in 2021 as a temporary measure allowing companies to use automated detection technologies to scan messages for harms, including child sexual abuse material (CSAM), grooming and sextortion. However, it expired on 3 April, and the EU parliament decided not to vote to extend it, amid privacy concerns from some lawmakers. The regulatory gap has created uncertainty for big tech companies, because while scanning for harms on their platforms is now illegal, they remain liable to remove any illegal content hosted on their platforms under a different law, the Digital Services Act. Google, Meta, Snap and Microsoft said they would continue to voluntarily scan their platforms for CSAM, in a joint statement posted on a Google blog … The European parliament said in a statement that it was prioritizing its work on legislation to prevent and combat child sexual abuse online, and that negotiations on a permanent legal framework were ongoing, though the body offered no timeline for agreements or implementation. The Guardian, April 10

EU fingerprint and photo travel rules come into force
The EU's new digital border system which requires fingerprints and photos alongside a passport scan is set to be fully operational from Friday. This was the deadline for the Entry/Exit System or EES, to be active at every Schengen border crossing point in all 29 participating countries. The system began being gradually introduced from October to strengthen security and ultimately make travel smoother, though due to some hiccups, not every point will be fully rolling it out. There have been long queues at some European airports and warnings that delays could be worse during busy holiday periods. EES is a digital system designed to keep track of when non-EU citizens - including those from the UK - enter and leave the Schengen Area. This covers 29 European countries - mainly in the EU - which people can travel across without border controls. BBC news, April 10

Adidas set to lose Champions League ball contract to Nike after 25 years
Nike is set to win the race to make and sponsor the match ball for the Uefa Champions League, ending the 25-year reign of Adidas as supplier to Europe’s elite club football competition. The US group has entered exclusive talks to provide balls for all Uefa men’s club competitions from 2027 to 2031 including the second and third-tier Europa League and Conference League, the body responsible for generating revenues from Uefa tournaments said on Thursday. The value of the deal across the competitions is expected to rise substantially - one person with knowledge of the process said it could roughly double to more than €40mn a year. Nike’s deal marks a blow for Adidas, which has held the rights to provide the Champions League match ball since 2001, with its “starball” design now synonymous with the tournament. Financial Times, April 9

Hizbollah attacks Israel after wave of strikes on Lebanon
Hizbollah has launched strikes on Israel, according to a statement published by the group’s media arm. The Iran-backed militia said the attacks early on Thursday were a response to what it called Israel’s violation of the two-week ceasefire agreement in the Iran war. The US and Israel have said Lebanon is not part of the truce, a point Tehran disputes. Shortly after the ceasefire was announced, Israel on Wednesday launched its largest wave of strikes on Lebanon since it resumed fighting with the militant group last month. Israel said it hit more than 100 sites linked to Hizbollah. Financial Times, April 9

Middle East ceasefire threatens to unravel as Israel assaults Lebanon and Iran blocks oil tankers
The fate of the two-week ceasefire in the Iran conflict looked in peril on Wednesday as both sides gave divergent versions of what had been agreed, Israel intensified its bombing campaign in Lebanon and Iran halted the passage of oil tankers because of an alleged Israeli ceasefire breach. Iran and Pakistan, which brokered the 11th-hour truce, both asserted that the ceasefire included Lebanon. Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, disagreed and Israeli forces unleashed their heaviest attack of the war so far on more than 100 targets, killing at least 254 people. Donald Trump, after initially remaining silent, said Lebanon was “a separate skirmish” and not part of the deal. The scale of Israel’s attacks on Wednesday was condemned as “horrific” by UN rights chief Volker Turk. The Guardian, April 8

Trump criticises Nato as alliance chief describes meeting as 'very frank'
Donald Trump has again attacked Nato for not supporting the US in the Iran war, following a private meeting with its Secretary General Mark Rutte at the White House. In a post shared on Truth Social after the meeting, the US President said: "NATO WASN'T THERE WHEN WE NEEDED THEM, AND THEY WON'T BE THERE IF WE NEED THEM AGAIN." Meanwhile, Rutte has described his meeting to CNN with Trump as "very frank" and "very open", despite clear disagreements. Ahead of the talks on Wednesday, Trump had toyed with the idea of quitting the trans-Atlantic military alliance after several Nato countries resisted his calls to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz to ease rising global oil prices. The White House did not disclose details of the talk. BBC news, April 9

EU will still be hit by ‘stagflationary shock’, Brussels warns
The EU will still be hit by a “stagflationary shock” of low growth and rising inflation despite the US and Iran agreeing a two-week ceasefire, the bloc’s top economic official has warned. EU economy commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis said the European Commission is preparing to cut its growth forecast for this year as the fallout from the Middle East conflict remains highly uncertain. “It’s certainly a welcome step towards de-escalation and is also expected to bring relief as regards the energy crisis,” Dombrovskis said of the ceasefire in an interview with the FT. But he warned that “on the economic impact of war in Iran, of course, it’s still subject to high uncertainty” and it is “clear that we are facing a stagflationary shock”. The Commission will update its official GDP forecast in May. Before the conflict began, it had forecast EU growth to remain at 1.4 per cent this year and 1.5 per cent in 2027, with inflation slightly above 2 per cent this year and next. Financial Times, April 9

Argentine MPs approve Milei-backed bill to allow mining in glaciers
Argentine MPs approved a bill early on Thursday promoted by President Javier Milei that authorises mining in ecologically sensitive areas of glaciers and permafrost, and has outraged environmentalists. The amendment to the so-called Glacier Law, which was already approved by the Senate in February, would make it easier to mine for metals such as copper, lithium and silver in frozen parts of the Andes mountains. The Chamber of Deputies, Argentina's lower house of Congress, approved the amendment with 137 votes in favour, 111 against and three abstenations after nearly 12 hours of debate. The law takes effect once it is published in ‌the official gazette. Environmentalists say the reforms will weaken protections for crucial water sources. Thousands of people took part in a demonstration on Wednesday afternoon outside parliament, marked by isolated skirmishes with police. France 24, April 9

France rejects British offer to intercept and return small boats
The French government has rejected a proposal from Shabana Mahmood to deploy British Border Force vessels to intercept small boats and return them to France. The home secretary put forward the option as part of negotiations to renew the multimillion-pound migrant patrol deal during an impasse in talks as the two sides cannot agree new terms. More than a hundred migrants are believed to have crossed the Channel on Wednesday, which would take the total arrivals this year to more than 5,000, as smugglers took advantage of warmer weather and calmer maritime conditions. There are fears of a surge in crossings this summer if France and the UK fail to agree new terms on funding French beach patrols. During the talks British negotiators proposed to deploy assets from its fleet of six 42-metre Border Force cutters and five commercial transfer vessels from its Border Security Command, in addition to rigid inflatable boats in French waters. The Times, April 8