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Crispin Odey, a 67-year-old hedge fund tycoon, appeared in a London courtroom on the first day of a three-week trial to challenge the Financial Conduct Authority's (FCA) decision to ban him from the UK's financial services industry. The ban was imposed due to allegations of sexual harassment made by several women. Odey testified that he did not recall cornering a female employee after a boozy lunch and saying to her 'I could attack you now'. However, the employee's diary entry, dated January 24, 2020, confirmed the incident, stating: 'Comes back from boozy lunch and corners me in the corridor. Him: I could attack you now. Me: Please don’t. Him: You could sue me for that.' Odey admitted to having groped a colleague's breasts without her consent in 2005, which he attributed to being under sedatives after root canal treatment. He claimed the woman accepted his apology and continued to work for the firm for another eight years. The FCA alleges that Odey showed a 'lack of integrity' by attempting to frustrate an investigation into allegations of sexual harassment. Odey denied these allegations, stating that he had attempted to have the FCA rule on whether he was fit and proper first. Odey is also facing a £79m libel lawsuit against the Financial Times and civil personal injury claims by five women, including one who accused him of rape. The hearing continues.

Orlando City SC has officially signed Antoine Griezmann, the renowned French attacker from Atlético Madrid, in a landmark deal that marks a significant moment for the club, the city, and Major League Soccer (MLS). The 35-year-old Griezmann has agreed to a contract that runs from July 2026 through the 2027-28 season, with an option for the 2028-29 season. While financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed, Griezmann's arrival is seen as a major coup for Orlando City, reflecting the club's ambition and commitment to building a championship-caliber roster. Mark Wilf, team owner and chair of Orlando City, expressed his excitement about Griezmann's signing, highlighting his status as one of the most gifted and influential players of his generation. Wilf emphasized that Griezmann's decision to join Orlando City underscores the club's mission and culture, as well as its focus on consistently competing at a high level. Griezmann will join Orlando City as a designated player when the MLS secondary transfer window opens in July, pending medical clearance and the receipt of his international paperwork. He will be part of a team that has had a challenging start to the 2026 season, with four losses in their first five games, leading to the sacking of head coach Óscar Pareja in March. The French attacker expressed his enthusiasm for this new chapter in his career, citing the strong ambition and clear vision of Orlando City. Griezmann, who has 211 goals across all competitions for Atlético Madrid, is the club's all-time leading scorer. He has also had a distinguished career with 298 goals and 132 assists in 792 professional appearances in Spain. Griezmann's move to Orlando City sets him up for a new challenge in MLS, where he will be part of a growing rivalry with Lionel Messi's Inter Miami. His addition is expected to bring leadership, creativity, and a winning mentality to the team, making this a statement signing for the club and its ownership group.

England cricketer Ben Duckett has made a significant decision to pull out of the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) to focus on his career with the England Test team. Duckett was signed by Delhi Capitals at the IPL auction in December for a substantial £200,000, but he has now withdrawn from the tournament. The decision comes after a combination of a poor Ashes series, where he played all five Tests with a highest score of 42, and heavy travel following his reserve duties at the recent T20 World Cup. Duckett believes that playing for Nottinghamshire will help him regain his form and secure his place in the England team. “It was a very difficult decision, and I want to apologise to everyone at Delhi that I won’t be coming,” Duckett told the Telegraph. “I’ve spent a lot of time away from home in different places, and it felt like the best thing for me to do to be ready to play for England is to be here right now, at home, refreshing my mind and body.” Under IPL rules, players who withdraw from the tournament for reasons other than injury face a three-year ban. Duckett follows in the footsteps of Harry Brook, who also signed for Delhi in 2025 before pulling out to prioritise his England career. Duckett’s recent performances have been under scrutiny, particularly after a video of him drunk on a night out during the team’s mid-tour break in Noosa was published on social media. He has since apologised for the incident, acknowledging that it was unprofessional. The England team is currently under pressure to refresh its lineup after the Ashes defeat. While Duckett’s opening partner, Zak Crawley, may be the likelier to make way for a newcomer, Duckett has shown promise since his return to the Test team in 2022, averaging 42 with six centuries.

The 2026 Bafta TV award nominations have been announced, with Adolescence, Jack Thorne's groundbreaking drama about a teen accused of murder, leading the pack with 11 nominations. The Netflix psychological crime drama, described by the Guardian as “the closest thing to TV perfection in decades,” has garnered significant attention, including the first Bafta TV performance nominations for supporting actor and actress awards for four of its stars: Ashley Walters, Christine Tremarco, Erin Doherty, and Owen Cooper.Created by Thorne and Stephen Graham, and directed by Philip Barantini, the drama was also nominated for Bafta’s Memorable Moment award for the scene where Jamie snaps at the psychologist. Jane Millichip, CEO of Bafta, praised the diversity and originality of British storytelling, highlighting 124 nominated programmes.First-time nominees include Ellis Howard (What It Feels Like for a Girl) and James Nelson-Joyce (This City is Ours) for best leading actor, as well as best leading actress nominee Narges Rashidi (Prisoner 951). Nine-year-old Rafael Mathé also received his first Bafta nod for best supporting actor in The Death of Bunny Munro, alongside Owen Cooper for Adolescence.A Thousand Blows, a historical drama series created by Steven Knight, received seven nominations, including drama series, leading actress, and costume design. Andor, a politically charged thriller, and Trespasses, an adaptation of Louise Kennedy’s novel, both received six nominations. The Celebrity Traitors received five nominations for presenter Claudia Winkleman and performances.The BBC received the most nominations for a broadcaster, with 73, followed by Netflix and Sky with 28 nominations and Channel 4 with 25. The 2026 TV Baftas will take place on Sunday, May 10, 2026, hosted by Greg Davies.

The United States' top intelligence official has identified Pakistan as one of five countries, alongside Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran, whose advancing missile capabilities could eventually pose a threat to US territory. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard presented the 2026 Annual Threat Assessment before the Senate Intelligence Committee, highlighting that these countries are developing novel missile delivery systems with nuclear and conventional payloads that could reach the US homeland.Gabbard specifically noted that Pakistan's long-range ballistic missile development potentially includes Inter-Continental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) with a range capable of striking the US. The written assessment also flagged Pakistan across multiple threat categories, including missile technology and weapons of mass destruction.However, experts and Pakistani officials have pushed back against these claims. Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman, Tahir Andrabi, stated that Pakistan's strategic capabilities are 'exclusively defensive' and aimed at safeguarding national sovereignty and maintaining peace in South Asia. Experts also point out that Pakistan's longest-range operational missile, the Shaheen-III, has an estimated range of 2,750km, which is not sufficient to reach the US.The assessment has sparked a debate over intent, with some US officials suggesting that Pakistan might be developing missiles to deter Washington from intervening in a future India-Pakistan conflict. However, Pakistani analysts argue that Pakistan's deterrence posture is India-centric and not aimed at projecting power globally.The issue comes at a complex moment in US-Pakistan relations, which have undergone a diplomatic reset over the past year. US President Donald Trump has praised Pakistan's army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, and has been involved in brokering a ceasefire between India and Pakistan. The situation highlights the intricate dynamics at play in South Asia and the ongoing challenges in the region.

The fate of seven Iranian women's football players seeking asylum in Australia has sparked controversy, with critics arguing that politics trumped concern for their welfare. The drama unfolded during the Women's Asian Cup, where the Iranian team played amid a backdrop of political tension between Iran, Australia, and the US.Initially, seven players accepted asylum in Australia, but five changed their minds within days and returned to Iran for undisclosed reasons. Critics argue that the outcome might have been different had the women been provided with independent legal advice earlier and the process not been so rushed.Refugee advocates, including Graham Thom of the Refugee Council of Australia, expressed concerns that the Australian government's media strategy may have put the women at risk. Iran has claimed victory in the public relations battle, with the women who returned home being welcomed back with a ceremony.Experts, including Kylie Moore-Gilbert, a political scientist at Macquarie University, suggest that the publicity surrounding the asylum requests may have overshadowed the women's welfare. The incident has raised questions about Australia's strategy in dealing with asylum seekers and the potential consequences for those seeking refuge.

The Iranian women's football team was given a hero's welcome in Tehran on Thursday after returning from the Asian Cup in Australia, where some players had sought asylum. The team, including captain Zahra Ghanbari, was greeted by several thousand people in Valiasr Square, waving Iranian flags and cheering.Earlier this month, six players and one backroom staff member sought asylum in Australia, prompting criticism from hardliners in Iran for not singing the national anthem before their first match. However, five of them later changed their minds and returned home with the rest of the team.Activists accused Iranian authorities of pressuring the players' families, including summoning their parents for interrogation, while Tehran alleged that Australia sought to force the athletes to defect. Iranian football federation President Mehdi Taj said on stage, “These athletes are loyal to the homeland, flag, leader and revolution.”The welcome ceremony featured a giant billboard with the slogan “My Choice. My Homeland” and a screen projecting AI-generated images of the players pledging loyalty to the Iranian flag. The team also sang the national anthem, a central feature of the ceremony.Two squad members remain in Australia, but the rest of the team, including the five who initially applied for asylum, arrived in Iran on Wednesday after a long journey home via Malaysia, Oman, and Turkiye. Iranian government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani told the team, “All Iranians were waiting for you; welcome to Iran.”

Oil prices are continuing to rise as markets see no end in sight to the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The critical waterway, which usually transports about one-fifth of the global oil supply, has been brought to a standstill by Iran in retaliation for US and Israeli strikes on the country.Brent crude, the most important benchmark for global prices, rose as much as 3 percent on Sunday to top $106 a barrel, before easing slightly early on Monday to $104.63 a barrel, up nearly 1.5 percent. This represents a more than 40 percent increase in global oil prices since the start of the war.US President Donald Trump has called on other countries to help Washington reopen the Strait, but his proposal has received a muted response. None of the countries he appealed to by name – including China, Japan, France, and the UK – have publicly committed to deploying their navies to secure the strait. Japan and Australia have both stated they have no plans to send ships to the critical waterway.The closure of the strait has resulted in what the International Energy Agency has called the largest disruption to global energy supplies in history. According to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) centre, no more than five ships have passed through the strait each day since the start of the war, compared with a historical average of 138 daily transits. At least 16 commercial vessels have been attacked in the region since the war began on February 28.Trump has repeatedly stated he is willing to deploy the US Navy to escort commercial shipping through the strait if necessary. However, Trump administration officials have said that warships will not be deployed to the waterway until Tehran's military capacity has been further degraded.

Iran has started to permit a limited but increasing number of commercial vessels to transit the Strait of Hormuz, as indicated by ship tracking data. On Monday, eight non-Iranian flagged vessels were detected in the strategic waterway. This represents a notable increase, with MarineTraffic recording nine transits on Monday and Sunday, compared to just five over the preceding two days. According to Michelle Wiese Bockmann, an analyst at Windward, the growing number of ships rerouting via Iran's territorial waters suggests that Tehran is granting 'permission-based transits to friendly countries.' The Strait of Hormuz, a critical passage that normally carries about one-fifth of global oil supplies, has seen traffic plummet by more than 95 percent since the onset of the conflict between the US, Israel, and Iran. This drastic reduction has led to a surge in oil prices, which have risen above $100 per barrel, an increase of over 40 percent. Iranian officials have issued mixed messages regarding the strait's status. Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs Abbas Araghchi stated that the strait was 'open, but closed to our enemies'. Conversely, a spokesperson for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) warned earlier in the month that any ship attempting passage would be set ablaze. The situation has drawn international attention, with US President Donald Trump asserting that Washington does not require other countries' assistance to secure shipping traffic through the strait. Meanwhile, the US military reported dropping bunker buster bombs on 'hardened' Iranian missile sites located near the strait, citing the risk these posed to international shipping.