Good evening. The Middle East situation continues to dominate markets and geopolitics tonight, with Netanyahu approving direct talks with Lebanon offering some hope for regional stability. However, that optimism is tempered by growing concerns about Trump's Iran ceasefire deal, which appears increasingly fragile as Tehran tightens its grip on the Strait of Hormuz, causing shipping disruptions that rival the worst days of active conflict. The economic fallout is already baked in regardless of whether peace talks succeed, and Trump's position looks increasingly weakened by the unraveling situation.
Closer to home, there's growing talk about British voters being drawn to what analysts are calling "fed-up-niks" – people seeking confident leadership with fresh solutions rather than traditional party politics. Meanwhile, the tech world is grappling with Taiwan's chokehold on advanced semiconductor production, which sits precariously on major geopolitical fault lines and could derail the AI investment boom. In sports news, Liverpool fans will be processing the departure of Andy Robertson at season's end, while Formula 1 sees some major shake-ups with Verstappen's race engineer Lambiase making a surprise switch to McLaren.