**Oil prices surging above $100 a barrel, considerations for US ground forces deployment in Iran, and warnings of acid rain in Tehran underscore the escalating Middle East conflict's profound effects on global energy markets, food production through fertilizer costs, and regional stability**.

• Oil Prices Surge Above $100 a Barrel for the First Time in Almost Four Years — The New York Times Business -
• Oil surges past $100 a barrel for the first time in four years — Financial Times -
• Trump raises the stakes in Iran by weighing deployment of US ground forces — Financial Times -

• Opinion | How America’s Oil and Gas Dominance Has Weakened Iran — Wall Street Journal -
• Energy Secretary Says Tankers Could Start Moving Soon — The New York Times Business -
• Yvette Cooper defends UK’s ‘cool-headed approach’ on Iran after Trump criticism — Financial Times -
• Economic reports to be overshadowed by escalating Iran war — Financial Times -
• Gas Prices Continue to Surge in U.S., Rising 14% in a Week — The New York Times Business -
• Iran crisis stokes fears among UK farmers over higher fertiliser costs — Financial Times -
• Tehran residents warned of acid rain after oil storage attack — Financial Times -
• The Knicks Are Undervalued. Fixing That Will Be Harder Than Winning a Championship. — Wall Street Journal -
• The guards rise again: the force still shaping Iran — Financial Times -
• ‘It’s our moment’: rival exiles lobby the US to lead Iran after the war — Financial Times -
• China signals it wants a Trump visit despite Iran war — Financial Times -
• Gulf businesses buy up political violence insurance as conflict spreads — Financial Times -
• America chose this war — and must now choose how to end it — Financial Times -
• The hunt for Iran’s ballistic missile crews — Financial Times -
• War in the Middle East Threatens Global Food Production — The New York Times Business -

Mojtaba Khamenei becoming Iran's supreme leader, Germany's ruling party facing narrow defeat in a regional election, and a rapper-turned-politician sweeping to victory in Nepal highlight dynamic international developments, alongside domestic US debates on the Equal Time Rule's obsolescence and California's plan to tax billionaires.

• FirstFT: Iran picks Khamenei’s son as supreme leader — Financial Times -
• German chancellor’s party heads for narrow defeat in key regional election — Financial Times -
• Opinion | The Equal Time Rule Was Obsolete in 1927 — Wall Street Journal -

• Ali Khamenei’s son Mojtaba becomes Iran’s supreme leader — Financial Times -
• Rapper-turned-politician sweeps to victory in Nepal — Financial Times -
• Switzerland votes to end ‘marriage penalty’ in historic tax referendum — Financial Times -
• Latin America’s lithium triangle is now in the hands of the right — Financial Times -
• This Law Enforcer Is Rewriting the Playbook for Policing Companies in Trump 2.0 — Wall Street Journal -
• Why California’s plan to tax billionaires is misguided — Financial Times -
• Liberals should be less shy about saying what they stand for — Financial Times -

Activist Starboard taking a big stake in Lamb Weston, Phillips 66 changing its board to avoid a proxy battle, and KKR eyeing a multibillion-dollar sale of a data center cooling company reveal significant corporate finance movements, while investors scaling back bets on Fed rate cuts reflects shifting macroeconomics and Samsung seeking AI deals shapes the tech business landscape.

• Activist Starboard Takes Big Stake in French-Fry Maker Lamb Weston — Wall Street Journal -
• Phillips 66 changes board to avoid new proxy battle with Elliott — Financial Times -
• Opinion | Abandoned Mines Can Become Data Centers — Wall Street Journal -

• Opinion | The President’s LNG Moves Put America Last — Wall Street Journal -
• Europe’s impotence extends to energy — Financial Times -
• Will US inflation change the outlook for interest rates? — Financial Times -
• Investors scale back bets on Fed rate cuts — Financial Times -
• KKR eyes multibillion-dollar sale of data centre cooling company — Financial Times -
• A Crypto Coin Is Gobbling Up U.S. Treasuries — The New York Times Business -
• Samsung seeks AI deals to challenge Apple’s smartphone lead — Financial Times -

Pixar's 'Hoppers' ending its box office cold streak, a new generation of mall rats boosting retail recovery, and officials having an eye on Montana license plates in California illustrate evolving consumer behavior and entertainment trends, alongside accusations of past physical abuse at Noma and discussions on ending the grim march of the touchscreen.

• Muscat airport limits private jet flights as wealthy leave the Gulf — Financial Times -
• Have a Montana License Plate in California? Officials Have an Eye on You. — The New York Times Business -
• ‘Hoppers’ Ends Pixar’s Box Office Cold Streak for Originals — The New York Times Business -

• ‘Hoppers’ Scores Pixar’s Biggest Original Animated Opening in Years — Wall Street Journal -
• At Noma, Accusations of Past Physical Abuse — The New York Times Business -
• Should we aim for a frictionless world? — Financial Times -
• Women Wanted: Kalshi Pushes to Expand Far Beyond Sport Bets — Wall Street Journal -
• A New Generation of Mall Rats Has Arrived — Wall Street Journal -
• 24 Hours With Nike’s C.E.O. as He Races to Win Back the Sports World — The New York Times Business -
• A Wink, a Nod or a Duck: The Secrets Behind Car Owners’ Secret Handshakes — The New York Times Business -
• Why it’s time to end the grim march of the touchscreen — Financial Times -
• Geopolitical hit to travel is ‘temporary’, says CEO of world’s largest visa processor — Financial Times -
• Crackdown on overseas students delivers blow to London campus — Financial Times -
• The ‘economic heroes’ driving Indonesia — Financial Times -
• The Brazilian seaside city in the grip of drug gangs — Financial Times -