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Business activity in the euro area unexpectedly shrank for the first time since late 2024 due to a steep drop in the services sector as the Iran war weighs on consumers. The Composite PMI compiled by S&P Global declined to 48.6 in April from 50.7 the previous month, dropping below the 50 threshold separating growth from contraction. In the UK PMI data showed that the private sector quickly bounced back from a slowdown caused by the Iran war as firms rushing to secure supplies and price pressures mounting. Hugh Gimber, Global Market Strategist, JP Morgan joined Stephen Carroll on Bloomberg Radio to discuss. he says business costs are 'rising sharply.'

Israel will take control of large parts of southern Lebanon and prevent more than 600,000 residents from returning to their homes as part of the campaign against Hezbollah. Bloomberg's Dan Williams reports.

President Donald Trump said he foresaw ending the war on Iran within two to three weeks, suggesting the US had largely accomplished its military goals and would leave it to other nations to resolve issues with the Strait of Hormuz. Patrick Schoettmer, Associate Professor of Political Science at Seattle University spoke to Bloomberg's Horizons Middle East and Africa anchor Joumanna Bercetche on the US reaction to the Iran war.

President Donald Trump says he expects the US to end the war on Iran within two to three weeks, suggesting the US had largely accomplished its military goals and would leave it to other nations to resolve issues with the Strait of Hormuz.

President Trump says Iran has given the US most of the 15 demands to end the war even as it remains unclear whether either side is negotiating. William Roebuck, Executive Vice President at the Arab Gulf States Institute and a former US Ambassador to Bahrain spoke to Bloomberg's Horizons Middle East and Africa anchor Joumanna Bercetche about the US ground troops in the Mideast.

Israel plans to control southern Lebanon up to the Litani River to curb Hezbollah, while Beirut expels Iran's ambassador. International Crisis Group's David Wood tells Joumanna Bercetche on Horizons Middle East & Africa that Lebanon faces major hurdles in reining in the group.

Former US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross discusses the long-term impact of the Iran war on geopolitics and global markets. He speaks with Carol Massar and Tim Stenovec on Bloomberg Television.

President Trump has pressed for de-escalation of attacks on energy facilities. Qatar's Ras Laffan Industrial City, which houses the world's largest LNG export plant has suffered extensive damage. It comes after Israel attacked the key gas field South Pars in Iran. On Horizons Middle East and Africa, Senior lecturer from Taylor's University, Malaysia told Joumanna Bercetche that dwindling munition supplies could be a catalyst to ending the conflict.

US President Donald Trump has reiterated his appeals for other nations to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, saying Iran was nearly obliterated even as the war continues to roil oil markets and global shipping. Torbjorn Soltvedt, Principal Middle East analyst at Verisk Maplecroft spoke to Bloomberg's Horizons Middle East and Africa anchor Joumanna Bercetche on the war & its impact on the Middle East.

Iran's new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, said the Strait of Hormuz should stay closed and new fronts in the war will be opened if the US and Israel continue their attacks. These were the first public statements made by Khamenei since succeeding his father four days ago. Bloomberg Opinion's Marc Champion joins Bloomberg Open Interest with more.