reopening

AFTER countless delays and setbacks, an abandoned lido is finally re-opening after a year of regeneration work.

The newly-refurbished splash park in Cambridgeshire has reached its final development stages after construction began last year.

St Neots Splash Park will be located on Huntingdon Road in the medieval Cambridgeshire town, near to the popular Priory Park.

This space will replace the sealed up site of the historic St Neots Lido, which attracted swimmers for over 40 years.

Since its closure back in 2003, the space has been left abandoned, despite its appealing location.

The advancement of the project was triggered by a successful Independent Professional Playground Safety Inspection, and commencement date for the final commissioning schedule.

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This work will be followed by a “soft opening” of the park, which has been confirmed for May 2, just in time for the bank holiday.

Details for the formal opening of the splash park are not confirmed, but are expected to be announced soon.

The park’s construction has been no small feat, costing nearly £800,000 to build and requiring a £600,000 council grant.

Now, the site boasts a range of interactive features, including a leaping water arch, a hydro blast and an aqua tent, which forms a dome of water for children to play underneath.

It is also decorated with an appealing range of bright colours and LED lighting, activated using floor mounted buttons.

A spokesperson for St Neots Aquatic and Leisure said the opening will be “giving local families the first opportunity to enjoy this new inclusive outdoor play space”.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and United States President Donald Trump have said that the Strait of Hormuz is open to commercial vessels.

Araghchi declared on Friday that the strategic waterwat was “completely open” in line with the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon that took effect the previous day.

Trump affirmed on social media that the strait was open, later claiming that Iran had agreed to “never close the Strait of Hormuz again”. However, he also posted that the US naval blockade on Iranian ports would “remain in full force”.

In parallel, France and the United Kingdom hosted a meeting in Paris involving about 40 countries, which agreed to play a role in restoring freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz once the US-Israeli war on Iran stops.

The blocking of tankers from using the strait, through which about 20 percent of the world’s crude flows on a typical day, has led to a global surge in fuel prices.

World leaders have welcomed the news with cautious optimism amid mixed messages from the US and Iran:

United States

“The Strait of Hormuz is completely open and ready for business and full passage, but the naval blockade will remain in full force and effect as it pertains to Iran, only, until such time as our transaction with Iran is 100% complete,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Minutes later, he issued another post saying the US Navy’s blockade on Iranian ships and ports “will remain in full force” until Tehran reaches a deal with the US, including on its nuclear programme.

Later, Trump told the news agency AFP that a deal to end the war on Iran was “close”, saying there were “no sticking points” left between Washington and Tehran.

Iran

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted on X that the strait was “declared completely open” and would remain open for the remaining period of the 10-day Israel-Lebanon ceasefire, which took effect overnight Thursday into Friday.

Some Iranian state media reports later appeared to contradict Araghchi’s announcement, with a senior military official telling state media that only nonmilitary vessels would be allowed to transit with permission from the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy.

The Fars news agency, which is close to the IRGC, noted a “strange silence from the Supreme National Security Council”, the de facto top decision-making body in the country, as the status of the new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, remains unknown.

United Kingdom

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer cohosted a summit on a potential military mission to secure the Hormuz Strait with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Friday, with about 30 to 40 countries participating in person or by video conference.

On the sidelines, Starmer cautiously welcomed news of the strait’s reopening but said it must become “both lasting and a workable proposal”.

He said the UK and France would lead a “strictly peaceful and defensive” multinational mission to protect freedom of navigation as soon as conditions allow.

France

Speaking after the gathering, Macron said, “We all demand the full, immediate and unconditional reopening of the Strait of Hormuz by all parties.”

“We all oppose any restrictions or system of agreements that would, in effect, amount to an attempt to ⁠privatise the strait – and, of course, any toll system,” he added.

Macron’s office said roles for members of the international coalition working to reopen the strait could include “intelligence, mine-clearing capabilities, military escorts [and] communication procedures with coastal states”.

Germany

Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Germany could contribute mine clearance and intelligence capabilities to the international mission, but would need parliamentary support and a ″secure legal basis″ such as a UN Security Council resolution.

He said he wanted US involvement in the international mission to secure shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. “We believe this would be desirable,″ he said.

Trump later appeared to rebuff his overtures, saying on social media that he had received a call from NATO, but declined its assistance in no uncertain terms.

Finland

Finnish President Alexander Stubb, who participated in the Paris summit, said on X, “We welcome Iran’s announcement on opening the Strait. Lasting solutions require diplomacy,”

United Nations

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio ⁠Guterres on ⁠Friday welcomed the opening ‌of Strait of Hormuz by Iran ⁠and said ⁠it was “a ⁠step in the ⁠right ⁠direction”.

International Maritime Organisation

Arsenio Dominguez, secretary-general of the UN shipping agency said, “We are currently verifying the recent announcement related to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, in terms of its compliance with freedom of navigation for all merchant vessels and secure ‌passage.”

Shipping companies

The Norwegian Shipowners’ Association said several things had to be clarified before any ships can transit the strait, including the presence of mines, Iranian conditions and practical implementation.

“If this represents a step towards an opening, it is a welcome development,” said Knut Arild Hareide, CEO of the association, which represents 130 companies with some 1,500 vessels.

A spokesperson for Germany’s Hapag-Lloyd Shipping Company said, “We are now beginning to assess the new situation and the risks involved … For the time being, therefore, we are still refraining from passing through the strait.”

In a statement, Denmark’s Maersk said: “We have noted the announcement. The safety of our crew, vessels and customers’ cargo remains our priority. Since the outbreak of the conflict, we have followed the guidance of our security partners in the region, and the recommendation so far has been to avoid transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

“Any decision to transit the strait will be based on risk assessments and close monitoring of the security situation, with the latest developments also included in the ongoing assessments.”

Markets

Oil prices plunged after Iran’s announcement that passage for commercial vessels would remain “completely open” for the duration of a 10-day ceasefire in Lebanon.

“This news is having an immediate impact on markets,” said Kathleen Brooks, research director at XTB. “This is the biggest development so far during the ceasefire, and it gives hope that the war will end soon, and supply chains will return to some normality.”

Thousands of Muslims performed Friday prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem after it reopened to worshippers following a 40-day closure by the Israeli army that barred access to Islam’s third-holiest site after the war on Iran began.

Israeli settlers stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem shortly after it reopened following 40 days of closure.

April 8 (UPI) — Global oil prices tumbled after the United States, Israel and Iran agreed to a Pakistan-brokered two-week cease-fire deal that included reopening the Strait of Hormuz to international shipping.

The Brent crude and West Texas Intermediate benchmarks saw double-digit percentage falls following U.S. President Donald Trump‘s announcement of the breakthrough Tuesday evening, and have since stabilized, changing hands at $95.51 and $96.48 a barrel in early trade on Wednesday.

The market reacted to the prospect that oil tankers trapped in the Persian Gulf would be finally be able to transit the 21-mile-wide body of water between Iran and the UAE and Oman, easing major disruption to global supply caused by Iran’s effective blockade of the strait.

However, oil remained well above its $72 a barrel level on Feb. 27, the day before the United States and Israel unleashed their airborne offensive against Iran, amid uncertainty over the mechanism for the resumption of maritime traffic in the strait and the ongoing impact of war damage to energy infrastructure in Gulf countries.

There was also confusion over whether the cease-fire extended to Israel’s military offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon. Pakistan said it did, but Israel said it did not and that its operations would continue.

Financial markets in Europe rallied Wednesday morning, following very significant gains in Asia, where the Nikkei 225 in Tokyo ended up 5.42%, Korea’s KOSPI surged almost 7% higher and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index closed up more than 3%.

Out-of-hours futures transactions in the United States suggested equities would also rally very strongly there when stock exchanges open in a few hours.

Jay Woods, chief market strategist at Freedom Capital Markets in New York, expressed skepticism.

“It wasn’t much of a surprise that there was an announced reprieve in the Iranian conflict. The concern now is if this all too familiar ‘two-week’ timeframe is going to lead to a resolution,” said Woods.

A statement from Iran’s Supreme National Security Council posted on X by the Iranian foreign minister said safe passage of ships through Hormuz Strait would be possible for the duration of the cease-fire, but that it would have to be “via coordination with Iran’s Armed Forces.”

In a post on his Truth Social platform in the early hours of Wednesday hailing the cease-fire, Trump pledged U.S. assistance with the logistical problems.

“The United States will be helping with the traffic buildup in the Strait of Hormuz. There will be lots of positive action! Big money will be made. Iran can start the reconstruction process. We’ll be loading up with supplies of all kinds, and just ‘hangin around’ in order to make sure that everything goes well. I feel confident that it will. Just like we are experiencing in the U.S., this could be the Golden Age of the Middle East!!!” Trump wrote.

MST Marquee analyst Saul Kavonic told the BBC that while the number of ships getting through the Hormuz Strait would increase from a trickle, a return to normal levels of energy production in the region was unlikely without a permanent end to the conflict and warning that repairs to damaged infrastructure could take many months.

South Korean stocks soared by nearly 3 percent Friday, as Iran’s discussions with Oman on a protocol to monitor traffic through the Strait of Hormuz boosted hopes of easing oil supply disruptions despite heightened tensions in the Middle East. The Korean won strengthened sharply against the U.S. dollar.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) added 143.25 points, or 2.74 percent, to 5,377.30, rebounding from sharp losses in the previous session.

Trading volume was moderate at 1.12 billion shares, with a total value of 22.13 trillion won (US$14.69 billion), as gainers outnumbered losers 664 to 224.

Foreign and institutional investors bought a net 814.57 billion won and 716.93 billion won worth of shares, respectively, while individuals sold a net 2.09 trillion won worth of shares.

The rebound followed news that Tehran was drafting a protocol with Oman to monitor maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, raising hope of progress toward reopening the waterway.

The strategic waterway has effectively been shut since the outbreak of war in the Middle East in late February, driving up global oil prices due to supply disruptions.

Dozens of countries are also seeking ways to resume shipments through the Strait of Hormuz after U.S. President Donald Trump warned of an “extremely hard” attack on Iran within the next two to three weeks, while urging countries that rely on the key shipping route for energy imports to “take care of” it themselves.

“Iran has said the measure is intended to ensure safety and improve services, suggesting that the blockade of the waterway may be easing,” Seo Sang-young, a researcher at Mirae Asset Securities, said.

Top-cap shares finished mixed.

Market bellwether Samsung Electronics surged 4.37 percent to 186,200 won, while chip giant SK hynix soared 5.54 percent to 876,000 won.

Defense giant Hanwha Aerospace climbed 2.26 percent to 1,449,000 won, and artificial intelligence investment firm SK Square went up 2.88 percent to 483,000 won. Nuclear power plant builder Doosan Enerbility jumped 3.21 percent to 96,600 won.

Shipbuilders gathered ground. Local industry leader HD Hyundai Heavy spiked 9.23 percent to 479,000 won, and its rival Hanwha Ocean went up 7.29 percent to 128,000 won.

Carmakers finished mixed. Top automaker Hyundai Motor advanced 1.18 percent to 471,000 won, while its affiliate Kia fell 0.27 percent to 150,200 won.

Leading battery maker LG Energy Solution fell 1.48 percent to 398,500 won, and bio giant Samsung Biologics lost 1.96 percent to 1,554,000 won. Leading financial firm KB Financial shed 0.68 percent to 145,500 won.

The local currency was quoted at 1,505.2 won against the U.S. dollar as of 3:30 p.m., up 14.5 won from the previous session.

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