British stocks higher on Friday as U.S. President Donald Trump postponed a decision on striking Iran, following a tough week marked by Middle East tensions.
Meanwhile, data showed that U.K. retail sales slumped 2.7% in May from the previous month.
 As of 1147 GMT, the blue-chip index FTSE 100 rose 0.5% and the British pound gained 0.3% against the dollar, briefly touching 1.35 mark. 
Meanwhile, DAX index in Germany gained 1.7%, the CAC 40 in France gained over 1%.  
Latest on Israel-Iran
Trump is expected to make a decision within the next two weeks on the possibility of launching a direct strike against Iran, according to the White House.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, quoting Trump during a briefing, said he would decide “within the next two weeks” whether to move forward, given the uncertain prospects for talks with Iran.
Retail sales fall in May
U.K. retail sales fell sharply by 2.7% in May, reversing the strong 1.3% growth seen in April, according to data from the Office for National Statistics released Friday.
The decline was driven largely by weaker spending at food stores, coming in below economists’ expectations.
Govt. borrowing exceeds forecasts in May
Britain’s public sector borrowing totaled £17.69 billion ($23.84 billion) in May, coming in higher than economists’ forecast of £17.1 billion, official figures showed Friday.
However, borrowing for the first two months of the fiscal year is still £2.9 billion under projections made by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR).
The current budget deficit stood at £12.8 billion in May, just under the OBR’s £13.0 billion estimate, which plays a key role in meeting the Chancellor’s fiscal goals.
U.K. watchdog probes Amazon 
U.K.’s Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA) said that it has opened a probe into Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN) over possible delays in payments to suppliers.
The inquiry will assess whether Amazon violated paragraph 5 of the Groceries Code, which bars delayed payments, between March 1, 2022, and June 20, 2025.
According to the GCA, the decision to investigate is based on credible evidence received from several sources.
DORE shares soar 22% after takeover offer from Bagnall Energy
Downing Renewables & Infrastructure Trust PLC (LON:DORE) shares jumped 22.4% after Bagnall Energy Limited unveiled a proposed all-cash acquisition valuing the company at around £174.55 million.
According to the deal, Bagnall’s subsidiary Polar Nimrod Topco Limited will offer 102.6016 pence per share for DORE shares it does not already hold , a 23.62% premium over DORE’s June 19 closing price of 83.00 pence.
Berkeley shares slide as profit falls
Shares of Berkeley Group Holdings PLC (LON:BKGH) slumped over 8% after the homebuilder reported a 5% drop in pre-tax profit to £528.9 million for FY25 and a sharp decline in forward sales to £1.4 billion from £1.7 billion.
Although the company largely met or beat expectations and reiterated its profit outlook through FY27, the dip in major performance indicators weighed on investor sentiment.
Revenue edged up to £2.49 billion from £2.46 billion, while operating profit came in at £500 million. The firm’s operating margin improved to 20.1%, and gross margin rose to 26.6% from 26.2%.