Oil price slides as US and Iran pause fire; cancer treatments help AstraZeneca beat profit forecasts – business live

• Express.co.uk is providing breaking international news coverage across the US, Europe, China, and Africa. • Recent reports highlight the geopolitical strategies of Donald Trump and the Iranian government's crackdown on political opponents.

• President Trump is struggling to find a strategic exit from the conflict with Iran, despite possessing significant military power. • The situation has revealed limits to the president's perceived power, leading to increased frustration and erratic behavior.

• On February 28, 2026, American and Israeli air forces conducted nearly 900 strikes against Iran, resulting in the death of the Iranian Supreme Leader. • In immediate retaliation for the strikes, Tehran closed the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global maritime chokepoint for oil transport.

The royal commission into antisemitism and social cohesion is this week examining security arrangements for the Jewish communityThe deputy commissioner of New South Wales Police has pushed back at calls for the private security sector to be armed at Jewish events.The royal commission into antisemitism and social cohesion has been examining security arrangements for the Jewish community in this block of hearings, with some witnesses lobbying for the Community Security Group (CSG) to be armed in the wake of the Bondi terror attack. Continue reading...

Wind and record-breaking heat are fuelling the continent’s explosive fire season, with Spain and France among worst hitExplainer: what is a ‘fire cloud’, and how have they worsened wildfires in Europe?A combination of an unusually wet winter, very low rainfall since spring and repeated record-breaking summer heatwaves is likely to explain why wildfires have ignited, spread and resisted control so readily across France and Spain in recent days.About 90% of wildfires are started by human activity, typically igniting “fine fuels” such as vegetation grass, pine needles, litter and twigs. And recent weather has almost certainly made ignition far easier. Drought in western Europe has turned this vegetation – which normally dries after only a few hours of heat and low rainfall – into tinder. Continue reading...

Government move follows months of drought and crop failures in Karamoja, with 1.5m people facing malnutritionUganda has launched emergency food relief distribution after at least 19 deaths from hunger were reported in an area of prolonged drought in the east of the country.A crisis has been building in the Karamoja region of Uganda as crops have failed without the season’s expected rains, leaving the region’s 1.5 million people facing acute food shortages and rising malnutrition. Continue reading...

Charlie Verco, who rescued Leah Stewart in June, is ‘stoked’ to claim his fourth championship in HawaiiThe Australian paddleboarder Charlie Verco has claimed his fourth world championship in Hawaii in record time – weeks after he rescued a Sydney woman who was attacked by a great white shark.The 25-year-old crossed the line in the gruelling 52km Molokai to Oahu Paddleboard race in 4 hours, 18 minutes and 3 seconds on Sunday, eclipsing the previous mark set by fellow Australian Matt Bevilacqua in 2019 by three minutes. Continue reading...

Challenges vary from poor transport links to high numbers of people flocking to the area looking for workWhen 19-year-old Dejanae set her online job search criteria for the local area, she was shocked at how few options came back. She studied animal science in college but is struggling to find work in the West Midlands.“It’s hard. You put Dudley, but it’s mainly jobs outside Dudley that come up because there just isn’t much here,” she said. “Even jobs in Birmingham (10 miles away) are difficult because I’m two hours away on a bus, so they don’t even want to consider me.” Continue reading...

Federal government touts emergency warning alert test as a success and says no approach works 100% of the timeA blaring emergency warning alert Australians had been warned about was anti-climactic for some – and totally missed by others.Almost every phone in the country, alongside some smartwatches and tablets, was supposed to let off a loud noise at about 2pm AEST and receive a pop-up notification with the text “TEST MESSAGE” and “NO ACTION IS REQUIRED”. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Lawsuit filed on behalf of seven protesters alleges ban amounts to ‘a direct, content-based restriction’ on speech, effectively targeting pro-Palestine movementFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA group of pro-Palestine protesters have launched a high court challenge to a Queensland law banning the slogan “from the river to the sea”, arguing that it amounts to a discriminatory and unconstitutional infringement on free speech.The controversial laws, which also ban the expression “globalise the intifada”, were passed by the state’s Liberal National party government in response to December’s Bondi terrorist attack. Continue reading...

So-called ‘Reformers’ hosted recruitment functions with speakers including Tony Abbott and Alan JonesFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastSenior politicians in the New South Wales Liberal party supported the work of a group of young conservative power brokers who sought to take control of the party and move it towards the right, the corruption watchdog has heard.The Independent Commission Against Corruption (Icac) began its Operation Rosny hearings into allegations of corruption against people associated with the NSW Liberal party on Monday. Continue reading...