Trump steps up pressure on European allies to help protect strait of Hormuz

• President Trump demanded on March 15 that NATO and allied nations help secure the Strait of Hormuz with military vessels, warning that NATO could face a "very bad future" if allies refuse to assist in keeping the critical waterway open. • Trump warned that the US "will remember" countries that do not contribute to securing the strait, applying diplomatic pressure to allies amid escalating military tensions in the Middle East and warnings of potential sanctions waivers if the conflict prolongs. • The demand reflects Trump's strategy of leveraging the energy crisis and geopolitical instability created by the Iran conflict to mobilize international support for US-led efforts to maintain global shipping routes.

• Mohammad Nazeer Paktyawal, a 41-year-old Afghan immigrant who aided US forces, died on March 14 in ICE custody less than 24 hours after arrest outside his Dallas-area home while taking his six children to school. • Paktyawal's asylum case was pending; his death marks the 12th in ICE detention this year under Trump's mass deportation policy, following 31 deaths in 2025, the highest in two decades. • AfghanEvac president Shawn VanDiver highlighted the tragedy, criticizing ICE's role in Trump's immigration crackdown amid rising detention fatalities.

• A rocket attack struck Baghdad International Airport on Sunday, which houses a US diplomatic facility, wounding five people according to Iraqi authorities. • The attack represents continued escalation in regional tensions amid the broader US-Israeli conflict with Iran. • The incident underscores the expanding scope of the Middle East crisis beyond direct US-Iran military engagement into broader attacks on US diplomatic and military infrastructure in Iraq.

• President Trump issued a stark warning to NATO allies on March 16, stating they face a "very bad future" if they do not assist in reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global shipping route. • The warning came as the US and Israel work to secure the strategic waterway, which has been disrupted by the ongoing conflict with Iran. • Trump's ultimatum reflects growing pressure on international allies to support US-led efforts to restore normal shipping operations and stabilize global energy markets.

Latest effort involves paying off fines worth hundreds of millions of pounds as part of bid to stave off financial collapseBusiness live – latest updatesThames Water’s lenders have put forward a £10bn rescue plan that would involve paying off the troubled water company’s hundreds of millions of pounds-worth of fines for leaks and pollution, as part of an effort to stave off financial collapse.A group of private equity firms and investment groups said they would inject about £3.35bn of cash into Thames Water and raise £6.65bn in debt, in exchange for the company not falling into a government-handled administration, effectively a temporary nationalisation. Continue reading...

Donald Trump has threatened Nato allies over failure to send ships to protect strait of Hormuz, but Pat McFadden says UK relation with US remain strongMiddle East crisis liveDonald Trump is a “very transactional” president, whose repeated demands on Iran must be seen in this context, one of Keir Starmer’s most senior ministers has said in an unusually blunt UK assessment of relations between the countries.Asked about the US president’s threats of some sort of retaliation against allies who do not supply ships to try to free up the strait of Hormuz, Pat McFadden, the work and pensions secretary, said the UK was not obliged to agree to every US request. Continue reading...

Pat McFadden says Trump running a ‘transactional presidency’ and that ‘our job is to navigate this’Good morning. Keir Starmer is holding a press conference in Downing Street this morning. As Kiran Stacey reports, the PM’s main intention will be to announce support for people most hit by rising energy prices, particularly householders reliant on heating oil. The measures are expected to be worth tens of millions of pounds.But, inevitably, most of the focus likely to be on how Starmer responds to the latest provocations from Donald Trump. Continue reading...

Poll of students of all faiths and none found almost a quarter had seen Jews targeted for their religion or ethnicityOne in five students would be reluctant to, or would never, houseshare with a Jewish student, according to a survey by the Union of Jewish Students (UJS) that says antisemitism has “become normalised” on UK campuses.A UJS poll of 1,000 students “of all faiths and none” found almost a quarter (23%) have seen behaviour that targets Jewish students for their religion or ethnicity and nearly half (47%) have witnessed justification of the 7 October attacks by Hamas. Continue reading...

US-based Zubeyda Muzeyyen, AKA DJ Haram, claimed a ‘Zio-Australian-Epstein empire’ was responsible for silencing dissentersFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe premier of New South Wales has ruled out cutting funding for Sydney’s Biennale arts festival after Jewish groups condemned language used by US artist DJ Haram at an opening night event at the White Bay Power Station in Sydney.At the centre of the controversy was the artist’s claim during her set that a “Zio-Australian-Epstein empire” was responsible for silencing dissenters. The words appear to link Israel to the convicted sex offender and New York financier Jeffrey Epstein and, critics say, feed into longstanding antisemitic tropes. Continue reading...

NRMA says record-high fuel may be here to stay in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane after prices soared early in the Middle East conflictFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastDozens of service stations across Australia have run out of petrol as distributors struggle to keep up with customers panic-buying as the conflict in the Middle East continues to disrupt prices.The NRMA has warned regulators “missed” the chance to stop price hikes, as booming wholesale demand pushes fuel prices to a “permanent high” on the east coast. Continue reading...

Health service in England has saved more than £14bn hiring from overseas, report says, as doubt is cast on aim to reduce international recruitment to 10%Ministers’ plans to cut the international workforce within NHS England appear overambitious, MPs have said, as a report reveals the health service saved more than £14bn by recruiting doctors, nurses and midwives from overseas.Many of the countries recruited from were struggling with staff shortages, and the UK had a moral duty to offer support, rather than simply extracting what it needed, the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) on global health and security found. Continue reading...