From a shop owner in India to a community worker in New South Wales, rising fuel prices are forcing people to ration oil usageMiddle East crisis â live updatesAlagesan, 35, needs liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) to run his roadside drink and snack shop in Coimbatore, India, but with the fuel shortage since the US-Israel attacks on Iran, he worries his business could fold.âI am far away from the Middle East, but my life is affected,â he said. âThe gas cylinder is not available because of the war. I donât know what to do.â Continue reading...
Company will assess whether drop to 186mph from 224mph will save money and help bring forward launchMinisters have told High Speed Two to consider running its trains at lower speeds, in an attempt to rein in the spiralling budget and begin operations as soon as possible.HS2 Ltd will assess whether limiting the speed to 186mph (300km/h) instead of 224mph could save money â potentially billions of pounds â and bring the railway into being earlier in the 2030s. Continue reading...
Governing body to meet to discuss next steps over sexual abuse claims made against suspended chiefThe international criminal courtâs governing body is expected to meet on Monday to assess the advice of a panel of judges who have challenged the findings of an investigation into the chief prosecutor, Karim Khan.Last year a UN inquiry into the allegations about Khanâs behaviour is understood to have established a factual basis for claims of misconduct against him. The senior British lawyer has been accused by a complainant of sexual abuse. Continue reading...
Laborâs Peter Malinauskas secures at least 32 seats while Pauline Hansonâs party outpolls Liberals and could become de facto oppositionOne Nation will win at least one South Australian lower house seat, and is leading in a handful of others, as the Liberals consider âsobering lessonsâ from Saturdayâs thumping election loss to Labor.One Nationâs electoral success came as federal MP Barnaby Joyce downplayed racism and bigotry accusations against the party before likening a ban on migration from Muslim countries to buying cattle âthat just donât workâ. Continue reading...
âą The US is deploying 2,200 Marines and thousands of sailors aboard three Navy warships, including the USS Boxer, from San Diego to the Middle East to support operations in the Iran conflict and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
âą President Trump announced the US is 'getting very close' to meeting objectives in Iran and considering 'winding down' military efforts, while claiming to have decimated Iran's navy, air force, and anti-aircraft capabilities.
âą Despite Trump's signals, Iran continues firing missiles at Israel and tightening control over the Strait of Hormuz, driving global oil prices higher and causing US stock market declines; death toll exceeds 1,300 in Iran and 1,000 in Lebanon.
Move to allow shipments already at sea comes amid a supply crisis and after US president says he does not âwant to do a ceasefireâ; IDF says it is attacking regime targets in Tehran after missiles fired at Israel from IranUS to send three more warships and thousands more troops, reports sayHow the Iran war has sent shocks rippling across the globeHello and welcome to our continuing live coverage of the US-Israel war on Iran and its repercussions for the Middle East, the world and the global economy.President Donald Trump said on Friday he was considering âwinding downâ military operations against Iran, as the US temporarily eased sanctions on Iranian oil shipments to stem a global supply crisis.Iran is willing to help Japanese ships sail a vital route for global fuel supplies, foreign minister Abbas Araghchi told Kyodo News in an interview published on Saturday. Japan depends on crude oil imports from the Middle East, most of which transits the strait of Hormuz.Iran fired two intermediate-range ballistic missiles at Diego Garcia but neither of them hit the joint US-UK military base in the Indian Ocean, the Wall Street Journal and CNN reported, citing multiple US officials. The WSJ said one of the missiles failed in flight, and a US warship fired an SM-3 interceptor at the other. Neither outlet confirmed when Iran launched the missiles.One person was killed and two others wounded after an Israeli airstrike hit a house in a town in southern Lebanon early on Saturday, state media said.Trump continued to make his disappointment with the British government known, saying the UK âshould have acted a lot fasterâ in allowing the US military to use its bases in the Middle East.Earlier, Downing Street approved US use of its bases âfor the collective self-defence of the regionâ, including âdefensive operationsâ degrading Iranian missile sites targeting ships in the strait of Hormuz. Britain had previously only allowed US forces to use its bases for operations to prevent Iran firing missiles that put British interests or lives at risk.Araghchi said UK prime minister Keir Starmer âis putting British lives in danger by allowing UK bases to be used for aggression against Iranâ. Continue reading...
Move to allow shipments already at sea comes amid a supply crisisUS to send three more warships and thousands more troops, reports sayHow the Iran war has sent shocks rippling across the globeKuwaitâs state oil firm KPC said its Mina Al-Ahmadi refinery was hit by multiple drone attacks early on Friday, causing a fire in some units, with no initial casualties reported, the state news agency said.Firefighters responded immediately, with several units shut down as a precaution to ensure workersâ safety. Continue reading...
Scientific advisory committee to examine impact of offering routine MenB jabs to wider range of peopleThe Kent meningitis outbreak: what is happening and why?Experts are considering expanding the meningitis B vaccination eligibility in response to the fatal outbreak of the disease in Kent.The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisationâs review comes after the health secretary, Wes Streeting, asked it to to âre-examine eligibility for meningitis vaccinesâ for a wider range of people than those who currently qualify. Continue reading...
Claims come despite Donald Trump saying he is not leaning towards putting âboots on the groundâMiddle East crisis â live updatesThe US is reportedly considering plans to occupy or blockade Iranâs Kharg Island to pressure Tehran to reopen the strait of Hormuz despite earlier suggestions by Donald Trump that he was not leaning towards putting âboots on the groundâ.The claims, made on the Axios website, followed previous reporting that the US was considering occupying the key Iranian oil terminal. Continue reading...
Sky News Arabia has been accused of broadcasting propaganda and whitewashing genocide in SudanSky is considering terminating its joint venture with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) after accusations it is involved in broadcasting propaganda and genocide denial.Sky is in talks with its partner in the UAE on Sky News Arabia over the potential termination next year of the licence to use its brand. Continue reading...
Trump pick for homeland security secretary followed firing of Kristi Noem amid blowback for anti-immigration tacticsA Senate committee on Wednesday will consider Markwayne Mullinâs nomination to lead the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which Democrats have forced into a partial shutdown until their demands for guardrails on immigration enforcement are met.Donald Trump nominated Mullin, a first-term Republican senator from Oklahoma, as DHS secretary earlier this month, after the president ousted secretary Kristi Noem amid public blowback against the administrationâs aggressive approach to its mass deportation agenda, which resulted in the killings of two US citizens by immigration agents in Minneapolis. Continue reading...
âą The House scheduled multiple environmental and natural resource bills for floor consideration under suspension of the rules during the week of March 16, 2026, including forest restoration and park management legislation.
âą Bills on the schedule include the Post-Disaster Reforestation and Restoration Act of 2025, Save Our Sequoias, the Chiricahua National Park Act, and the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program Amendment Act.
âą The legislation also includes the DIGITAL Applications Act, the Small Cemetery Conveyance Act, and the Shivwits Band of Paiutes Jurisdictional Clarity Act, reflecting bipartisan work on diverse policy issues.
Conservative-majority court sided with administration before and lifted protections for 600,000 VenezuelansSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxThe supreme court will hear arguments over the Trump administrationâs push to end legal protections for people fleeing war and natural disaster from countries around the world, including Haiti and Syria.The justices refused to immediately lift the protections for hundreds of thousands of people Monday, allowing them to live and work in the US legally for now. Continue reading...
Head of worldâs energy watchdog says it will take time for markets to recover from ongoing crisis in strait of HormuzThe worldâs energy watchdog will consider releasing further emergency crude stocks into the global market to cool rising oil prices after warning that it will take time for markets to recover from the ongoing crisis in the strait of Hormuz.Fatih Birol, the head of the International Energy Agency, said its members continued to hold large reserves of emergency oil stocks even after agreeing to the biggest release of government crude in the history of the market, meaning more emergency oil reserves could still be released âas and if neededâ. Continue reading...
Meta Platforms is evaluating layoffs impacting at least 20% of its nearly 79,000 employees as of December 31, 2025, to counter escalating AI infrastructure expenses, according to a Reuters report on March 14, 2026. Top executives discussed the plans with senior leaders, marking potentially the largest restructuring since 21,000 job cuts in 2022-2023 if implemented. The move aligns with industry trends, as Amazon recently eliminated 30,000 roles citing AI-driven efficiencies. A Meta spokesperson dismissed the report as speculative on theoretical approaches, amid broader tech sector adjustments to AI economics.
S&P Dow Jones Indices proposed updates to its inclusion criteria on March 13, 2026, potentially allowing SpaceX to join the S&P 500 shortly after its anticipated IPO. The revisions aim to accommodate high-valuation tech firms by relaxing profitability thresholds, reflecting SpaceX's $350 billion valuation and Starship milestones. This development could boost SpaceX's liquidity and investor access, signaling Wall Street's embrace of space tech amid AI and satellite growth. Final rules are expected by Q2 2026, with SpaceX IPO targeted for late 2026.