Pam Bondi and Kristi Noem only two cabinet members to be fired despite string of scandals facing male officials. Plus, why New Yorkers are swapping gas for induction stovesGood morning.Donald Trump has been accused of running a “misogynistic administration” after Pam Bondi became the second woman to be fired from a cabinet already dominated by men.Who will replace Bondi? The president said Todd Blanche, her deputy, would serve as acting attorney general. Lee Zeldin, a former New York congressman who now leads the Environmental Protection Agency, is said to be a top contender to replace Bondi.How badly has Iran been affected? At least 1,900 people have been killed and 20,000 injured in Iran since the start of the war, according to a rough estimate by the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Continue reading...
Bondi and Kristi Noem the only two cabinet members to be removed despite string of scandals involving male officialsDonald Trump has been accused of running a “misogynistic administration” after making Pam Bondi the second woman to be fired from a cabinet already dominated by men.The US president dismissed the attorney general on Thursday amid mounting frustration with her performance, especially over the release of files on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Continue reading...
• No. 3 ranked Oklahoma (36-3, 9-1 SEC) dominated Kentucky (22-17, 1-12 SEC) with a 10-2 victory at home in Norman, utilizing seven two-out runs and two long balls to secure the win.
• Oklahoma's aggressive two-out hitting strategy proved effective, with the team capitalizing on scoring opportunities throughout the game against Kentucky's struggling SEC squad.
• The victory extends Oklahoma's strong 2026 season as a top-3 national contender, maintaining their position as one of the SEC's elite baseball programs.
Daniel Kebede tells delegates, government’s education policies fall short as he signals growing support for Greens’ among teachersThe leader of the UK’s biggest education union has torn into the government’s record on schools, accusing Labour of letting down the nation’s children and failing to deliver on its promises for education.Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, was unsparing in his criticism of education secretary Bridget Phillipson’s policies in a speech to delegates at the NEU’s annual conference in Brighton on Thursday. Continue reading...
• The No. 4-ranked University of Georgia baseball team overcame a hitless start through four innings to beat Georgia State 14-9 at Foley Field on Tuesday.
• Georgia exploded for eight runs in the bottom of the eighth inning, securing the comeback victory after trailing earlier in the game.
• The Bulldogs, known for one of the nation's most potent offenses, demonstrated their resilience in the high-scoring contest.
Experts say the US believes it is entitled to resources it desires – a perspective president has supported for decadesDonald Trump said this past weekend he wants to “take the oil in Iran” by seizing control of a key export hub, echoing a refrain he has returned to for over a decade.It’s a sign of his disregard for international law and belief in “fossil-fuel imperialism”, experts say. Continue reading...
Jim Mackey tells LBC phone-in he is ‘really worried’ about supply issues amid US-Iran warMiddle East crisis – live updatesThe head of the NHS in England has said he is “really worried” about medicine supply issues.A number of experts have raised concerns about cost implications and supply disruption linked to the war in Iran. Continue reading...
Weak and sick mammal has twice become stuck on a sandbank, with news of the rescue efforts captivating the German publicThe fate of a humpback whale stranded in shallow bays off Germany’s Baltic coast hangs in the balance after several rescue attempts.The roughly 10-metre-long (33ft) mammal appeared weakened and sick on Sunday and was struggling to find a route back to the Atlantic. Continue reading...
Fossil-fuel burning at Ohio facility could burn longer, leaving Middletown residents to face environmental risksSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxIt was just a few months after moving from Louisville to Middletown, Ohio, four years ago that Vivian Adams’s six-year-old daughter’s asthma problem worsened.“My daughter was born prematurely so she already had lung issues,” she says, “[but] it’s gotten worse. She stays sick and coughing and can’t breathe. She’s had to go on everyday medication for her asthma, plus she has a rescue inhaler.” Continue reading...
Members of the UK public join the search after specialist dog units and thermal drones have yet to locate herBarely 24 hours after nine-month-old capybaras Samba and Tango were brought to Marwell zoo near Winchester, they had made a break for it through a hole in their temporary enclosure. The siblings were transferred to Hampshire from Jimmy’s farm and wildlife park in Suffolk on 16 March after being outshone by other capybaras.Tango was quickly found, but her sister Samba remains at large, and the mission to find her has attracted national and international coverage. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Speaking with the Australian Politics podcast, the Liberal frontbencher says a sovereign wealth fund would set Australians up for generations to comeFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastLiberal frontbencher Andrew Hastie says he is open to a new 25% tax on soaring gas profits as part of a Scandinavian-style sovereign wealth fund to strengthen the federal budget amid the global energy crisis.Budget leaks suggest the Albanese government is modelling the effects of placing a flat 25% tax on gas profits, as well as possible further changes to the petroleum resource rent tax (PRRT) and corporate income tax. Continue reading...
Businesses ranging from vegetable growers to miners warn of disruption from rising petrol prices and lack of supplyGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastIndependent petrol station operators and miners are urging the federal government to crack down harder on major fuel wholesalers hoarding supply and withholding deliveries from smaller operators.Amid growing disruption from the Iran war, smaller operators are running out of fuel, including in rural and regional areas. Outlets that buy petrol on the spot market, and do not operate with longstanding contracts for fuel supply, have asked for extra help, including from the government’s new fuel supply tsar. Continue reading...
Survey puts Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco ahead with Democratic vote split between large field of candidatesRepublicans continue to lead the California governor’s race amid a crowded field of Democrats, a new poll commissioned by the state’s Democratic party found, fueling concerns of a conservative win in the famously liberal state.The party on Tuesday published the results of a large-scale poll of 2,000 likely voters conducted by Evitarus Research that revealed that 16% of participants would back the conservative political commentator Steve Hilton in the upcoming primary, while 14% would support Chad Bianco, the Riverside county sheriff. Continue reading...
NYPD have yet to catch suspect who appears to be on losing streak after stealing limited funds from Chase banksAn allegedly well-practiced New York bank robber is on a losing streak – and still on the run – after hitting six Chase branches across Queens, Brooklyn, Harlem and the Bronx over five consecutive days and coming away with just $605, according to authorities.New York police have yet to catch the suspect, identified as 33-year-old Gustavo DeJesus Torres, who began holding up the banks on Friday, 13 March and informing tellers in a written note that they might get hurt if they didn’t hand over the cash he demanded. Continue reading...
Nasa reports show repeated warnings of close calls before crash that killed two pilots and injured 41 othersSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxPilot safety concerns about New York’s LaGuardia airport were filed to aviation officials months before Sunday’s collision between an airplane and a firetruck left two pilots dead and 41 other people hospitalized.According to the aviation safety reporting system administered by the US space agency Nasa, a pilot using the airport in the summer wrote, “Please do something,” after air traffic controllers failed to provide appropriate guidance about multiple nearby aircraft. Continue reading...
Former White House strategist says current situation at airports will help ‘really perfect ICE’s involvement in the 2026 midterm elections’Hello and welcome to the US politics live blog.The former White House strategist and podcaster Steve Bannon has suggested the presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers at airports is a “test run” for using them at polling stations in the midterms later this year.We can use what’s happening with these ICE [officers] helping out at the airports, we can use this as a test run, as a test case to really perfect ICE’s involvement in the 2026 midterm elections, sir?Yeah, I think we should have ICE agents at the polling places, because if you’re an illegal alien you can’t vote, right? It’s against the law, it’s a federal crime for you to vote in federal elections.And so, if you’re an American citizen, you should be happy that ICE is there, because you’re not going to have illegal aliens canceling out your vote.The US Senate confirmed Markwayne Mullin to serve as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, elevating the Republican senator to a role where he will be among the public faces of Donald Trump’s crackdown on undocumented immigrants. The Republican controlled chamber confirmed Mullin largely along party lines, with a vote of 54-45. More here.Donald Trump has claimed there have been talks between the US and Iran over the past day in which the two sides had “major points of agreement”, appearing to avert a potentially severe escalation of the conflict. Tehran has denied the claim, in which Trump also speculated that a deal could soon be done to end the war. Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson said no talks had been held with the US since the bombing campaign began 24 days ago. More here.The US supreme court appeared poised to curtail how mail-in ballots can be counted if they arrive after election day, which would affect laws in more than a dozen states during a midterm election year. The justices are considering Watson v Republican National Committee, a challenge over a Mississippi state law that was brought in 2024 by the Republican party. More here.California attorney general Rob Bonta said he has sued the US energy department to stop it from using a cold-war era law to restart the long-disputed Sable Offshore pipeline system linking the Santa Ynez offshore platform to California refineries. US energy secretary Chris Wright earlier this month restarted the pipelines using powers granted to him by Donald Trump through an executive order that invoked the Defense Production Act to supersede state laws. More here.Prediction markets are facing fresh bipartisan scrutiny in the US Senate as companies such as Kalshi and Polymarket continue to battle state-led efforts to regulate online betting. A bill was introduced in the US Senate on Monday that would ban federally regulated platforms from allowing wagers on sporting events, what would be a huge blow to marketplaces where billions of dollars have been traded on major events like the Super Bowl and the NCAA’s March Madness. More here. Continue reading...
Chris Bowen says move aimed at accessing fuel imports from markets with lower burning temperatures, including the US, Canada and EuropeGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralia’s diesel standards have been temporarily lowered as the federal government rushes to shore up fuel supply, with hundreds of service stations running empty and warnings deliveries from key Asian suppliers could slow as soon as early April.The energy minister, Chris Bowen, said on Tuesday the government had lowered the technical threshold for diesel, known as the flashpoint, in order to access supply from imports from markets with marginally lower burning temperatures, including the US, Canada and Europe. Continue reading...
Republican Chad Bianco investigating Prop 50 vote despite officials denying claims of ballots being cast unlawfullyA California sheriff who is running as a Republican for governor has seized more than 650,000 ballots from last year’s election, escalating an ongoing conflict with state officials.Chad Bianco, Riverside county’s sheriff, says he is carrying out an investigation into allegations that ballots were unlawfully cast in last year’s election that resulted in the passage of Proposition 50. The proposition redrew congressional districts to help gerrymander the state in favor of Democrats, in response to similar measures in Republican states like Texas. Continue reading...
Energy minister Chris Bowen says ‘we’re a long way’ from further action like fuel rationing despite shortagesHundreds of service stations across Australia have run out of fuel, with the federal government inking a deal with Singapore, one of our biggest sources of refined petroleum, to keep supplies of diesel and gas flowing.Concerns are now broadening to supplies of fertiliser and other chemicals, heaping more pressure on the Albanese government’s leveraging of overseas exports of coal and gas in a bid to handle of the crisis. Continue reading...
Fatih Birol says world is losing 11m barrels of oil per day, more than the 1973 and 1979 energy shocks combined; IRGC threatens to completely close strait of Hormuz if Trump acts on infrastructure threatsIran vows to destroy Middle East water and energy facilities if US attacks power plantsAFP is reporting that stocks have fallen while oil prices rose after Donald Trump and Iranian leaders traded threats over the key strait of Hormuz and Israel said the Middle East war could last several more weeks.The escalation hammered stock markets, with Seoul and Tokyo – which had been the standout performers before the war started – taking the brunt of the selling, shedding as much as six and five percent, respectively, at one point.Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian said “threats and terror” are strengthening Iranian unity, after Donald Trump yesterday warned he would “obliterate” Iranian power plants if the strait of Hormuz is not opened within 48 hours.The price of oil increased early on Monday after Trump’s 48-hour ultimatum for Iran to open the strait of Hormuz or face decimation of its energy infrastructure – and Israel warned the war would continue for several more weeks. Shortly after the 2200 GMT open, the price of West Texas Intermediate – the US benchmark crude – for May delivery was up 1.8% to just over $100 a barrel, before retreating slightly.The US treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, gave an interview to NBC News earlier today. When asked if Trump was “winding” down the war or “escalating” it, Bessent said: “They are not mutually exclusive. Sometimes you have to escalate to de-escalate.”In the same NBC interview, Bessent said the US government has “plenty of money” to fund the war against Iran, but is requesting supplemental funding from Congress to ensure the military is well supplied in the future.Lebanon’s health ministry said Sunday that 118 children and 79 women are among those killed, and at least 2,786 others have been wounded, according to the Associated Press. The country’s death toll as of Saturday was 1,024 people.The director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, said he hopes to “re-establish” talks between Iran and the US about Tehran’s nuclear program despite the escalating nature of the conflict. “I’ve been having important conversations here at the White House, and also with Iran. There are some contacts, and we hope to be able to reestablish that line,” Grossi told CBS News.UK prime minister Keir Starmer and US president Trump spoke by phone Sunday evening, according to a statement from the UK government. “The leaders discussed the current situation in the Middle East, and in particular, the need to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to resume global shipping.”Pope Leo on Sunday said death and suffering caused by the war in the Middle East are a “scandal to the whole human family”, as he once again pleaded for an immediate ceasefire. “We cannot remain silent in the face of the suffering of so many people, the defenseless victims of these conflicts. What hurts them hurts the whole of humanity,” Leo said at his weekly Angelus prayer in St. Peter’s Square. Continue reading...
• Vercel, a platform for hosting web apps and AI agents founded by Guillermo Rauch, announced run-rate GAAP revenue of $340 million as of late February 2026.
• Revenue surged 86% year-over-year, fueled by explosive demand for AI-powered coding tools and developer platforms.
• The $9.3 billion unicorn powers popular interfaces like Jmail for viewing Epstein Files, showcasing real-world AI agent adoption.
• AI is expected to drive data center power consumption up 175% by 2030, creating unprecedented grid shortages that have pushed electricity prices higher across the country and compelled tech companies to seek alternative power sources.
• Google's deal to power a new Minnesota data center blends wind and solar with a 30 gigawatt-hour battery from Form Energy, while the U.S. is expected to have nearly 65 gigawatts of battery storage capacity by year-end.
• Dozens of startups including Amperesand, DG Matrix, Heron Power, Camus, GridBeyond, and Texture are developing power conversion and grid management technologies to address the critical energy shortage.
Charity Commission appoints interim manager at William Blake House in Northamptonshire, under investigation after families raised alarmA charity watchdog has taken control of a learning disability care home in Northamptonshire that is under investigation after residents’ families raised concerns over its management, including payments of £1m to a trustee.The Charity Commission has appointed an interim manager to run William Blake House, which faces potential insolvency in three weeks’ time if it cannot head off a winding-up order brought by the tax authorities over £1.6m in unpaid tax bills. Continue reading...
Changes revealed by Andy Burnham to support night-time economy follow rapid growth in ridershipNight buses will run to every borough in Greater Manchester as the city region expands its publicly controlled Bee Network.The mayor, Andy Burnham, announced a number of new services alongside figures showing rapid growth in ridership since buses were taken back under public control in 2023. Continue reading...
Independent retailers are struggling to get fuel from the majors and say farmers have only responded to soaring prices and lack of availabilityGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastRural fuel distributor Paul McCallum hopes the worst is over.At the start of the month, as fuel prices surged after the US and Israel bombed Iran, farmers started bringing their diesel orders forward, requesting “a boisterous but not over the top” 1.5m litres from his company Inland Petroleum. Continue reading...
Greater Manchester mayor says the party ‘would always do well to listen to what Angela has got to say’Good morning. Keir Starmer has been handling the Iran war reasonably well, according to the consensus view at Westminster, and certainly better than Nigel Farage and Kemi Badenoch, who have been in contortions over whether they do or do not support Donald Trump. But this has not altered the fundamental, big-picture assessment of British politics, which is that he is deeply unpopular with voters and that Labour can’t win the next election if he remains in charge. This may be a flawed analysis – consensus views often are – but it is what many Labour MPs think, which is why a question mark hovers over Starmer’s leadership.And that is why Angela Rayner’s speech last night, at a private meeting with the soft-left Mainstream group, are so significant. She did not explicitly call for new leadership, but she did convey that message implicity – and more bluntly than in any of her other interventions since she resigned as deputy PM in September last year.It is down to us to rebuild this nation and this party – the question is are we up for this fight? I know we in this room are.As a party, and as a movement, we cannot hide, we cannot just go through the motions in the face of decline. There’s no safe ground and we’re running out of time.We cannot talk about earning a settlement if we keep moving the goalposts. Because moving the goalposts undermines our sense of fair play. It’s un-British.Let us be a country that has sustainable economic migration rules, but one that upholds the British values we want all who live here to respect. Not special treatment. But the stability and a fair pathway forward after the sacrifices many have made to build a lawful life in the UK.We’ve got to, all of us, haven’t we, work together to pull together a plan that turns the country around …I understand the frustration people feel. We heard that at the by-election, and of course, Angela is reflecting some of that.I think where I would agree, and I think everybody across government would agree, is sharing an impatience with the pace of change, and that applies to every single one of us.And I get the sense, I haven’t read the full context of Angela’s remarks, but I get the sense that that frustration is actually what is running through her remarks. It absolutely runs through every government minister as well. Continue reading...
Former deputy prime minister says Labour’s immigration changes are un-British and Starmer must respond to fall in party’s popularityAngela Rayner has said the very survival of the Labour party is at stake and warned Keir Starmer that he “cannot go through the motions” in the face of declining support.In a speech at campaign group Mainstream’s spring reception, the former deputy prime minister said she believed the government was “running out of time” to show it can deliver the changes that the public needs. 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...
Closure of strait of Hormuz puts pressure on region’s economies amid growing resentment about conflict started by US and IsraelMiddle East crisis – live updatesAn eerie quiet hangs over Ras Al Khaimah’s industrial port. Usually a thriving maritime hub of the United Arab Emirates, now ships stand docked and silent. Not far out along the hazy horizon, a backlog of hundreds of tankers have lined up in recent days, halted along a waterway flooded with danger.Any vessel heading past Ras Al Khaimah out to the Arabian Sea must traverse the world’s most treacherous strip of water for shipping today: the strait of Hormuz. Just over 20 nautical miles from Ras Al Khaimah, two oil tankers heading for the strait were attacked by Iranian missiles this week, one catching fire. Continue reading...
Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban's daughter Sunday Rose, 17, debuted on a New York Fashion Week runway, intensifying debates over celebrity nepo babies. Bored Panda reports 1.2 million Instagram views of her walk, criticized as unearned privilege. Fashion insiders note her poise but question industry nepotism, with 68% of polled Gen Z opposing family connections. The event ties into broader cultural entitlement discussions.