Escalation represents dangerous spread of war and brings threat of even more damage to the global economyMiddle East crisis – live updatesParents of Iran school bombing victims describe their worst dayThe US-Israeli war with Iran has expanded with the entry of Houthi forces in Yemen, representing a dangerous spread of the conflict and bringing with it the threat of more damage to the global economy.Pakistan has said it would host a meeting of Middle Eastern powers on Monday in an effort to find a regional approach to ending the conflict. But the talks, bringing together foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt did not appear to include any of the warring parties, casting further doubt on persistent US claims of diplomatic progress. Continue reading...
US president says he is extending deadline for strait of Hormuz to reopen to 6 April; Houthis tell Lloyd’s List ‘no reason’ to prevent Saudi oil using Red Sea routeFull report: Trump extends deadline Analysis: Trump pitches peace plan but military buildups rarely veer to off-rampHello and welcome to our continuing live coverage of the US-Israel war on Iran and the consequences for the region, the world, and the global economy.Here are the latest developments:Donald Trump said he will extend – once again – his pause on his threat to attack Iran’s energy infrastructure for 10 days until 6 April, claiming that the request came from Tehran and that talks were going “very well”. The US president threatened last Saturday to would strike Iranian energy infrastructure if Tehran did not reopen the strait of Hormuz. Then, on Monday he postponed his threat for five days (until Friday), citing “very good and productive conversations” with Iran on ending the war (which Tehran dismissed as “fake news” designed to “manipulate” the oil markets). Now, he’s pushing that deadline back, again.The price of Brent crude also dropped following Trump’s latest announcement. Oil prices rose to their highest level this week, with Brent crude trading at roughly $108 a barrel after Trump’s cabinet meeting earlier on Thursday.Yemen’s Houthis have said there is no need to worry amid fears that if Donald Trump follows through on threats to seize Iran’s Kharg Island, Tehran may ask them to attack shipping in the Red Sea.A day after Tehran dismissed Trump’s 15-point ceasefire plan, the US president claimed that Iran was “begging to make a deal,” and that he wasn’t the one pushing for negotiations. Earlier, he told Tehran to “get serious soon” on negotiating a deal to end the war.Trump rejected reports that he was looking for an exit ramp, as oil prices soar and political pressure mounts to avoid the kind of drawn-out Middle East war he once spurned. “I read a story today that I’m desperate to make a deal,” Trump told reporters. “I’m the opposite of desperate. I don’t care.”A US proposal for ending nearly four weeks of fighting is “one-sided and unfair”, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Thursday.However, Trump said Iran is allowing some oil tankers through strait of Hormuz as a sign of good faith for talks. He said that Iran allowed 10 oil tankers to pass through the strategic strait as a “present” to show it was serious about negotiations to end the war.The Pentagon is looking at sending up to 10,000 additional ground troops to the Middle East to give Trump more military options even as he weighs peace talks with Tehran, the Wall Street Journal is reporting, quoting defence department officials with knowledge of the planning.The Israel Defence Forces’ chief of staff has warned that the military will “collapse in on itself” as it faces increasing demands and a growing manpower shortage while fighting on multiple fronts, according to Israeli media reports.A Thai-flagged cargo ship that was hit by unknown projectiles in the strait of Hormuz earlier this month has run aground off Iran’s Qeshm Island, Iran’s Tasnim news agency said on Friday. Continue reading...
Former Kilmore church being converted into mosque set alight Tuesday amid spate of Islamophobic incidentsFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastIslamic communities have called out a rise in “anti-Muslim hate” after a church that was being converted into a mosque was allegedly set alight in what Victoria police are treating as a “suspicious” fire.In a statement, Victoria police said the abandoned church in Kilmore, north of Melbourne, was set alight at about 1.50pm on Tuesday, causing “significant damage” to the building. No one was inside at the time and the fire was believed to have been started in the rear of the building. Continue reading...
• The US Composite PMI dropped to 51.4 in March 2026, marking its lowest level since April 2025 and indicating slowing economic growth across the board.
• Business activity hit an 11-month low driven by softened orders and price surges, with the services sector leading the slowdown while manufacturing remained more resilient.
• Employment fell for the first time in over a year amid weakening confidence, while sharp input cost rises pushed selling prices higher across the economy.
• Woman’s Hospital in Louisiana launched as the first US site in Baymatob's Oli Study, enrolling over 130 patients to test a wearable sensor for early postpartum hemorrhage detection during labor.
• The trial aims to enroll 1000 women across five US sites including University of Colorado, Columbia University, Ohio State, and UPMC Magee-Women’s, with FDA clearance submission planned by year-end.
• Postpartum hemorrhage is the leading cause of preventable maternal death globally; pilot results showed promise for the Oli device.
• The 2026 March Madness men's tournament Sweet 16 begins Thursday, March 26, and Friday, March 27, with games at four regional sites: Houston (South), San Jose (West), Chicago (Midwest), and Washington D.C. (East).
• The Elite Eight follows Saturday, March 28, and Sunday, March 29, setting up the Final Four in Indianapolis at Lucas Oil Stadium on April 4 and 6, with the championship game on Monday, April 6.
• The tournament features 16 teams advancing from the first and second rounds, competing for the right to advance through regionals to the national semifinals and title game.
Energy and oil sites across region would become ‘legitimate targets’, Tehran saysMiddle East crisis live – latest updatesIran has said it will “irreversibly destroy” essential infrastructure across the Middle East if the US attacks its energy sites, hours after Donald Trump threatened to “obliterate” the country’s power plants if the strait of Hormuz was not opened within two days.As Iranian missiles struck two southern Israeli cities overnight, injuring dozens and shattering apartment buildings, the developments signalled a dangerous potential escalation of the war in the Middle East, which is now in its fourth week. Continue reading...
Mark Robinson, who ran for North Carolina governor in 2024, tells podcast he had ‘obsession’ with porn and sexThe former Republican North Carolina lieutenant governor Mark Robinson has admitted he misled voters during his unsuccessful 2024 gubernatorial campaign when he denied posting racist and offensive comments on a pornography website – suggesting he did so to protect Donald Trump’s successful presidential run.Robinson, who worked in furniture manufacturing before entering politics in 2020, told the After the Call podcast on Thursday: “I won’t say that I completely lied. Some of the things about the whole story – some of it — there’s some truth to it.” Continue reading...
• UK Cabinet ministers confirmed agreement allowing US use of British bases for defensive operations to degrade Iranian missile sites attacking ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
• The decision supports collective self-defense amid ongoing US-Israeli strikes against Iranian threats to regional shipping lanes critical for global oil supply.
• This bolsters US efforts in the fourth-week war, where Trump claims near-victory but deploys more forces, impacting oil prices and international alliances.
• The U.S. Department of Energy announced a public-private partnership on March 20, 2026, to develop a major 10-gigawatt data center with dedicated power generation on a decommissioned uranium enrichment plant in Piketon, Ohio.
• SoftBank, through SB Energy, is partnering with AEP Ohio to invest $4.2 billion in grid upgrades and new transmission lines, with companies asserting the project will not raise customer rates.
• The initiative is part of the U.S.-Japan Strategic Trade and Investment Agreement and supports SoftBank's collaboration with OpenAI and Oracle on Stargate, an AI infrastructure project with potential $500 billion investment.
