Live Updates: Japan and Germany to Release Oil as War in Iran Threatens Global Supply
The Strait of Hormuz, a conduit for a fifth of the world’s oil, is all but closed as war in the Middle East expands. A British agency said three ships were hit by unidentified projectiles in or near the strait.
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Trump Will Let Iran Play at 2026 World Cup in U.S., FIFA Chief Says
The head of soccer’s global governing body, Gianni Infantino, said that President Trump had assured him the Iranian team could participate in this summer’s tournament despite the war in the Middle East.
US attacks Iran’s mine-laying boats in strait of Hormuz as tensions rise over oil | First Thing
Iran’s IRGC has said it will not allow even ‘one litre’ to leave the region if US-Israeli attacks continue. Plus, how gen Z women are conquering country music• Don’t already get First Thing in your inbox? Sign up hereGood morning.The US military has said it attacked and destroyed 16 Iranian mine-laying vessels near the strait of Hormuz amid reports that Iran has begun laying explosive devices in the narrow waterway, through which about a fifth of the world’s oil passes.What have we heard about Iran’s new supreme leader? Mojtaba Khamenei, is “safe and sound” according to Yousef Pezeshkian, the son of Iran’s president. The comments came amid speculation about supreme leader’s health and whereabouts, as he has not engaged with the public since he succeeded his late father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, three days ago. Continue reading...
Starmer and Badenoch spar over Iran at PMQs ahead of Mandelson documents release – UK politics live
PM accuses leader of the opposition of changing position on strikes as she blames him for rising fuel pricesAs reported by Nadeem Badshah this morning, the documents relating to Peter Mandelson’s appointment as ambassador to the US expected to be released today will include a due diligence report by the Cabinet Office, which is believed to be two pages long.It is likely to raise questions about Keir Starmer’s judgment, with sources saying it had warned the prime minister of the serious “reputational risk” of going ahead with Mandelson’s appointment in December 2024 given his links with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.He has said, as you know that it is a little bit – it does fall into the category of too little too late, but I think they have a good, solid relationship, and hopefully they’ll be able to repair it. I go by what the president says, and the president says continuously that everybody is entitled to their point of view. But I think sometimes we detect that there’s not that feeling of gratitude.I think the president’s position is that we do plenty for Europe, plenty for the UK, in the area of trade, in the area of defence, in the area of the support we give to Nato. And I think sometimes the response back, the reciprocity back, is a little bit lacking. I would leave it at that, OK? Continue reading...
Middle East crisis live: three ships hit in strait of Hormuz as Iran calls vessels belonging to US or allies ‘legitimate targets’
Thai navy responds to attack on bulk carrier as Iran military reiterates that it ‘will not allow a single litre of oil’ through straitHow have you been affected by the latest Middle East events?Over in Senate question time, the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, has confirmed embassies in Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv and the consulate in Dubai all physically closed in the last week. Wong said the government’s number one priority is to “keep Australians safe at home and abroad”. She continued: “The dangerous and destabilising attacks by Iran put civilian lives at risk, including Australian lives.” More than 3,200 Australians over 23 commercial flights have returned to Australia since the US and Israel attacked Iran, setting off a regional conflict and grounding thousands of international flights.Wong criticised Nationals senators for “winding up people and stoking fear” to panic buy fuel. The senator said:“Petrol companies are telling us that fuel stock continues to arrive as expected and on time but there has been a large change in the pattern of demand and that is having an effect on the supply, particularly in regional communities. We have seen jerry cans coming off the shelves at Bunnings and lines at the pump.”One of the two members of the Iranian women’s football teams provided with a humanitarian visa to stay in Australia has changed her mind and contacted the Iranian embassy, according to the country’s home affairs minister.In Australia, people are able to change their mind, people are able to travel. So, we respect the context in which she has made that decision.Unfortunately, in making that decision, she had been advised by her teammates and coach to contact the Iranian embassy and get collected … As a result of that, it meant that the Iranian embassy now knew the location of where everybody was. Continue reading...
Average UK mortgage rate tops 5% as lenders scurry to reprice loans amid Middle East crisis
More than 500 lending products pulled in biggest single upheaval since Liz Truss’s mini-budget in 2022How will war in the Middle East affect your finances?Business live – latest updatesAverage mortgage rates in the UK have flown past 5% as lenders scramble to respond to growing turmoil in the home loan market caused by the Middle East war.Nearly 500 mortgage deals have been pulled in the past 48 hours in what is the biggest upheaval since the aftermath of the 2022 mini-budget. Continue reading...
Foreign hacker breached FBI’s Epstein files in 2023 during a break-in at bureau office
Cybercriminal reportedly accessed a server at the FBI’s New York field office, according to a source and DoJ documentsA foreign hacker compromised files relating to the FBI’s investigation of the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein during a break-in at the bureau’s New York field office three years ago, according to a source familiar with the matter and recently published justice department documents reviewed by Reuters.The details of who accessed a server at the FBI’s New York field office, including the allegation that a foreign hacker was involved, are being reported here for the first time. Continue reading...
Mojtaba Khamenei was hurt in strike that killed his father, Iran’s Cyprus ambassador confirms
Alireza Salarian says Iran’s new supreme leader was lucky to survive strike that killed six of his family membersMiddle East crisis – live updatesIran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, was injured in the 28 February attack that killed six of his family members, including his father, Tehran’s ambassador to Cyprus has confirmed.In an interview conducted at his embassy compound in Nicosia, Alireza Salarian elaborated on the circumstances in which Khamenei, 56, was injured, saying he was lucky to survive the strike, which levelled the late ayatollah’s residence. Continue reading...
Trump Casts a Shadow Over One of Mexico’s Deadliest States
President Trump wants to strike cartels inside Mexico. In Sinaloa State, a cartel stronghold, some residents said they were willing to entertain U.S. intervention.
US inflation stayed flat at 2.4% in February before effects of war on Iran kicked in
Effect of war on prices not reflected in data, as Trump says only ‘fools’ would think oil price shocks would be significantSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxUS inflation stayed flat at 2.4% in February, according to government data released Wednesday that provides a snapshot of the US economy before it was thrown into a tailspin by the US-Israel conflict with Iran.The levelling comes after prices swung last year, reaching a four-year low in April before shooting back up in September. In late fall, inflation crept down again, reaching 2.4% in January. Continue reading...