US military says strikes in the first 24 hours was nearly double the scale of the 2003 ‘shock-and-awe’ operation in Iraq; US president orders insurance to be provided for shipping in crucial waterway
The Saudi defence ministry said two cruise missiles were intercepted Wednesday over an area south of the capital Riyadh, and state media reported a separate drone attack was thwarted.
“Two cruise missiles were intercepted and destroyed in Al-Kharj” district, a defence ministry statement said. The official Saudi Press Agency cited a ministry spokesman as saying “nine drones were intercepted and destroyed immediately upon entering the Kingdom’s airspace”. The statements did not say who may be behind the attacks.
Travellers stuck at major transit airports are slowly being diverted and repatriated on new flights after days of turmoil, while uncertainty remains
It will likely be a “messy” month for airlines operating throughout the Middle East as travellers stuck in major transit hubs are slowly rerouted and repatriated after days of turmoil due to the ongoing conflict in Iran.
Experts say airlines are well-versed in disruptions, with entire teams dedicated to what is known as “irregular operations”. But while minor issues can be resolved in a matter of days, the sheer scale of the airline industry that operates in the region will be a complex puzzle that will take much longer to work through.
Donald Trump has launched a deeply personal attack on Keir Starmer over his refusal to let the US launch initial strikes on Iran from British bases, telling reporters: “This is not Winston Churchill that we’re dealing with.”
In his latest extraordinary salvo, the US president said he was not happy with the UK even though the prime minister eventually agreed the US could use Diego Garcia for strikes on Iranian missile facilities.
The Real Housewife of New York-turned-cabaret star dishes on her weirdest jobs, dinner with Mick Jagger, and the person she would never let into her house
Luann, money can’t buy you class. But what is the best thing money can buy?
Freedom. To do whatever you want to do, right? Can’t buy you happiness. Can’t buy you health. And it can’t buy you class. But it can buy you freedom. Well, I guess it can buy you happiness.
German chancellor says that he underscored need for continued support for Kyiv during US visit ; Trump says Ukraine is ‘very high’ on his priority list. What we know on day 1,470
The German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, in Washington for talks with Donald Trump, said he stressed that Ukraine should not have to accept further territorial concessions during his conversation with the US president. He said he also underscored the need for continued support for Ukraine, which last week marked the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion. “We all want to see this war coming to an end as soon as possible. But Ukraine has to preserve its territory and their security interests,” Merz said at the start of his third visit to the Oval Office. He told reporters he thought Trump had understood the point after he showed him a map of the war-torn country.
Trump assured Merz that negotiating a deal to end the war between Russia and Ukraine remained “very high” on his priority list, and said he believed the US had plenty of munitions to fight Iran and sell them to Europe for use in Ukraine.
Merz also urged Trump to put pressure on Vladimir Putin over the war in Ukraine. “Russia is playing for time here, and in doing so is also acting against the will of the American president. In today’s talks, I called for increasing the pressure on Moscow,” the German chancellor told reporters. The US, Russia and Ukraine are taking part in trilateral talks aimed at securing a peace deal. Merz, however, said only a pact supported by Europe could be lasting. “We are not prepared to accept an agreement that is negotiated over our heads,” he said.
A suspected Russian “shadow fleet” oil tanker seized by Belgium is being held on a €10m ($12m) bond, after inspections revealed infractions, Brussels said on Tuesday. The Ethera, which Belgium alleges is part of a flotilla of ageing vessels Moscow uses to avoid western sanctions, was seized by Belgian special forces in the North Sea on Sunday. Investigations carried out after it was brought to the port of Zeebrugge confirmed it had been sailing under a false Guinean flag, the Belgian government said. In total inspectors found 45 infractions, including technical defects, leading to the ship being impounded, it added. The tanker’s Russian captain and its 20-strong crew were ordered to remain on board. “The ship will only leave the port once it is compliant and the deposit has been paid,” said Belgium’s mobility minister, Jean-Luc Crucke. Russia has previously described the seizure of its tankers and other vessels carrying its cargoes as acts of piracy.
The US has deployed a low-cost combat drone in Iran modelled on the Iranian Shahed, as it pushes to accelerate weapons programmes because the Ukraine war. The Low-Cost Uncrewed Combat Attack System (Lucas) drone was deployed just eight months after its Pentagon unveiling. Defence officials said the compressed timeline reflected lessons learned from observing drone warfare in Ukraine, where both sides have employed thousands of low-cost unmanned systems.
The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, and the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, discussed the Druzhba pipeline, which is at the centre of a dispute with Hungary and Slovakia and has held up approval of a €90bn EU loan to Kyiv. A commission spokesperson said the two leaders had discussed the matter during a call but could not share any details of the conversation. Earlier von der Leyen said on X that they had discussed topics including the loan, sanctions on Russia and “the wider impact of the developments in the Middle East on energy prices, on energy security and on availability of badly needed defence materials”.
One evening in Tehran in 1980, my grandfather got an anonymous tip that the Islamic Republic of Iran wanted him dead.
That night, he, my grandmother and my 15-year-old mother fled their native Iran on a last-minute flight to Heathrow with the help of a forged passport. With two tightly packed suitcases, they made it out. Eventually, my grandfather’s ingenuity allowed them to immigrate to Australia after three years spent in asylum-seeking purgatory in London. Together, my family built a fresh life in Sydney. We survived.
Are the Panthers and Storm past it? How will Payne Haas’s move impact the Broncos? Can NRL players behave for a few months?
The 2026 season is one of the most open in years. Defending minor premiers Canberra, ultra-consistent Cronulla, the fast-improving Dolphins and the sleeping giant in Canterbury are all tipped for a run at the top four. Just who will get there is one of many questions only 27 rounds of rugby league can answer.
World Obesity Federation says half a billion children will be overweight and calls on governments to act to create healthier environments
Without drastic action more than 220 million children could have obesity by 2040, an international report has warned.
Globally, in 2025 about 180 million children were obese. But new figures from the World Obesity Federation suggest that by 2040, about 227 million of all 5- to 19-year-olds will have obesity and more than half a billion will be overweight.
Foreign affairs committee report finds summit improved political relationship but efforts lack ‘strategic priorities’
Keir Starmer’s efforts to reset the UK’s relationship with the EU are lacking in “direction, definition and drive”, parliament’s foreign affairs committee has said.
A report based on months of expert witness testimony found the summit between the UK and the EU at Lancaster House last May had “substantially improved the overall political relationship” after years of Brussels-bashing by the Conservatives.
China’s annual Two Sessions meetings begin this week, with thousands of political and community delegates descending on Beijing from across mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau to ratify legislation, personnel changes and the budget over about two weeks of highly choreographed meetings.
Rennie succeeds Scott Robertson in one of biggest jobs in rugby
‘I’m really clear on the way I want the All Blacks to play,’ says coach
Dave Rennie has been named the new coach of the All Blacks and charged with taking New Zealand to a fourth World Cup triumph in Australia next year.
The 62-year-old former Wallabies coach beat out Jamie Joseph for one of the biggest jobs in world rugby after an extensive recruitment process that started when Scott Robertson stepped down in mid January after a critical review.
Push to give English same status as Māori and NZ sign languages triggers backlash from opposition parties and linguistic experts
A bill to recognise English as an official language of New Zealand has cleared its first hurdle in parliament amid ridicule from opposition parties and linguists who say it is “unnecessary” and “cynical”.
The bill seeks to give English, which is spoken by 95% of the country, the same official status as te reo Māori (Māori language) and New Zealand sign language. The bill said the status and use of the existing official languages would not be affected.
Former Democratic governor Roy Cooper and Trump-backed Republican Michael Whatley to face each other in midterms; judge’s ruling to keep polls open in Dallas county blocked by state supreme court
North Carolina’s election results will be delayed at least an hour because a rural county will be open late after workers couldn’t get equipment working earlier in the day.
In Halifax county, the electronic poll books synchronized for 90 minutes and didn’t use any backup measures to let people vote, according to notes from an emergency meeting held by the state’s board of elections.
The Arizona Cardinals have informed former No 1 overall pick Kyler Murray that they plan to release him at the beginning of the new league year on 11 March, a person familiar with the decision told the Associated Press.
The quarterback, who is owed $36.8m in guaranteed money in 2026, will be free to sign with another team once he’s released.
Even before Wolves fashioned a 94th‑minute winner, this had been everything but the stress‑free visit Arne Slot would have gladly welcomed. Just as it seemed Mohamed Salah had rescued Liverpool a point at bottom club Wolves, André’s deflected shot beat Alisson to secure for the hosts their second Premier League win in five days, having waited six months for their first, in January. Slot hunched over, winded by defeat, alarmingly a fifth in stoppage time this season. Wolves, meanwhile, are suddenly having something of a ball.
For Rob Edwards, the Wolves head coach, it was that time again. “It’s not great for my heart, but I could get used to it,” he said. Last Friday, he streamed down the touchline and pulled his calf, he said, celebrating Wolves’ second goal to secure victory against their rivals Aston Villa.
Last year Sunderland departed West Yorkshire on a snowy February night with their hopes of automatic promotion from the Championship in tatters. Leeds had come from behind to clinch a 95th‑minute win that would take them top of the second tier and only the most optimistic visiting fans expected a rematch this season.
Fast forward to a balmy March evening, though, and Régis Le Bris’s well‑executed gameplan lifted an injury hit yet streetwise Sunderland and their debutant goalkeeper Melker Ellborg to 11th in the Premier League.
Company will halt production of controversial paraquat weed killer by end of June as it faces thousands of lawsuits
Syngenta, maker of a controversial pesticide linked to Parkinson’s disease, said on Tuesday that it will stop making its paraquat weed killer by the end of June.
The announcement comes as the company is facing several thousand lawsuits brought by people in the US who allege they developed Parkinson’s disease due to their exposure to Syngenta’s paraquat products.
Atlanta Braves designated hitter Jurickson Profar faces a 162-game suspension after a second positive test for performance-enhancing drugs, ESPN reported on Tuesday.
If the punishment is confirmed, the 33-year-old will also forfeit his entire $15m salary for the 2026 season and will be ineligible for the postseason and for this month’s World Baseball Classic, where he was due to play for the Netherlands.
Everton harbour ambitions of bringing European football to Hill Dickinson Stadium next season and a first Premier League win at their new home in seven attempts will increase the optimism. The hosts were effective, rather than magnificent, against a woefully poor Burnley but the result is all that matters.
Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City are the next three visitors to Everton, so goals from James Tarkowski and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall were essential as they looked to build momentum. It was only Everton’s fifth win in 15 league games since leaving Goodison Park, helping solidify their position in eighth, which could be good enough for continental qualification come the end of the season.
Democrats have decried Marco Rubio’s briefings as inadequate in articulating the goals of war
Donald Trump attempted to counter a simmering anti-Israel backlash in Congress and among his own Maga supporters on Tuesday by denying suggestions that he had been bounced into attacking Iran because Israel had already decided to do so.
Amid growing criticism among opponents and allies alike, Trump rebuffed claims that he had struck Iran only because Israel had forced his hand, a suspicion fueled by comments made by Marco Rubio, the secretary of state.
Howard Lutnick, Donald Trump’s commerce secretary, has agreed to appear voluntarily before the House committee on oversight and government reform as part of its investigation into Jeffrey Epstein’s criminal network, the committee’s chair announced on Tuesday.
James Comer, the Kentucky Republican who chairs the panel, said Lutnick had “proactively” agreed to the transcribed interview.
A Minnesota-based mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter has been named as the third victim to die in the recent mass shooting at an Austin bar being investigated as a potential act of terrorism in retaliation for US airstrikes in Iran.
The death of 30-year-old Jorge Pederson was announced by the Austin police department on Monday evening. Police told NBC News that Pederson had been on life support after the attack, which left more than a dozen others wounded and ended with officers fatally shooting the gunman.
Contradicting images of parties and war-flooded feeds after Iran targeted Gulf states in retaliation for US-Israeli attacks
Mike Babayan was in a hookah lounge when he heard the explosiononSaturdaynight. Dubai – a gilded playground for the ultra-rich and oligarch class, billed as one of the safest places on Earth – had been attacked by Iranian missiles. Phones lit up with emergency messages urging residents to take shelter. But Dubai is resilient, at least when it comes to partying. “Everyone just went back to their hookah and food a minute later,” said Babayan.
Still, as a precaution, that night Babayan moved from his main home in the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building and the anchor of the Dubai skyline, to a residence further from the city center. There, he could hear the explosions much clearer – one every 20 to 30 minutes, he said. “But everyone is just having coffees, walking around like there’s no care in the world. It’s pretty insane.”
Stressed, anxious or doubtful after a goalless first half? Not these England players, who remained fully confident in their ability and found a flurry of second-half goals to begin their Women’s World Cup qualifying campaign with a 6-1 win against Ukraine.
It helps when you have players with the firepower of Alessia Russo, Georgia Stanway and Jess Park all thriving and scoring twice. The European champions may feel they should have won by a greater margin: they were profligate in the first half, but eventually opened the floodgates as Park continued her bright Manchester United form.
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