Author: Lucas Bennett

British forces stationed in Iraq intercepted two Iranian drones overnight after coalition bases in Erbil and Baghdad came under sustained attack, Defence Secretary John Healey has confirmed. The base in Erbil — capital of the Kurdistan region and home to both US and British personnel — was struck multiple times, injuring a number of American troops. A second coalition base in Baghdad was also hit. Brigadier Guy Foden said British forces successfully brought down two unmanned aerial vehicles launched toward the Erbil camp, though several others broke through and impacted the site. No British casualties were reported. Healey, speaking during…

A shooting at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia has left two people hospitalised and the gunman dead, the university confirmed on Thursday. The shooting took place inside Constant Hall, which houses the university’s business school. Two people were wounded and taken to hospital. The circumstances of the gunman’s death have not yet been confirmed by officials. Old Dominion University cancelled all classes and suspended operations across its main campus for the remainder of Thursday. The university urged students, staff and members of the public to stay away from the area around Constant Hall while emergency services remain on scene.…

Energy regulator Ofgem has granted Tesla a licence to supply electricity to homes and businesses across England, Scotland and Wales, opening the door for Elon Musk’s company to enter the British energy market for the first time. The approval allows Tesla to sell electricity directly to domestic and commercial customers, mirroring the model it already operates in Texas under the Tesla Electric brand, where the company positions itself as a provider of low-cost sustainable power for homes, electric vehicles and local communities. The licence covers electricity supply only. Tesla will not be able to offer combined gas and electricity deals,…

The world’s most critical oil shipping lanes are under sustained attack, with six vessels struck in the space of just two days as Iran escalates its campaign against energy infrastructure across the Persian Gulf and beyond. Two foreign oil tankers in Iraqi waters were set ablaze in Iranian strikes, killing at least one crew member. Thirty-eight others were pulled from the water by rescue teams. Separately, three vessels were hit by projectiles near the Strait of Hormuz — the narrow waterway through which roughly one-fifth of all global crude oil passes — according to the United Kingdom’s maritime agency. A…

A preliminary US military inquiry has concluded that American forces were responsible for a Tomahawk missile strike that killed at least 175 people — the majority of them children — at an elementary school in southern Iran on 28 February. The school in the town of Minab sat on land that was originally part of an Iranian Revolutionary Guards Navy base. When US Central Command drew up strike coordinates targeting that base, it relied on targeting data provided by the Defense Intelligence Agency that had not been updated to reflect the building’s current use as a school. By the time…

When Trump told CBS the Iran war was “very complete, pretty much,” the S&P 500 jumped 0.5 percent instantly — then gained another 0.5 percent by close, finishing up 0.8 percent, its best single-day performance in over a month. Oil fell back below $90 a barrel from nearly $120. That single sequence is the clearest illustration in the source text of how closely Trump’s public statements track market movements. What The Text Actually Documents On oil prices: On stocks: On the tariff parallel the text draws: The Three Tensions The Text Identifies 1. Markets vs. households The text directly states…

A high-level meeting between the leaders of the world’s two largest economies is now weeks away, yet the groundwork that typically underpins such encounters remains largely unfinished. The summit between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, scheduled for March 31 to April 2, was confirmed by the White House — but China has yet to officially announce the dates, consistent with its usual diplomatic practice. What is less usual is how little has been settled about what the two sides actually hope to get out of it. Scott Bessent, the US Treasury Secretary, is expected to meet Chinese…

America’s once-feared financial weapon is showing signs of wear, and the shift in how Washington handles its most powerful economic tools is becoming impossible to ignore. For decades, the United States Treasury’s ability to cut off governments, companies and individuals from the global financial system gave Washington extraordinary leverage over adversaries — without firing a shot. That era appears to be drawing to a close. The clearest sign came last week, when the Treasury Department announced it would allow Russian oil tankers currently stranded at sea to deliver their cargo to India — a direct relaxation of sanctions that have…

Newly released government documents show the Prime Minister received a formal advisory note flagging Lord Mandelson’s links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein less than two weeks before confirming the appointment — raising fresh questions about Sir Keir’s judgement. A 147-page cache of internal government files, released after MPs forced disclosure, has laid bare the full timeline of Lord Mandelson’s appointment as UK ambassador to the United States and the messy fallout that followed his sacking last year. The documents reveal that on 11 December 2024 — nine days before Mandelson was formally confirmed in the role — the Prime…

At least six people are dead and five more injured after a man reportedly soaked himself in petrol and set himself alight inside a passenger coach in western Switzerland on Tuesday evening. The incident occurred in Kerzers, a small town around 12 miles west of the Swiss capital Bern, shortly after 6.25pm local time. The coach, which was carrying a number of passengers at the time, was rapidly engulfed in flames after the man allegedly ignited the blaze from inside the vehicle. Videos circulating on social media showed flames rising several metres into the air from the burning coach. Photographs…