Middle East crisis live: US says nearly 2,000 targets hit in Iran war; Trump says navy may escort tankers through Strait of Hormuz

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

• Trump administration has still not settled on reasons for war

• Middle East attacks intensify as Trump rejects Iran’s attempt to talk

US president Donald Trump said “someone from within” Iran’s government might be best suited to take power once the US-Israeli war on the country ends.

His remarks came four days into a war that has killed hundreds, nearly all of them in Iran, as well as many of the country’s top leaders, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Texas Republican candidates for US Senate head to runoff as Democratic candidates await results – live updates

Texas Democratic candidate Jasmine Crockett says ‘people were disenfranchised’ in state after voting rules change sparks confusion; North Carolina US Senate candidates set for November showdown

• Texas Senate seat fight heads to runoff after Republicans fail to secure required votes

• Democratic rivals in close Senate primary amid Texas polling confusion

• North Carolina: Roy Cooper and Michael Whatley win primaries to set up Senate contest

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.

US military launches operation in Ecuador to combat drug trafficking

US Southern Command said joint mission with Ecuadorian forces involves ‘decisive action’ against narco-terrorists

The US military’s Southern Command said on Tuesday that Ecuadorian and US forces launched operations against what it said were designated terrorist organizations in Ecuador.

Southern Command, which encompasses 31 countries through South and Central America and the Caribbean, said the action was aimed at combating illicit drug trafficking, but did not provide more details in a statement on X.

Trump defends war with Iran as conflict widens

Israel sent troops into Lebanon as the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran widened, and some of Iran's Gulf neighbors warned that Iran's retaliatory fire could draw them into the spreading conflict.

Gates among 7 asked to testify before House committee on possible Epstein ties

Last week, Bill Gates apologized to the staff of his philanthropic Gates Foundation for his ties to Jeffrey Epstein, which he said began in 2011 and continued through 2014.

3/3: CBS Evening News

Trump says almost "everything's been knocked out" as Iran unleashes drones; Mini miracle on the Hudson as pilot and passenger survive plane crash in icy river

Stocks pare losses as Trump says U.S. will insure ships in the Persian Gulf

U.S. financial markets rebounded after shedding more than 1,200 points in earlier trading on Tuesday.

The Iran war has sparked travel chaos. How will flights be rerouted and can other airports meet the surge in demand?

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.

Mini miracle on the Hudson as pilot and passenger survive plane crash in icy river

A small plane pulled off an emergency landing on the Hudson River north of New York City, with both people on board suffering only minor injuries. Tony Dokoupil has the story.

Roy Cooper, Michael Whatley set to compete for a high-stakes North Carolina U.S. Senate seat

Former Democratic North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper will face former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley in the state's toss-up U.S. Senate race.

Ukraine war briefing: Merz tells Trump Ukraine must not give up more territory

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 ensured 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”.

Nvidia, Amazon temporarily close Dubai offices, Google employees stranded amid U.S.-Iran war

Tech companies with Middle East operations have scrambled to respond as fighting rippled across the region after joint U.S.-Israeli strikes in Iran.

Father of alleged school shooter found guilty of murder

A Georgia jury has found Colin Gray, the man whose teenage son is accused of killing two students and two teachers in a shooting at Apalachee High School, guilty of second-degree murder and all other charges. Skyler Henry has details.

Americans urged to leave 14 Middle East countries amid Iran war

The State Department urged Americans to "depart now" from countries including Bahrain, Egypt, Israel, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

My grandfather narrowly avoided death under the Iranian regime. But I am not celebrating Trump’s illegal war | Anonymous

While I do not speak for the Australian-Iranian diaspora as a whole, I am gravely concerned for what this attack will cost in innocent lives

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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.

Americans stranded amid war in Middle East: "Everybody is scared"

The U.S. State Department is urging the roughly 1 million American citizens in 14 countries in the Middle East to leave immediately and saying help is on the way. But with most planes grounded, many are finding escape nearly impossible. Matt Gutman reports.

NRL 2026: the big questions to be answered over the course of the season | Jack Snape

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.

More than 220m children will be obese by 2040 without drastic action, report warns

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.

MPs say Starmer’s UK-EU reset lacks ‘direction, definition and drive’

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 Two Sessions: what are the meetings and why do they matter?

Annual political gathering kicks off this week in Beijing with the economy, technology and the military high on the agenda

• More generals purged as Chinese delegates gather for event

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.

Trump denies that Israel forced US’s hand in launching strikes against Iran

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.

Former Wallabies coach Rennie takes All Blacks job and targets World Cup glory

• 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.

Republican primary for U.S. Senate in Texas is headed for a runoff

Incumbent Sen. John Cornyn will face Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in a May runoff. Vote counting was still underway in the Democratic primary between Jasmine Crockett and James Talarico.

Prediction market 'gambling' needs state regulation, not feds, Mick Mulvaney says after Iran war bets

Mick Mulvaney also said prediction markets, by offering contracts on events such as wars, could represent a security risk for the U.S.

Humans' pull toward alcohol may have ancient origins (according to chimp pee)

Scientists learned that wild African chimpanzees consume alcohol by eating fermented fruit, suggesting that human attraction to alcohol may have ancient evolutionary origins.

Epstein files: Goldman Sachs lawyer Kathryn Ruemmler asked to testify to House panel

Kathryn Ruemmler said last month she would leave Goldman Sachs at the end of June after fallout over her emails with Jeffrey Epstein.

Kristi Noem refuses to retract statement calling Minnesotans killed by federal agents ‘domestic terrorists’

Homeland security secretary was grilled in Senate hearing over immigration enforcement crackdown in Twin Cities

• US politics live – latest updates

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The secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Kristi Noem, on Tuesday would not retract her statements calling the two US citizens who were killed by immigration enforcement officers in Minneapolis earlier this year “domestic terrorists”, while also claiming that agents do not abide by quotas for arrests.

Appearing before Congress for the first time since the killings, Noem evaded a question by the Senate judiciary committee’s ranking member, Dick Durbin, a Democrat from Illinois, about whether she would take back the false accusations about Renee Good and Alex Pretti.

Social media believed to be shooter's is full of antisemitic, anti-Christian posts

The attacker who opened fire at a bar in Austin, Texas, over the weekend appears to have posted antisemitic, anti-Christian and misogynistic messages on social media.

Cardinals to release former No 1 overall pick Kyler Murray with QB still owed $36.8m

• Player showed glimpses of genius but was uneven

• 28-year-old played in playoffs once with Arizona

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.

New Zealand coalition votes to make English an official language as critics decry ‘cynical’ bill

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.

Wolves’ André stuns Liverpool with last-gasp winner to pile pain on Arne Slot

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.

Pregnant migrant girls are being sent to a Texas shelter flagged as medically risky

Government officials and advocates for the children worry the goal is to concentrate them in Texas, where abortion is banned.

What was really behind Jack Dorsey laying off nearly half of Block’s staff?

CEO cited AI advances in cutting 4,000 workers, but a weak crypto market and declining stock price may also be at play

Jack Dorsey cited AI as the driving force behind cutting 40% of his company’s employees, but other factors such as a weak crypto market, overstaffing and a declining stock price may also have motivated the move.

Last week, the financial technology company Block announced that it would lay off 4,000 of its 10,000 workers. Dorsey, Block’s CEO, said in a letter to shareholders that advances in AI “have changed what it means to build and run a company”.

Most say Trump admin. still hasn't explained Iran goals, CBS News poll finds

Many see the Iran conflict lasting at least months. A majority oppose it, and more say it makes the U.S. less safe.

Syngenta says it will stop making pesticide linked to Parkinson’s disease

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.

Target to invest $2 billion in AI, stores, staffing as it seeks to reverse slump

Target will invest another $2 billion in its business this year to spruce up stores, remodel locations and invest in workers, the retailer said Tuesday as it outlined plans to try to reverse a persistent sales malaise and reclaim its footing in fashion and home categories.

Target says it's on track to end its sales slump after another lackluster quarter

The big-box retailer Target posted its fiscal fourth-quarter results as it hosted an investor meeting at its Minneapolis headquarters.

United Airlines can now boot passengers who refuse to use headphones

United said it could permanently ban travelers who refuse to wear headphones while listening to audio or video content on its flights.

The 2026 World Cup faces big challenges with only 100 days to go

Will Iran compete? Will violence in Mexico flare up? And what about funding for host cities in the U.S.? With only 100 days left before it begins, the 2026 World Cup is facing a lot of uncertainty.

Tillis calls Noem's leadership a 'disaster' in fiery Senate hearing

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee after coming under fire for her leadership during a nationwide immigration sweep.

3/2: The Takeout with Major Garrett

The latest details on Day 3 of war with Iran; video released of the Clintons' depositions on Jeffrey Epstein.

A glimpse of Iran, through the eyes of its artists and journalists

Understanding one of the world's oldest civilizations can't be achieved through a single film or book. But recent works of literature, journalism, music and film by Iranians are a powerful starting point.

Howard Lutnick agrees to interview with House committee in Epstein probe

Documents released by the Justice Department provided a look into Howard Lutnick's ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Howard Lutnick agrees to appear before US House panel on Epstein network

Donald Trump’s commerce secretary has acknowledged visiting convicted sex offender on private island in 2012

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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.

Some baby formula brands contain heavy metals, Consumer Reports says

Tests of dozens of baby formulas by Consumer Reports found that nearly half contained potentially dangerous chemicals.

Trump rebukes Starmer again for not letting US attack Iran from UK bases

US president criticises prime minister for third time 24 hours, describing him as ‘not Churchill’ over initial refusal

• Middle East crisis – live updates

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.

Third victim dies as Austin bar shooting investigated as potential terrorism act

Jorge Pederson, 30, had been on life support after weekend attack which left more than a dozen others wounded

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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.

Dubai influencers’ lives of luxury interrupted by Iran strikes: ‘The image of safety has been shattered’

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 explosion on Saturday night. 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.”

Trump administration offers shifting narrative for U.S. war in Iran as Democrats pounce

Trump said when the invasion began his objective was to "defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime, a vicious group."

FBI agents Patel fired worked in counterintel, including on cases involving Iran

Many of the agents who were fired last week by FBI Director Kash Patel were assigned to a squad that worked on global counterintelligence cases, including those involving Iran, sources said.

Alessia Russo double for England sparks Women’s World Cup qualifying win against Ukraine

• Ukraine 1-6 England

• Georgia Stanway and Jess Park also score twice

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.

Chaos signals Iran struggling to function as war turns into fight for survival

Strikes on Iranian leadership are putting Tehran under unprecedented military and diplomatic pressure

• Middle East crisis – live updates

• The war in the Middle East in maps, video and photos

Iran endured a day of unprecedented military and diplomatic pressure on Tuesday as US airstrikes pushed the death toll in the country close to 800 and the offices of the assembly of experts – the body due to select a replacement for the assassinated supreme leader, Ali Khamenei – were bombed.

It would be an extraordinary security lapse if it emerges that many of the 88 elderly clerics on the assembly had been in the building in Qom voting at the time. “There was another hit today on the new leadership, and it looks like that was pretty substantial,” Trump said at a White House event, although it was unclear what specifically he was talking about.

Anthropic's Claude AI being used in Iran war by U.S. military, sources say

Two sources familiar with the U.S. military's use of artificial intelligence confirm that the U.S. used Anthropic's Claude AI model over weekend for the attack on Iran — and is still using it.

Half-truths and no truths: Trump’s latest claims on the UK factchecked

From the Chagos Islands to ‘windmills’ and sharia law, the US president’s comments do not bear much scrutiny

Donald Trump has been opining about the UK again, saying on Tuesday that Keir Starmer was “not Winston Churchill” and repeating his complaint about the deal to hand sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. Here are some recent things the US president has said about British issues, and how they compare with reality.

DoJ renews fight against law firms that stood up to Trump in abrupt reversal

Move comes day after department said it would drop fight against law firms that stood up to Trump’s executive orders

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The US justice department abruptly reversed course on Tuesday and decided it would defend executive orders made by Donald Trump to try to penalize law firms that represented clients or causes the president did not like.

On Monday, the department announced in a court filing that it was dropping its appeal against a ruling by a district court judge that blocked Trump’s retaliatory executive actions against four companies that refused to make a deal with him.

Witkoff: Iran said it had enough enriched uranium to make 11 nuclear bombs

President Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff told Fox News that Iranian negotiators said Iran had the "inalienable right to enrich all their nuclear fuel."

Nottingham killer sought arrest at MI5 HQ before 2023 attack, inquiry told

Valdo Calocane approached security at Thames House in 2021 but did not meet threshold for further assessment, public inquiry told

A man who killed three people during a 2023 knife attack in Nottingham had attempted to hand himself into MI5 for arrest two years earlier, an inquiry has heard.

Valdo Calocane, 34, fatally stabbed Grace O’Malley-Kumar and Barnaby Webber, both 19, and Ian Coates, 65, during a stabbing spree in the city on 13 June 2023.

Father of Georgia school shooting suspect found guilty of murder and manslaughter

Prosecutors argued Colin Gray gave 14-year-old son, who is accused of killing four in 2024 shooting, access to firearm

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The father of a teenage boy accused of killing two students and two teachers in a mass shooting at a Georgia high school in 2024 was found guilty on Tuesday of second-degree murder and other charges.

After roughly two weeks of testimony, jurors deliberated for just a few hours before convicting 54-year-old Colin Gray on more than two dozen charges, including second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter, related to the 4 September fatal shooting at Apalachee high school in Georgia.

DOJ reverses course, will now defend Trump executive orders targeting law firms

The Justice Dept. said in a court filing it seeks to withdraw its motion to voluntarily dismiss appeals of court decisions invalidating executive orders targeting four law firms.

‘The concert ticket industry is broken,’ justice department says as Ticketmaster trial begins

Entertainment giant keeps average of $7.58 of each ticket for events at major concert venues, court hears

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Ticketmaster keeps an average of $7.58 of the price of each ticket for events at major concert venues, an attorney for New York state told jurors at a trial on Tuesday in which dozens of states are seeking to recoup damages for fans.

Ticketmaster and its parent company, Live Nation, are accused of abusing their market power to prop up illegal monopolies in the concert industry. The trial in Manhattan could result in the US Department of Justice arguing for a breakup of Live Nation and Ticketmaster or the companies paying compensation to ticket purchasers.

Post your questions for Martin Clunes

His credits range from Men Behaving Badly to Wuthering Heights, and now he’s playing Huw Edwards. What would you dearly love to know about the actor and documentary presenter?

It’s delightful that Martin Clunes has won so many plaudits for his performance in this year’s Wuthering Heights, alongside Margot Robbie’s Cathy and Jacob Elordi’s Heathcliff. He plays Cathy’s drunk but generous, cruel yet humorous father in a part that could easily have drifted into the background. But he makes such an impression that the Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw reckons he “pretty much pinches the whole film”.

It’s not as if Clunes hasn’t brushed shoulders with the Hollywood A-list before. You might remember him as Richard Burbage, opposite Gwyneth Paltrow, Joseph Fiennes and Judi Dench, in 1998’s Shakespeare in Love – a role with added resonance given that his father, Alec Clunes, who died when Clunes was eight, was a distinguished Shakespearean actor. Other roles include 1992’s Carry On Columbus (the last ever Carry On); 1994’s Staggered (which he also directed), in which he wakes up naked on a remote Scottish island after a stag do gone wrong; and 1999’s Hunting Venus, where he reunites with his former on-screen flatmate Neil Morrissey, as a washed-up 80s New Romantic, sporting a flopped quiff that puts even A Flock of Seagulls to shame.

Braves’ Profar to land 162-game ban and forfeit $15m after reportedly failing PED test

• Designated hitter was also banned last season

• Player set to miss postseason and WBC too

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.

2/24: CBS Evening News

What to expect in Trump's State of the Union address; Russian strikes on power grid have turned winter into weapon against Ukraine.

Game of Thrones film adaptation in the works at Warner Bros

Blockbuster adaptation of George RR Martin’s fantasy world will focus on events 300 years before the HBO series’ pilot

A Game of Thrones film is set for the big screen, with Warner Bros officially developing a prequel set in the world of Westeros.

House of Cards showrunner and Andor writer Beau Willimon has been recruited to write the script based on George RR Martin’s fantasy series.

Ben Jennings on Donald Trump, Keir Starmer and the war in Iran – cartoon

Continue reading...

‘We back ourselves in one-offs’: Black Caps plan revenge against South Africa

Mitchell Santner’s New Zealand side face their T20 World Cup group-stage conquerers in an intriguing semi-final

In Colombo on Saturday New Zealand’s players and staff gathered in small groups at various locations around the city. One assembled in a beachside bar overlooking the Laccadive Sea, where they shared snacks, nursed drinks and tried their best to engage in conversation while making furtive glances towards the big screen. There was another in the team hotel, crammed into the room of their captain, Mitchell Santner. All of them monitored Pakistan’s game against Sri Lanka, and their pursuit of a victory that would enable them to pip the Black Caps to a place in the World Cup’s final four.

In the end Pakistan did win, but not by the margin they required – and on Tuesday it was reported that the Pakistan Cricket Board had fined each player around £13,500 as punishment, informing them that if they can accept rewards for good performances they “must also pay penalties for poor ones”.

Italian ambulance driver investigated on suspicion of murdering five patients

Prosecutors in the northern city of Forlì are investigating a 27-year-old man, currently suspended from the Italian Red Cross

Prosecutors in the northern Italian city of Forlì are investigating an ambulance driver on suspicion of murdering five elderly patients.

All the suspicious deaths occurred while or soon after the patients were transported in an ambulance driven by the 27-year-old man, lawyers of the victims told the Guardian.

President Trump is trying to make it harder to vote. Here's why that matters

Trump is promoting tighter restrictions on mail-in ballots as well as passage of the SAVE Act, which requires proof of citizenship to vote. UCLA professor Richard Hasen unpacks the ramifications.

Video of Clintons' Epstein testimony released by House committee

The House Oversight Committee released recordings of last week's depositions with former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Middle East conflict: why is Israel attacking Lebanon? | The Latest

Israel has deployed soldiers on the ground in southern Lebanon and is carrying out heavy airstrikes in the country as conflict in the Middle East continues to spread. It comes after the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah launched missiles and drones toward Israel in retaliation for the killing of Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei. Nosheen Iqbal speaks to the Beirut-based journalist Will Christou.

British rapper Ghetts jailed for 12 years for causing death of student in hit and run

Grime artist was speeding and over drink-drive limit when he hit 20-year-old Yubin Tamang in London

The rapper Ghetts has been jailed for 12 years for killing a student in a hit and run while speeding and over the drink-drive limit.

The grime artist, whose real name is Justin Clarke-Samuel, failed to stop after his BMW hit the Nepalese national Yubin Tamang, 20, in north-east London. He admitted dangerous driving and causing death by dangerous driving.

The DOJ has been taking down Epstein files. Here's what remains.

The massive tranche of files the Justice Department currently maintains is more than 65,000 pages shorter than what the agency initially released.

Benign transition or bloody civil war: what next for Iran after the bombing?

Experts describe four broad outcomes of attacks by US and Israel, which seem to have no postwar plan for the country

• Middle East crisis – live updates

Piecing together what the US and Israeli officials have said about the attack on Iran, its objectives appear to be to inflict maximum damage on the pillars of the country’s power, specifically its nuclear and missile programmes and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

The ultimate objective however, as repeatedly expressed by Donald Trump at least, is to pave the way for a popular uprising that would sweep away the cleric-led regime that has run the country for 47 years. Trump has presented the devastating assault as a once-in-a-lifetime chance for the people of Iran to “take back your government”.

Calls for lifetime ban on Czech coach who filmed female footballers in changing room

• Petr Vlachovsky given a suspended prison sentence

• He has not been banned from coaching abroad

The Czech player union has called for a lifetime football ban for a coach who avoided jail despite being convicted of secretly filming his female players in the changing rooms and showers with a hidden camera.

Petr Vlachovsky was convicted in May 2025, without a public hearing, and handed a suspended one-year prison sentence and a five-year domestic coaching ban, after being found to have filmed 14 players at FC Slovacko over a four-year period. He was also caught in possession of child sexual abuse material.

An expat in Dubai has a startling revelation: the Stephen Collins cartoon

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Declutter, define, discard: seven easy and cheap home organization tips, from experts

Organizing your home doesn’t have to use up all your retirement savings, time or peace of mind

Overcurated home organization content has flourished on social media for the past decade: well-lit photos of pantries, closets and bathrooms with contents arranged in clear acrylic bins. Usually, everything is color coordinated.

I love a tidy, organized space, but these images stress me out. My mouth gets dry when I imagine the upkeep necessary to keep those spaces looking pristine. How much does it cost to acquire hundreds of identical storage bins? How long did it take to aesthetically arrange Khloé Kardashian’s cookies like that? Is this really what I’m supposed to be doing with my one wild and precious life?

Briton diagnosed with rabies after psychiatrist raised fears, inquest told

Yvonne Ford, who died after scratch from dog in Morocco, was referred to mental health expert by perplexed medics

A woman who died in the UK after contracting rabies while on holiday in Morocco was diagnosed with the disease after a psychiatrist was called in to assess her symptoms, an inquest has heard.

Yvonne Ford, 59, died in Barnsley hospital on 11 June, four months after she was scratched by a puppy in February while on a beach in the north African country.

New York Fed's Williams says tariff burden falls 'overwhelmingly' on U.S. businesses and consumers

Williams said that not only were the tariffs being felt at home, but they also were keeping the Fed from reaching its 2% inflation goal.

A new one-a-day-pill holds promise for HIV's 'forgotten population'

It's designed to take the place of complicated, multiple drug regimens that many people with HIV need to follow. And it's also beneficial because the HIV virus is always evolving.

Paramount to combine HBO Max and Paramount+ into one streaming service after WBD merger

Paramount said it plans to merge HBO Max and Paramount+ into one streaming service after completing its WBD acquisition.

Next phase of Iran war ‘will be even more punishing’: Rubio, Trump officials brief Congress

Members of Congress demanded briefings from the White House after attacks were launched on Iran over the weekend.

Gas prices across the U.S. jump 11 cents per gallon, AAA says

Crude oil prices are surging due to the Iran war, pushing up prices at the pump across the U.S., according to AAA.

Middle East war could be decided by who runs out of missiles or interceptors first, analysts say

Stockpiles of the most advanced US-made weapons are limited – while few know how large Iran’s arsenal is

• Middle East crisis – live updates

• The war in the Middle East in maps, video and photos

The outcome and duration of the war in the Middle East may be decided by a grim calculus based on the size of Iran’s drone and missile stocks v vital air defence munitions held by the US, Israel and Gulf states, analysts and officials say.

Since Saturday, Iran and its proxies have sought to counter the intensive joint US and Israeli offensive with more than 1,000 strikes against targets across almost a dozen countries spread over 1,200 miles. With its antiquated air force unable to compete with those of Israel and the US, Tehran has relied on its arsenal of missiles and drones.

Dior turns up springtime-in-Paris for Anderson’s second womenswear show

Northern Irish designer ditches darker undercurrents for seductive vision of Monet’s waterlilies at opening show of Paris fashion week

In a dark news cycle, joy sells. With his second major womenswear show for Dior, the Northern Irish designer Jonathan Anderson put a pin in the soul-searching of his first season and plunged gleefully for the springtime-in-Paris jugular. For the opening show of Paris fashion week, Dior offered a seductive vision of Monet’s waterlilies, walks in the Tuileries gardens, and the Eiffel Tower glittering in the sunshine.

Anderson, a keen art collector who moved to Paris for the Dior role last year, has been looking at Seurat’s romantic paintings of ordinary Parisians at leisure, as well as Monet. A promenade across the octagonal pond of the Tuileries was built as a catwalk, and the Sunday sailboats upgraded for the occasion into giant lily pads with vibrant blooms. Dollhouse-sized pairs of classic French green park chairs were sent out as whimsical invitations.

World's largest acidic geyser erupts in Yellowstone after years of silence

Echinus Geyser is about 66 feet wide and is surrounded by rocks that resemble sea urchins.

‘I can’t digest it’: deadliest attack on Israel since war began kills nine and destroys synagogue

Fear and grief mix in the small town of Beit Shemesh, where missile struck ageing bomb shelter

• Middle East crisis – live updates

With 30 people inside the neighbourhood bomb shelter on Sunday afternoon, and sirens wailing outside, Oren Katz went to close the reinforced door.

It was an act of generosity that was typical of the father of four, and it would cost him his life. As he reached the entrance, the shelter took a direct hit from an Iranian missile.

Amazon says drones hit 3 of its Middle East data center

Drones struck two facilities in the United Arab Emirates directly, and damaged a data center in Bahrain, Amazon said.

North Carolina Democrat says she's running in GOP primary to oppose gerrymandering in the state

Republicans in North Carolina have redrawn congressional maps to favor the GOP. It has led a Democrat in the state to run for a seat in Congress in the Republican primary. Major Garrett reports.

Inside Cadillac’s F1 journey: ‘Our Silverstone shakedown was a miracle’

Formula One’s newest team join the grid having designed a car from scratch in only 12 months with the aim of becoming a championship-winning force

When the new Formula One season begins on Sunday in the usual fever of excitement and anticipation, consider amid the maelstrom the Cadillac team. Before the lights go out in Melbourne, F1’s newest entrant will have a deserved chance to take a breath and savour for but a moment, their remarkable achievement of simply having made it to the grid.

The US team backed by General Motors has been built, aside from those involved in the pre‑planning, from scratch in what will be a year and a day since its entry was formally approved. As their team principal, Graeme Lowdon, explained, that process had begun in an empty room with a screwdriver and an A4 sheet of paper.

From David Bowie to Fleetwood Mac and Eric Clapton, Mike Vernon’s ear was invaluable to British pop and blues

The musician, producer and label head, who has died aged 81, turned his boyhood passion for blues into a hugely impactful career

Mike Vernon, who has died aged 81, was the ultimate schoolboy blues nut. First he published a blues fanzine, next he persuaded Decca Records to hire him to produce British blues bands, then he started his own indie label issuing 45s of African American blues artists, before CBS agreed to finance his Blue Horizon label. From the 1970s on, he would record and perform as a solo artist and band member; he was a producer for David Bowie, Fleetwood Mac, Eric Clapton and more. His was a life determined by his love for music, and he served his muse generously for more than 60 years.

Vernon’s upbringing in Surrey was typical of many children born in the mid-1940s: he sang in his church choir, listened to the jazz and show tune LPs his parents owned and was bowled over by the arrival of rock’n’roll, responding most strongly to the likes of Little Richard, Fats Domino and Larry Williams. Inquisitive and determined, he sought out records by older African American blues and R&B artists then, while studying at Croydon Art College, started following the fledgling British blues bands led by Cyril Davies and Alexis Korner.

Videos of Bill and Hillary Clinton's testimonies about Epstein released by House panel

Video depositions of Bill and Hillary Clinton testifying under oath about Jeffrey Epstein were released by the House Oversight Committee. The Clintons both denied any knowledge of Epstein's crimes. Caitlin Huey-Burns reports.

The Dutch method: could this improve your sleep – and social life?

Some may balk at Netherlanders’ ‘nothing to hide’ approach, but there is evidence their curtain customs could come with health benefits

Name: The Dutch method.

Age: Possibly in place since the Reformation, making it about 500 years old.

Iran war prediction market bets draw heat: 'Insane this is legal'

Wagers were placed over the weekend about the fate of Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the bombardment of Iran.

Democrats question Trump administration's justification of Iran war

At his first public event on Monday since the start of the Iran war, President Trump said the war will continue until Iran's missile capabilities, nuclear ambitions and navy are all destroyed. He justified the attacks' timing, citing Iran's ballistic missile capability. But Democrats who have been briefed on the military operation are challenging the justification. Weijia Jiang reports.

Women everywhere are extolling the single life – not least, Pamela Anderson | Polly Hudson

After five marriages and countless magazine covers, the former Baywatch star makes being makeup-free and unattached look the best of all worlds

Pamela Anderson has been married five times. She has made the kind of romantic decisions – impulsive, reckless, incorrigible – that suggest someone who struggles to be alone. She had known her first husband only a few days; her second marriage lasted four months; she described her most recent, in 2020, as “a disaster”. Now, at 58, she is finally single.

“There’s that great Osho quote – ‘The capacity to be alone is the capacity to love.’ That’s where I’m at right now,” she told AnOther magazine. “I just want to unleash the dragon. I don’t need anybody in my way. I want to get it out. It happens at different times in everybody’s life, and this is my time.”

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Global economy must stop pandering to ‘frivolous desires of ultra-rich’, says UN expert

Olivier De Schutter says new economic agenda needed to tackle crises of rising inequality and ecological collapse

The global economy must be reordered to ensure it serves ordinary people around the world rather than the “frivolous and destructive demands of the ultra-rich”, according to a leading UN figure.

Olivier De Schutter, the UN special rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, says politicians must stop prioritising “socially and ecologically destructive growth” that only increases the profits – and serves the consumption demands – of the world’s richest individuals and corporations.

Monsters and madness and men, oh my! The Terror is the unsung treasure of peak television

With a world-class cast that will have you constantly saying ‘hey, it’s that guy!’, this horror drama about a doomed Royal Navy expedition is a grand treatise on colonial folly

There’s an old adage that adventure is extreme discomfort remembered from an armchair. But what if there is no armchair waiting at the end of your journey? What if you never return at all? Well, then you have the first season of AMC anthology series The Terror. Based on the bestselling book of the same name by Dan Simmons, who died last month, it chronicles a doomed Royal Navy expedition dispatched to the Arctic in search of the fabled Northwest Passage.

Under the leadership of Captains Sir John Franklin and Francis Crozier, the HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, manned with 129 crew, set sail from England in 1845. They became locked in pack ice off King William Island in the winter of 1846. After that, the entire expedition vanished – both ships and all hands lost – a sort of Victorian-era MH370 that has fascinated historians, geographers and artists ever since.

Real Housewives’ Countess Luann: ‘Someone projectile vomited on me. It got in my hair a little bit’

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.

Sea moss is everywhere on TikTok – yes it’s natural but that doesn’t mean it’s safe or beneficial for all | Antiviral

Consuming algae products won’t make up for a poor diet, despite the benefits claimed by influencers, experts warn

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If you have a weak stomach, I don’t recommend watching one of the many videos on social media of influencers dipping their spoons into a jar of sea moss and putting mounds of the congealed substance – with a texture resembling congealed oil or snot – straight into their mouths.

“People have this assumption that it’s disgusting,” one influencer says, holding a spoonful in her mouth and, while seemingly trying not to swallow, insisting: “It’s really not.” Another dry-retches as soon as it passes her lips.

‘It was very challenging’: the exhibition memorialising Black trans deaths across the US

Artist Sage Ni’Ja Whitson found an unusual way to remember those who were killed or died by suicide between 2018 and 2025

Between 2021 and 2025, Black nonbinary artist Sage Ni’Ja Whitson visited 91 locations across 15 states – in all of these sites a trans, gender nonconforming, or intersex individual had died, either by murder or suicide. At each site they conducted a ceremony of their own to bear witness to what had happened there.

“It was very challenging in ways that I’m continuing to mend from and rest with,” they said. “It is not ‘inexpensive’ on my body and spirit. That cost I knew would be there.”