UK says it remains in talks over escorting ships through strait of Hormuz

Posted on March 18, 2026 by Admin

Officials say military planners liaising with US Central Command but situation remains too dangerous for anything to happen soon

Middle East crisis – live updates

Britain has said it remains involved in discussions with the US and European allies over escorting merchant shipping through the strait of Hormuz but the situation remains too dangerous for it to happen soon.

Iran is still considered to pose a threat and to have a wide range of weapons available – from cruise missiles to sea drones – despite 19 days of US-led bombing of its navy and coastal sites.

Five takeaways from Markwayne Mullin’s Homeland Security confirmation hearing

Posted on March 18, 2026 by Admin

The agency Mullin is vying to run entered its fifth week without funding, and concerns surrounding the budget loomed over questions.

Damaged Russian tanker carrying natural gas floats into Libyan waters

Posted on March 18, 2026 by Admin

Fears of ecological disaster as vessel continues to drift after being struck by suspected drone attack

A severely damaged Russian tanker carrying liquified natural gas that has been adrift in the Mediterranean for two weeks, raising concerns of an ecological disaster, has floated into Libyan waters, Italy’s civil protection agency said on Wednesday.

The Arctic Metagaz was part of a Russian “shadow fleet” used to circumvent sanctions imposed on the country’s oil and gas after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. It was struck in a suspected drone attack close to Maltese waters earlier this month, causing a huge hole. The crew is believed to have been rescued between Malta and Libya.

Watch: Gabbard faces scrutiny over Iran nuclear intelligence claims

Posted on March 18, 2026 by Admin

The US Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, was questioned over what Democrats perceive as a discrepancy between White House and intelligence community claims.

Canada in push for joint G7 and Middle East effort to de-escalate Iran war

Posted on March 18, 2026 by Admin

Foreign minister Anita Anand says she has drafted principles to reduce risk of regional spillover and wider shocks

Middle East crisis – live updates

Canada is pushing for a collective G7 and Middle East approach to de-escalating the Iran war, including off ramps that could bring an end to the conflict, the Canadian foreign minister, Anita Anand, has said.

In London to meet the UK foreign secretary, Yvette Cooper, after talks with the her Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan, Anand told the Guardian she hoped a G7 meeting chaired by France, this year’s president of the group, might start to build a broader collective approach to the crisis.

One killed as ski gondola crashes down mountain at Swiss resort

Posted on March 18, 2026 by Admin

Dramatic footage showed the gondola flipping over several times in the snow before coming to a halt in Engelberg.

As Trump shows lack of direction on Iran, even Badenoch distances herself

Posted on March 18, 2026 by Admin

Steady UK opposition to the war and the US president’s insults mean MPs are finding it easier to point out the obvious

When is a U-turn definitely a U-turn? To the consternation of politicians through the ages, this is rarely something within their control, but decided instead by the herd. And thus it is with Kemi Badnoch over Iran and Donald Trump.

The Conservative leader would very much like it to be known that she had not changed her stance on the US-Israeli attacks on Iran, or on the US president.

Trump temporarily waives century-old shipping law amid rising fuel costs

Posted on March 18, 2026 by Admin

Lifting the Jones Act temporarily allows foreign ships to transport cargo across the US, but critics question efficacy.

Famous Iditarod dog sled race ends in repeat win for Jessie Holmes

Posted on March 18, 2026 by Admin

The former reality TV star guided his dogs through a roughly 1,000-mile (1,609-kilometer) race, completing it in nine days, seven hours, and 32 minutes.