Tuesday, March 3, 2026

World

US-Israel War on Iran Enters Deadly Third Day

The US-Israeli military campaign against Iran has killed at least 200 civilians and six American service members, while Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes across the Gulf region and officially closed the Strait of Hormuz. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has offered the latest justification — that the US struck pre-emptively because Israel was going to attack anyway and American troops would have been targeted in response. Trump says the operation was projected to last four to five weeks but could go "far longer," and has not ruled out boots on the ground.

Economy

Strait of Hormuz Closure Sends Energy Markets Into Chaos

Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz has sent oil and gas prices surging, with global LNG markets facing acute pressure as Qatar — which supplies 20 percent of the world's LNG — has halted production. US LNG producers Venture Global and Cheniere Energy are rushing to capitalise on the spike, while hedge funds are dumping emerging-market positions and the US dollar is jumping. The Reserve Bank of Australia has already flagged a rate hike as a live possibility, citing the oil price shock as a direct inflation risk.

World

France Expands Nuclear Arsenal Amid European Security Fears

Emmanuel Macron has announced France will increase the size of its nuclear arsenal for the first time in decades and deepen weapons cooperation with eight European allies, including the UK, Germany, and Poland. The move is a direct response to doubts about US security guarantees as Washington is consumed by its war with Iran. France plans to deploy nuclear-capable fighter jets to allied nations as part of the expanded deterrence doctrine.

Tech

OpenAI Revises Pentagon Deal Over Surveillance Concerns

OpenAI is renegotiating its contract with the US Defence Department after Sam Altman acknowledged the original deal was "opportunistic and sloppy," with insufficient safeguards against mass surveillance. The move comes as rival Anthropic's Claude surged to the number one spot on the US App Store after being blacklisted by the Pentagon over its own ethics concerns — dethroning ChatGPT within a single day. The duelling AI-military relationships have put the ethics of defence contracts at the centre of the industry's public image battle.

Health

Weight-Loss Drugs May Prevent Fatal Heart Attack Complications

A UK study has found that GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy can reduce the tissue damage known as "no-reflow" that occurs when blood flow fails to return to the heart after a blockage is cleared. The complication affects up to half of the 100,000 people who suffer a heart attack in the UK each year, making it a significant killer. The research is based on animal model trials and points to a major new therapeutic use beyond weight loss and diabetes management.