Monday, March 9, 2026

World

Iran names Khamenei's son as new supreme leader

Iran's Assembly of Experts has chosen Mojtaba Khamenei — the slain ayatollah's 56-year-old son — as the Islamic Republic's new supreme leader, a move Trump has already declared unacceptable. The appointment signals Iran intends to fight on rather than negotiate, with military and political leaders pledging allegiance as US-Israeli strikes continue hitting Tehran. A video released by Iranian state media appears to show a US Tomahawk cruise missile striking a school compound, directly contradicting Trump's version of events.

Economy

Oil smashes $100 as Iran war rattles global markets

Brent crude has surged past $100 a barrel for the first time since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, briefly hitting $114 as the Iran conflict knocks an estimated 20 million barrels a day from global supply. Stock markets are tumbling worldwide — Australia's ASX shed $130 billion in a single session — while Great Britain has just two days of gas in storage as LNG tankers divert away from Europe. Trump called the price spike "a very small price to pay," though US energy secretary Chris Wright promised the pain would last weeks, not months.

Tech

OpenAI robotics chief quits over Pentagon AI deal

A senior leader on OpenAI's robotics team has resigned, citing inadequately defined guardrails around military uses of AI before the company announced a deal with the Pentagon. The departure is the most visible sign yet of internal dissent over OpenAI's pivot toward defence contracts under Sam Altman. No replacement has been named.

Health

NHS halts cross-sex hormone prescriptions for under-18s

NHS England has paused new referrals for masculinising and feminising hormone treatment for 16 and 17-year-olds after an in-depth review found insufficient evidence to support its continued use for gender incongruence or dysphoria. Young people already on the drugs will keep receiving them while the review concludes. The move marks a significant policy shift following the Cass Review's earlier scrutiny of gender medicine for minors.

World

Trump weighs US ground forces deployment in Iran

The White House is considering deploying ground troops to Iran, a move that has alarmed Democrats and a growing number of Republicans who say there is no clear exit strategy. Trump has separately threatened that any new supreme leader will "not last long" without US approval, while Starmer called Trump on Sunday to repair relations after the president publicly criticised Britain's refusal to back the initial strikes. The FT reports the ground-forces option is actively on the table as the conflict enters its second week.