Category: World

How Europe sleepwalked into yet another energy crisis6 hours agoShareSaveKatya AdlerEurope EditorShareSaveBBCThe knock-on effects of the conflict now whipping through the Middle East are awakening ghosts of crises past that shook the European Union.
Seven months into Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, launched in February 2022, the President of the European Commission stood at her podium in the European Parliament and accused Russia of manipulating the EU's energy market.
“They prefer to flare the gas than to deliver it,” proclaimed Ursula von der Leyen, as spiralling energy prices hit consumers across the continent. “This market is not functioning anymore.”
“This is a war on our energy, a war on our economy, a war on our values and a war on our future,” she declared, insisting that Europe was already pivoting away from Russian gas and toward more dependable partners such as the US and Norway.
But fast forward four years and you find deep energy-linked frustration in the..

US intelligence chief says Iran's regime 'intact' but 'degraded'14 hours agoShareSaveMadeline HalpertandKayla EpsteinShareSaveGetty ImagesThe top intelligence official in the US said on Wednesday that the Iranian regime was “intact” but “largely degraded”.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and other top Trump administration officials testified at a congressional hearing for more than two hours about worldwide threats to the US.
It was the first public briefing on intelligence since the war began in late February and came one day after a top counterterrorism leader resigned saying Iran had not posed an imminent threat to the US.
Gabbard, who coordinates the country's intelligence operations, also said that the US had anticipated trouble in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping channel.
“The IC [intelligence community] assesses the regime in Iran appears to be intact, but largely degraded due to attacks on its leadership and military capabilit..

Death of Ali Larijani deepens crisis at heart of Iran's leadership8 hours agoShareSaveAmir AzimiBBC PersianShareSaveAnadolu via Getty ImagesLarijani was viewed as one of Iran's most influential political figuresThe Israeli air strike which killed Iran's security chief, Ali Larijani, has removed one of the Islamic Republic's most experienced and influential policymakers at a critical moment.
Larijani was not a military commander, but he was a central figure in shaping Iran's strategic decisions.
As secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, he sat at the heart of decision-making on war, diplomacy, and national security.
His voice carried weight across the system, particularly in managing Iran's confrontation with the United States and Israel.
After the killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on 28 February, Larijani struck a defiant tone, signalling that Iran was prepared for a long conflict.
His death, now confirmed by state media, comes amid a b..

Total repression and air strikes bring unrelenting dread for Iranians12 hours agoShareSaveFergal KeaneSpecial correspondentShareSaveWatch: Iranians show daily life under air strikes and regime crackdownA woman stands on a rooftop listening to the sounds of the city below. There is only the dull hum of traffic tonight. But she knows how easily that can change. It is usually the dogs who notice the sound first and begin to bark furiously. The noise of aircraft. Then the ominous percussion of explosions. A ball of orange rising from an airstrike in a familiar neighbourhood.
The BBC has obtained footage and interviews from Tehran which evoke a city of strained nerves, of constant waiting for the next blast and relentless fear of the state security apparatus.
Baran – not her real name – is a businesswoman in her thirties. She is now too scared to go to work. “With the start of the drone attacks, no one dares to go outside. If I open my door and step out, it is like gambling with my life.”
S..

Trump seeks to delay meeting with Xi in China1 hour agoShareSaveOsmond ChiaBusiness reporterShareSaveGetty ImagesTrump and Xi when they last met in OctoberUS President Donald Trump said on Monday that he is planning to delay a high stakes visit to China later in March by about a month because of the Iran war.
“We've requested that we delay it a month or so,” he told reporters at the White House, adding that it was important that he remained available to oversee the war.
The meeting between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping is currently set to take place between 31 March to 2 April, following their last face to face talks in October last year.
Chinese foreign affairs spokesman Lin Jian said on Tuesday that Beijing and Washington are in talks over “the timing and related matters of President Trump's visit to China”.
China also rejected any connection between the delayed meeting and issues around the Strait of Hormuz – a critical waterway for global energy shipments from th..

Trump says presidents 'should not have learning disabilities' as he mocks Newsom's dyslexia10 hours agoShareSaveSareen HabeshianShareSaveTrump attacks California governor Gavin Newsom for having dyslexiaDonald Trump has said he believes people with learning disabilities should not be president, as he renewed his taunts at California Governor Gavin Newsom over his dyslexia.
President Trump said Newsom, a potential Democratic White House contender, was “dumb”. He also made fun last week of the California governor's difficulty with reading and spelling, prompting Newsom to call him “a brain-dead moron”.
The National Center for Learning Disabilities told the BBC it was “disturbed by and strongly condemns” the Republican president's remarks.
Dyslexia, a learning condition that disrupts how the brain processes written language, affects as many as one in five Americans.
“With a low IQ person, you know, because Gavin Newscum has admitted that he is a, that he has le..