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Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada insists women have been rescued from oppression since the Taliban authorities returned to power in 2021, enforcing their strict interpretation of Islamic law.

US President Donald Trump's Republicans insisted on Monday that the attack on Iran was fully within his authority as commander in chief, while Democrats said the administration has not made its case and planned a war powers vote this week.

Nearly all the traffic cameras in Tehran had been hacked for years. And when the senior Iranian officials came to work near Pasteur Street in Tehran - where Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in a US-Israeli air strike on Saturday, a report said.

US forces have shot down hundreds of Iranian ballistic missiles in recent days, raising questions about how long American air defense interceptor stocks will last in a war that could continue for weeks or more.

Israeli airforce attacking cities simultaneously with a ‘wave of extensive strikes’ as soldiers are deployed on the ground in southern LebanonUS strikes on Iran triggered by Israel’s plan to launch attack, Rubio saysAnger with Hezbollah boils as war returns to weary BeirutUS secretary of state Marco Rubio has claimed the US attacked Iran after learning that Israel was going to strike, which would have meant retaliation against US forces.“We knew that if we didn’t pre-emptively go after them before they launched those attacks, we would suffer higher casualties,” he told reportersThe Air Force is now attacking Tehran and Beirut simultaneouslyThe Air Force has now begun a wave of extensive strikes against the Iranian terror regime and the Hezbollah terror organization. Continue reading...

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news, including the UK’s spring forecastRachel Reeves’s plans could be hit by Middle East conflict, say economistsUK grocery price inflation has risen, showing that people are being hit in the pocket even before the surge in energy prices feeds through to the economy.Data provider Worldpanel by Numerator has reported that annual grocery inflation rose to 4.3% in February, after four consecutive months of falls, in a blow for households. That’s up from 4% in January.Sentiment towards BP and Shell has strengthened significantly off the back of oil price spikes. But it’s a complex picture. Neither company has production in Iran. But BP’s significant production in Iraq and Abu Dhabi risks being bottlenecked through disruption to the Strait of Hormuz. For Shell the same applies to its LNG facilities in Qatar and the Emirates. If a moderate sustainable regime is established in Iran, there is the potential for substantial derisking, and for prices to be rebased downwards. If sanctions are removed, it also opens the door for investment into Iranian oil fields.But uncertainty remains high. This could prove to be highly profitable for both Shell and BP’s trading arms with Shell’s optimisation capabilities in LNG transit likely to be in particularly strong demand. Shell’s balance sheet strength also leaves it better placed to deal with any prolonged volatility and while BP’s buybacks remain on pause, we’re expecting Shell’s generous payouts are likely to continue this year. Continue reading...

As government mulls doubling requirement to 10 years, the uncertainty is putting many who came to Britain to work under strainThey came to the UK to build better lives for their families and to work and contribute to British society. And they came with the promise that, after five years of playing by the rules, they would have the chance to get settled status.Now, many on the skilled worker visa – some of them only months from reaching that milestone – face having it snatched away from them under government plans to retroactively double the baseline period qualifying period for indefinite leave to remain to 10 years; plans they say amount to changing the rules of the game while the ball is in play. Continue reading...

British, Czech, Italian and Polish media report first successful returns from Oman and the United Arab Emirates The family of the Italian defence minister, who was embarrassingly left stranded in Dubai in first hours of the war, has returned to Italy on last night’s return flight to Rome Fiumicino airport, local media reported.As we reported yesterday, Guido Crosetto returned on Sunday on an Italian state flight, which sparked further criticism, as hundreds of other Italians remain stuck in Dubai while he was evacuated alone. Continue reading...