Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's vows to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, intensifying air war in Iran, and rising global oil prices amidst the ongoing conflict are dominating headlines, coupled with US military casualties in Iraq and domestic security concerns for Jewish communities following recent attacks.

• Israel-Iran Conflict: Iran War Live Updates: Hegseth Vows to Reopen Key Strait as U.S. Measures Fail to Calm Oil Market — New York Times World -
• Iran’s Naval Mines: A History of Threats to Persian Gulf Shipping — New York Times World -
• Hegseth Vows Lethal Day in Iran as Air War Intensifies — New York Times World -

• How This Oil Supply Shock Compares to the Embargo of 1973 — New York Times World -
• All six crew members confirmed dead after US plane crash in Iraq – Middle East crisis live — The Guardian -
• Pete Hegseth downplays strait of Hormuz disruption, claiming ‘don’t need to worry about it’ – US politics live — The Guardian -
• Hegseth says an officer has been appointed to investigate deadly strike on Iranian school. — New York Times World -
• U.S. Tech Giants Flocked to the Persian Gulf. Now They Are Targets. — New York Times World -
• US Jewish communities warn increased security is needed after Michigan attack — The Guardian -
• All six crew members confirmed dead after US military plane crash in Iraq — The Guardian -
• U.S. Sanctions Pause Adds Political Win to Russia’s Economic Gain From Iran War — New York Times World -
• Drone Strike Has Cyprus, and Europe, on Edge — New York Times World -
• Here’s the latest. — New York Times World -
• All 6 Crew Members Killed in U.S. Refueling Plane Crash in Iraq, Military Says — New York Times World -
• All six crew members killed after US refuelling plane crashes in Iraq — BBC World -
• Where Israeli Strikes Are Hitting Beirut — New York Times World -
• Oil Prices Remain High Despite Trump Lifting Russia Sanctions — New York Times World -
• Suspect in Michigan synagogue attack had lost family in Israeli strike on Lebanon — The Guardian -
• Oil and cargo ships are growing targets in war with Iran. — New York Times World -
• Trump’s Iran War Is Causing Problems For His Ally in Italy, Giorgia Meloni — New York Times World -
• ‘I don’t give a shit about Iran. I don’t want to pay higher gas’: Motor City motorists feel pinch as gas prices surge — The Guardian -
• Israeli-backed Palestinian militias step up operations against Hamas in Gaza — The Guardian -
• Four crew confirmed dead after US military plane crash in Iraq | First Thing — The Guardian -
• Turkey Says NATO Defenses Shot Down a Third Iranian Missile — New York Times World -
• Phones ‘Ringing Off the Hook’ for Ukraine Defense Firms as Mideast Seeks Help — New York Times World -
• Has the pro-Maga media turned on the Pentagon over Iran? — The Guardian -
• Bodies of 84 Iranian sailors killed in US torpedo strike to be repatriated — BBC World -
• Suspect dead after ramming vehicle into Michigan synagogue — BBC World -
• What Does It Mean to Have Air Superiority Over Iran? — New York Times World -
• U.S. Refueling Plane Crashes in Iraq, Military Says — New York Times World -
• This is what happened on March 12. — New York Times World -
• How the War in Iran Could Help China and Change Asia — New York Times World -
• Top Iranian nuclear scientists killed, Israel says – as it happened — The Guardian -
• 'There's no hiding place on a ship': The sailors stranded in the Gulf — BBC World -
• 'There's no hiding place on a ship': The sailors stranded in the Gulf — BBC World -
• Here is the latest. — New York Times World -
• What Is the Strait of Hormuz and Why Is Iran Blocking It? — New York Times World -
• Suspect dead after ramming vehicle into Michigan synagogue, officials say — The Guardian -
• Here’s What Happened in the War in the Middle East on Thursday — New York Times World -
• Mission accomplished? The 2003 boast that haunts today's Iran conflict — BBC World -
• Mission accomplished? The 2003 boast that haunts today's Iran conflict — BBC World -
• Americans on Iran strikes: 'What if this turns into a forever war?' — BBC World -

The Trump administration's policies on tariffs, AI and defense contracts, and plans to dismantle research labs are sparking debate, alongside UN criticism of "racist hate speech" and ongoing talks with Cuba for prisoner releases.

• ‘A Lot of Life Years Lost’: How NAFTA Shortened American Life Spans — New York Times World -
• US Jewish communities warn increased security is needed after Michigan attack — The Guardian -
• Trump Administration Readies Plans to Dismantle NCAR Research Lab — New York Times World -

• Trump’s ‘racist hate speech’ and migration crackdowns violate human rights, UN panel says — The Guardian -
• Cuba Acknowledges Talks with Trump Officials For the First Time — New York Times World -
• Cuba says it will release 51 prisoners in the coming days — BBC World -
• Trump policies set to increase rates of lung disease and death, study finds — The Guardian -
• Cuban president confirms talks with Trump officials amid US blockade — The Guardian -
• One family’s harrowing escape to the US – and the Trump government’s relentless efforts to deport them back — The Guardian -
• Seven in 10 Americans say Trump’s tariffs caused higher prices — The Guardian -
• Anthropic-Pentagon battle shows how big tech has reversed course on AI and war — The Guardian -
• Trump Targets Forced Labor in Global Tariff Scheme — New York Times World -
• Everything is a political weapon since Trump’s re-election, says Germany’s ex-economy minister — The Guardian -
• Cuba Pledges to Release 51 Prisoners Amid U.S. Pressure — New York Times World -
• Carney Plans Military Expansion in Canada’s Arctic, Following Trump Threats — New York Times World -
• Senate again fails to pass homeland security funding as department shutdown nears one month – as it happened — The Guardian -
• Fatal shooting at Virginia university investigated as act of terrorism, FBI says — The Guardian -
• Trump Removes Sanctions on Russia to Help Oil Flow Amid Iran Conflict — New York Times World -

The UK faces challenges with youth unemployment, prison violence, and declining public services like pharmacies and the NHS, as government probes reveal failings in Post Office redress schemes and debates continue over nuclear power expansion.

• Give mayors more powers to tackle youth unemployment crisis, says Alan Milburn — The Guardian -
• UK drops plan to cut benefits for survivors of Ireland’s mother and baby homes — The Guardian -
• Starmer says government will step in if fuel companies rip off customers as trade body U-turns on decision not to meet Reeves – UK politics live — The Guardian -

• Governors warn of increasing violence of ‘nothing-to-lose’ inmates attacking notorious prisoners — The Guardian -
• High court claimant was fed answers through his smart glasses, judge finds — The Guardian -
• Miliband reveals plans that could mean nuclear power plants built near homes — The Guardian -
• Who are the key figures in the sewage crisis, and where are they now? — The Guardian -
• Sons were suspects in nearly one in five cases of women killed by men in UK in past year — The Guardian -
• Patients face long journeys for medicines as pharmacies cut weekend hours — The Guardian -
• Bleak economic data shows UK plc in trouble well before Middle East crisis — The Guardian -
• Friday briefing: The legacy of the Dunblane massacre, 30 years on — The Guardian -
• Hundreds of thousands of NHS staff in England attacked and harassed, survey shows — The Guardian -
• Nearly three-quarters of England’s woods inaccessible to public, study finds — The Guardian -
• UK MPs 'deeply troubled' by BBC World Service funding uncertainty — BBC World -
• BBC World Service funding freeze risks ‘opening door to hostile states’, MPs say — The Guardian -
• Short tempers and legal threats: UK teachers report rise in problem parents — The Guardian -
• SUV drivers could face extra charges for driving in London — The Guardian -
• Redress schemes for Post Office Horizon scandal have serious failings, MPs find — The Guardian -

France's return of looted cultural artifacts to Ivory Coast marks a significant moment, while King Charles expresses concern over Canada's Alberta separatist movement, and India's top court rejects menstrual leave, highlighting diverse global social and political shifts.

• France returns sacred 'talking drum' looted during colonial rule to Ivory Coast — BBC World -
• King Charles concerned about Alberta separatist movement, First Nation chief says — The Guardian -
• Rabbi vows to defy far-right harassment of Jewish-based refugee support work — The Guardian -

• France returns sacred talking drum looted from Côte d’Ivoire over 100 years ago — The Guardian -
• 'No-one will hire women' - India's top court rejects menstrual leave petition — BBC World -
• ‘A minefield’: taoiseach prepares for St Patrick’s Day visit to Washington — The Guardian -
• China Wants Its Ethnic Minorities to Blend In. Now It’s the Law. — New York Times World -
• Weather tracker: Southern France under yellow alert after severe thunderstorms — The Guardian -
• ‘We’re living in an Orwellian nightmare’: Grace Tame calls Anthony Albanese a ‘coward’ in scathing critique — The Guardian -
• Rent pause for flooded Aboriginal communities: ‘We’re talking about the most disadvantaged people in the Territory’ — The Guardian -
• A Visit to a Temple at the Heart of the Thailand-Cambodia Conflict — New York Times World -
• Former Iranian diplomat was granted asylum in Australia after defecting — The Guardian -
• King expressed 'concern' over Alberta separatists, say First Nations chiefs — BBC World -
• King expressed 'concern' over Alberta separatists, say First Nations chiefs — BBC World -
• The kill line v Chinamaxxing: a window into how China and the US see each other — The Guardian -
• French vote tests polarised electorate with right hoping to win control of Paris — BBC World -

In cultural news, a Pink Floyd guitar sets an auction record, K-Pop's global influence continues with concert demand and Netflix sequels, and NASA prepares for its Artemis II moon mission, while AI's role in warfare and social media's impact on mental health spark ethical discussions.

• John F. Burns, Prize-winning Foreign Correspondent for The Times, Dies at 81 — New York Times World -
• Pink Floyd Guitar Is Sold for a Record $14.55 Million — New York Times World -
• To Secure BTS Concert Tickets, K-Pop Fans Crowd Internet Cafes in South Korea — New York Times World -

• ‘Beauty is always changing’: Alessandro Michele’s Roman tribute to Valentino — The Guardian -
• Who are the key figures in the sewage crisis, and where are they now? — The Guardian -
• Romania’s Eurovision song criticised for ‘glamorising sexual strangulation’ — The Guardian -
• Nasa ‘on track’ for Artemis II moon mission launch as soon as 1 April — The Guardian -
• Your Oscars Guide — New York Times World -
• KPop Demon Hunters to return as Netflix announces sequel — BBC World -
• KPop Demon Hunters to return as Netflix announces sequel — BBC World -
• Ukraine to Make Drone Videos Available for Training A.I. Models — New York Times World -
• ‘IG is a drug’: jury to deliberate as US trial over social media addiction wraps up — The Guardian -
• Winners, Sinners and record breakers: 17 fun facts about this year's Oscars — BBC World -

Australia faces economic adjustments with GST carve-ups and fuel stockpile releases, **Qantas settles a $74 million refund case, and Ryanair faces bailiffs over compensation**, underscoring various international business and financial developments.

• Halal certifier accused rival of Islamic extremism links – then signed contract to replace them, court hears — The Guardian -
• Bailiffs board Ryanair plane after airline refuses to pay delayed flight compensation — The Guardian -
• NSW emerges as main loser from GST carve-up as WA gets extra $5.5bn — The Guardian -

• Pocock repeats calls for 25% tax on gas exports – as it happened — The Guardian -
• Australia to release nearly 20% of fuel stockpile as Bowen insists country ‘nowhere near’ running out — The Guardian -
• Qantas agrees to pay $74m over Covid-19 travel voucher refunds — BBC World -