Iran war pushes oil price above $90, threatening rise in global inflation
Posted on Friday March 06, 2026

Reports Kuwait was cutting output pushed up cost of barrel of Brent crude to highest weekly gain since Covid pandemic beganThe Iran conflict has driven the oil price past $90 a barrel to its highest weekly gains since the Covid-19 pandemic six years ago, threatening a fresh rise in global inflation.Reports that Kuwait had begun cutting production of oil at some fields after running out of space to store it drove the cost of a barrel of Brent crude to as high as $91.89 at one point on Friday – its highest since April 2024 and up from about $72.50 just before war broke out. Continue reading...

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US preparing system to process refunds on billions in illegal Trump tariffs
Posted on Friday March 06, 2026

Top official at customs agency says total sum held in relation to tariffs is estimated to be about $166bnThe US customs agency is preparing a system that will be ​ready to process refunds on billions of dollars of illegally ‌collected tariffs in 45 days without requiring importers to sue, a court has been told.Brandon Lord, a top official at US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), said in a filing to the US court of international trade on Friday that the total sum held in relation to such tariffs was estimated to be “approximately $166bn”. Continue reading...

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Crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne no longer interested in Reform-Tory pact
Posted on Friday March 06, 2026

Donor who has given £12m to Reform UK had previously wanted Nigel Farage to keep open mind about deal with ConservativesChristopher Harborne, the ultra-wealthy political donor who has given £12m to Reform UK, has told the Guardian he is “no longer” interested in a Reform-Conservative pact before the next general election.A possible collaboration between Reform and the Conservative party had been an important aspect of discussions about donations between Harborne and senior figures including Nigel Farage, sources familiar with the conversations said. Continue reading...

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UK arts must not be sacrificed for speculative AI gains, peers say
Posted on Friday March 06, 2026

Ministers urged to abandon plans to let tech firms use work of novelists, artists and writers without permissionThe UK’s creative industries must not be sacrificed in the pursuit of speculative gains in AI technology, a House of Lords committee has warned, as the government prepares to reveal the economic cost of proposals to change copyright rules.A report by peers has urged ministers to develop a licensing regime for the use of creative works in AI products and abandon proposals to let tech firms use the work of novelists, artists, writers and journalists without permission. Continue reading...

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Sam Altman admits OpenAI can’t control Pentagon’s use of AI
Posted on Wednesday March 04, 2026

CEO’s claims come amid increased scrutiny of US military’s use of the technology and ethics concerns from AI workersSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxOpenAI’s CEO, Sam Altman, told employees on Tuesday that his company does not control how the Pentagon uses their artificial intelligence products in military operations. Altman’s claims on OpenAI’s lack of input come amid increased scrutiny of how the military uses AI in war and ethics concerns from AI workers over how their technology will be deployed. “You do not get to make operational decisions,” Altman told employees, according to reports by Bloomberg and CNBC. Continue reading...

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Osborne and wobbly Crowley finish off Wales to keep Ireland in Six Nations hunt
Posted on Friday March 06, 2026

Ireland 27-17 WalesWales give Ireland a fright before hosts hang onThe pre-match predictions that Ireland would win with a bonus and Wales would get nothing tangible from it were wholly correct. Never, however, has so much been lost in the nuts and bolts of the sums adding up.Wales were magnificent, good enough to reduce the home team and a raucous full house to sweaty souls praying for the final bell. When it came it had become a two-score game. The fear factor had subsided a few minutes earlier, but only when Jack Crowley managed to kick a handy penalty, though at this level there are not many kicks in that category for him. Continue reading...

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Robertson and Salah help Liverpool to redemption over Wolves in FA Cup tie
Posted on Friday March 06, 2026

This time around, Liverpool made no mistake at Molineux. They stayed on the road to Wembley, thanks to two players signed in 2017, beloved veterans with uncertain futures. Andy Robertson and Mohamed Salah scored the goals to ease the pain of Tuesday’s Premier League defeat before Curtis Jones’s strike completed a night of relative comfort. Wolves crashed back to the reality of eight remaining top-flight matches before the drop. Their goal from Hwang Hee-chan came far too late.While Arne Slot expresses disappointment at the Premier League’s entertainment levels, a verdict hostage to fortune on Tuesday, his starting selection suggested an FA Cup exit would not be countenanced. Winning the trophy will not offer full job security but losing twice at the top flight’s bottom club in three days, a potentially telling blow, was avoided. Continue reading...

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