Top World News

Mar 19, 2026 - World

Charities call display, which mimicked a sexual assault, ‘an act of public grooming’ that normalises sexual violenceRape crisis charities in Ireland have condemned a St Patrick’s Day float that mimicked a sexual assault and featured signs saying “Epstein files”.Rape Crisis Ireland called the display “an act of public grooming” that normalised sexual violence, while politicians labelled it a disgrace. Continue reading...

Mar 19, 2026 - World

Paul Griggs says senior staff at consulting firm who are not ‘paranoid about being AI-first’ are likely to be replacedBusiness live – latest updatesThe US boss of PricewaterhouseCoopers has warned that partners who do not get to grips with AI have no future at the consulting firm.Paul Griggs said senior staff who were not “paranoid about being AI-first” would probably be replaced by others who were ready to embrace the technology. “I don’t think anyone gets a free pass here. Anyone,” Griggs told the Financial Times. Continue reading...

Mar 19, 2026 - World

Covid-related downturns and reductions in alcohol consumption have taken a toll on a once booming industryIn the early 2000s, Chris Bell, then a student at University of Colorado Boulder, followed a common path among people interested in brewing beer. He started doing so at home, then spent years working at established craft beer makers Long Trail Brewing in Vermont and Avery Brewing in Colorado before opening Call to Arms Brewing Company in 2015 in Denver.In a crowded market, the business was successful. Its More Like Bore-O-Phyll beer won a gold medal in the fresh or wet hop ale category at the 2018 World Beer Cup. A local outlet called it one of the city’s best breweries, and it had a 4.7 rating from more than 400 reviews on Google. Continue reading...

Mar 19, 2026 - World

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's approach to war messaging has devolved into pure spectacle — TikTok-style video montages splicing missile strikes into movie clips and video game footage — leaving military veterans and Congress members stunned by the brazenness of treating armed conflict like entertainment content.According to Politico, the White House communications team has churned out more than half a dozen of these viral videos, apparently plucked straight from staffers' private group chats. But outside the administration bubble, the reaction has ranged from bewilderment to outright revulsion.Former military brass are particularly appalled. "I don't think the performance of our men and women in uniform requires embellishment from Hollywood or computer games," said Joe Votel, a former Central Command chief under Trump's first administration. "They represent the American people quite well on their own."Retired Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, who commanded U.S. troops in Europe during Obama's presidency, was even blunter. "It just seems detached from reality. Our allies look at this and they wonder what the hell is going on? It doesn't look like we're serious."The videos range from an NFL clip captioned "Touchdown" to baseball home runs, Grand Theft Auto footage, and scenes from "Iron Man," "Top Gun" and "Gladiator."Hegseth has escalated beyond embarrassing aesthetics into genuinely alarming territory. He's declared the U.S. will give "no quarter, no mercy for our enemies" — language that signals troops should execute combatants rather than take prisoners, a potential war crime. He's called rules of engagement "stupid" and branded Iranian leaders as "rats" who are "cowering" underground.Military historian Tom Ricks slammed the entire approach. "The Trump administration's approach to discussing the war against Iran is both unusual and unprecedented," he said. "With Hegseth at the helm, they are mixing incompetence and hubris. They don't seem to care what the American public thinks, which is a dangerous approach."The messaging offensive isn't working. A YouGov poll this week found 56 percent of Americans — and 63 percent of independent voters — disapprove of Trump's Iran handling. The propaganda blitz hasn't even successfully consolidated Trump's base, with significant cracks emerging in the MAGA movement.Joe Rogan, the podcaster who helped Trump reach young male voters during the presidential campaign, has called the Iran war "nuts" and reported his listeners feel "betrayed" by Trump's pivot toward military adventurism instead of domestic priorities.You can read more here.e here.

Mar 19, 2026 - World

The move would be a major escalation in the US-Israel war against Iran. Plus, FBI director admits to buying data tracking Americans’ locationsGood morning.Donald Trump threatened to “massively blow up” the world’s largest gasfield after Israeli strikes on Iran’s South Pars field led Tehran to take revenge on energy facilities across the Middle East.What’s happening to oil and gas prices? Brent crude rose by 8% to $116 a barrel. European gas prices jumped, with the Dutch wholesale gas price up 24%.What do we know about the war’s economic cost? The war cost the US $12.7bn by day six – the total is likely to have now exceeded $18bn. Here’s a visualization of how that has been spent.Could US-Israeli attempts to take out Iranian leaders backfire? Some analysts think so. “It is not an approach that produces Jeffersonian democrats but hardened resistance fighters. It breeds more resistance,” said Sanam Vakil, an Iran expert at Chatham House.Follow our live coverage here.Who has spoken out? Labor rights activist and co-founder of the UFW Dolores Huerta, 95, released a statement on Wednesday saying: “I have kept this secret long enough. My silence ends here.” The report also includes the stories of two women, who were daughters of organizers in the movement, who said they were children when the grooming and abuse began. Continue reading...