Flight disruptions force F1 teams into new travel arrangements But all drivers expected to make it to Melbourne for season opener As many as one thousand members of the Formula One circus have been forced into last-minute travel changes to get to Melbourne’s opening round in the wake of the escalating crisis in the Middle East, and some are set to miss the start of the season entirely. However, a larger logistical headache has been narrowly avoided, after the cars and supporting equipment were already shipped from last month’s testing in Bahrain – one of the countries drawn into the conflict – prior to this week’s widespread aviation disruptions. Continue reading...

Conflict spreads to Lebanon as Hezbollah targets Israel over killing of Khamenei and IDF responds with strikes on Beirut Latest updates: US-Israel war on Iran Israel carried out heavy airstrikes on the Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs of Beirut on Monday, after the Iran-backed group launched missiles and drones towards Israel in retaliation for the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Residents of Beirut were awoken by the sounds of about a dozen blasts at 3am on Monday, as Israel struck three different locations in the southern suburbs of the capital. Continue reading...

Iran-backed Hezbollah says it launched rockets and drones at Israel in retaliation for the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Podcast: The assassination of Iran’s ayatollah – and fears for a wider conflict Full report: Trump open to talks with Iran as conflict deepens in Middle East How have you been affected by events in the Middle East? Hello and welcome to our continuing live coverage of events in the Middle East, which is reeling from the US-Israel war on Iran and the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The Israeli military said early on Monday it was striking Hezbollah across Lebanon, after the militant group launched missiles and drones towards Israel in retaliation for the killing of Khamenei. Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei was killed on Saturday after the US and Israel launched a war on the country to trigger regime change. The US president had earlier announced the death of the ayatollah, who ruled Iran since 1989, in a post on Truth Social. Iran’s former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was also killed in strikes. Donald Trump warned on Sunday that combat operations in Iran were continuing and would carry on “until all of our objectives are achieved.” He continued to justify the operation, saying “an Iranian regime armed with long range missiles and nuclear weapons would be a dire threat to every American… I once again urge the Revolutionary Guard, the Iranian military police, to lay down your arms and receive full immunity or face certain death.” Trump told Fox News that 48 leaders have been killed in US and Israeli strikes on Iran. “It’s moving along. It’s moving along rapidly. This has been this way for 47 years,” he said. “Nobody can believe the success we’re having, 48 leaders are gone in one shot.” A suspected drone strike hit RAF Akrotiri – a UK base in Cyprus – the Ministry of Defence confirmed. There were no casualties in the incident at the base. The suspected strike came hours after Keir Starmer said the UK had allowed the US to strike Iranian missile sites from British bases as officials plan an unprecedented rescue operation for UK citizens in the Gulf. Oil prices have soared and stock markets came under pressure on Monday after intense US-Israeli strikes on Iran prompted fears of significant global economic disruption. Brent crude jumped by as much as 13% during early trading – to hit $82 per barrel, a 14-month high – as the effective closure of the strait of Hormuz, one of the most important arteries for global trade, intensified concerns over oil supplies. Three US service members have been killed in action as part of US military operations against Iran, the US Central Command said in a statement on Sunday. These are the first confirmed deaths since the US began launching strikes against Iran on Saturday. Trump warned in his Truth Social video that there would likely be more casualties. The death toll from a missile strike on a girls’ school in southern Iran has risen to almost 150, according to Iranian state media. Mizan news agency, the official news outlet of Iran’s judiciary, reported that the number killed in Saturday’s strike on a girls’ elementary school in Minab in southern Iran had risen to 148 killed, with 95 others wounded. The school, which was struck on Saturday morning, appears to be the worst mass casualty event of the US-Israeli-led bombing campaign on Iran so far. Trump said earlier that Iran’s new leadership wants to talk to him and that he has agreed, according to an interview with The Atlantic. “They want to talk, and I have agreed to talk, so I will be talking to them. They should have done it sooner,” he said. Just 27% of Americans approve of the US strikes that killed Iran’s leader on Saturday, while about half — including one in four Republicans — believe Trump is too willing to use military force, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll that concluded on Sunday. The war led to major disruption to the airline industry and the plans of hundreds of thousands of travellers in the Middle East and beyond as countries across the region closed their airspace, and three of the key airports that connect Europe, Africa and the west to Asia halted operations. Continue reading...

Brent crude jumped by 13% during early trading and stock markets came under pressure as US-Israeli strikes on Iran raised fears of disruption Oil prices rose and stock markets came under pressure on Monday after intense US-Israeli strikes on Iran prompted fears of significant global economic disruption. Brent crude jumped by as much as 13% during early trading – to hit $82 per barrel, a 14-month high – as the effective closure of the strait of Hormuz, one of the most important arteries for global trade, intensified concerns over oil supplies. Continue reading...

The juvenile freshwater crocodile was first spotted by a group of teenagers in Ironbark Creek in the Australian city on Saturday An Australian freshwater crocodile has been captured in a city creek thousands of kilometres south of its normal range, after sightings shocked onlookers at a suburban park. The crocodile was first spotted in Ironbark Creek in Newcastle – about 100km north of Sydney – around midday on Saturday, by a group of teenagers. Continue reading...

Ukrainians to help intercept drones targeting Gulf allies, UK PM says; Russian overnight missile attacks on Ukraine hit new high. What we know on day 1,467 The UK prime minister, Keir Starmer, said Ukrainian experts would provide guidance on intercepting Iranian drones being launched at Gulf allies, as Tehran responds to the US-Israeli strikes on Iran. “We are not joining these strikes, but we will continue with our defensive actions in the region,” Starmer said on Sunday night. “And we will also bring experts from Ukraine, together with our own experts, to help Gulf partners shoot down Iranian drones attacking them.” Ukraine was yet to comment on Starmer’s announcement. Russia fired more missiles in overnight attacks at Ukraine in February than in any other month since at least the beginning of 2023, analysis by Agence France-Presse (AFP) shows. The missile attacks targeted Ukrainian energy infrastructure in particular, AFP said. Russia launched 288 missiles at Ukraine in February, an increase of about 113% compared to 135 missiles in January. Additionally, in February, Russia launched 5,059 long-range drones during its night-time pummelling of Ukrainian cities and towns – an increase of about 13% percent compared to January. AFP conducted analysis of daily figures provided by the Ukrainian air force. The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said changes in Iran brought about by US and Israeli strikes should be “used properly” to benefit the country’s people. Speaking in his nightly video address, Zelenskyy said Iran had “predetermined the way it is treated” by supplying attack drones to Russia in Moscow’s four-year-old conflict in Ukraine and had also “fomented wars in the region”. “It is important that the this chance for changes in Iran be used properly,” he said, adding “Tyhe Iranian people were on their own for a long time, enduring violence while standing against the Iranian regime.” Zelenskyy said on Saturday Moscow had fired more than 57,000 Iranian-designed Shahed-type drones at Ukraine during the war. Belgium has seized an oil tanker believed to form part of the so-called “shadow fleet” used by Russia to circumvent western sanctions over the war in Ukraine. Special forces assisted by French helicopters boarded the ship in a clandestine operation in the North Sea on Saturday night, Kate Connolly writes. Prosecutors said the tanker, identified as the Ethera, was falsely flying the flag of Guinea and was believed to be on its way back to Russia when it was seized in Belgium’s exclusive economic zone. Zelenskyy praised Belgium’s decision to seize the tanker. “This particular vessel has long been under US, EU and UK sanctions, but nonetheless continued to illegally transport Russian oil using a false flag and forged documents,” he wrote on X. “We welcome this strong action against Moscow’s floating purse and thank France for supporting the operation.” Continue reading...

Host Kristen Bell, Chase Infiniti and Claire Danes were among the crowd at the 32nd Actor awards, formerly known as the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) awards, held in Los Angeles on Sunday Continue reading...

Royal College of Psychiatrists says impact on mental health often overlooked and calls for improvements in care Nearly three-quarters of UK women do not know menopause can trigger a new mental illness, polling shows. This lack of understanding is so acute that the Royal College of Psychiatrists has launched its first targeted “position statement” to raise awareness about menopause and mental health. Continue reading...

Trials to form part of three-month consultation on Keir Starmer’s plans to tackle negative effects of smartphone use Hundreds of teenagers will be enlisted to trial social media bans in the coming months with overnight digital curfews and daily screen time limits also tested as part of Keir Starmer’s plan to crack down on the negative effects of smartphone use. The trials will be part of a three-month consultation launched this week that could lead to an outright ban on social media for under-16s similar to that introduced in Australia. Ministers have said they are ready to toughen laws just six months after the introduction of child protection measures in the Online Safety Act. Continue reading...

Visitors score twice in last 12 minutes to draw 3-3 in Rome Sevilla come from 2-0 down to draw derby at Real Betis Juventus maintained their hopes of reaching next season’s Champions League after bouncing back from two goals down to draw 3-3 at their top-four rivals Roma with nearly the last kick of the game. Federico Gatti lashed in Juve’s leveller in the third minute of stoppage time to give the visitors a point in Rome that keeps them four points behind their opponents in fourth. Juve were trailing 3-1 with 12 minutes remaining after goals from Wesley França, Evan Ndicka and Donyell Malen gave the hosts a commanding lead in front of more than 65,000 delighted fans. But Jérémie Boga volleyed Juventus back into the game and just as Roma looked as if they would hold out for the win Gatti pounced on a poorly defended free-kick to snatch an unlikely point. Continue reading...

Keir Starmer says decision is due to Iran’s approach becoming more reckless and putting British lives at risk The UK has agreed to let the US use British military bases to attack Iranian missile sites, Keir Starmer has said. The UK has so far not been involved in the US-Israeli strikes on Iran, but in a recorded statement on Sunday evening, the prime minister said that Iran’s approach was becoming more reckless and putting British lives at risk, leading to the decision to allow the US to use UK military bases. Continue reading...

Shorter asylum period can be renewed under hardline policy aimed at stopping rise of Reform UK Shabana Mahmood has ripped up the government’s asylum rules so that from Monday every refugee will be told that their status is temporary and will last just 30 months. In a move that has concerned a refugee charity, the home secretary said that claimants whose countries are deemed to be safe by the UK government will from now on be expected to return. Continue reading...

On tour of returns centre, home secretary says ‘legitimate grievances’ have to be acknowledged as part of ‘responsible’ politics The UK home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, and Danish immigration officials strode through the bleak and chilly Sjælsmark returns centre, a former military barracks used to house men and women who have no right to remain in the country. Followed by photographers, reporters and civil servants, Mahmood was told of the strict conditions in which hundreds of people live after asylum and right to remain appeals are rejected and before many are sent to other countries. Sjælsmark, about 20 miles north of Copenhagen, is at the sharp end of an asylum system set up by Denmark’s left-leaning Social Democrat government to deter claimants. As well as those facing swift deportations, refugees are given temporary permission to stay and will later be told to leave if their countries of origin are deemed safe. Continue reading...

Lindo speaks out after man with Tourette syndrome shouted slur while actor was on stage with Michael B Jordan British-American actor Delroy Lindo expressed gratitude for “the support and love” he and Michael B Jordan have received after a man with Tourette syndrome (TS) shouted the N-word as the two men presented a Bafta award. “We appreciate all the support and love that we have been shown,” Lindo – who, like Jordan, is Black – said on stage at the annual NAACP Image awards in Los Angeles. He called it “a classic case of something that could be very negative becoming very positive”. Continue reading...

If every win is going to be painful from here, you may as well just take the painful wins – welcome to Arsenal’s late title stagger On Thursday night at a swanky London hotel so luxuriously risk‑averse the toilets are equipped with wireless thermostats to control to within half a degree the heat of the seat, the Premier League chief executive, Richard Masters, spoke in detail for the first time about the prospect of “Premflix”, the direct‑to‑consumer model of the future, an app that will sluice this irresistible footballing opiate directly into the eyeballs of 8 billion rapt humans. In doing so Masters was echoing the words of Todd Boehly on the same stage 12 months earlier, who had talked about the Premier League as a kind of fire stolen from the gods, source of the next great tech platform, an engine of empire, tool of world domination, of lassoing the moon out of the sky. Continue reading...

Fifa president wants more intervention in battle against racism Mouth covering in focus after Vinícius Júnior’s allegation of abuse The Fifa president, Gianni Infantino, has suggested players who cover their mouths while addressing opponents could be sent off as part of the governing body’s battle against racism. The practice, which has long been deployed to prevent cameras picking up conversations between teammates and opposition, has been put in focus after Vinícius Júnior’s allegations of discriminatory abuse by Gianluca Prestianni. The Benfica player denies doing so but was suspended for his side’s Champions League playoff second leg against Vinícius’s Real Madrid pending the outcome of a formal investigation. Continue reading...

Goalkeeper made last-ditch save to deny Garnacho ‘David’s hand brought my heart back to life’ Mikel Arteta said his heart almost stopped before David Raya kept ­Arsenal’s title challenge on track with a stunning late save to deny 10‑man Chelsea a late equaliser at the Emirates Stadium. Raya was in exceptional form ­during a crucial 2-1 win, making a series of excellent stops during a tense encounter, and the Spaniard was alert when a cross from Alejandro Garnacho threatened to drift inside his near post as full time approached. The goalkeeper pushed the ball wide, ensuring that goals from William Saliba and Jurriën Timber enabled Arsenal to restore their five-point lead over Manchester City at the top of the Premier League. Continue reading...

US president signals willingness to engage with Tehran’s surviving leadership as strikes and retaliatory attacks intensify across region US-Israel war on Iran – latest updates Donald Trump said on Sunday he was prepared to talk to what was left of the Iranian leadership in the wake of the killing of the country’s supreme leader by US-Israeli air strikes aimed at overthrowing the regime. Trump was speaking as a second day of intense bombing of Iranian cities and Tehran’s missile counter-attacks sent tremors across the region and through the global economy. Continue reading...

Attack on Iran has widespread support, with little questioning of whether it is best option for lasting security US-Israel war on Iran – latest updates In June, Benjamin Netanyahu declared “a historic victory, which will stand for generations” after the 12-day war on Iran. His decision to attack Iran again, less than a year later, was greeted with broad and enthusiastic support from Israeli politicians, including the prime minister’s bitter rivals, and a public willing to endure death and massive disruption to their lives. Continue reading...

Chancellor urged to reform Office for Budget Responsibility to open way to more public investment Rachel Reeves must reform the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) to open the way to more public investment, an alliance of thinktanks has argued ahead of the chancellor’s spring forecast on Tuesday. With Keir Starmer’s government under intense pressure after Labour’s defeat by the Greens in Thursday’s Gorton and Denton byelection, the thinktanks called on Reeves to review the watchdog’s remit. Continue reading...

‘We cannot look forward with hope,’ says FFIRI president England Lions match in Abu Dhabi cancelled due to war The president of Iran’s football federation says he does not know if the national team can play World Cup matches in the US after the US and Israeli bombardment of the country. “What is certain is that after this attack, we cannot be expected to look forward to the World Cup with hope,” Mehdi Taj said to the sports portal Varzesh3 as Iran traded strikes with Israel as part of a widening war prompted by the bombardment. Continue reading...

20-year-old claims victory in Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne ‘I’m always there in these kind of races’ The 20-year-old British sprinter Matthew Brennan rocketed out of an accelerating pack to win the Flemish classic Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne for team Visma-Lease-a-bike on Sunday. Brennan, from Darlington, is the first Briton to win the race since Mark Cavendish in 2012 and 2015, whose finishing sprint was similar to the burgeoning star. Brennan avoided the Cavendish comparison after the race. Continue reading...

About 76,000 nationals thought to be in the region as tensions rise after US-Israeli attacks on Iranian regime US-Israeli war on Iran: latest updates The Foreign Office is drawing up plans to evacuate tens of thousands of British citizens if war in the Middle East escalates, with many travellers currently stranded in Dubai. The government does not know how many British nationals are resident, on holiday or otherwise travelling across the Gulf, but it said 76,000 have so far registered their presence in affected areas of the region. Continue reading...

Iran’s supreme leader was killed in a military strike on his compound as Israel and the US launched attacks on the country. Patrick Wintour reports He survived imprisonment, assassination attempts, decades of protests and exerted a brutal iron grip on Iran’s 90 million people. Now, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is dead. He was killed by US and Israeli air strikes that levelled the compound where he and some of the most senior regime leaders were sheltering. As news of the ayatollah’s death emerged, there was public mourning on the streets of Iran. There were also ecstatic celebrations, inside Iran and around the world, explains Patrick Wintour. Iran has launched retaliatory strikes and vows vengeance, and it is still unclear whether his assassination will bring about the regime change that Donald Trump so clearly desires. It is also unclear what will happen next for Iran, where the air strikes continue and the death toll is spiralling. Continue reading...

Retaliatory strikes have so far been high in volume but mostly not very effective and are likely to become less so US-Israel war on Iran – latest updates In the grim calculus of war, Iran now has to hope it gets lucky. The first hours of the joint US-Israeli assault were catastrophic for the Iranian regime: the supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, killed alongside, it is believed, the minister of defence, the head of the armed forces and the head of the powerful Revolutionary Guards. Iran knew its security apparatus had been compromised during the 12-day war of June 2025 when Israel killed a string of senior military commanders. During January’s street protests, Khamenei was moved away to a secure location for his own safety, yet on Saturday he felt safe enough to hold a security meeting in his compound in Tehran. Continue reading...