SBA disaster relief loans available for businesses hit by Florida frost and freeze. Under the declaration, the SBA's economic injury disaster loan program is available. The application applies to those who sustained economic losses caused by freeze, frost and ice. The state estimates that the freezes caused more than $3 billion in estimated losses to agriculture.
Nearly 150,000 New Zealand families will soon receive a weekly cash payment to help them afford petrol. It is believed to be the world’s first fuel relief package that directly pays citizens since the Iran war began.Governments around the world have been implementing measures to address the skyrocketing fuel prices and shortages.
Gulf states have long had difficult relations with Iran, particularly because of its nuclear programme. But they are now worried that Iran's nuclear programme could be used to attack the West. They are worried that the US could be left to pick up the pieces if Iran fails to meet their demands.
Keeping e-waste out of landfills is important because the devices contain materials that can harm the environment. Even when a device can't be refurbished, recycling is important for the domestic supply chain of minerals and rare earths. Some charities and recyclers can refresh devices so they can be given to those in need.
A strike on a residential apartment southeast of the Lebanese capital killed at least three people. Authorities say Israeli strikes have killed more than 1,000 people in Lebanon. At least 13 U.S. military members have been killed, along with more than a dozen civilians in the occupied West Bank and Gulf Arab states.
U.S. President Donald Trump issued a 48-hour deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face strikes on its power plants. Trump said Monday that he was extending the deadline for five days to allow for talks, postponing his threat to attack Iranian military targets. Israeli and U.S.-led forces have said strikes will continue against Iranian targets.
Married at First Sight dating coach Mel Schilling has died of cancer at the age of 54, her husband has said on Instagram. Schilling, 54, revealed her cancer was terminal on Instagram on March 12. The TV host continued filming MAFS through chemotherapy treatments. Her husband announced her death on Tuesday, March 24.
Sudan was plunged into a civil war in April 2023 when a vicious struggle for power broke out. More than 150,000 people have since died in the conflict and about 12 million have fled their homes. The U.N. has called the conflict the world's largest humanitarian crisis.
Iran's ambassador to Lebanon expelled by country's foreign ministry. Mohammad Reza Shibani asked to leave Lebanese territory by 29 March. Hezbollah, based in Lebanon, is calling for the country to "immediately reverse" its decision against Shibani and calling it a "national and strategic sin"
At Copenhagen’s City Hall, voters, many on their way to work, lined up under a cloudy sky to cast their ballots as polls opened at 8:00 am (0700 GMT) The election will be held on March 24, 2026, with the winner to be announced on March 25.
US Senate confirms Markwayne Mullin as homeland security chief. Mullin replaces Kristi Noem as DHS head, after she was fired earlier this month. Noem was fired in the wake of a public backlash over the administration's immigration enforcement operations. The agency is reeling from a partial government shutdown as it works to enforce President Trump's immigration crackdown.
Trump has often played Elvis's music at campaign rallies over the years. At times, massive digital screens at his rallies would play videos of Presley’s concerts. Trump has also shouted out the late musician from the stage, opening a 2018 rally in Tupelo, Mississippi by joking that at one time he resembled him.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemns 'collective punishment' by Israel. Israeli army destroys another strategic bridge over the Litani River in southern Lebanon. Move has significant humanitarian implications, affecting evacuation routes and aid access. Mr Aoun also said Israel would “accelerate the destruction of Lebanese houses’
At issue in the case is the so-called "turn back" policy from Trump's first term. It kept asylum seekers waiting in Mexico as a method of "metering" access at border crossings. Immigrant advocates allege it violates the Immigration and Nationality Act. "The right to seek asylum at the border is a legal right and a moral right," Ramos says.
White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller met with Texas Republicans to push a proposal to restrict public school funding to children who are citizens or are "lawfully present in the United States" Miller's proposal would break a precedent set in 1982 by a ruling in Plyler v. Doe that found states must pay for elementary school education for children regardless of immigration status.
Researchers evaluating a set number of months in 2025 found that the movement had unprecedentedly small levels of injuries, damages and arrests. Some would-be 2025 protesters in the Black community told the Free Press they were already engaged in other grassroots work. The Free Press spent the last year covering large protests, along with more regular gatherings, and responses from the president's supporters.
Brent crude traded at $104 a barrel early Monday morning but later eased to $100.94, still a significant course reversal after it plummeted 10% on Mr. Trump's remarks the previous day. Oil prices popped back above $100 March 24, keeping gas prices elevated on doubts the détente in the Middle East will hold.
Trump cast his ballot in Tuesday's state House special election after saying that "mail-in voting means mail-in cheating" Trump, 79, voted via mail ahead of this week’s special election for House District 87 in Florida, which includes his Mar-a-Lago residence.
Unmasked ICE agents at airports prove 'masks were never about officer safety,' Democrat says. Rep. Bennie Thompson, a Mississippi Democrat, said ICE agents suddenly are comfortable enough to go without masks when they’re working in airports. President Donald Trump weighed in on agents wearing masks, saying he's a "BIG proponent of ICE wearing masks"
President Donald Trump confirmed that Washington envoys were involved in talks with Tehran on a deal to end the US-Israeli war on the country. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard denied on Monday participating in any security talks with the United States. The Revolutionary Guard said that the claims of "productive talks" only reflect a crisis in the American position, following Iran’s continued strikes on its military presence in the region.
Britain has not participated in US-Israeli attacks on Iran, but has allowed American bombers to use UK bases to attack Iran's missile sites. The UK government announced Friday that it would allow the United States to use some of its bases to target Iranian sites being used to attack ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
Alibaba has unveiled the XuanTie C950, a new server chip for AI agents and cloud computing. The C950 has an 8-instruction decode width and a 16-stage pipeline. The company is pitching the C950 as a major step up from its earlier C920, saying performance is more than three times higher.
ChatGPT and Gemini are fighting to be the AI bot that sells you stuff. As Google partners with more companies for Gemini-powered checkouts, OpenAI is trying to improve the way ChatGPT presents the products you’re shopping for. The chatbot will now allow you to visually compare products side-by-side while viewing pricing, reviews, and features.
FedEx has launched a same-day delivery service with last-mile delivery software company OneRail. The service, called FedEx SameDay Local, lets customers choose narrower delivery windows, including two-hour and end-of-day options. FedEx said it links customers to a national network of more than 1,000 delivery providers.
More than 20,000 organizations worldwide — including adidas, AT&T, Bayer, Block, Mastercard, Rivian, Unilever, and over 60% of the Fortune 500 — rely on Databricks to build and scale data and AI apps, analytics and agents. The company is introducing a security information and event management service called Lakewatch.
Electric vehicles accounted for 22.4% of all car-shopping activity on Edmunds.com in the week starting March 2, up from 20.7% the previous week. Sales of used electric vehicles in February rose 29% from a year earlier, according to Cox. The number of people buying electric vehicles rose to 24% from 21% in early February.
Pakistan is poised to host the U.S. and Iran for talks to end the war. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday said on social media his country "stands ready" to facilitate talks. The talks are subject to concurrence by the US and Iran, Sharif said. Neither the U.,S. nor Iran have commented on Pakistan's public offer to host talks.
Russia launched 556 attack drones during the day on 24 March, while Ukrainian air defence downed 541 of them as of 19:00. More than 400 attack drones entered Ukrainian airspace from the south, north and across the contact line, while 392 Russian drones were recorded. Ukraine's Air Force reports on large-scale Russian attack.
Several attempts to get the whale off the sandbank since early Monday have all failed. Longer it is stranded, the weaker the whale becomes, experts say. There is no reliable method of euthanasia for such a large whale, they say. The Baltic Sea is not suitable for the whale in the long term.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro promoted his campaign to modernize military equipment. He said the efforts were blocked by "bureaucratic difficulties" Critics responded to Petro, saying military aircraft are given fewer flight hours under his rule. The crash killed at least 66 people and injured dozens.
Investigators are reviewing the cockpit voice recorder and what was happening inside the control tower moments before the crash. “We have found in all of our investigations that it is not a single error that led to a terrible tragedy,” Homendy said. The deadly chaos unfolded when the Air Canada plane plowed into the fire truck after the vehicle was given permission to check on another plane that had aborted its takeoff.
Italian voters have rejected a proposed overhaul of the country's justice system in a constitutional referendum. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni conceded defeat after voters rejected her government’s judicial reform in a national referendum. Meloni made clear she would remain in power but said she would not seek re-election.
ICE agents seen at Newark, JFK airports as TSA lines keep growing. John Sandweg, who served as acting ICE director under President Obama, says there are real limitations on what those ICE agents can do. ICE continues to be funded, according to the Department of Homeland Security. For more now on the deployment of ICE agents to airports, I'm joined by John SandWeg, the former acting ICE Director under the Obama administration.
Refusing to comply could lead to up to one year's jail and a fine of up to HK$100,000 ($A18,000) While providing false or misleading information could bring up to three years' imprisonment. The maximum penalty for a person deemed a ‘foreign agent’ has been increased from six months to a year.
There are an estimated 32,800 pregnant women in Cuba at present. Mauren Echevarría Peña is expecting her first baby this week. The 26-year-old is worried about the prospect of another blackout. But she says that Cuba will always "find a way to move forward"
Malawi’s Constitution stipulates that when a president is incapacitated or dies, the Vice-President automatically takes over to finish his elected term. Factions within President Arthur Peter Mutharika's inner circle are pushing to remove her to block that succession pathway for her. A small circle of the President's most trusted allies has quietly formed an informal governing council.
Iranian drone and missile attacks, launched in response to the U.S.-Israeli assault on Iran, have already created huge disruptions in the oil market. Attacks have hit key sites including a refinery and the US embassy, while falling debris has caused civilian casualties. While Saudi Arabia and the UAE have built pipelines to bypass the strait, those alternative routes have come under attack as well.
“The Taliban must end their practice of hostage-taking,” says Coyle. “We are overjoyed to announce the release’s of Coyle and his family.” “This is a great day for us,’ Coyle says, “and we are looking forward to the future’
Members of Congress are losing a perk of flying Delta Air Lines because of the Department of Homeland Security shutdown. "Due to the impact on resources from the longstanding government shutdown, Delta will temporarily suspend specialty services to members of Congress flying Delta," the airline said in a statement to NPR. The suspension is expected to last until the end of January.
Estée Lauder said Monday that a final decision had not been made on any potential deal. Combining the bigger U.S.-listed Estée Lauder with the smaller Spanish Puig would bring some of the world's biggest beauty and fragrance brands under one roof. The deal would include Tom Ford Beauty, Carolina Herrera and Clinique.
Airstrikes battered Iran and Iranian missiles and drones targeted Israel’s Tel Aviv and sites across the Mideast. President Donald Trump said the United States was in talks with the Islamic Republic to end the war. “No negotiations have been held with the US,” Iranian parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf posted on X.
U.S. President Donald Trump said he will be "having the honor of taking Cuba" We worry that his approach is about short-term wins, rather than meaningful, lasting changes. Trump is a transactional president, not one led by principles, but he might succeed in serving American interests while improving conditions in Cuba.
Ghalibaf has long been loyal to the Islamic Republic of Iran. He has also worked to improve the quality of life in the city of Tehran. He is also close to Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and has worked with him in the past. Ghalibaf is also a well-known philanthropist, having helped fund a number of projects in Iran.
Qatar is preparing for a full return to in-person learning. Oman has temporarily shifted entirely to distance learning due to adverse weather conditions. Kuwait is taking a more cautious and data-driven approach, with officials considering extending online learning beyond Eid if current conditions persi If current conditions persist, Kuwait will continue online learning.
Amazon's data center operation in Bahrain has been "disrupted" amid the current conflict in the Middle East.Reuters reported that drone activity in the area caused the disruption. Amazon Web Services said in early March that drone strikes damaged two of its data centres in the United Arab Emirates and a facility in Bahrain.
President Donald Trump said on Monday that there had been no talks with Iran about ending the war in the Middle East. Trump said that he had ordered military strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure for five days following “good and productive conversations” The White House said that the strikes were in response to Iran’s threats to attack the U.S.
Iran denies US war negotiations, pushing back as Trump holds off attacks on Tehran's energy infrastructure. Trump administration is not confirming if and when in-person talks will take place between U.S. and Iranian officials in the coming days. Trump: "We have had very, very strong talks"
The IDF announced on Monday night that it was “striking Hezbollah infrastructure in Beirut’ The IDF claimed it was targeting the foreign operations of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which sponsors Hezbollah. Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the strike, and the IDF initially blamed cross-border fire from Lebanon.
The IDF announced on Monday night that it was “striking Hezbollah infrastructure in Beirut’ The IDF claimed it was targeting the foreign operations of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which sponsors Hezbollah. Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the strike, and the IDF initially blamed cross-border fire from Lebanon.
Iran’s military capabilities are not fully known following the 12-day war last June, which saw Israel and the US target missile bases and launchers. The only force still capable of striking regional targets, its missile and drone arsenal, is under continuous bombardment as aircraft bomb the entrances to Iran's so-called “missile cities”
U.S. requested talks through other countries, Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson says. On March 23, Trump said the United States had engaged in "very strong talks" with Iran. Iranian officials denied participating in peace talks. White House won't say whether U.S.-Iranian officials will meet this week.
Pakistan "stands ready" to host talks to end Iran war, prime minister says. "Subject to concurrence by the US and Iran, Pakistan stands ready and honoured to be the host," Shehbaz Sharif wrote. Unconfirmed reports suggest a meeting could be planned for as soon as this weekend.
The U.S. had agreed in principle to join talks in Pakistan, according to three Pakistani officials. mediators were still working to convince Iran. Pakistan offered to host diplomatic talks, but Iran remained defiant, vowing to fight “until complete victory.” The White House said it was a “fluid situation’
The 48 hour deadline Trump gave Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz would have expired tonight. Trump said earlier today that the U.S. and Iran had held “very good and productive conversations” and that the discussions would “continue throughout the week” The announcement was an about-face from the president’s stark ultimatum over the weekend.
The Pentagon is reportedly considering sending an Army combat brigade to Iran. The brigade could assist in a takeover of Kharg Island, a key oil hub for Iran. President Donald Trump is eyeing the island as a major target. The strategy comes with significant risks that could drive oil prices higher. The move is almost sure to be met by fierce retaliation from Tehran.