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US ‘warplanes downed in Kuwait’ as Iran conflict escalates
“Several US warplanes” have crashed in Kuwait, according to the Gulf state’s ministry of defence. The confirmation came after video footage showed what appeared to be a F-15 fighter jet crashing close to a military airbase where there was an American presence in Kuwait. “Several US warplanes crashed this morning. Confirming that all crew members survived,” a defence ministry spokesman said, adding that the cause was under investigation. “Authorities immediately initiated search and rescue operations, evacuating the crews and transporting them to a hospital for medical evaluation and treatment. He noted that their condition is stable,” they added. The Times, March 2

Analysis: Lebanon pulled into widening conflict
There is now a new front in a war that is spreading across the Middle East. Last night Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shia militia group that has been backed by Iran to the tune of billions of dollars, fired missiles at the Israeli city of Haifa. Israel responded with a wide-ranging air assault. Hezbollah’s stronghold in the southern suburbs of Beirut was targeted as well as areas close to the city’s airport. In the south of the country, Israel has told people in more than 50 Lebanese villages to evacuate, with strikes there too. Hezbollah is no longer the force it was after being pummelled by Israel in the war 18 months ago. But with strong ideological, religious and financial ties to Iran, it was almost inevitable the group would be pulled into a conflict in which almost every country in the Middle East is now embroiled. BBC news, March 2

Oil and gas prices soar and stocks slide as Middle East conflict escalates
Oil and gas prices surged and global stocks fell on Monday as the widening conflict in the Middle East disrupted energy supplies from the region and threatened to hit the global economy. In a marked escalation from the weekend, one of Saudi Arabia’s largest oil refineries was attacked by drones, forcing a shutdown. Analysts warned the escalating conflict could now spread to energy infrastructure across the Gulf, potentially causing a prolonged rise in oil prices. In the first trading session since the US and Israel launched air strikes against Iran on Saturday, Brent crude, the international benchmark, soared as much as 13 per cent in early trading. It later fell back to trade 8 per cent higher. Worries about a disruption to liquefied natural gas exports from Qatar also saw European gas prices jump 24 per cent. Gold rose and global stocks fell, with the Stoxx Europe 600, Europe’s benchmark index, down 1.3 per cent, led by declines in airlines and hotel groups. Financial Times, March 2

Keir Starmer will let US use UK bases for attacks on Iranian missile sites
The US has been granted permission to use British military bases to launch attacks on Iranian missile storage depots and launchers, Sir Keir Starmer announced on Sunday. London has given approval for RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire and the joint UK-US military base of Diego Garcia in the Chagos Islands to be used by Washington, according to British officials. The UK prime minister said the move was “in line with international law”, as it underscored the “collective self-defence of longstanding friends and allies”, and would help safeguard British lives and interests. Gulf nations had urged London to do more to protect the region, he added. An hour after his statement, an unmanned attack drone hit the runway at RAF Akrotiri, Britain’s military base in Cyprus, UK foreign secretary Yvette Cooper confirmed on Monday. UK officials are still investigating the timing and location of the drone’s launch but believe it was airborne before Starmer’s announcement. There were no casualties. Financial Times, March 2

Belgium, France seize Russian 'shadow fleet' tanker in the North Sea
Belgium's special forces boarded and seized an oil tanker allegedly belonging to what has been dubbed the "shadow fleet" Russia uses to circumvent Western sanctions over the war in Ukraine, the government said on Sunday. Deputy Prime Minister Maxime Prévot said the vessel was intercepted in the North Sea during an overnight operation. "Today, a vessel from Russia's shadow fleet was intercepted in the North Sea," Prévot wrote on X, thanking Belgian special forces for their "exceptional professionalism and courage". Belgian Defence Minister Theo Francken said the intercepted tanker was "being escorted to the port of Zeebrugge, where it will be seized". A Belgian official ‌said the seized vessel is named Ethera and is on the European Union's ​sanctions list. France 24, March 1

Refugee status to be temporary as Shabana Mahmood rips up rules on UK asylum
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 … 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. The announcement comes despite pleas from some Labour MPs, peers and affiliated unions this weekend for Keir Starmer’s government to shift towards progressive policies after the party came third in Thursday’s Gorton and Denton byelection. The changes include plans to double to 10 years the amount of time some foreign nationals must wait before they can settle in the UK. The Guardian, March 1

Pakistan strikes Kabul, declares ‘open war’ on Afghanistan after border clashes
Pakistan conducted airstrikes in Kabul and three other Afghan provinces on Friday, according to Afghan authorities, as Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif declared "open war" after his country ran out of “patience” following cross-border attacks. France 24, February 27

Drop in overseas workers is ‘car crash’ for UK hospitals and care homes, say experts
Hospitals and care homes in the UK face “an impending car crash”, experts have warned, as research shows the number of overseas nurses and carers has collapsed. Analysis of Home Office quarterly data reveals the number of overseas nurses granted entry to the UK has fallen by 93 per cent over three years. Just 1,777 overseas nurses were granted entry in 2025, compared with 26,100 in 2022. Visas for workers in the caring personal service occupations category - which includes care workers, but also nursing auxiliaries, ambulance staff and dental workers - had the steepest decline in new workers from overseas in absolute terms. The figure fell from 107,847 workers granted entry in 2023 to just 3,178 in 2025, a 97 per cent decline over two years. Only 23 overseas care workers were granted entry from October to December 2025. The Guardian, February 26

Starmer rocked by historic Green by-election victory
Sir Keir Starmer is under renewed pressure after a stunning victory by the Green party in the Gorton and Denton by-election, with Labour trailing in third place behind Reform UK in second. The leftwing Greens comfortably won the key parliamentary by-election in south-east Manchester, in a previously safe Labour seat, with 41 per cent of the vote. Labour’s defeat will further weaken the prime minister, following a bruising start to the year and speculation over his leadership, with many of Starmer’s MPs looking over their shoulders at a potential Green challenge. The Green candidate, Hannah Spencer, took the seat with 14,980 votes after a bitter three-way fight. It was the Greens’ first ever by-election win and a vindication of the strategy of Zack Polanski, the party’s leader since last September, of targeting urban voters with an anti-poverty message combined with strong criticism of Israel’s campaign in Gaza. Turnout for the by-election was 47 per cent, only fractionally down on the 2024 general election, in a sign of how intense campaigning has been in the seat. Financial Times, February 27

Vegetarians less likely to get five types of cancer
Vegetarians are up to a third less likely to get five types of cancer, the largest study of its kind has concluded. A team at Oxford University looked at 1.8 million people, finding that those who did not eat meat were at a lower risk of developing several cancers, including breast and prostate. They said “meat itself” was likely to be the problem, urging people to avoid processed meat and instead build meals around wholegrains, pulses, fruit and vegetables. Compared with meat eaters, vegetarians have a 21 per cent lower risk of pancreatic cancer, a 9 per cent lower risk of breast cancer, a 12 per cent reduced risk of prostate cancer, 28 per cent lower risk of kidney cancer and 31 per cent lower risk of multiple myeloma, a form of blood cancer. In total, these cancers kill 41,800 people and account for 143,000 new cases in Britain each year. The Times, February 27

Dyson settles forced labour suit in landmark UK case
Electronics appliance maker Dyson has agreed to settle a lawsuit filed against it by 24 migrant workers, who alleged they were subjected to forced and abusive treatment in a Malaysian factory making the firm's parts. The workers, from Nepal and Bangladesh, sued the firm in 2022 and described being subject to what amounted to modern day slavery. Dyson has denied any liability. When the case was brought it said it had been previously unaware of the alleged abuses, and the Malaysia supplier should be held responsible instead. The case is significant for establishing the precedent that allegations against foreign companies supplying British manufacturers can be judged in an English court. Under the terms of the settlement the details of any compensation to the workers are not being disclosed. In separate but almost identical statements posted on their websites, Dyson and Leigh Day said the resolution was reached "in recognition of the expenses of litigation and the benefits of settlement". BBC news, February 27