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Pete Hegseth’s broker looked to buy defence fund before Iran attack
A broker for Pete Hegseth, the US defence secretary, attempted to make a big investment in major defence companies in the weeks leading up to the US-Israeli attack on Iran, according to three people familiar with the matter. Hegseth’s broker at Morgan Stanley contacted BlackRock in February about making a multimillion-dollar investment in the asset manager’s Defense Industrials Active ETF, the people said, shortly before the US launched military action against Tehran. The inquiry on behalf of the high-profile potential client was flagged internally at BlackRock, according to the people familiar with the matter. According to BlackRock, the $3.2bn equity fund, which carries the ticker IDEF, pursues “growth opportunities by investing in companies that may benefit from increased government spending on defense and security amid geopolitical fragmentation and economic competition”. Its largest holdings include defence conglomerates RTX, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman, which count the US Department of Defense as their biggest customers, as well as data integration specialist Palantir. Financial Times, March 31

Kuwaiti tanker hit by Iranian drone attack in Dubai port
Iran attacked and set ablaze a fully loaded crude oil tanker anchored at Dubai port, with the strike damaging the vessel’s hull, in the latest strike on merchant vessels in the Gulf and strait of Hormuz amid the US and Israel war on Iran. Dubai authorities said the drone attack on the Al Salmi tanker caused a fire on board that was extinguished early on Tuesday, hours after the attack was first reported. They later confirmed there was no oil leak. The attack came hours after Donald Trump warned that the US would obliterate Iran’s energy plants and oil wells if it does not open the strait of Hormuz. The month-long conflict has spread across the Middle East, killing thousands, disrupting energy supplies and threatening to send the global economy into a tailspin. Kuwait Petroleum Corporation said the Al Salmi was struck in an Iranian attack while anchored at Dubai port in the United Arab Emirates, causing a fire onboard and other damage to the vessel. Dubai authorities said maritime firefighting teams successfully put out the blaze which was sparked by a drone attack and continued to assess the situation, adding that no injuries were reported and all 24 crew members were safe. The Guardian, March 31

Foreign central banks sell US Treasuries in wake of Iran war
Foreign central banks have slashed their holdings of Treasuries at the New York Federal Reserve to the lowest level since 2012, as countries sell the US government bonds to prop up their economies and currencies in the wake of the Iran war. The value of Treasuries held in custody at the New York Fed by official institutions - a group that is largely made up of central banks but also includes governments and international institutions - has dropped by $82bn since February 25 to $2.7tn, according to Fed data. The decline in these holdings since the war began a month ago highlights how the surge in energy prices triggered by Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway, has upended the finances of countries that rely on oil imports, as well as boosting the dollar across the board. It also comes at a time when some central banks have intervened in foreign exchange markets to prop up their currencies, a move that typically involves selling US dollars. Financial Times, March 31

Spain closes airspace to US aircraft involved in Iran war
Spain has closed its airspace to US planes involved in attacks on Iran, Madrid's Defence Minister Margarita Robles has said. "We will not authorise the use of Morón and Rota [military bases] for any acts related to the war in Iran," she said, adding that Spain had "made this clear to the American government from the beginning". Foreign Affairs Minister José Manuel Albares stated that the aim of the decision was to "not do anything that could encourage an escalation in this war". A White House official told the BBC that the US military was "meeting or surpassing all of its goals under Operation Epic Fury and does not need help from Spain or anyone else". US President Donald Trump has previously threatened to impose a full trade embargo on Spain over its opposition to the Iran war. Since the start of the war in late February, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has been one of the most vocal opponents of the US and Israeli attacks on Iran, describing them as "reckless" and "illegal". BBC news, March 30

UK ministers seek advice on scrapping Palantir NHS data contract
The government has sought advice on scrapping a significant NHS contract delivered by Palantir over the tech giant’s work for the American government. Louis Mosley, executive vice-chairman of Palantir in the UK, urged ministers not to give in to “ideologically motivated campaigners” who are demanding that the NHS cut its links with the company because of its work for the US defence sector and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Ministers have sought advice on triggering a break clause in Palantir’s contract to provide data systems to NHS hospitals that help them to manage waiting lists, speed up discharging patients and use operating theatres more effectively. The company is two years into a seven-year £330 million contract but is facing calls from doctors to be stripped of its role in the health service. Speaking to The Times, Mosley warned that scrapping the contract could damage patient care and cost the taxpayer money in lost productivity savings. The Times, March 30

NASA starts countdown for first crewed Moon mission in over 50 years
NASA began its two-day countdown on Monday ahead of what is slated to be its first crewed moonshot in more than half a century, a long-anticipated loop around Earth's satellite that is to pave the way for future exploration. The first window to launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida opens on Wednesday, April 1 at 6:24pm (22:24 GMT), and NASA officials said the countdown began at 4:44pm. "The vehicle is ready, the system is ready. The crew is ready," Amit Kshatriya, the US space agency's associate administrator, said in a briefing. "Behind this flight stands a campaign," he continued, noting recently announced plans including constructing a lunar base. If Wednesday's launch is cancelled or delayed for any reason, there are more liftoff opportunities up to April 6. France 24, March 31

Donald Trump says US could ‘take the oil in Iran’
Donald Trump has said he wants to “take the oil in Iran” and could seize the export hub of Kharg Island, as the US sends thousands of troops to the Middle East. The US president told the FT in an interview on Sunday that his “preference would be to take the oil”, comparing the potential move to Venezuela, where the US intends to control the oil industry “indefinitely” following its capture of strongman leader Nicolás Maduro in January. The president’s comments come as the US-Israeli war against Iran has thrust the Middle East into crisis and sent the price of oil surging by more than 50 per cent in a month. Brent crude rose above $116 a barrel on Monday morning in Asia, near its highest level since the conflict began. Trump said: “To be honest with you, my favourite thing is to take the oil in Iran but some stupid people back in the US say: ‘why are you doing that?’ But they’re stupid people.” Such a move would involve seizing Kharg Island, through which most of Iran’s oil is exported. Financial Times, March 30

Middle East war: Pakistan ready to host talks
Iran said on Sunday it was ready to respond to a US ground military operation, accusing Washington of preparing such an offensive while claiming to seek negotiations. Meanwhile the foreign ministers of several major countries in the region met in Pakistan to try to put an end to the conflict. Discussions held in Islamabad with the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia , Turkey and Egypt focused on proposals to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to navigation, sources close to the matter said. Following these exchanges, Pakistan stated that it was preparing to host "meaningful discussions" between the two sides in the coming days to end the conflict, without it being known whether the United States and Iran had agreed to participate. France 24, March 29

EU wants to open deportation hubs in Africa this year
Germany and a group of like-minded states are confident that rejected ­asylum seekers will soon be deported to holding centres outside the EU after the European parliament cleared the way for a harsh new approach to illegal migration. Berlin is working closely with the governments of the Netherlands, ­Denmark, Austria and Greece, and with the support of Finland and Italy, to create “return hubs” by the end of the year in countries - expected to be mostly in Africa - that are willing to host ­asylum seekers who cannot be ­returned to their home countries. As the hard-right National Rally soars in the polls, President Macron of France and his centre-right government have also signalled support. The Times, March 29

Five EU governments found to ‘consistently’ dismantle rule of law
Governments in five EU member states are “consistently and intentionally” eroding the rule of law, Europe’s leading civil liberties group has warned, while democratic standards are deteriorating in six more, including historically strong democracies. Drawing on evidence from more than 40 NGOs in 22 countries, the Civil Liberties Union for Europe (Liberties) described the governments of Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Italy and Slovakia as “dismantlers” that were actively weakening the rule of law. The group’s 2026 report, released on Monday, said the rule of law had regressed in all areas - justice, anti-corruption, media freedom and civil society checks and balances - in Slovakia under the populist, authoritarian, pro-Moscow government of Robert Fico. The picture was similarly bleak in Bulgaria, while Hungary, where Viktor Orbán’s 16 years in power could end after elections on 12 April, “remains in a category of its own, continuing to pursue ever more regressive laws and policies with no sign of change”. The Guardian, March 30

Thieves steal Renoir, Cézanne and Matisse paintings in three-minute Italian heist
Paintings by Renoir, Cézanne and Matisse worth millions were stolen in a heist on a museum near the Italian city of Parma, police say. Four masked men entered the Magnani Rocca Foundation villa on 22 March, police said, making off with Les Poissons by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Still Life with Cherries by Paul Cézanne and Odalisque on the Terrace by Henri Matisse. The gang were in and out in the space of three minutes, Italian media outlets have reported, and were only interrupted by the museum's alarm system, preventing them from stealing more. The institution is the latest to be subject to a heist, following the brazen daylight robbery of priceless jewels from the Louvre in Paris last October. The thieves involved in the robbery forced their way through the main door to the Villa dei Capolavori, nestled in the Parma countryside, and took the paintings from the French Room on the building's first floor, Italian media outlets have reported. BBC news, March 29