Gas prices soar and oil jumps as Iran war pushes down global stock markets
Posted on Monday March 02, 2026

QatarEnergy says it has halted production of liquefied natural gas after attacks on Ras Laffan and Mesaieed sitesNils Pratley: A gas shock – not an oil shock – looks more threateningUS-Israel war on Iran – live updatesGas prices surged on Monday and oil rose sharply as an escalation in the US-Israel war on Iran caused major disruption to production and supplies.QatarEnergy, the state-owned energy company, said it had halted production of liquefied natural gas (LNG) after attacks on facilities in Ras Laffan and Mesaieed. Continue reading...

Read more...

BrewDog bought by US cannabis and drinks firm for £33m, costing nearly 500 jobs
Posted on Monday March 02, 2026

Many early-stage crowdfunders left empty-handed as Tilray acquires beer company’s UK and Irish assetsBusiness live – latest updatesThe UK and Irish assets of BrewDog, the Scottish self-styled “punk” brewer, have been sold to the US cannabis and drinks firm Tilray for £33m, in a deal that will cost nearly 500 jobs and leave legions of the company’s early-stage crowdfunders empty-handed.Tilray agreed a deal to buy BrewDog’s brand, intellectual property, UK brewing operations and 11 “strategic” bars in the UK and Ireland, the two companies confirmed, preserving 733 jobs. The remaining 38 bars will close immediately, at a cost of 484 jobs. Continue reading...

Read more...

How escalating Iran conflict is driving up oil and gas prices – a visual guide
Posted on Monday March 02, 2026

A near-halt to shipping in strait of Hormuz and attacks on Middle East refineries are threatening supplies and stoking inflationNils Pratley: A gas shock – not an oil shock – looks more threateningUS-Israel war on Iran – live updatesIran has responded to US and Israeli attacks by launching a series of counterstrikes against states across the Middle East, with serious consequences for the oil and gas industry and the global economy.Tehran has attacked oil facilities in neighbouring countries, while shipping traffic through the strait of Hormuz – the crucial bottleneck at the mouth of the Gulf – has all but ground to a halt. Continue reading...

Read more...

Hundreds of UK teenagers to pilot social media bans and restrictions
Posted on Sunday March 01, 2026

Trials to form part of three-month consultation on Keir Starmer’s plans to tackle negative effects of smartphone useHundreds 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...

Read more...

‘The digital colonization of flyover states’: how datacenters are tearing small-town America apart
Posted on Monday March 02, 2026

The rapid rollout of datacenters across the US is creating a divide between municipal governments and residentsWilmington, Ohio, resident Quintin Koger Kidd was so concerned last June with his local public officials’ alleged misdoings – open meeting violations and other discrepancies – that he filed a complaint in court to have the mayor and city council members removed from their posts.When Koger Kidd later heard that the city supported plans by Amazon Web Services to build a $4bn datacenter on 500 acres (200 hectares) south of town, he was aghast. Amazon has sought a tax abatement that would see its datacenter exempt from paying property taxes for 30 years in exchange for the funding of local schools and infrastructure projects. Continue reading...

Read more...

Iraq or UAE could take Iran’s World Cup finals spot due to Middle East crisis
Posted on Monday March 02, 2026

Fifa regulations vague on issue of replacing any teamsWithdrawal would be first since France and India in 1950Iraq and the United Arab Emirates are viewed as the most likely beneficiaries should Iran withdraw from the World Cup. Fifa’s general secretary, Mattias Grafström, said on Saturday that “our focus is to have a safe World Cup with everybody participating”, but the president of the Iranian Football Federation, Mehdi Taj, has raised doubts over his country’s participation by saying: “After this attack, we cannot be expected to look forward to the World Cup with hope.”Fifa has not commented since Grafström spoke and remains determined to ensure the World Cup, which starts on 11 June, goes ahead as planned, but several sources have said that if its hand were forced by Iran’s withdrawal the replacement will probably come from the Asian Football Confederation. Continue reading...

Read more...

‘We have to take bold decisions’: Williams chief James Vowles on 2026 hopes and F1 title dreams
Posted on Monday March 02, 2026

Williams team principal on pre-season travails, why McLaren are an inspiration and closing the gap to the top“I didn’t realise it until I saw the notice,” James Vowles says of the third anniversary in January of his arrival at Williams as their team principal. On a rainy afternoon he smiles wryly in his London office. “I probably should have allowed myself a moment to reflect, but you are too caught up in the work. That reality defines Formula One.”Vowles is one of the most interesting men in F1 and not just because, as the director of strategy, he helped two teams to win nine constructors’ championships and eight drivers’ titles. He will soon reveal a reflective side to his character and touch on the adversity he overcame at the outset of his career. His relish for a challenge in pure racing terms is obvious because in 2022 he left Mercedes, who had finished second in the championship, for Williams, after they ended that season in 10th and last place. Continue reading...

Read more...