Trump accused of ‘threatening possible war crimes’ in Iran post | First Thing pred 8 urami in 46 minutami Chuck Schumer accuses president of ‘ranting like an unhinged madman’ in threat to obliterate Iran’s power plants and bridges. Plus, Audrey Hepburn’s son Sean on her movies, marriages, good works and fascist parentsDon’t already get First Thing in your inbox? Sign up hereGood morning.Donald Trump has faced sharp criticism after threatening to wipe out Iran’s power plants and bridges in an expletive-riddled social media post yesterday.How has Iran reacted? Iran’s parliament speaker responded with a warning that the US president’s “reckless moves” would mean “our whole region is going to burn”.This is a developing story. Follow the liveblog here.What will they see? During the flyby, which will last about six hours, the crew will have to observe the celestial body with their naked eyes, along with cameras they have onboard. The journey promises views of the moon’s far side that were too dark or too difficult to see by the 24 Apollo astronauts who preceded them. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Was Trump oblivious to the realities of Netanyahu’s promised ‘easy’ war on Iran? pred 8 urami in 57 minutami Senior US officials consider the PM’s pitch to have been overblown, creating potentially far-reaching consequences for IsraelMiddle East crisis – live updatesWhen Benjamin Netanyahu arrived at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club on 29 December last year, the Israeli prime minister came with an appeal – and a not so subtle inducement.After months of restocking air defence and other missiles after June’s 12-day conflict in which the US joined in to bomb Tehran’s nuclear facilities, Israel was ready to go again, this time with more substantial objectives. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Small UK firms’ energy bills set to more than double due to Iran war pred 9 urami in 35 minutami Companies using heating oil have already begun rationing their fuel use, says Federation of Small BusinessesMiddle East crisis – live updatesThousands of independent businesses across the UK are braced for their energy bills to more than double owing to the sharp rise in heating oil costs as the war in Iran pushed Europe’s fuel market prices to fresh record highs.About 7% of all small and medium-sized companies warm their properties and provide hot water using heating oil, which in some cases has more than doubled in recent weeks. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Weather tracker: Warm March in US leaves snowpack critically low pred 9 urami in 36 minutami Concerns about coming wildfire risk, and temperatures also remain high on other side of Pacific where rare tropical cyclone has formedAfter a historically warm winter across nine states in the US, the first month of meteorological spring again brought exceptionally high temperatures, with numerous states recording new all-time high temperatures in March. The remarkable intensity and longevity of the warmth have left much of the mountain snowpack, a crucial source of water for millions in the American west, at critically low levels.Though precipitation totals tend to increase in spring, the low snowpack has raised concerns about a potentially severe wildfire season if conditions do not improve soon. And with further spells of abnormally warm, dry weather expected this week, the outlook is becoming increasingly worrying heading into the late spring and summer months. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘I just legged it’: teenage shark bite victim recalls lucky escape while surfing in South Australia pred 10 urami in 13 minutami Oliver Tokic-Bensley, 16, says he had been in the water mere minutes when a shark bit his footGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA teenage surfer bitten by a shark at a South Australian beach has described how he “flicked it off” and “legged it back to shore”.Oliver Tokic-Bensley, 16, was bitten on his foot while surfing on Good Friday near his family beach house at Middleton, 80km south of Adelaide. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘The original triple threat’: two exhibitions celebrate Marilyn Monroe as creative pioneer pred 10 urami in 35 minutami BFI and National Portrait Gallery to mark centenary of the film star’s birth with ‘the summer of Marilyn’Though often reduced to a sex symbol frozen in time, or a tragic figure at the centre of several scandals, Marilyn Monroe was something far more subversive, according to two exhibitions that will herald what has been nicknamed “the summer of Marilyn”.To mark the centenary of her birth, Monroe is being celebrated by leading British cultural institutions as a performer of sharp comic intelligence, a canny architect of her own image, and a woman who reshaped the possibilities for female stardom on screen. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Severe Tropical Cyclone Maila on track to hit far north Queensland three weeks after Narelle tore through pred 11 urami in 21 minutami While path and strength of storm remain uncertain, BoM warns Cape York could again take direct hit if cyclone makes landfallGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAnother cyclone may hit the Queensland coast just over three weeks after the same area was smashed by Severe Tropical Cyclone Narelle, the Bureau of Meteorology says.But a meteorologist warned forecasts predicting the path and strength of Severe Tropical Cyclone Maila remained uncertain, with the storm likely to make landfall over the weekend. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
