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Mar 19, 2026 - World

Economists cautioned whether surging oil prices and soaring tariffs amid the ongoing Iran war could tip the United States into recession and what signs could point to an economic downslide, The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday. The Journal polled 50 economists between March 16-18 from different sectors, including Wall Street banks and small consulting firms and universities, for a survey about what they expect the economic fallout might look like amid the military conflict in the Middle East. Experts did identify one important metric that could show potential signs of economic difficulty. "Economists put the probability of a recession in the next 12 months at 32%, up modestly from 27% in January," The Journal reported. "Asked how high crude oil would need to climb to tip the recession probability above 50%, economists gave a range of responses: from $90 a barrel to $200, with an average of $138. Asked how long oil prices would need to be at an elevated level, they said from four weeks to 55 weeks, with an average duration of 14 weeks. U.S. oil futures closed at $96.32 a barrel Wednesday, compared with a February average of about $65."Robert Fry of Robert Fry Economics predicted that the probability of an economic downturn was at 40 percent, explaining that "$125 oil for eight weeks is his make-or-break point.""My forecast is contingent on the assumption that the Strait of Hormuz will be fully open to tanker traffic by mid-April," Fry said. "If it isn’t, oil prices will go much higher, and I will put a recession in my forecast."

Mar 19, 2026 - World

An independent committee investigating the cause of Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades has heard that a series of failures contributed to the blaze that engulfed seven buildings and killed 168 people

Mar 19, 2026 - World

ABC has cancelled its upcoming season of "The Bachelorette" after a shocking video emerged of Taylor Frankie Paul in an explosive fight with her ex-boyfriend and child's father, TMZ reported on Thursday. The star of the show, who is also a main cast member in Hulu's "The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives," was seen in video footage from 2023 putting Dakota Mortensen in a headlock, hitting him and throwing metal chairs, one of which hit their child sitting on a sofa. Mortensen and Paul have been in an ongoing custody battle. They have been ordered to undergo a psych evaluation as domestic abuse allegations surfaced this week, just ahead of "The Bachelorette" air date on Sunday. The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives" had announced it had paused production in response to the allegations. Disney Entertainment released the following statement about the decision: “In light of the newly released video just surfaced today, we have made the decision to not move forward with the new season of 'The Bachelorette' at this time, and our focus is on supporting the family.”

Mar 19, 2026 - World

Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) refused to acknowledge that there was not an "imminent" nuclear threat before President Donald Trump struck Iran by insisting that the word was too "subjective" to debate.During a Thursday interview on CNN, host Boris Sanchez noted that Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard had deflected a question about an imminent Iranian nuclear threat by arguing that only the president could define what "imminent" means."I'd say it's a persistent threat," Crenshaw dodged. "I mean, everyone's really getting hung up on the word imminent. And let's be clear about the word imminent. It's a subjective word.""Everyone's getting hung up on this, and I'm not sure why," he complained. "I don't view this conflict with Iran as just a rash decision by the president. I view it as something that was much more inevitable."Sanchez pointed out why Crenshaw, as a member of Congress, should be concerned with the definition of "imminent.""I guess, Congressman, part of the concern is that the president is only supposed to act unilaterally without input from Congress if there's going to be an imminent strike on Americans," the CNN host observed. "In other words, if there is an immediate danger to American lives, that's different than saying that Iran has a persistent threat or eventually may have the capacity to harm Americans on the mainland, no?""I don't think it's different at all," Crenshaw disagreed. "I think you phrased the same thing in two different ways.""What is imminent is the idea that you might have another North Korea," he added. "You're at a point in history where you either decide that you're not going to have another North Korea or you are. And right now, the only way to prevent that, the second North Korea, a madman with a bomb, is to use conventional means."U.S. law defines "imminent threat" as "the imminence of any natural, technological, or other occurrence which, in determination of a Federal Agency Head, because of its size or intent, seriously degrades or threatens the national security of the United States such that an emergency action would be impeded if the Federal Agency were to concurrently meet its historic preservation responsibilities under section 110 of the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended."

Mar 19, 2026 - World

UK’s bilateral aid to African countries, which funds areas such as schools and clinics, to be cut by almost £900m by 2028-29Some of the world’s poorest countries will lose out on UK aid that funds programmes such as schools and clinics, due to budget cuts set out by the foreign secretary.The UK’s bilateral aid to African countries will be reduced by almost £900m by 2028-29 – a 56% cut – as part of more than £6bn in cuts which are funding an increase in defence spending. Continue reading...