Author: Press Room

Australia has rebuked Iran over escalating attacks in the Strait of Hormuz and delivered a stark warning amid global energy shocks.

There are fears that a period of elevated oil and gas prices could trigger a damaging wave of global inflation.Published On 18 Mar 202618 Mar 2026Oil prices have risen more than 5 percent following an Israeli strike on Iran’s South Pars gasfield as the United States-Israeli war on the country continues to escalate.Brent crude, the international standard, rose 5 percent to $108.66 a barrel on Wednesday, while US West Texas Intermediate crude CLc1, the price barometer for US oil, gained 2.5 percent to $98.65, widening its discount to Brent to the largest since May 2019 on fears of a prolonged…

Joe Kent, who resigned Tuesday as National Counterterrorism Center director, has been a stalwart Trump supporter, backing him since his 2016 campaign, through his 2020 election defeat, the Jan. 6 riots, as well as during his own conservative media advocacy and two failed congressional bids. But that ended with Mr. Trump’s war in Iran and his alliance with Israel against the Islamic clerics who led the Tehran government. In a resignation letter he posted on X, Kent said Tuesday that Iran “posed no imminent threat to our nation,” and he asserted that “we started this war due to pressure from Israel and…

US Federal Reserve officials left interest rates unchanged on Wednesday, maintaining a cautious stance as geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and mixed economic signals complicate the policy outlook.The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) voted 11-1 to keep the benchmark federal funds rate in a range of 3.5% to 3.75%, in line with market expectations. Governor Stephen Miran dissented, calling for a quarter-point rate cut.The decision marks the second consecutive pause by the central bank, though the economic backdrop has shifted notably since its previous meeting.Fed flags uncertainty amid Middle East conflictFederal Reserve Chair Jay Powell said the Middle East…

Share Last updated:  March 18, 2026 Wednesday 18 March 2026 – Crypto markets are heading into the Federal Reserve’s rate decision with risk appetite, not just policy, in focus. The central bank is widely expected to leave rates unchanged in the 3.50% to 3.75% range, but traders are watching Jerome Powell’s guidance for clues on the path ahead after a broad crypto rally that began last Monday.That backdrop matters for positioning across higher-beta corners of the market. While uncertainty around monetary policy, geopolitics, and inflation remains elevated, speculative capital has continued to rotate into meme coins and presales, where investors…

WASHINGTON – The Federal Reserve on Wednesday voted to hold its key interest rate steady as policymakers navigate their way through higher-than-expected inflation readings, mixed signs on the labor market – and a war.In a widely expected decision, the Federal Open Market Committee voted 11-1 to keep the benchmark federal funds rate anchored in a range between 3.5%-3.75%. The rate sets overnight funding costs for banks but influences a broad range of consumer and business borrowing.The committee in its post-meeting statement made few changes to its view on the economy, with a slightly faster pace of growth and higher inflation…

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Several members of Team USA didn’t appear to want anything to do with a second-place finish in the 2026 World Baseball Classic.The United States squad was awarded silver medals after falling to Venezuela, 3-2, in the WBC final Tuesday in Miami. However, shortly after receiving them from MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, several players stripped them off.  Kyle Schwarber of the United States reacts after receiving a silver medal after a 3-2 loss to Venezuela at loanDepot park March 17, 2026, in Miami, Fla.  (Megan Briggs/Getty Images)Mason Miller could hardly wait to take his…

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! A homeless man accused of violently attacking a San Francisco police officer assigned to Mayor Daniel Lurie’s security detail is back behind bars — just days after a judge ordered his release and suggested he, not the officer, had been “violently assaulted.”Tony Phillips, 44, was arrested again Monday morning for allegedly violating a court-ordered stay-away provision, according to police. Officers conducting homeless outreach spotted Phillips and took him into custody without incident.The second arrest comes less than a week after San Francisco Superior Court Judge Sylvia Husing ordered Phillips released from jail…

A Nova Scotia politician is urging the New Brunswick premier to reconsider newly announced plans to introduce a toll near the provincial boundary. Premier Susan Holt’s government announced the toll in its provincial budget Tuesday, estimating it would bring in $10.4 million annually once in place in 2028. New Brunswick Finance Minister René Legacy said the toll would be imposed on out-of-province vehicles on the Trans-Canada Highway by Aulac, N.B.Independent member of the Nova Scotia legislative assembly, Elizabeth Smith-McCrossin, said going ahead with the toll will hurt many residents in her constituency of Cumberland North who travel across the provincial…

Record home sales profits are lining the pockets of people in the housing market, while pushing the price of admission beyond the means of ordinary Australians.