A two-week truce between the US and Iran sparks a dramatic drop in oil prices and a surge in global stocks, but the Strait of Hormuz remains largely blocked and energy markets stay on edge.

The smartphone has defined personal technology for almost twenty years. But as Qualcomm unveils a powerful new chip designed for smartwatches, AI pins, and wearable pendants, the industry is placing its biggest bet yet on what comes next. This piece looks at the devices, the technology, and the question every manufacturer still needs to answer.

Observed on April 7, the date marks the founding of the World Health Organization and has become a reference point for examining shared public health priorities.

NASA's Orion spacecraft is now carrying four astronauts on a ten-day mission around the Moon, in a defining moment for modern space exploration.

Speculation around a potential SpaceX IPO has begun to build again, as Elon Musk expands activity across even more sectors.

Out of more than 6,000 known planets beyond our solar system, astronomers have identified just 45 as the most promising candidates for harbouring life. The catalogue, published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society on 19 March, is the result of a study led by Professor Lisa Kaltenegger at Cornell University's Carl Sagan Institute. It marks the first systematic attempt to determine which rocky worlds sit within the right conditions for liquid water to exist on their surfaces.

OpenAI is making its most deliberate move yet towards a public stock market listing. This week, the company confirmed it is raising an additional $10 billion from investors, bringing its total funding round to more than $120 billion. At the same time, it is cutting consumer products, refocusing on business customers, and signalling to Wall Street that it is serious about profitability. The pieces of an IPO are falling into place.

The UK government publishes its long-awaited Steel Strategy on 19 March 2026, committing up to £2.5 billion to modernise the industry and positioning green steel as both a climate priority and a matter of national security. Business and Trade Secretary Peter Kyle launches the strategy at Tata Steel's Port Talbot site in South Wales, telling steelworkers that without decisive action, the UK's steelmaking capability faces "real jeopardy".

The U.S. Department of Defense is placing greater emphasis on artificial intelligence infrastructure, as demand for advanced computing becomes central to modern defense strategy.

Amazon Web Services is positioning its custom-built Trainium chip at the centre of the AI industry's infrastructure. Following a $50 billion investment deal with OpenAI announced in February, AWS has opened its Austin chip development laboratory to media for the first time, offering a rare look at the hardware that now underpins some of the world's most widely used AI systems. Image credit: Amazon