Factbox-Analysts reassess oil price estimates as Iran conflict disrupts markets

March 13 (Reuters) - Major brokerages, including Goldman Sachs and Bank of America, have revised their average ‌oil price forecasts for 2026 as the ‌war in Iran approached the two‑week mark on Friday.

Analysts expect oil ​prices to remain elevated in the near term as they assess the impact of supply disruptions through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital conduit for more than ‌20% of global ⁠oil flows. However, they broadly anticipate prices stabilizing later in the year.

Brent futures and ⁠U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures rose to their highest since June 2022 this week, and were headed for ​more than ​10% and 7% weekly ​rises respectively. [O/R]

Iran's new Supreme ‌Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, vowed on Thursday to keep the Strait of Hormuz shut as leverage against the United States and Israel, amid a Middle East conflict that continues to disrupt millions of lives and rattle ‌energy and financial markets worldwide.

Price Targets

Brokerage Forecasts

/Agency as ​of

2027 2026 2027

Expects Brent to

Goldman March average $75/bbl

Sachs $77 12, 2026 and $71/bbl over

$71 $72 $67 the ​next three

respectively.

BMI $70 $70 $68 $68 March ​12, Expects Brent to

2026 average $67/bbl

and $69/bbl in

3Q'26 and 4Q'26,

respectively.

Citi $71 $64 $68 $61 March 11, See's ‌Brent

2026 averaging

1Q'26, $78/bbl

in 2Q'26, and

$68/bbl in ​3Q'26

BofA $78 $65 $73 $61 March 10, Expects ​Brent to

2026 average $80/bbl

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in 2Q'26, but

average $65/bbl

again in 2027 as

the pre-war

HSBC $80 $70 $76 $67 March 10,

Macquarie - - - - March 6, Sees crude

2026 prices

potentially

$150/bbl or

above if the

Strait of ​Hormuz

remains closed

for several

UBS $72 $70 $68 $66 March ‌4, Expects prices

2026 to move towards

>$100/bbl and

into more severe

destruction

territory of

$120+/bbl ​if

flows through

Hormuz remain

(Reporting by Pablo Sinha in ​Bengaluru; Editing by Susan Fenton)

byCristiano Ronaldo

in

March 13, 2026

Factbox-Analysts reassess oil price estimates as Iran conflict disrupts markets

March 13 (Reuters) - Major brokerages, including Goldman Sachs and Bank of America, have revised their average ‌oil price...

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South African soldiers dismantle illegal mining operations near Johannesburg as miners flee

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africansoldiers deployed to high-crime areashave dismantled illegal gold mining operations in a community near Johannesburg, forcing some illegal miners to flee and abandon their equipment.

South Africa Army Deployed

Police and the army recovered various tools used by illegal miners, including generators and drill machines — equipment documented by an Associated Press photographer on Thursday.

Makeshift trenches with food supplies and utensils belonging to the miners were also dismantled, with clothing items left behind after the miners fled the site in Randfontein, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) to the west of Johannesburg.

The operations were part of a raremove by the government to deploy soldiersin some of the country's most crime-ridden areas, including in the Western Cape province that includes the city of Cape Town and the economic hub province of Gauteng.

With dozens of abandoned mine shafts lining the outskirts of Johannesburg,illegal mining is rife in the areaas heavily armed crime syndicates and informal miners known as "zama zamas" enter the shafts in search of leftover deposits of gold or other precious minerals.

It is illegal to mine without a government license, and in some places, the conditions are dangerous.

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Other provinces with abandoned shafts, like the North West and Mpumalanga, have also experienced high levels of illegal mining, sometimes withtragic consequences.

Authorities say there are an estimated 30,000 illegal miners in South Africa, operating in some of its 6,000 abandoned mine shafts.

The government has noted an increase in illegal mining, which it estimates is worth more than $4 billion a year just in gold lost to criminal syndicates.

The trade is believed to be predominantly controlled by migrants from neighboring Lesotho, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique, stoking anger among South African communities against both the criminal bosses and foreigners living in the local community.

Responding to questions from lawmakers on Thursday, President Cyril Ramaphosa said the deployment of the troops would take place alongside other measures, such as strengthening anti-gang units and illegal mining task teams.

"The police will also be working with the National Prosecuting Authority on multi-disciplinary task teams to target the leadership, finances, firearms and logistics of these criminal networks," Ramaphosa said.

byCristiano Ronaldo

in

March 13, 2026

South African soldiers dismantle illegal mining operations near Johannesburg as miners flee

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africansoldiers deployed to high-crime areashave dismantled illegal gold mining operations in a...

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Kylie Jenner Reveals Shocking Bleached Brow Look for Vanity Fair

Kylie Jennernever misses the chance to get the internet talking, and this time she has done it by debuting a bleached brow look. The beauty mogul graces the cover of Vanity Fair's Spring 2026 issue. Photographed by Mert Alas, she delivered her take on the bleached brow and bra-as-top trends.

Kylie Jenner takes the internet by storm with shocking bleached brow look for Vanity Fair

Take a look at Kylie Jenner with her bleached brows:

Jenner paired a structured black bra with Hermès khaki pants cinched by a black Balenciaga belt at the waist. She completed the look with inky knee-high riding boots, another piece from Hermès. Together, the boots and the pants helped her lean into the horse girl aesthetic.

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The most striking part of her look, however, was her makeup featuring the bleached brows. Makeup artist Ariel Tejada used a blurred matte lip, saturated blush, and mascara to achieve that bleached look. All products were from Kylie Cosmetics. She sat on a bed with her knees spread as she lit a cigarette while staring at the camera.

Originally reported by Ankita Shaw onThe Fashion Spot

The postKylie Jenner Reveals Shocking Bleached Brow Look for Vanity Fairappeared first onReality Tea.

byCristiano Ronaldo

in

March 12, 2026

Kylie Jenner Reveals Shocking Bleached Brow Look for Vanity Fair

Kylie Jennernever misses the chance to get the internet talking, and this time she has done it by debuting a bleached brow look. The beauty...

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Daniel Radcliffe casts a spell on Broadway in “Every Brilliant Thing”

"If you live a long life and you get to the end of it without ever once feeling crushingly depressed, then you probably haven't been paying attention."

So opinesDaniel Radcliffein the solo showEvery Brilliant Thing, which just opened at the Hudson Theatre on Broadway. It's a deep quote in a story centered around a very deep topic — suicide. Yet the play's secret is managing to confront the issue head-on while also offering a life-affirming alternative in the form of a constantly growing list of seemingly trivial things that make every day worth savoring.

Radcliffe's unnamed narrator began making the list at 7 years old after his mother attempted to take her own life. But instead of Radcliffe reading the list items to the audience, the trick is that the audience actually reads the items back to Radcliffe. The actor will shout out a number and then — in an impressive display of audience amplification by sound designer Tom Gibbons — a reply emanates back from somewhere in the theater. Sometimes from the orchestra. Other times, the mezzanine. And occasionally from on stage, where people are seated in the round.

On the list could be anything: The even-numberedStar Trekfilms. When a concert crowd keeps singing the melody after the band have left the stage. Peeing in the sea without anybody knowing. Spaghetti bolognese. And the star reacts to it all with whimsical delight, as if he is cherishing the memories all over again.

And that is just the beginning of the audience participation, as theater goers are picked out to play key roles such as the narrator's father, girlfriend, librarian, and professor along the way. Not only does it inject a bit of improv into the proceedings as Radcliffe must react to how his amateur thespians play the scene, but it also creates a mad pre-show scramble that is just as entertaining as the actual play itself.

From the moment the house doors open, right up until the show officially begins, Radcliffe stalks the aisles of the theater — chatting with attendees and handing out assignments. The star has always projected as a celebrity completely unimpressed with his own celebrity, and watching one of the most famous faces on planet Earth literally work the room — bouncing manically from row to row and enthusiastically thanking those who agree to participate — is an absolute delight and sets the perfect tone for what is to come.

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Every Brilliant Thingwas written in 2013 by Duncan Macmillan (who directs this production with Jeremy Herrin) and Jonny Donahoe (who was the original performer; you can watch a filmed version of his take on HBO Max). It has since appeared worldwide and starred folks likeMinnie DriverandPhoebe Waller-Bridge, but it's hard to imagine anyone tackling the role with more energy and ebullience than Radcliffe, who at one point during a drum and bongo solo from Curtis Mayfield's "Move On Up" proclaims, "I'm going to high-five the entire room!" And then proceeds to go and do it… before eventually making his way back on the stage and noting, "The high fives were a mistake. There are too many of you."

And the flurry of Hudson Theatre high-fives is not the only time Radcliffe is quick on his feet. During one performance, the two books he retrieved from audience members for a key scene happened to be none other thanPercy Jackson and the OlympiansandTwilight. Upon reading the words "Soon to be a major motion picture" on theTwilightcover, the former Harry Potter slyly ad-libbed, "Nothingevergoes wrong with adaptations to major motion pictures."

Any one-person show is obviously dependent on the magnetism of its performer, and Radcliffe is in total command of both the material and the room. While Donahoe's original narrator was a bit more tender and subdued, Radcliffe is a frenetic force. Where Donahoe walked around his stage, Radcliffe bounces. Which is what makes his energetic narrator's own spiral at one point into a depressive state all the more impactful, as both he and we learn that all the lists and ebullience in the world can't fully protect you from the demons within.

It seems almost incongruous to talk about what a great time you will have watching a play centered around depression and suicide, but whatEvery Brilliant Thingdoes is create almost a communal support group filled with constant reminders of the things that make life worth living. And with Radcliffe as our guide, this show definitely makes the list.Grade: A–

Read the original article onEntertainment Weekly

byCristiano Ronaldo

in

March 12, 2026

Daniel Radcliffe casts a spell on Broadway in “Every Brilliant Thing”

"If you live a long life and you get to the end of it without ever once feeling crushingly depressed, then you proba...

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One-fifth of Australian teens still use TikTok, Snapchat after social media ban

By Byron Kaye

Teens discuss Australia's social media ban for under-16s, set to take effect December 10, in Sydney

SYDNEY, March 13 (Reuters) - One-fifth of Australian teenagers under 16 were still using social media two months after the country banned platforms from allowing minors, industry data showed, raising questions about the ‌effectiveness of their age-gating methods.

The number of 13-to-15-year-olds using TikTok and Snapchat, among the most popular social ‌media apps with Australian teenagers, fell from before the ban took effect in December to February, but still more than 20% used the apps, according ​to a report by parental control software maker Qustodio provided to Reuters.

The data is among the first to show the effects on youth online behaviour since Australia rolled out the ban, which is being copied by governments around the world. The Australian government and at least two university studies are tracking the ban's impact but none has published data yet.

"Among children whose parents ‌haven't blocked access, a meaningful number continue ⁠to use restricted platforms in the months following the ban," Qustodio said in the report, which was based on data collected from Australian families from late 2024 to February.

Under the ban, platforms ⁠including Meta's Instagram, Facebook and Threads, Google's YouTube, TikTok and Snapchat must block people aged under 16 or face a fine of up to A$49.5 million ($35 million).

A spokesperson for internet regulator the eSafety Commissioner said the office was aware of reports some under-16s remained ​on ​social media and was "actively engaging with platforms and their age assurance ​providers ... while continuing to monitor for any systemic ‌failures that may amount to a breach of the law".

The regulator was "actively drawing on a range of insights to assess compliance," the spokesperson added.

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A spokesperson for communications minister Anika Wells said the government had always been clear "that increasing the minimum age to access social media is a cultural change that will take time".

A representative for Snapchat was not immediately available for comment. A TikTok spokesperson declined to comment.

The Qustodio data showed the number of Australians aged 13-15 using Snapchat tumbled 13.8 ‌percentage points to 20.3% from November to February, while the number ​in that age group using TikTok fell 5.7 percentage points to 21.2%.

The ​number in that age group using YouTube dipped by ​one percentage point to 36.9%, although the data did not specify whether the users were ‌logged into accounts. The Australian ban allows people of ​all ages to use YouTube ​without logging in.

Australian teenage social media use typically dips in December and January due to the country's long summer school break, but the data showed a steeper decline than the previous year, suggesting the ban had an ​impact, Qustodio said.

But "some dips seen in December-January ‌are slowly beginning to recover", the report added.

Fears that teenagers might migrate to unregulated platforms have not ​materialised, the data showed, although WhatsApp recorded a small uptick in use among 13-15-year-olds.

($1 = 1.4122 Australian dollars)

(Reporting ​by Byron Kaye; editing by Christian Schmollinger and Saad Sayeed)

byCristiano Ronaldo

in

March 12, 2026

One-fifth of Australian teens still use TikTok, Snapchat after social media ban

By Byron Kaye Teens discuss Australia's social media ban for under-16s, set to take effect December 10, in...

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