Big wins for Clinton and Trump, hypersonic jets on the horizon and a new dawn in Myanmar

The second “Super Tuesday” of the US primary season was marked by emphatic victories for both the Republican and Democratic frontrunners.

Hillary Clinton won overwhelmingly in Florida, Ohio and North Carolina, putting her muchcloser to clinching the Democratic nomination, while Donald Trump took Illinois, North Carolina and Florida. However, the real estate mogul fell short in Ohio to state governor John Kasich in a result that could complicate his path to the Republican nomination.

Following the rout in his home state, Marco Rubio told supporters in Miami he was ending his campaign. Mr Trump had racked up 46 per cent of the vote in Florida, leaving Mr Rubio trailing a distant second with 27 per cent. (FT)

In the news:

Valeant warns of possible default

Shares in the pharmaceutical company lost almost half their value on Tuesday after it raised the prospect of defaulting and slashed full-year profit targets for the second time in five months. (FT)

Hypersonic jets on the horizon

Lockheed Martin revealed on Tuesday it is on the brink of a technological breakthrough that could lead to the US developing military aircraft that can fly six times the speed of sound. Such a jet would give the Pentagon a significant advantage in reaching targets before opponents had time to react. (FT)

Brussels on alert

The Belgian capital is on high alert amid a police operation linked to November’s attacks in Paris. Last night four officers were wounded and a suspect armed with a Kalashnikov was shot dead. (BBC)

Obama axes oil-drilling plan

The White House dealt a blow to the oil industry by dropping a plan to allow deepwater production off the Atlantic coast for the first time in the face of strong opposition from coastal residents. (FT)

Nato chief warns on Brexit

If Britain votes to leave the EU it could have a negative impact on the Nato alliance, a senior US military commander has warned. Lt Gen Ben Hodges, head of the US Army in Europe, said he was “worried” the EU could unravel just when it needed to stand up to Russia. (BBC)

A new dawn in Myanmar

The country’s parliament has elected Htin Kyaw, a trusted aide of National League for Democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, as the country’s new president. Htin Kyaw is set to take office on April 1 as Myanmar moves towards democracy after more than half a century of rule by the military or a military-backed government. (NAR)

It's a big day for:

George Osborne

The UK chancellor presents his Budget to parliament. Here’s what you can expect. (FT)

Food for thought:

How Trump lives

A behind the scenes look at Donald Trump’s sparkling Florida estate with the mogul’s longtime butler, Anthony Senecal. Gems include how to tell when the former reality TV star is in a bad mood and what to do about it. (Spoiler: it involves a bugler playing “Hail to the Chief”.) (NYT)

India: light in a gloomy global economy

The country has shifted from socialism with restricted entry to capitalism without exit, writes Martin Wolf. But there are many risks in the current government’s intolerant elements: “Tolerance of differences matters in all democracies. In one as huge and complex as India, it is truly vital.” (FT)

The empire the world forgot

Ruled by a dizzying array of kingdoms and empires over the centuries, the former regional power of Ani is now an eerie, abandoned city of ghosts. (BBC)

Service with a selfie

Amazon has filed a patent for technology that would enable users to pay for items by taking a selfie. The company believes the move could improve cyber security as a selfie is far less likely to be hacked than a password. (Yahoo)

Japan Inc: Heavy meddling

The architects of Abenomics have revived the interventionist spirit to try and compete more with China. But will they succeed? (FT)

Indiana Jones and the Hollywood sequel

Fans of the swashbuckling archaeologist can rejoice (or weep). Disney is reviving the series with plans to release a fifth movie in 2019, with Harrison Ford reprising the role at the tender age of 77. (FT)

Video of the day:

What Putin’s Syria move means

Russia’s military has started preparing for its partial pullout from Syria after the surprise announcement by Vladimir Putin. Gideon Rachman, chief foreign affairs commentator, and Roula Khalaf, deputy editor, discuss what Putin is really up to. (FT)