Taliban release US academic held in detention for more than a year 24. March 2026 (19:42) Marco Rubio welcomes release of Dennis Coyle, who was detained in January last year for violating unspecified lawsAfghanistan’s Taliban authorities have released the American academic Dennis Coyle after holding him for over a year, with the foreign ministry saying the release came on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr, the Muslim holiday that marks the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.A statement from the ministry said the academic researcher had been released in Kabul on Tuesday, following an appeal from his family and after Afghanistan’s supreme court “considered his previous imprisonment sufficient”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Live-action movie version of children’s TV series Mr Benn in the works 24. March 2026 (19:03) I Swear’s Kirk Jones set to direct film based on the 1970s cult animation about a ‘very ordinary man’ who accessed different worlds via a magical fancy dress shopA live-action film based on the cult British kids’ cartoon Mr Benn is to go into production with I Swear director Kirk Jones at the helm.Mr Benn first appeared on TV on the BBC in 1971, in a series created by David McKee, who died in 2022. The series followed the adventures of “a very ordinary man who could do extraordinary things” when he visited a magical fancy dress shop, which acted as a portal to different worlds. Only 13 episodes were made before the series ended in March 1972, though a one-off episode was broadcast in 2005 on the kids’ channel Nick Jr. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Welcome to America! Trump names ‘manosphere’ troll as tourism envoy 24. March 2026 (18:59) Australian-born Maga influencer Nick Adams appointed to role for tourism, exceptionalism and American valuesDonald Trump’s appointment of Nick Adams, the “alpha male” Australian turned American internet provocateur as a new special presidential envoy on Tuesday, could give fuel to theories that the White House is deliberately trolling the world.The president nominated the Sydney-born Maga influencer, who has a history of theatrically inflammatory and Islamophobic comments, as ambassador to Malaysia in July, but the Senate returned the appointment without a confirmation vote in January and Trump did not re-submit him. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Nasa to spend $20bn on moon base after cancelling orbiting station 24. March 2026 (18:57) New Nasa chief outlines changes to moon programme Artemis including repurposing Lunar GatewayNasa is cancelling plans to deploy a space station in lunar orbit and will instead use its components to construct a $20bn base on the moon’s surface over the next seven years, its new chief, Jared Isaacman, said on Tuesday.Isaacman, who was sworn in at the agency in December, made the announcement at the opening of a daylong event at Nasa’s Washington headquarters at which he outlinedchanges he is making to the agency’s flagship moon programme Artemis. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Protect men and boys from manosphere influencers, Labour MPs tell Ofcom 24. March 2026 (17:58) Exclusive: Group says measures to curb harmful content will also help to tackle violence against women and girlsMen and boys need as much protection as women and girls from harmful influencers and “the worst parts of the internet”, a group of MPs have told Ofcom, as they called for the regulator to give specific guidance to online platforms.More than 60 Labour MPs have written to the Ofcom chief executive, Melanie Dawes, urging her to protect men and boys from “manosphere” influencers, who expose them to gambling, sextortion and violent pornography. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Delta suspends special service perk for Congress members amid DHS funding battle 24. March 2026 (17:49) Airline CEOs have urged Congress to restore funding to the TSA as lengthy security lines plague US airportsSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxDelta Air Lines is partly suspending its speciality service desk for members of Congress until funding for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is restored, the airline confirmed on Tuesday, as security lines stretch for hours at airports across the country due to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown.The service desk is used to help members of Congress book flights at special government rates, secure airport escorts and make last-minute changes to flights. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US Republicans weigh deal to reopen most of DHS but not ICE deportations 24. March 2026 (17:48) The homeland security shutdown has snarled airport lines and halted pay for some, even as lawmakers negotiate a dealUS politics live – latest updatesSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter emailRepublican senators are considering a bipartisan deal to restore funding to most of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that would initially exclude money for arrests and deportations of undocumented immigrants, according to media reports.Under the potential agreement, Republicans would accede to Democratic demands to restore funding to all parts of the department except for those involved in immigration enforcement operations, according to Politico and the Associated Press. The GOP would then move to pay for those enforcement operations using the budget reconciliation process, in which they can address spending and revenue issues without relying on votes from Democrats. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Girlguiding gives trans girls and women until September to leave UK organisation 24. March 2026 (17:42) Youth organisation says its belief in ‘dignity, respect and inclusion’ is unchanged but it ‘must operate lawfully’Transgender girls and women who are part of Girlguiding groups have been given until September to leave the organisation, under new rules introduced after the supreme court ruling on gender last year.In an announcement on Tuesday, Girlguiding said current members who were trans girls or trans young women could stay until 6 September 2026, at which point they would have to leave. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Estate of Mike Lynch ordered to pay £920m to Hewlett-Packard 24. March 2026 (17:37) Ruling linked to takeover of Autonomy in 2011 comes two years after tech tycoon died in superyacht disasterThe estate of late British tech tycoon Mike Lynch has been ordered to pay £920m to the technology company Hewlett-Packard (HP) two years after he died in a superyacht disaster.The ruling by London’s high court said the estate was liable to pay the sum as compensation, costs and interest for HP’s acquisition of Lynch’s firm Autonomy, after a UK legal ruling in 2022 that he duped the US firm into paying £8.2bn for his software firm Autonomy. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Reform UK suspends mayoral candidate over comments on Jewish group 24. March 2026 (17:21) Chris Parry referred to members of neighbourhood watch group as ‘cosplayers’ after ambulance arson attackReform UK has suspended one of its key mayoral candidates after he described members of a Jewish neighbourhood watch group as “cosplayers” and likened them to “Islamists on horseback”.Chris Parry, who had remained the mayoral candidate for Hampshire despite a previous controversy in which he said David Lammy should “go home” to the Caribbean, made the latest comments on Monday about Shomrim, a volunteer group that safeguards communities including Orthodox Jewish families. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
