UK vets face crackdown over fees as pet owners ‘left in the dark’ on bills 24. March 2026 (08:43) Practices must publish price lists, cap prescription fees and reveal if they are part of a large group, watchdog saysBusiness live – latest updatesThe UK’s competition watchdog has ordered vets to cap prescription fees at £21 and proposed a price comparison website, after finding consumers had faced huge price rises and been “left in the dark” over bills.The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said public satisfaction with the cost of services was “low” after an investigation into the £6.3bn market found “there is not strong competition between veterinary businesses”, with large chains dominant. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Australia lowers diesel standards in bid to increase supply as number of service stations running empty surges 24. March 2026 (08:42) Chris Bowen says move aimed at accessing fuel imports from markets with lower burning temperatures, including the US, Canada and EuropeGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralia’s diesel standards have been temporarily lowered as the federal government rushes to shore up fuel supply, with hundreds of service stations running empty and warnings deliveries from key Asian suppliers could slow as soon as early April.The energy minister, Chris Bowen, said on Tuesday the government had lowered the technical threshold for diesel, known as the flashpoint, in order to access supply from imports from markets with marginally lower burning temperatures, including the US, Canada and Europe. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Petrol prices are rising, but Australians don’t appear to be driving less or taking public transport more – yet 24. March 2026 (08:14) Vehicle numbers on key Sydney and Melbourne roads hold steady, as calls grow for free or cheaper public transport to encourage people to drive lessFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralians appear to have kept driving despite soaring petrol prices, as calls grow for free or discounted public transport to help people save fuel and get off the road.Traffic and public transport usage is holding steady, with experts warning the country needs to change travel methods or start working from home if fuel costs keep rising. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Exhibition to tell story of Punjabi princess and pioneering suffragette Sophia Duleep Singh 24. March 2026 (07:00) The Last Princesses of Punjab opens on Thursday at Kensington PalaceThe extraordinary life of an exiled Punjabi princess, embraced by the British royal court and a goddaughter of Queen Victoria, but who would become a pioneering suffragette and challenge the very authority of the elite social circles in which she moved, is to be told in a new exhibition.Princess Sophia Duleep Singh was the daughter of Duleep Singh, the last Sikh maharajah of the Punjab. As a child he was forced to surrender his lands to the East India Company in 1849, and sign away the famous Koh-i-noor diamond, now a potent symbol of colonial exploitation and set in the crown of the late Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Mr Motivator urges government to treat ’bed poverty’ as a national crisis 24. March 2026 (07:00) As Iran war threatens to exacerbate living costs, children’s beds have become ‘like a luxury item’, says Barnardo’sMr Motivator is lobbying the government to tackle the number of children in the UK who have no bed of their own as Barnardo’s reveals demand for furniture from struggling families has surged by 40% in the last year.The children’s charity said beds had become“like a luxury item” as the war in Iran threatens to exacerbate cost of living pressures. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Eel fisher takes on authorities at Belfast court over pollution in UK’s largest lake 24. March 2026 (07:00) Declan Conlon will argue officials have failed to act despite clear evidence of the ecological collapse of Lough NeaghAn eel fisher is to argue at the high court in Belfast that the authorities have allowed the ecological collapse of Lough Neagh by failing to take action over pollution.Declan Conlon, whose family have for generations fished the inland lake in Northern Ireland that once hosted the largest wild eel fishery in Europe, is seeking to take a judicial review against the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (Daera). He will argue the department has failed to act against polluters despite clear evidence of the ecological collapse of the lake. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Quadruple amputee cornhole player arrested for alleged murder, Maryland police say 24. March 2026 (06:53) Charles county sheriff’s office alleges Dayton James Webber fatally shot passenger in car during argumentA sheriff’s office in Maryland has alleged a professional cornhole player, who is also a quadruple amputee, fatally shot a passenger in a car he was driving during an argument.Dayton James Webber, 27, was arrested and charged as a fugitive from justice by police in Albemarle county, Virginia, the Charles county sheriff’s office said in a statement. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Irish metals refinery is in supply chain that feeds Russian war machine, records suggest 24. March 2026 (06:00) Shipments to Russian smelters from Aughinish Alumina have increased sharply since the invasion of UkraineA leading Irish metals refinery is part of an international aluminium supply chain that appears to conclude with shipments to arms producers feeding the Kremlin’s war machine in Ukraine, leaked records and public data suggests.Trading records show that shipments to Russian smelters from Aughinish Alumina, which is located on the Shannon estuary in the west of Ireland and has been owned by the Russian aluminium group Rusal since 2006, have increased sharply since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Punk masks, Walkmans and Choppers: Museum of Youth Culture to open in London 24. March 2026 (06:00) Opening in May, Camden museum has 100,000-item archive telling story of British youth subcultures, from mods and rockers, to ravers and emoIn the basement of a new-build housing block in Camden, the ventilation system is working flat out. The fans whir like a chainsaw orchestra bouncing around the concrete room as they attempt to deal with a slight damp problem. “This is what it’d sound like if there was a fire!” shouts Jon Swinstead, the driving force behind the Museum of Youth Culture, as he tries to make himself heard above the din.It’s hard to imagine but in a few weeks this empty, slightly soggy space will be transformed into an institution dedicated to all things teenage – a project Swinstead has been working on in one way or another for almost 30 years. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Denmark election: far right has slowed under Frederiksen – but at what cost? 24. March 2026 (06:00) Polling for anti-immigration DPP is relatively low, but many feel its ideas have been co-opted by Mette Frederiksen’s Social DemocratsMayasa Mandia, a recent graduate living in the small Danish town of Kokkedal, will be voting for the left in Tuesday’s general election – but it won’t be for Mette Frederiksen’s Social Democrats.The 23-year-old, a practising Muslim, says that under Frederiksen’s government far-right commentary has become normalised in the Danish mainstream. She has seen this, she says, at her own university, where there were discussions about banning prayers. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
