Ministers tell HS2 to consider slower train speeds to cut costs 23. March 2026 (19:04) Company will assess whether drop to 186mph from 224mph will save money and help bring forward launchMinisters have told High Speed Two to consider running its trains at lower speeds, in an attempt to rein in the spiralling budget and begin operations as soon as possible.HS2 Ltd will assess whether limiting the speed to 186mph (300km/h) instead of 224mph could save money – potentially billions of pounds – and bring the railway into being earlier in the 2030s. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Scores feared dead as Colombian military plane crashes 23. March 2026 (19:02) Transport plane carrying 125 soldiers and crew crashes shortly after takeoff in southern Amazon regionScores of Colombian soldiers are feared dead after a military transport plane crashed on takeoff in the south of the country.The defence minister, Pedro Sánchez, said the accident happened as the Lockheed Martin Hercules C-130 plane was taking off from Puerto Leguízamo, deep in Colombia’s southern Amazon region, on the border with Peru, as it transported troops from the armed forces. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Viktor Orbán celebrated by Europe’s far right before Hungary election 23. March 2026 (18:56) France’s Marine Le Pen and the Netherlands’ Geert Wilders among speakers praising prime minister at Budapest eventMarine Le Pen has called Viktor Orbán “an exceptional leader” and Geert Wilders hailed “a lion on a continent led by sheep” as Europe’s far-right figureheads rallied round Hungary’s prime minister before an election that polls suggest he may lose.“Hungary has become a symbol in Europe of a proud and sovereign people’s resistance against oppression,” Le Pen, the parliamentary leader of France’s National Rally (RN), told a gathering of EU-sceptical leaders in Budapest on Monday. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Israel launches new strikes on Tehran as Trump pauses Iran energy attacks 23. March 2026 (18:30) Israeli military says it will continue operations in line with Israeli government directives until told otherwiseMiddle East crisis – live updatesThe Israeli military said it had launched a new wave of strikes on Tehran, after Donald Trump signalled a pause in US attacks against energy infrastructure after what he said were talks with Iran.The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said it would continue operations in line with Israeli government directives until told otherwise. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Hungarian election candidate accuses ruling party of treason over alleged EU leak to Russia 23. March 2026 (18:11) Péter Magyar, who leads in polls, says Orbán government is ‘betraying Hungarian and European interests’Europe live – latest updatesThe candidate leading the polls in Hungary’s upcoming elections has said the alleged sharing of confidential EU information between Budapest and Moscow should be investigated as possible treason, while the European Commission has called for “clarifications” over the alleged leaks.Péter Magyar, a conservative anti-corruption campaigner who is mounting the most serious challenge to Viktor Orbán’s 16-year-long grip on the Hungarian premiership, said the government appeared to be colluding with Russia, “thereby betraying Hungarian and European interests”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Italian voters reject Giorgia Meloni’s plan to overhaul judiciary 23. March 2026 (18:05) Referendum result could tarnish PM’s reputation and make winning next year’s general election more challengingItalian voters have rejected an overhaul of the country’s judiciary pushed by the prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, an outcome that is expected to tarnish her reputation and make winning next year’s general election more challenging.In a two-day referendum, almost 54% of voters said no to the plans to reorganise the judiciary, compared with about 46% for the yes camp. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Is Iran really able to strike London, and is the UK prepared for an attack? 23. March 2026 (18:04) After Tehran targeted the UK-US base on Diego Garcia, Israel’s military said European capitals were also at riskMiddle East crisis – live updatesThe Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed at the weekend that Iran had weapons able to travel about 4,000km (2,500 miles), posing an immediate threat to European cities including London.The comments came after it emerged Iran had targeted the joint UK–US military base on Diego Garcia in the Chagos Islands. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Bipartisan Senate bill would ban sports betting on online prediction markets 23. March 2026 (17:53) Bill was introduced in the Senate on Monday as prediction market companies face greater scrutiny on state levelPrediction markets are facing fresh bipartisan scrutiny in the US Senate as companies like Kalshi and Polymarket continue to battle state-led efforts to regulate online betting.A bill was introduced in the US Senate Monday that would ban federally regulated platforms from allowing wagers on sporting events, what would be a huge blow to marketplaces where billions of dollars have been traded on major events like the Super Bowl and the NCAA’s March Madness. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
AI boom risks widening wealth divide, says BlackRock’s Larry Fink 23. March 2026 (17:51) CEO of asset manager says only a few firms and investors may reap rewards from growth in the technologyThe boom in artificial intelligence risks widening inequality, with only a handful of companies and investors likely to reap its financial rewards, the BlackRock chief executive, Larry Fink, has warned.The boss of the $14tn (£10.4tn) asset manager used his annual letter to investors on Monday to highlight potential hazards around the exponential growth in AI, which has attracted rapid investment and become “central to strategic competition” between global powers such as the US and China. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US supreme court appears poised to limit mail-in ballots ahead of midterms 23. March 2026 (17:47) Case focuses on RNC’s challenge to a Mississippi law that allows ballots to count if they arrive after election dayUS politics live – latest updatesThe US supreme court appeared poised on Monday to curtail how mail-in ballots can be counted if they arrive after election day, which would affect laws in more than a dozen states during a midterm election year.The justices are considering Watson v Republican National Committee, a challenge over a Mississippi state law that was brought in 2024 by the Republican party. Mississippi allows mailed ballots to be counted if they arrive within five business days of election day, so long as they were postmarked by election day. Mississippi changed its laws in 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
