Stock markets plunge after Trump’s ultimatum on Iran 23. March 2026 (09:17) Shares slump in Asia and Europe, gold slides and investors brace for higher oil prices after US president’s threatBusiness live – latest updatesMiddle East crisis – live updatesGlobal stock markets dropped sharply on Monday after Donald Trump threatened to “obliterate” Iran’s power plants unless the strait of Hormuz is opened.Stock markets in Asia and Europe slumped at the start of the week. Japan’s Nikkei share index dropping by 3.4%, China’s CSI 300 down 2.8%, and the South Korean Kospi fell 6.5%. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Predatory feral ferrets removed from an island for the first time ever 23. March 2026 (09:00) Rathlin Island in Northern Ireland is ferret-free after £4.5m five-year partnership led by RSPB NIPredatory feral ferrets have been removed from an island for the first time ever, in a boost for Northern Ireland’s largest seabird colony.Rathlin Island is ferret-free after a £4.5m five-year partnership led by RSPB NI involving islanders, charities, volunteers and a red labrador called Woody. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Anyone but Labour’ or ‘anyone but Reform’? Clash of animosities likely to define May local elections 23. March 2026 (08:00) While Labour braces for a rout that could see off Starmer, a rising drive to keep out Farage is complicating expectationsSmall swings, high drama: why UK polls are less volatile than they seem – in chartsLocal elections are often regarded as a referendum on the sitting government, with many previous administrations taking a bloody nose from the electorate but successfully fighting back by the next general election.Senior Labour figures have taken to reeling off a list of midterm results – 1999, 2003, 2012 – to prove that point. “As we get closer to the general election, it will be less about people’s view of the parties generally and more about the actual choice in front of them,” one said. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Small swings, high drama: why UK polls are less volatile than they seem – in charts 23. March 2026 (08:00) In what is beginning to look like a fragmented five-party system, small swings carry outsized political consequences‘Anyone but Labour’ or ‘anyone but Reform’? Clash of animosities likely to define May local electionsCabinet reshuffles, party infighting, policy reversals, byelections, defections and apparently huge swings in support – the UK’s political news cycle feels especially relentless at the moment.But if you look closely at the polls since last year’s local elections, remarkably little has changed. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Pilot and co-pilot killed after Air Canada jet collision at LaGuardia New York 23. March 2026 (07:53) Dozens injured and airport closed after plane coming in to land collided with fire truck reportedly operated by policeThe pilot and co-pilot of an Air Canada Express regional jet were killed after it collided with a fire truck while landing at New York’s LaGuardia airport late on Sunday, in an incident that closed the airport.NBC News, which reported the deaths, said dozens of others were injured in the incident. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
SA premier warns One Nation poses threat to federal Labor as Marles says party only ‘about stunts and the vibe’ 23. March 2026 (07:34) Federal Coalition tells Pauline Hanson’s party to expect more policy scrutiny after historic result in South Australia electionGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Albanese government has sharpened its attacks on One Nation as a party of “stunts and the vibe” after the South Australian premier warned Pauline Hanson is a threat to Labor following its historic state election result.The federal Coalition is also dialling up the pressure, warning One Nation to expect more scrutiny of its policy positions as it attempts to avert a SA-style collapse in other parts of the country. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Hundreds of petrol stations across Australia run out of fuel as Labor inks supply deal with Singapore 23. March 2026 (07:32) Energy minister, Chris Bowen, says ‘we’re a long way’ from further action like fuel rationing despite shortagesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastHundreds of service stations across Australia have run out of fuel, with the federal government inking a deal with Singapore, one of the country’s biggest sources of refined petroleum, to keep supplies of diesel and petrol flowing.Concerns are now broadening to supplies of fertiliser and other chemicals, heaping more pressure on the Albanese government’s leveraging of overseas exports of coal and gas in a bid to handle of the crisis. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Ex-Tropical Cyclone Narelle to intensify with Perth a possible target as storm makes rare crossing across continent 23. March 2026 (06:49) Narelle weakens to a tropical low after bringing heavy rain to already-saturated parts of the Northern Territory Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastCommunities in Australia’s far north were again on flood alert as ex-Tropical Cyclone Narelle continued its destructive westward journey on Monday, with forecasts suggesting the system could re-intensify and potentially threaten the Perth region this weekend.Narelle had weakened to a tropical low system on Monday after bringing heavy rain to already-saturated parts of the Northern Territory over the weekend. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Iran war energy crisis equal to 70s twin oil shocks and fallout from Ukraine war, says IEA chief 23. March 2026 (06:04) Fatih Birol says effect on energy markets of Iran bombings and closure of Hormuz strait not initially understood by world leadersMiddle East crisis live – latest updatesThe global energy crisis caused by the war in Iran is equivalent to the combined force of the twin oil shocks of the 1970s and the fallout of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the head of the International Energy Agency has warned.Fatih Birol, the IEA’s executive director, said the growing fallout could be seriously compounded through interuptions to the “vital arteries of the global economy”, including petrochemicals, fertilisers, sulfur and helium. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
HS2 firm says new steel tariffs will ‘exacerbate’ cost pressures for UK construction industry 23. March 2026 (06:00) Doubling tariffs on imported steel will raise cost of the metal when Iran war is already inflating steel and concrete pricesOne of HS2’s biggest contractors has warned the government that raising tariffs on foreign steel imports will “exacerbate” cost pressures for the UK construction industry, amid growing concern over the £100bn railway’s rising budget.Ministers said last week they would double the tariffs on imported steel and slash the amount that can be bought from overseas, in an attempt to save Britain’s struggling steelmakers. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
