CBS News begins new round of layoffs: ‘This is really hard and really tough’ 20. March 2026 (14:49) On a staff call, editor-in-chief Bari Weiss emphasized that the cuts do not stem from poor employee performanceSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxCBS News is laying off employees on Friday as part of a strategic restructuring announced in a memo to staffers from its editor-in-chief, Bari Weiss, and president, Tom Cibrowski. Employees will be informed by the end of the day if their job has been affected, the two executives said in the memo.“We recognize that this is a difficult time for those who will be leaving CBS News,” they wrote. “Because these aren’t just names on a list. They are talented, committed colleagues who have been critical to our success. We’ll treat them all with care and respect.” Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US health department investigates 13 states that require insurance plans to cover abortion 20. March 2026 (14:40) HHS is looking into the states for ‘alleged disregard of, or confusion about’ the federal Weldon amendmentSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxThe US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said on Thursday that it is investigating 13 states that require state-regulated health insurance plans to cover abortion services.HHS officials said in a news release that the department’s office for civil rights (OCR) is looking into the states for allegedly violating the federal Weldon amendment, which prohibits federal funding for programs or state or local governments that “subjects any institutional or individual healthcare entity to discrimination on the basis that the healthcare entity does not provide, pay for, provide coverage of, or refer for abortions”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Claimants drop lawsuit against Gerry Adams over IRA bombings 20. March 2026 (14:40) Three people were suing ex-Sinn Féin leader for liability over IRA bombings in UK that left them injuredThree victims of IRA bombings who sued Gerry Adams alleging he was a member of the paramilitary group and culpable for the attacks have withdrawn their lawsuit on the last day of the civil trial.John Clark, Jonathan Ganesh and Barry Laycock, who were injured respectively in the 1973 Old Bailey bombing, the London Docklands and Manchester bombings in 1996, were seeking symbolic “vindicatory” damages of £1 each. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Nasa’s Artemis II rocket begins slow crawl to launchpad in preparation for moon fly-by 20. March 2026 (14:14) Moon orbit program, preceding planned landing in 2028, has been delayed due to fuel leaks and clogged helium linesFor the second time this year, Nasa moved its moon rocket from the hangar out toward the launchpad on Friday in hopes of sending four astronauts on a lunar fly-around next month.If the latest repairs work and everything else goes Nasa’s way, the Space Launch System could blast off as early as 1 April from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center. The Artemis II crew went into quarantine this week in Houston in preparation for blastoff. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
House of Lords has ‘signed its own death warrant’ by stalling assisted dying bill, says MP 20. March 2026 (14:06) Kim Leadbeater joins protest against delaying of bill to allow assisted dying in the UK and says people are ‘extremely angry’The House of Lords “signed its own death warrant” over its stalling of the UK assisted dying bill, the MP Kim Leadbeater said as she joined more than a dozen terminally ill and bereaved people in protest outside parliament.Marking the second anniversary of the death at Dignitas of the prominent assisted dying campaigner Paola Marra, Leadbeater, whose private member’s bill for England and Wales looks set to run out of time, said many MPs, who had already voted by a majority to pass the bill, were “angry and upset” by the addition of about 1,200 amendments in the Lords, which will probably result in the bill falling without a vote. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US considering occupying Kharg Island to force Iran to open Hormuz strait, say reports 20. March 2026 (14:06) Claims come despite Trump saying he is not leaning towards putting ‘boots on the ground’ and risks of attempting to seize strategic assetMiddle East crisis – live updatesThe US is reportedly considering plans to occupy or blockade Iran’s Kharg Island to pressure Tehran to reopen the strait of Hormuz, despite earlier suggestions by Donald Trump that he was not leaning towards putting “boots on the ground”.The claims, made on the Axios website, followed previous reporting that the US was considering occupying the key Iranian oil terminal. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Two people arrested after trying to enter UK nuclear submarine base 20. March 2026 (14:04) Man and woman, one of whom is understood to be Iranian, held after asking to enter sensitive military siteTwo people have been arrested, one of whom is understood to be Iranian, after they tried to enter the Faslane nuclear submarine base in Scotland in what may have been an attempt at espionage.A man, 34, and a woman, 31, were detained by Police Scotland after they had asked to enter one of Britain’s most sensitive military sites late on Thursday afternoon. The base is home to the UK’s Trident submarines and not open to the public. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Father of killed US military member disputes Hegseth’s claim he said to ‘finish’ the job in Iran 20. March 2026 (13:50) Defense secretary had said relatives of service members killed in refueling tanker crash told him ‘do not stop until the job is done’Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxThe father of a US military member killed in the Iran war has contradicted Pete Hegseth’s claim that bereaved families urged him to “finish” the job in the Middle East.Hegseth, the defense secretary and a former weekend Fox News host, told reporters at a Pentagon briefing on Thursday that he had spoken with relatives of all six service members killed in last week’s refueling tanker crash during a “dignified transfer” of their remains at Delaware’s Dover air force station the night before. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Norway’s crown princess says she was ‘deceived’ by Jeffrey Epstein 20. March 2026 (13:36) Mette-Marit says she ‘did not know he was a sex offender’, despite Googling him three years after his prison sentenceNorway’s crown princess, Mette-Marit, has said she was “manipulated and deceived” by Jeffrey Epstein as she spoke publicly for the first time about her years-long relationship with the late sex offender.She also claimed that she “did not know he was a sex offender or an abuser” – despite telling him in an email in 2011, three years after he had been sentenced to 18 months in prison and pleaded guilty to soliciting sex from girls as young as 14, that she had recently Googled him. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Sports writer and photographer win Quill awards for work for Guardian Australia 20. March 2026 (13:30) Jonathan Horn scooped best sports feature prize for a series on AFL, while Chris Hopkins won for pictures of a cancer sufferer caring for her son Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastSports writer Jonathan Horn and photographer Chris Hopkins have won Melbourne Press Club awards for their work for Guardian Australia.Guardian Australia was recognised with eight nominations in a range of categories in the 31st annual Quill awards, which were presented in Melbourne on Friday night. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
