Number of meningitis cases investigated in Kent rises to 20 18. March 2026 (08:55) Figure up from 15, says UK Health Security Agency, as thousands of students to be offered vaccines in coming daysThe number of cases of meningitis being investigated by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) in Kent has risen to 20, up from 15 previously, the body said on Wednesday.Thousands of students in Kent are to be offered vaccines in the coming days as health chiefs deal with an “unprecedented” and “explosive” outbreak of meningitis. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Is this the world’s first quantum battery? Australian scientists say so 18. March 2026 (08:29) Researchers say their prototype is a big step towards fully functioning batteries with rapid charging timesAustralian scientists have developed what they say is the world’s first proof-of-concept quantum battery.Quantum batteries, first proposed as a theoretical concept in 2013, use the principles of quantum mechanics to store energy, and have the potential to be more efficient than conventional batteries. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Fire damage, clogged toilets, and sinking morale: USS Gerald R Ford to set sail for repairs in Crete 18. March 2026 (08:20) Aircraft carrier has been participating in strikes on Iran, after previously taking part in the operation to seize Venezuela’s president Nicolás MaduroA fire onboard the USS Gerald R Ford, injuring sailors and destroying 100 beds, is the latest mishap to plague the world’s largest aircraft carrier on a marathon deployment some argue has sapped crew morale.At sea for almost nine months, and currently stationed in the Red Sea to support the war on Iran, the carrier will reportedly set sail for Crete for repairs. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
DiDi raises prices in Australia to cover soaring petrol costs amid conflict in the Middle East 18. March 2026 (07:36) Other delivery and transport companies such as Uber, DoorDash and Australia Post are weighing whether to charge moreFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastRideshare giant DiDi has raised its prices to cover soaring petrol costs, becoming one of the first major companies after the airlines to charge Australian consumers more as a result of the conflict in the Middle East.Uber, DoorDash and Australia Post were among the delivery and transport companies weighing whether to add charges, as small businesses hike fees. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Australia’s high court orders ankle bracelets be removed and curfews end for 43 former immigration detainees 18. March 2026 (07:13) Labor’s preventative detention regime suffers blow as court finds tough laws for NZYQ group are unconstitutionalGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastDozens of former immigration detainees who have already served prison sentences will have ankle bracelets removed and curfews scrapped, with the high court again striking down laws targeting the group.On Wednesday, the Albanese government’s preventative detention regime suffered another blow as the court ruled the tough laws to deal with the NZYQ cohort were unconstitutional. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Energy bills: UK government urged to launch ‘social tariff’ to help vulnerable households 18. March 2026 (07:00) As Iran war drives up cost concerns, thinktank says £3.7bn discount system should be developed before next winterThe UK government is facing calls to spend almost £4bn to launch a “social tariff” providing cheaper energy for poor households amid growing concerns over the Iran conflict.As households brace for an increase in living costs, the Resolution Foundation said ministers should develop a system of discounted domestic energy bills in time for next winter to protect the most vulnerable households. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Ali Larijani was ruthless – and clear-eyed about west’s implacable hostility to Iran 18. March 2026 (07:00) A 2006 Guardian interview with Iran’s slain security chief now reads as a grim warning of the conflict that killed himDeep down, Ali Larijani always believed that the western powers were bent on destroying Iran’s revolutionary regime, for which he had fought on the battlefield.The prescience of that inner conviction has now been vindicated in lethal fashion as Larijani has become the latest establishment figure to die at the hands of Israel, killed in an apparently targeted airstrike, according to reports.Robert Tait was the Guardian’s correspondent in Tehran from February 2005 until December 2007 Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Government to lift paywall from large parts of the Land Registry 18. March 2026 (07:00) Exclusive: finding out who owns land will become simpler under plans to make the best use of green spaces and hit net zero targetsFinding out who owns land in England is to become much simpler because a paywall will be lifted from large parts of the Land Registry, the government is to announce.A small number of landowners control the majority of land but finding out who owns what is difficult to piece together, even for government departments, owing to the way the Land Registry operates. Freeing up access will make it easier to determine ownership of key areas, such as river catchments, grouse moors and peatland. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Lords urged to ensure women criminalised for abortion are ‘not left behind’ 18. March 2026 (06:00) House to consider amendment that would pardon women in England and Wales affected by prior ‘unjust’ lawsWomen who have been arrested, investigated and convicted under abortion legislation in England and Wales “must not be left behind” if the law is changed to prevent women being criminalised in future, campaigners have said.Last summer, the House of Commons voted to end the criminalisation of women who terminate their pregnancies outside the legal framework, through a new clause in the crime and policing bill. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Old masters too’: Ghent exhibition celebrates female artists of the baroque 18. March 2026 (06:00) Show in part a rediscovery of more than 40 mostly forgotten women who plied their trade in the Low CountriesJudith Leyster, an artist of the Dutch golden age, was thought to be about 21 when she painted her self-portrait in 1630. In the picture she presented to the world, Leyster exudes cheerful confidence. Clad in shimmering silks and a stiffly starched lace collar, she leans back in her chair, palette and brushes in hand, a painting by her side.This work, completed in the year she was admitted to a painters’ guild in Haarlem, proclaimed her arrival as an established artist. It was one of the first self-portraits by an artist in the Dutch republic, a device most male painters did not adopt until years later. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
