Horizon IT scandal compensation scheme set up for families of victims 19. March 2026 (14:19) Close relatives of affected post office operators will be able to make claim over harm scandal caused families Family members of post office operators affected by the Horizon IT scandal will be able to claim compensation under a new government scheme.Campaigners have lobbied for compensation in relation to the harm the scandal has caused to the mental health and wellbeing of close relatives, who have not been eligible under the redress schemes being run by the Post Office and the government. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Europe’s biggest airlines say fuel price spike caused by Iran war will drive up fares 19. March 2026 (14:04) Carriers warn they cannot hold off passing on costs for long, while some airlines plan to increase flights via AsiaBusiness live – latest updatesEurope’s biggest airlines have said the spike in fuel prices caused by the war in the Middle East will drive up fares and are advising passengers to book early.While carriers have partly hedged the price of jet fuel, bosses said they could not keep avoiding passing on additional costs to passengers for long. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
BoE delivers message Britons don’t want to hear as inflation – and rates – look set to rise 19. March 2026 (13:56) Decision to hold interest rates is backed by gloomy assessment of economy as Iran war pushes up oil pricesBank of England holds interest rates at 3.75%Business live – latest updatesThe US-Israel attack on Iran has already driven prices higher and not just at the petrol pumps, the Bank of England said on Thursday in a gloomy assessment of the UK’s economic outlook.An inflation rate that was on track to fall from 3% to the Bank’s 2% target in the coming months is now expected to rise to 3.5%. That is one probable impact of the US and Israel’s war on Iran. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
St Patrick’s Day float referencing Epstein files draws condemnation in Ireland 19. March 2026 (13:26) Charities call display, which mimicked a sexual assault, ‘an act of public grooming’ that normalises sexual violenceRape crisis charities in Ireland have condemned a St Patrick’s Day float that mimicked a sexual assault and featured signs saying “Epstein files”.Rape Crisis Ireland called the display “an act of public grooming” that normalised sexual violence, while politicians labelled it a disgrace. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
PwC partners who fail to embrace AI have no future at firm, US CEO warns 19. March 2026 (13:04) Paul Griggs says senior staff at consulting firm who are not ‘paranoid about being AI-first’ are likely to be replacedBusiness live – latest updatesThe US boss of PricewaterhouseCoopers has warned that partners who do not get to grips with AI have no future at the consulting firm.Paul Griggs said senior staff who were not “paranoid about being AI-first” would probably be replaced by others who were ready to embrace the technology. “I don’t think anyone gets a free pass here. Anyone,” Griggs told the Financial Times. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Buzz kill: US breweries shutter as fanfare over craft beers appears to fade 19. March 2026 (13:00) Covid-related downturns and reductions in alcohol consumption have taken a toll on a once booming industryIn the early 2000s, Chris Bell, then a student at University of Colorado Boulder, followed a common path among people interested in brewing beer. He started doing so at home, then spent years working at established craft beer makers Long Trail Brewing in Vermont and Avery Brewing in Colorado before opening Call to Arms Brewing Company in 2015 in Denver.In a crowded market, the business was successful. Its More Like Bore-O-Phyll beer won a gold medal in the fresh or wet hop ale category at the 2018 World Beer Cup. A local outlet called it one of the city’s best breweries, and it had a 4.7 rating from more than 400 reviews on Google. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Unite leader says she expects Starmer to face leadership challenge after May elections – UK politics live 19. March 2026 (12:00) Sharon Graham predicts Labour will be ‘decimated’ at the polls and says party is failing to understand how angry people are with a lack of changeCleverly is trying to show a video, but it is not working. So he just invites Kemi Badenoch to start her speech.The Conservatives are launching their local elections campaign. There is a live feed here. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Analysis from West Point warns that strait of Hormuz blockade will strangle US defense industry 19. March 2026 (12:00) Report shows how minerals critical to defense readiness have seen a ‘near total’ disruption in seaborne tradeSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxThe closure of the strait of Hormuz is causing a “paralyzing, real-time problem” for any prospective manufacturing surge in the US defense industrial base, and even for the repair of defense equipment damaged by Iranian attacks, according to analysis published by West Point’s Modern War Institute.In particular sulphur, a vital upstream input in the extraction of critical minerals including copper and cobalt, has seen a “near total” disruption of seaborne trade in the straits, which makes up half the world’s total shipments, and prices have spiked nearly 25% since the war began, and seen a 165% rise year on year, the report said. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Independent autism committee that challenges RFK Jr’s overhaul draws criticism 19. March 2026 (12:00) Kennedy’s appointees promoted ‘treatments’ like bleach enemas, but new committee has only one autistic memberThe first public meeting of US autism advisers – notably, since Robert F Kennedy Jr reshaped the committee – was cancelled recently with few details, coinciding with the creation of a rival organization that has prompted some questions within the autistic community about their focus.Kennedy, the secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) who has long argued for a debunked link between vaccines and autism, chose entirely new members for the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) in late January, with fewer autistic people and several anti-vaccine advocates. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Hungary’s Orbán says he won’t back down and allow EU’s €90bn loan to Ukraine – Europe live 19. March 2026 (11:58) Hungarian PM, who is facing an upcoming election, appears in no mood to compromise as EU leaders meet in Brussels this morningGermany’s chancellor Friedrich Merz also called for de-escalation in the Middle East, welcoming what he said were signals by US president Donald Trump that combat action in Iran could come to an end, which could allow Europe to contribute to securing peace in the region.“I am expressly grateful that the US president sent a signal in this regard last night that he is prepared to bring the fighting to an end,” he told reporters ahead of an EU summit in Brussels in comments reported by Reuters. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
