Salman Rushdie says he is tired of being ‘free speech Barbie’ after 2022 attack 15. March 2026 (21:21) Author says he doesn’t ‘feel symbolic’ and hopes to steer narrative to his books after surviving assassination attemptSalman Rushdie said he’s tired of being everyone’s “free speech Barbie” four years after the author survived an assassination attempt that left him blinded in his right eye.“It’s a subject I’m anxious to change,” Rushdie said Friday during a talk with the Atlantic’s George Packer at Tulane University’s New Orleans book festival. “I don’t feel symbolic. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Republican rebukes FCC chair’s threats to revoke broadcast licenses over Iran war 15. March 2026 (20:13) Senator Ron Johnson pushes back, saying he’s not in favor of government meddling in freedom of speechThe Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chair, Brendan Carr, is facing pushback from a Republican lawmaker after warning on Saturday that broadcasters could lose their licenses if they run what the federal agency deems “fake news” over the Iran conflict.Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin said in an interview on the Sunday Briefing on Fox News that he was not in favor of the government control of private enterprise or efforts to meddle with freedom of speech protected under the constitution. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Initiative may be slipping away from US and Israel as Middle East crisis deepens 15. March 2026 (19:50) There is little sign of imminent regime change in Iran as its blockade of strait of Hormuz shocks global economyMiddle East crisis – live updatesFew doubt that in the first days of the new war in the Middle East, the initiative belonged to the US and its ally Israel. Now it seems less sure, however.Mohsen Rezaee, a senior officer in Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, on Sunday said “the end of the war is in our hands” and called for the withdrawal of Washington’s forces from the Gulf and compensation for all damage caused by the assault. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Twelve arrests at al-Quds Day rally and counterprotest in London 15. March 2026 (19:49) Metropolitan police say they are also investigating chants led by Bobby Vylan at pro-Palestine protest next to ThamesTwelve people were arrested as hundreds joined a pro-Palestinian al-Quds Day demonstration on one side of the Thames, while hundreds more gathered on the opposite bank to back Israeli and American attacks on Iran.Al-Quds Day is an international demonstration of support for Palestinian rights. The event takes its name from the Arabic for Jerusalem and was established by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini after Iran’s 1979 revolution. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Airline CEOs urge Congress to end shutdown and pay airport TSA officers 15. March 2026 (19:29) Nearly month-long funding lapse has disrupted US air travel and caused long wait times amid security officers’ absencesThe CEOs of major US airlines urged Congress on Sunday to move quickly to end a 29-day partial government shutdown that has forced 50,000 airport security officers to work without pay, warning it could further disrupt US air travel.Absences by Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers had already disrupted travel at some major airports over the previous week, raising alarm as the busy spring break travel season continues. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Iranians embrace anthem by AI singer created by UK-based, Iran-born artist 15. March 2026 (19:02) ‘I did it for the people,’ says Farbod Mehr, of song drawing lyrics from the work of revolutionary 20th-century poet Aref QazviniA stirring song – sung, apparently, by a young woman, with lyrics expressing the hope that sacrifice will lead to a better future – has become a soundtrack for Iranians in the first part of 2026, as the country experienced the brutal crackdown on anti-regime protests and then the US-Israeli air assault, now in its third week.However, the singer, called Nava, is a product of artificial intelligence, created by a London-based artist of Iranian origin, Farbod Mehr. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Vulnerable women in England still being arrested over suspected illegal abortions 15. March 2026 (19:00) Nottinghamshire and Met police made arrests in past year, despite MPs voting to decriminalise in England and WalesVulnerable women in England are still being arrested and facing police investigations over suspected illegal pregnancy terminations, despite parliament backing changes to the law to decriminalise abortion.Responding to a freedom of information request, Nottinghamshire police and the Metropolitan police confirmed they had arrested women suspected of illegal terminations between June last year and this January. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Row over university fees shows UK’s ‘reset’ with EU may not be so simple 15. March 2026 (18:11) Ministers go to Brussels for talks amid tuition fees standoff, almost 10 years after Britons voted to leave EUThis week is “Brexit reset” week for the British government, as ministers engage in a flurry of activity intended to highlight their determination to forge closer ties with Brussels almost 10 years after the country first voted to leave the EU.On Monday, Nick Thomas-Symonds, the Cabinet Office minister in charge of negotiating the government’s reset with the EU, will arrive in Brussels for a meeting of the joint EU-UK parliamentary partnership assembly. He travels mob-handed, to be joined by the Europe minister, Stephen Doughty, and the trade minister, Chris Bryant. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Pakistan targets militant hideouts in Afghanistan as conflict continues 15. March 2026 (18:08) Afghan government reports zero casualties and accuses neighbouring country of wanting to ‘fuel the fire of war’Pakistan has targeted militant hideouts in Afghanistan’s Kandahar province overnight, as the fighting that erupted between the two neighbours late last month showed no signs of abating.The cross-border attacks, which have included Pakistani airstrikes in Kabul, are the deadliest yet between the countries. Islamabad has referred to the conflict as an “open war”, adding to concerns about regional stability as the US-Israeli conflict with Iran engulfs the Middle East and beyond. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Cory Booker calls both parties ‘feckless’ for ceding war powers to Trump 15. March 2026 (18:00) Democrat says Congress ‘doing nothing’ may embolden president to attack countries such as Cuba and North KoreaDemocratic US senator Cory Booker has criticized both his own political party as well as its Republican counterpart for being “feckless” in ceding congressional war powers to Donald Trump, saying that their decision could embolden the president to unilaterally attack Cuba, North Korea and other countries.“I’m going to be one of those Democrats [who] say I think both parties have been feckless in allowing the growth of the power of the presidency,” Booker said on Sunday on CNN’s State of the Union. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
