UK may send ships and mine-hunting drones to strait of Hormuz, says Miliband 15. March 2026 (11:55) Energy secretary says ‘any options’ to get crucial shipping lanes reopened are being looked at by the governmentMiddle East crisis – live updatesBritain is considering sending ships and mine-hunting drones to the Middle East in an attempt to reopen the strait of Hormuz, Ed Miliband has said.The energy secretary confirmed on Sunday that ministers are talking to their allies about how the UK can help secure the vital waterway after the US president, Donald Trump, urged Britain and other countries to deploy ships to the region. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
London’s Burning actor John Alford, 54, dies in prison 15. March 2026 (11:41) Alford, who also appeared in Grange Hill, was jailed for eight and a half years in January for sexually assaulting two girlsAn investigation has been launched into the death of the actor John Alford after he died in prison two months into a sentence for sexually assaulting two teenage girls.Alford, 54, was jailed for eight and a half years in January after he was found guilty of the assaults, which occurred during a party at a friend’s home. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘War leader’ Trump fixates on trivial matters as Iran death toll mounts 15. March 2026 (11:00) Experts query ‘mix-up of priorities’ as president plays golf, posts old pictures and repeats details of Bill Maher feudMore than two weeks into the US-Israel war on Iran, and the conflict appears at risk of spiraling out of control.Back home, Donald Trump’s behavior also appears chaotic. A foreign conflict typically brings somber reflection from leaders: in Trump’s case, it has brought a stream of behavior that has defied norms and raised eyebrows over his state of mind. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
How the US war on Iran may provoke a terrorist attack – and how that may be the point 15. March 2026 (11:00) ‘Of course there’s going to be retaliation,’ says one expert. ‘It may be that this is what Trump’s interested in’For decades, the US and its allies have painted Iran as the world’s biggest sponsor of state terrorism – invoking its Islamic rulers’ supposed revolutionary fanaticism and determined support for militant proxies.Now a long-standing but mainly latent threat is coalescing, with the war waged on the country by the US and Israel, to raise the risk of an attack on American soil to levels unseen since the murderous al-Qaida assaults of 11 September 2001, experts say. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
One of Britain’s last major chemical plants at risk as energy prices surge 15. March 2026 (11:00) If costs stay high for the next three months, US owner Peter Huntsman says he will close the site on TeessideThe American owner of one of Britain’s last major chemicals plants has said he will close the site if energy prices remain at their current levels for the next three months.Peter Huntsman, whose family built Huntsman Corporation into a global chemicals empire, said the recent jump in gas prices fuelled by the Iran conflict was “another nail in the coffin” for European heavy industry. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘You just execute’: 19-year-old pilot makes emergency landing in Florida 15. March 2026 (11:00) Niko Bray, who obtained pilot’s license in January 2025, shares story after averting disaster on busy Jupiter roadA teenage pilot who made an emergency airplane landing on a busy Florida road while averting disaster entirely says “you just execute” when thrust into such life-or-death situations.“It can happen … so fast,” 19-year-old Niko Bray said in an interview with the Florida news outlet WSVN, nearly a week after authorities say he landed the small airplane he was flying on a six-lane thoroughfare in the community of Jupiter because of an emergency in the skies. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
France votes in local elections seen as crucial indicator for presidential poll 15. March 2026 (10:10) Ballots in 35,000 villages, towns and cities will be closely watched for signals about party strategies and alliancesFrance has begun voting in the first round of municipal elections, seen as crucial a test of the political temperature before next year’s presidential election.The vote for mayors and councillors in 35,000 villages, towns and cities across France is focused on local issues including security, housing and refuse collection and is very different from national elections. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘DM your details’: Travellers warned of scam airline accounts as Iran war disrupts flights 15. March 2026 (08:00) Criminals exploiting Middle East crisis by targeting customers seeking help or refunds from affected carriersYour flight has been delayed as a result of the Middle East crisis and you want to find out what’s happening, so you go online for an answer. You find a social media account run by the airline you are booked with and post a question, and get a reply offering help.You’re asked to send a direct message with details, which seems reasonable. A conversation starts and you are told to give your phone number as you may be due compensation. This is where it all starts going wrong: instead of being given money, you have it taken. Although it looked official, the account that replied was a scam. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘My dear son’: the Ukrainian soldier who came back from the dead 15. March 2026 (07:00) In 2023, what were thought to be Nazar Daletskyi’s remains were buried in his home village and his mother, Nataliia, visited the grave every week. Three years later, he spoke to her on the phoneNazar Daletskyi was declared dead in May 2023. The DNA match left no room for doubt, officials told his mother, Nataliia. A Ukrainian soldier who volunteered for the front in the early weeks of the war, Nazar had become one more casualty of Russia’s invasion.Nazar’s remains were laid to rest in the cemetery of his home village. In the months after the funeral, Nataliia visited the grave at least once a week, at first to cry and later to stand in quiet contemplation, remembering her only son. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
UK needs nuclear deterrent independent from US, Ed Davey to say 15. March 2026 (07:00) Lib Dem leader will tell spring conference Britain can no longer rely on US while Donald Trump is presidentBritain should have a completely independent nuclear deterrent as it can no longer rely on the US, Ed Davey is expected to say on Sunday.In a speech at the Liberal Democrats spring conference, the party leader will argue that the UK should manufacture and maintain its nuclear weapons in Britain, a move that Davey acknowledges will cost billions. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
