Judge rules Kari Lake unlawfully ran US media agency, voiding mass layoffs 08. March 2026 (14:35) Trump picked Lake without Senate confirmation to run VOA parent agency in 2025 who cut over 1,000 jobsA federal judge ruled Saturday that Kari Lake unlawfully led the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM) for several months last year and voided mass layoffs and other actions taken during that period to dismantle the agency.The US Agency for Global Media (USAGM) is an independent federal agency that oversees the Voice of America (VOA), the US’s largest and oldest international broadcaster, and provides grants to Radio Free Asia, Radio Free Europe and other news agencies. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘People are thinking twice’: Cyprus feels the effect of the Iran war on tourism 08. March 2026 (14:00) No country in Europe is likely to be affected more than Cyprus, the nearest EU member to the Middle EastThe season has barely begun but Ayia Napa is beginning to feel the pulse. Tourists are trickling back, enjoying the Cypriot resort’s sunsets, eateries and shoreline views.On the seafront, Vassilis Georgiou is busy overseeing the construction of a new ramp for the jetskis that are a highlight of his water sports business. Last year, more than 500,000 holidaymakers visited the beachside booth, snapping up tickets for the boat cruises and parasailing also on offer. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
How Trump’s EPA rollbacks give US states new tools in climate suits 08. March 2026 (14:00) Vermont and New York face high stakes to protect climate superfund laws as it faces attacks from Trump’s DoJSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxBy rolling back a bedrock climate legal determination, the Trump administration has undercut its attacks on a groundbreaking state climate accountability law, green groups have argued in court.Trump’s justice department has asked a judge to kill a first-of-its-kind 2024 Vermont “climate superfund” policy requiring major polluters to pay for damages caused by their past planet-heating pollution, partly on the grounds that that federal law, not state law, governs greenhouse gas emissions. But last month, Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) repealed the endangerment finding, the scientific determination giving federal officials the authority to control those very pollutants. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
German state election a test for chancellor Friedrich Merz 08. March 2026 (13:52) Leader’s centre-right CDU party is hoping to beat Greens in Sunday’s election in Baden-WürttembergFriedrich Merz’s centre-right CDU faces a regional election on Sunday, the first of several this year in which it hopes to stem the rise of the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD).Voters will head to the polls in Baden-Württemberg, a prosperous hub of Germany’s auto sector with a population of 11.2 million. A year after winning national elections, the CDU is aiming to snatch first place in the south-western state from the Greens, who have won the last two state elections. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
ChatGPT driving rise in reports of ‘satanic’ organised ritual abuse, UK experts say 08. March 2026 (13:00) Exclusive: ‘Witchcraft, spirit possession and spiritual abuse’ offending typified by sexual abuse, violence and neglectChatGPT is driving a rise in reports of organised ritual abuse, UK experts have said, as survivors of “satanic” sexual violence use the AI tool for therapy.Police say organised ritual abuse and “witchcraft, spirit possession and spiritual abuse” (WSPRA) against children is under-reported in the UK. There is no modern-day charge that covers it specifically, but such offending is typified by sexual abuse, violence and neglect involving ritualistic elements – sometimes inspired by satanism, fascism or esoteric religious beliefs – to control victims. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘I am trying to live’: Haitians in Mexico seek community despite broken immigration systems 08. March 2026 (13:00) Funding cuts, US political pressure and bureaucratic delays have left thousands of Haitians facing prolonged uncertainty in TapachulaA year ago, when Jean Baptiste Gensley stepped off a bus in Tapachula, Mexico’s southern city on the border with Guatemala, he carried a small backpack and the hope that his journey was finally over.In his native Haiti, Gensley, 37, worked as a radio journalist and social worker, analyzing the effects of gang violence in some of Port-au-Prince’s most dangerous neighborhoods. With time, as his research led to police intervention, he caught the attention of the city’s gangs. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
White House worries as gas prices jump amid ongoing US-Israel war on Iran 08. March 2026 (13:00) US drivers are largely insulated from higher oil prices caused by Middle East turmoil – but only to a pointAcross the US, the average cost of a gallon of regular gasoline has jumped nearly 27 cents in a week, to $3.25, and American consumers are bracing for higher prices at the gas pump as the US-Israel conflict with Iran threatens to disrupt the global oil supply.That fear has entered the White House too, where Donald Trump’s chief of staff, Susie Wiles, is reportedly hunting for ideas to lower gasoline prices and officials are getting “screamed at” to bring good news, according to Politico. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Iran’s new supreme leader has been selected, says deciding body 08. March 2026 (12:36) Israel says it will target any figure chosen to succeed Ali Khamenei, who was killed in US-Israeli strikesMiddle East crisis live – latest updatesThe body in charge of selecting a new supreme leader for Iran says it has reached a decision – although the name was not immediately announced.Israel has warned it would target any figure chosen to replace Ali Khamenei, who was killed in joint US-Israeli strikes on the first day of the war with Iran. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘How is he going to have the time?’ NIH staff voice concern as Bhattacharya takes on CDC role 08. March 2026 (12:00) Scientists fear NIH director will be even more absent and leave key issues unresolved as he takes interim CDC leadSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxAs Jay Bhattacharya temporarily takes the lead at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), employees at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), where Bhattacharya is the permanent director, fear his attention will falter even more as critical issues at the research agency go unaddressed.Bhattacharya first rose to prominence as a fierce opponent to Covid mitigations and has become a close ally of Robert F Kennedy Jr, the health secretary. Under their oversight, NIH has sharply curtailed the funds it awards to researchers, especially studies involving race and gender, while some employees faced hiring freezes and increased health expenses at the agency. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Will UN plans to transform the way it works ‘throw equality under the bus’? 08. March 2026 (12:00) Many of those attending the world’s largest meeting on women’s rights in New York this week are primed to defend the two key UN agencies that protect women and girls around the worldThousands of international delegates are gathering in New York this week for the world’s largest meeting on women’s rights. The United Nation’s annual Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is an opportunity for government ministers, UN officials, NGO representatives and activists to discuss the global state of gender equality and women’s empowerment. This year, there will be a strong focus on “ensuring and strengthening access to justice”.But as senior UN figures urge countries to intensify their efforts to achieve gender equality, many of the delegates will be asking whether the UN is at risk of diluting its own commitment to women and girls. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
