Cooper rejects Blair’s call for UK to have backed Trump’s strikes on Iran 08. March 2026 (11:41) Foreign secretary hits back at former prime minister, saying Britain had to ‘learn the lessons’ of Iraq warMiddle East crisis – live updatesYvette Cooper has rejected Tony Blair’s assertion that the UK should have supported Donald Trump’s initial airstrikes on Iran, saying Britain had to “learn the lessons” of mistakes made in Iraq.At a private lunch event on Friday, the former Labour prime minister said Keir Starmer “should have backed America from the very beginning” and let the Trump administration use British airbases, adding: “If they are your ally and they are an indispensable cornerstone for your security … you had better show up when they want you to.” Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Princess Eugenie steps down as patron of anti-slavery charity 08. March 2026 (11:11) Decision follows release of Epstein files that have disgraced her father, the former prince Andrew Mountbatten-WindsorPrincess Eugenie has stepped down as patron of the UK charity AntiSlavery International, the world’s oldest human rights organisation.The decision follows the release by the US Department of Justice of millions of documents and emails relating to Jeffrey Epstein’s role in sexual abuse and trafficking women around the world, which have disgraced her father, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Time for a change: British Columbia decides to keep daylight saving time permanently 08. March 2026 (10:00) Most residents of Canadian province wanted change for years; Trump’s unneighbourly rhetoric helped seal the dealSince 1918, the clocks in Creston, a town in eastern British Columbia, ran an hour ahead of nearby communities for half the year. For the other six months, they slipped back into sync. Not because they town changed them but because its neighbours changed back and forth from daylight saving time.Creston was an outlier: a community that effectively created its own time zone. But when residents in most parts of the province shift their clocks forward on Sunday, they will be doing it for the last time – and permanently joining Creston for the first time in nearly 70 years. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
BrewDog sold highland estate for knockdown price after abandoning reforestation plans 08. March 2026 (10:00) Self-styled ‘punk’ beer company bought land in 2020, pledging to plant Scotland’s ‘biggest ever forest’The self-styled “punk” beer company BrewDog sold its Highland estate for a knockdown price after abandoning its efforts to plant Scotland’s “biggest ever forest” there.BrewDog’s co-founder James Watt claimed its Lost Forest project at Kinrara in the Cairngorms national park would cover a “staggering area” and capture tens of millions of tonnes of CO2 during its lifetime. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Caffè Nero says growth is ‘steady’ but coffee prices are likely to rise 08. March 2026 (09:00) Founder of family-owned firm says it will pause acquisitions after takeover of 15 Compass Coffee stores in USCaffè Nero will continue opening new shops in the UK and overseas, but has warned coffee prices are likely to keep rising as the war in Iran and higher staffing costs feed through.The family-owned business, which has just bought the 15-store Compass Coffee based in Washington DC to convert to its main brand, is aiming to open as many as 30 UK stores and between 50 and 70 more this year across the 10 other countries it operates in. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Undercover officer deceived women with ‘grotesque and cruel’ lies, spycops inquiry told 08. March 2026 (08:00) Carlo Soracchi admits exploiting empathy of woman who had abusive father by claiming his father abused his sister An undercover police officer told “grotesque and cruel” lies while emotionally manipulating two women he had deceived into long-term sexual relationships, the spycops public inquiry has heard.Carlo Soracchi admitted he sought to elicit the empathy of one of the women by claiming that his sister had been abused by his father. He also told her that his father had died when he was actually alive. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Survivors of Ireland’s mother and baby homes start to have benefits cut in UK after accepting compensation 08. March 2026 (07:00) Exclusive: Campaigners urge Keir Starmer to back ‘Philomena’s Law’ to protect payments for up to 13,000 survivors living in BritainSurvivors of Ireland’s mother and baby homes have started to have benefits cut in Britain because they accepted compensation from the Irish government.The cuts to the means-tested benefits of survivors in Britain come as campaigners including the actors Siobhán McSweeney and Steve Coogan called on Keir Starmer to back a bill known as Philomena’s Law, which would ringfence survivors’ benefits. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
German grandmaster’s vast collection of chess memorabilia to be sold in London 08. March 2026 (07:00) Artefacts include souvenirs from 1972 ‘Match of the Century’ between Boris Spassky and Bobby FischerA vast collection of chess memorabilia, including souvenirs from the 1972 “Match of the Century” and considered to be the largest and most important of its kind in private hands, is to be auctioned at Sotheby’s in London next month.The collection belonged to the German grandmaster Lothar Schmid, whose passion for the sport extended way beyond the board. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Middle East crisis live: China warns world cannot return to ‘law of the jungle’; Trump says Iran being ‘decimated’ 08. March 2026 (05:48) Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi says US-Israel war on Iran ‘should never have happened’ as strikes continue to hit Tehran and BeirutFull report: Iran rejects Trump’s demand for unconditional surrender as a ‘dream’From ‘peace president’ to Operation Epic Fury: Trump’s road to warAccording to reporting by Axios, the United States and Israel have discussed sending special forces into Iran to secure its stockpile of highly enriched uranium at a later stage of the war. They cited four sources with knowledge of the discussions.The Guardian could not immediately verify the report. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘There are crocs absolutely everywhere’: NT residents warned to stay out of flood waters as hundreds evacuated 08. March 2026 (05:16) Entire Daly River town evacuated as Bureau of Meteorology warns river levels expected to rise in coming weekFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastFlood-affected residents in the Northern Territory have been warned not to swim in crocodile-filled waters, as tropical lows continue to bring major flood warnings and heavy rains to the Top End and Queensland.Hundreds of people were evacuated over the weekend, with the entire town of Nauiyu/Daly River in the NT evacuated as of Sunday afternoon, the NT chief minister, Lia Finocchiaro, said. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
