Teenagers killed themselves in Dorset after baby taken into care, inquest finds 06. March 2026 (17:29) Katie Powell, 17, and Jack Williams, 18, were found dead days after being arrested and child entering foster care in 2022A teenage couple killed themselves after they were arrested and their infant child taken into foster care, a jury has concluded.Katie Powell, 17, and Jack Williams, 18, were found dead at a nature reserve in Dorset, a four-week inquest in Bournemouth heard.In the UK, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123 and the domestic abuse helpline is 0808 2000 247. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is on 13 11 14 and the national family violence counselling service is on 1800 737 732. In the US, the suicide prevention lifeline is 1-800-273-8255 and the domestic violence hotline is 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). Other international helplines can be found via www.befrienders.org Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Indonesia to ban social media for children under 16 06. March 2026 (17:25) Platforms include YouTube, TikTok and Instagram as communication minister says ‘our children face real threats’Indonesia will ban social media for children under 16, its communication and digital affairs minister said on Friday.Meutya Hafid said in a statement to media said that she signed a government regulation that will mean children under the age of 16 can no longer have accounts on high-risk digital platforms, including YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, Roblox and Bigo Live, a popular livestreaming site. With a population of about 285 million, the fourth-highest in the world, the south-east Asian nation represents a significant market for social networks. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne no longer interested in Reform-Tory pact 06. March 2026 (17:08) Donor who has given £12m to Reform UK had previously wanted Nigel Farage to keep open mind about deal with ConservativesChristopher Harborne, the ultra-wealthy political donor who has given £12m to Reform UK, has told the Guardian he is “no longer” interested in a Reform-Conservative pact before the next general election.A possible collaboration between Reform and the Conservative party had been an important aspect of discussions about donations between Harborne and senior figures including Nigel Farage, sources familiar with the conversations said. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Hungary seizes millions of euros in cash and gold from Ukrainian convoy 06. March 2026 (17:00) Seven Ukrainians arrested and money-laundering investigation launched in latest spat between Kyiv and BudapestAn increasingly acrimonious spat between Hungary and Ukraine has escalated further, as Budapest impounded two Ukrainian armoured bank vehicles carrying millions of euros of hard cash as well as bars of gold.Seven Ukrainian citizens accompanying the convoy were also arrested. Hungarian officials said the detained Ukrainians had intelligence links and suggested the money could be of dubious origin, while Ukraine’s foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, accused Budapest of “taking hostages and stealing money”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Tory peer to leave House of Lords after investigation finds he breached standards over Covid PPE deals 06. March 2026 (16:58) Lord Chadlington introduced government to supplier in which he had financial interest in 2020The Conservative peer Peter Gummer has said he will leave the House of Lords after an investigation found he committed five breaches of standards over Covid PPE deals and failing to cooperate with previous inquiries.The Lords standards commissioner, Martin Jelley, also found that Gummer, whose peerage title is Lord Chadlington, “did not act on his personal honour” by failing to cooperate with the previous investigations, which cleared him. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
DoJ releases Epstein files containing uncorroborated abuse allegations against Trump 06. March 2026 (16:56) Justice department said the files were initially withheld because they were mistakenly categorized as duplicatesThe US justice department released additional files related to Jeffrey Epstein on Thursday, including FBI memos describing interviews with a woman who made uncorroborated allegations against Epstein and Donald Trump.The documents were not included in the justice department’s earlier releases of Epstein-related records, which began in December. Justice department officials have said the files were initially withheld because they were mistakenly categorized as duplicates. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US judge and lawyers to discuss how to refund $175bn in illegal Trump tariffs 06. March 2026 (16:42) Richard Eaton, who said this week that importers must be paid back, reportedly meeting customs agency lawyersA US judge will reportedly meet government lawyers to agree how to refund up to $175bn in tariffs that were collected illegally from more than 300,000 importers.Judge Richard Eaton of the US court of international trade would hear from lawyers for the customs agency responsible for the repayments on Friday, Reuters reported. The supreme court decided last month that a 1977 law designed to address national emergencies did not provide the legal justification for most of the Trump administration’s global tariffs. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Iranian mathematician missing in Canada may have been targeted by Tehran, activists say 06. March 2026 (16:28) Police say Masood Masjoody was most likely murdered; Iranian expats suspect he was killed for his criticism of the theocratic regimePolice in Canada have concluded that a missing Iranian activist was most likely the victim of murder, prompting fears that his disappearance has the hallmarks of a transnational repression campaign targeting critics of Tehran.Masood Masjoody, a mathematician critical of both Iran’s theocratic regime and the exiled family of the former shah, went missing in early February in the city of Burnaby, British Columbia. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
António Lobo Antunes, Portuguese novelist who chronicled dictatorship and war, dies aged 83 06. March 2026 (16:16) Author of more than 30 novels, including Fado Alexandrino and The Inquisitors’ Manual, was widely seen as one of the most important voices in modern Portuguese literatureAntónio Lobo Antunes, the Portuguese novelist whose dark, polyphonic fiction confronted the traumas of dictatorship, war and Portuguese society, has died aged 83.Widely regarded as one of the most important Portuguese writers of the late 20th and early 21st centuries, he produced more than 30 novels that reshaped Portuguese writing and made him a perennial contender for the Nobel prize for literature. He received numerous honours, including the Camões prize, the most prestigious award in the Portuguese language, and several major European literary prizes. His death was confirmed by the publisher Dom Quixote. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US and Israel threaten major escalation as airstrikes bombard Iran and Lebanon 06. March 2026 (15:31) US says its firepower will ‘surge dramatically’ and IDF warns of ‘surprises ahead’, as Iran launches retaliatory strikesMiddle East crisis – live updatesIsrael and the US have bombarded Iran and Lebanon with a fresh wave of airstrikes and threatened a major escalation in their joint offensive, as Iran retaliated with more attacks across a swathe of the Middle East.Pete Hegseth, the US defence secretary, said US firepower was “about to surge dramatically” with the deployment of more bombers, while Eyal Zamir, the Israel Defense Forces chief of staff, said Israel was moving to a new phase of its offensive that would “further dismantle the regime and its military capabilities”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
