Defence secretary accuses MPs of undermining UK’s relationship with Trump 05. March 2026 (19:58) John Healey says its ‘unpatriotic’ for opposition politicians to take the side of the US against the governmentUS-Israel war on Iran – live updatesThe defence secretary, John Healey, has accused opposition politicians of deliberately undermining the UK’s relationship with Donald Trump, saying it was “unpatriotic” for MPs to seek to turn the US against Keir Starmer.Healey, speaking to the Guardian at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, which was hit by a drone strike over the weekend, said he had been shocked at the way politicians like Nigel Farage had sought to “undermine” the UK’s relationship with the US. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Germany moves to legalise wolf hunting in response to livestock ‘bloodlust’ 05. March 2026 (19:56) Lower house votes in favour of polarising law after rapid increase in population and attack on grazing farm animalsWolf hunting will be allowed in Germany under legislation passed by the lower house of parliament in response to a rapidly growing population and a sharp rise in attacks on livestock.The return and growth of the wolf population in the last three decades has emerged as a wedge issue in Germany, the land of the Brothers Grimm who popularised the spectre of the Big Bad Wolf. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
New York sex-trafficking case against high-end real estate broker brothers goes to jury 05. March 2026 (19:26) Lawyers for Oren, Alon and Tal Alexander argued that the brothers were womanizers but not rapistsSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxOren, Alon and Tal Alexander surrounded themselves with beautiful women. Young and wealthy, they enjoyed sex and the pursuit of it. They flirted at nightclubs and on dating apps, and partied with potential hookups in the Hamptons, Aspen and other ritzy locales.The brothers – two of them high-end real estate brokers known as “the A Team”, the other a private security executive – were certainly womanizers, their lawyer told jurors. But they aren’t the drink-spiking rapists and sex traffickers that federal prosecutors allege. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Delayed UK rescue flight takes off from Oman with British nationals 05. March 2026 (17:57) Keir Starmer describes Middle East evacuation operation as one of the biggest of its kindMiddle East crisis – live updatesThe first charter flight taking British nationals back to the UK from the Middle East has taken off as the prime minister described the ongoing evacuation operation as one of the biggest of its kind. Keir Starmer announced that the delayed plane from Oman, which was originally scheduled to leave at 7pm on Wednesday, had taken off minutes before he addressed a Downing Street press conference. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
UK government ‘effectively allowed’ child sexual abuse, campaigners say 05. March 2026 (17:56) Maggie Oliver Foundation taking action over government’s alleged failure to adopt changes recommended by inquiryCampaigners have accused the UK government of in effect allowing child abuse to continue by having an “inconsistent and arbitrary” approach to implementing recommendations from a seven-year statutory inquiry.The claim was made at the high court in London where a judge said a legal action against the Home Office could continue. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
From subscription models to ‘Britflix’: key takeaways from BBC response to charter review 05. March 2026 (17:35) The 114-page document backs licence fee but suggests its current funding model is being tested to breaking point It’s that time again. The BBC published its opening salvo in the current talks over its royal charter. The tortuous negotiations with the government, which take place every 10 years, are often accompanied by tough talk about radical change.This time is no different. However, it also comes with data suggesting the BBC’s funding model is on an unsustainable course, fundamentally challenged by a transformation in how media is consumed. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
South Africa’s president calls Trump’s policy to offer refuge to white Afrikaners ‘racist’ 05. March 2026 (17:23) US president is ‘truly uninformed’ for spreading claims of ‘white genocide’ in South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa tells New York TimesSouth Africa’s president, Cyril Ramaphosa, has called Donald Trump’s policy of allowing white Afrikaners to apply for refugee status in the US “racist”, saying the US president was “truly uninformed” in a rare instance of direct criticism.Ramaphosa told the New York Times that last year’s Oval Office meeting with the US leader, when Trump turned down the lights and played a video that he falsely claimed showed there was a “white genocide” in South Africa, was a “spectacle” and an “ambush”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Savannah Guthrie ‘plans to return’ to Today show as mother remains missing 05. March 2026 (17:23) NBC confirmed the host will return but ‘remains focused’ on the search for her missing mother, Nancy GuthrieSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxSavannah Guthrie, the Today show host whose elderly mother has been missing from her Arizona home for more than a month, visited NBC’s studios in New York on Thursday and the network confirmed, for the first time, that she plans to return to her presenting duties.NBC confirmed the visit to CNN’s Brian Stelter, but gave no timeline for when Guthrie, who has recorded a succession of emotional video appeals for information about her mother, Nancy Guthrie, will be back at work. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Senators demand investigation after ninth American killed by Israeli settlers or soldiers in West Bank 05. March 2026 (17:13) Lawmakers cite ‘consistent pattern’ in which Americans are being killed ‘without justice or accountability’Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxMore than 30 US senators have signed a letter demanding that the Trump administration open an independent investigation into the February killing of a 19-year-old American in the occupied West Bank, the ninth US citizen killed by Israeli soldiers or settlers since 2022.The letter, led by the senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland and addressed to the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio; the US attorney general, Pam Bondi; and the US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, asks for a US-led investigation and a full accounting of where all nine cases stand, and for the administration to brief Congress on the killing by 5 April. None of the cases have resulted in a criminal conviction. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Nissan ‘says Sunderland plant could close’ if UK excluded from Made in Europe rules 05. March 2026 (17:11) Reports of carmaker’s warning come as lobby group says EU proposals could damage £70bn cross-channel tradeBusiness live – latest updatesThe Japanese carmaker Nissan has reportedly said it could be forced to close its plant in Sunderland if the UK is not fully included in new “Made in Europe” manufacturing rules proposed by the EU.The UK car industry trade representative group also said it was “gravely concerned” about the proposals, which it said could damage the £70bn annual cross-channel trade. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
