Two sisters drown while paddling at Snowdonia beauty spot 04. March 2026 (23:11) Hajra and Haleema Zahid may have slipped into pools near path and were unable to swim to safety, inquest hearsTwo sisters accidentally drowned after they paddled fully clothed at a beauty spot in a national park in Wales, an inquest has heard.Hajra Zahid, 29, and her sibling Haleema, 25, were pulled from pools on the Watkin Path, which leads to the summit of Snowdon. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Australia politics live: stranded Australians return from Middle East; new inquiry into racism towards Indigenous Australians 04. March 2026 (20:53) Emotional scenes as people trapped by conflict land at Sydney. Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastFederal minister for Indigenous Australians, Senator Malarndirri McCarthy has announced there will be a parliamentary inquiry into racism, hate and violence directed at First Nations people.McCarthy said it comes at an important time, following the alleged terror attack at Perth’s Invasion Day rally on 26 January, and the attack on Camp Sovereignty in Melbourne last year by white supremacists.First Nations people are feeling scared and angry in the wake of the alleged terrorist attack in Boorloo, Perth and last year’s attack on Camp Sovereignty,” she said. “I know this has been a difficult time for families and communities.This inquiry ensures they can have their say and their experiences will be heard by the parliament. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Putin accuses Ukraine of attacking gas tanker that exploded and sank off Libya 04. March 2026 (20:51) The Arctic Metagaz burst into flames before sinking after what the Russian president described as a terrorist attackVladimir Putin has accused Ukraine of carrying out a terrorist attack on one of Russia’s liquefied natural gas carriers which exploded into flames and sank in the Mediterranean Sea off Libya.The Arctic Metagaz had been sanctioned by the US and EU for being part of Moscow’s “shadow fleet” of ageing tankers that carry its oil and gas around the world, skirting Western restrictions. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Starmer’s slow start in the war against Iran could leave UK playing catch-up 04. March 2026 (20:43) Prime minister’s initial refusal to help US could constrain Britain’s ability to protect its nationals in the Gulf and reassure alliesMiddle East crisis – live updatesBritain knew that the US was considering attacking Iran from the moment Donald Trump told protesters that “help is coming” in the middle of January. It was obvious to the world that the White House was serious when the Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group was sent to the Arabian Sea in late January.But as Trump gradually built up his “massive armada”, reinforcing it with a second carrier strike group in mid-February, UK deployments were constrained and limited even though there was a recognition that it was likely allies and bases with British soldiers would be attacked in an Iranian retaliation. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Blackout in Cuba leaves millions without power amid US oil chokehold 04. March 2026 (20:42) Latest outage darkens island facing dwindling oil reserves and increasing pressure from WashingtonA blackout hit the western half of Cuba on Wednesday, leaving millions of people in Havana and beyond without power in the latest outage to affect an island struggling with dwindling oil reserves and a crumbling electricity grid.The government’s Electric Union confirmed the outage on social platform X, saying it affected people from the eastern town of Pinar del Rio to the central town of Camaguey. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Voters punish centrists, Trump-aligned candidates surge: five key takeaways from US primary elections 04. March 2026 (20:33) From Texas to North Carolina, incumbents fall as Democrats gain in Arkansas, signaling 2026 turbulenceUS politics live – latest updatesThere was more at stake in Tuesday’s primary elections than just the high-profile nominations for US Senate seats in North Carolina and Texas. Further down the ballot were contests that offered hints of how the electorate was reacting to the Trump administration’s rapid and radical changes in Washington, and to whether Democrats were rebuilding popular support after suffering pivotal losses in 2024.Here are some of the lesser-known outcomes of Tuesday’s vote in Texas, North Carolina and Arkansas, which also held primary and special elections: Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Badenoch gives a borderline disgraceful performance at PMQs on Iran | John Crace 04. March 2026 (20:08) At times like this you have to thank your lucky stars that the opposition leader is not in Downing Street On another day it might even have been quite funny. The mismatch between Kemi Badenoch’s self-belief and her performance. But Wednesday’s prime minister’s questions was far too serious for that, with Donald Trump’s Awfully Big Iranian Adventure threatening to escalate into all-out war in the Middle East.It was also a day when you could think the unthinkable. Might Kemi actually be even weaker than Chris Philp? Certainly she’s the worst leader of the Tory party in living memory. There again, the gene pool of talent is no more than a puddle. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Texas primaries: will pragmatism finally deliver Democrats a seat in the red state? 04. March 2026 (20:06) Democratic voters in Texas displayed a survival instinct in picking James Talarico as their US Senate candidateJames Talarico wins Democratic primary for US Senate in TexasNever write off the voter. It has been tempting to despair of an electorate that returned Donald Trump to power in 2024. But as the US midterm elections got under way on Tuesday, the big winner was pragmatism.Democrats in Texas picked James Talarico, a Presbyterian seminarian who preaches a political gospel of bridging divides, as their nominee for the Senate. He was widely seen as more electable than his primary opponent, Jasmine Crockett, a Texas congresswoman and unapologetic anti-Trump brawler, in a state where Democrats have gone decades without winning a statewide race. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
California Democrats defy call from party to abandon crowded race: ‘Voters choose the next governor’ 04. March 2026 (20:04) State party chair had urged candidates with no ‘viable path’ to victory to drop out to ensure Democratic win in NovemberUS politics live – latest updatesSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxOne day after California’s Democratic party urged candidates without a “viable path” in the state’s crucial race for governor to drop out, the crowded field showed no sign of winnowing down.At least nine Democrats are in the running to replace the outgoing governor, Gavin Newsom, with no clear frontrunner, which has fueled fears that the number of candidates could lead to two Republicans advancing to the November election. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump’s ‘quasi-dove’ era is over. Iran strikes expose his hawkish turn 04. March 2026 (20:00) Deploying the world’s most powerful military seems to exert an almost erotic fascination for Donald TrumpThis was originally published in This Week in Trumpland; sign up to receive it in your inbox every WednesdayIt was a claim uttered repeatedly on the 2024 campaign trail: “I’m the only president in 72 years that didn’t start a war,” Donald Trump said in Sioux City, Iowa.Fact checkers cried foul and pointed out that Jimmy Carter, president from 1977 to 1981, did not start any wars either. But Trump won the election anyway. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
