Pete Hegseth says Iranian regime is ‘toast’ as US expands military offensive 04. March 2026 (16:51) The Pentagon chief claims Tehran ‘cannot outlast’ US as strikes intensify and civilian toll climbsThe US will have complete, uncontested control of Iranian airspace within days, the Pentagon chief, Pete Hegseth, declared Wednesday, saying Iran “cannot outlast” American military power and that its capabilities were “evaporating by the hour”.The joint US-Israeli operation to attack Iran, which began on Saturday, had already delivered “twice the air power of shock and awe of Iraq in 2003” and “seven times the intensity of Israel’s previous operations against Iran during the 12-day war”, Hegseth claimed at a press conference alongside Dan Caine, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
UK’s partial study visa ban ‘will drive people to small boats’, campaigners say 04. March 2026 (16:48) Ban affecting Sudan, Afghanistan, Myanmar and Cameroon will mean more people make Channel crossings, charity saysA new ban on students coming to the UK from four countries where there is war and human rights abuses will drive more people use small boats, campaigners have warned.The home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, announced a bar on student visas from Sudan, Afghanistan, Myanmar and Cameroon on Tuesday evening. It will come into force on 26 March. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Harry Maguire given 15-month suspended prison sentence after retrial in Greece 04. March 2026 (16:47) Player found guilty of ‘non-serious assault’ in 2020England defender to appeal again against verdictThe England and Manchester United defender Harry Maguire has been handed a 15-month suspended prison sentence by a Greek court over a 2020 incident in Mykonos.In 2020, Maguire was found guilty of repeated bodily harm, attempted bribery and violence against public employees after his arrest after a brawl outside a nightclub. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Pete Hegseth says US is ‘investigating’ deadly strike on girls’ school in Iran 04. March 2026 (16:41) US defense secretary was evasive when asked about the airstrike that Iranian officials say killed at least 165 studentsMinab school bombing: how the worst mass casualty event of the Iran war unfolded – a visual guidePete Hegseth, the US defense secretary, offered few details and was evasive when asked about the deadly strike on a girls’ school in Iran, saying only that the US was “investigating” the incident.Iranian officials say the attack, which happened on Saturday, killed at least 165 students. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Will Trump’s Middle East war also engulf Friedrich Merz? 04. March 2026 (16:40) The war will have incalculable implications for Europe – and yet, the chancellor has held back from publicly challenging an increasingly erratic Donald Trump• Don’t get This Is Europe delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereYou could be forgiven for thinking Friedrich Merz would rather be anywhere but Germany of late.But hopes that his stop in Washington this week would provide the chancellor even a brief respite from woes at home were dashed by Donald Trump’s risky Iran gamble. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Britain not ruling out future strikes on Iran missile sites, officials indicate 04. March 2026 (15:58) ‘We just don’t know what will happen,’ western officials say, as UK bases prepare for arrival of US heavy bombersUK politics live – latest updatesMiddle East crisis – live updatesBritain has not ruled out participating in future strikes against Iranian ballistic missile launch sites, officials have indicated.US heavy bombers are expected to reach UK bases at Diego Garcia in the Chagos Islands and Fairford in Gloucestershire in the next few days, from where they are expected to attack Iran’s underground “missile cities”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Liberal senator breaks with party to urge ‘mercy for the children’ of IS-linked Australian women in Syria 04. March 2026 (15:00) Backbencher Andrew McLachlan describes the 23 children as ‘innocents’ victimised by their parents’ ‘tragic attraction to a horrible ideology’Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA Liberal senator has called for “mercy” for the 23 Australian children detained in a Syrian camp, as he warned that leaving the group to languish in detention risked making the situation worse for them and the Australian community in the future.After the opposition leader, Angus Taylor, this week suggested the children held in al-Roj camp were “Isis sympathisers”, the backbencher Andrew McLachlan again broke from party lines to appeal for compassion and a resolution to their ongoing plight. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Pete Hegseth says US and Israel will have ‘complete control’ of Iran’s skies in under a week – US politics live 04. March 2026 (14:39) US defense secretary and Dan Caine, the chairman of the joint chiefs, hold briefing on day five of US-Israeli war on IranSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxGen Caine said today that the US will “now begin to expand inland, striking progressively deeper into Iranian territory”, after forces were able to establish air superiority.“The throttle is coming up,” Caine said, “as opposed to ramping down”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
60% of Welsh voters unaware of how new system will work in May elections 04. March 2026 (14:33) Voters remain unsure about which policy decisions sit with Cardiff Bay and which with WestminsterUK politics live – latest updatesAlmost 60% of Welsh voters are unaware of how the new system will work in May’s Senedd elections and there is confusion over devolution powers, a report has found.Polling research released on Wednesday by Cardiff University and YouGov suggested that 26 years since devolution began, many voters remain unsure about which policy decisions sit with Cardiff Bay, and which with Westminster. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US submarine sank Iranian warship off Sri Lanka’s coast, Hegseth says 04. March 2026 (14:33) Defence secretary confirms strike on Iris Dena in first US attack on Iranian forces outside Middle East during conflictMiddle East crisis – live updatesThe US has carried out a submarine torpedo strike that sank an Iranian warship off the south coast of Sri Lanka, according to the US secretary of defence.Pete Hegseth confirmed that the US was behind the deadly strike on an Iranian frigate that was travelling close to the Sri Lankan coast. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
