Cuba charges six exiles with terrorism in wake of deadly speedboat attack 04. March 2026 (08:01) Detainees accused of coming from the US with intent to sow chaos and attack military units on Communist-ruled islandCuban prosecutors have formally charged six people with crimes of terrorism after a US-flagged speedboat was involved in a deadly shootout with Cuba’s coast guard last week.The US-based Cuban defendants are accused of packing a boat with weapons and heading toward Cuba in hopes of destabilising the government in Havana. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Jordanian arrested for visa offences after alleged Bondi attackers visited his coffee shop during Philippines stay 04. March 2026 (07:18) Military used in arrest of Mohammad Odeh Saleh, owner of business allegedly visited by the Akrams before Australia’s deadliest terror attack Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA Jordanian national whose coffee shop was visited by the alleged gunmen behind December’s Bondi beach terrorist attack – and who frequently traveled to Australia and the Middle East – has been arrested in the Philippines for overstaying his visa.Authorities investigating the gunmen’s month-long stay in Mindanao Island, in the country’s south, alleged that Mohammad Odeh Saleh, 65, had travelled to Australia in the years before his arrest in Pagadian City on Monday. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Middle East conflict offers economic lifeline to Russia’s flagging war machine 04. March 2026 (07:00) With much of the world’s oil supplies out of action, Russia could step in to meet demand in China and IndiaA prolonged energy crisis triggered by the widening war in the Middle East could offer an economic lifeline to Russia’s war machine at a moment when it was beginning to show signs of strain.The sharp weakening and possible collapse of the regime in Iran would deprive the Kremlin of one of its closest regional partners. But that setback could be outweighed by an economic windfall if disruption pushes buyers toward Russian energy, alongside a possible slowdown in western arms supplies to Ukraine. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Plibersek accuses Mafs of platforming ‘coercive control’ after contestant wanted a woman ‘obedient’ like a dog 04. March 2026 (06:03) Social services minister Tanya Plibersek criticises hit reality TV show Married at First Sight for ‘messaging which encourages control and dehumanises women’Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free weekly media newsletter hereGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe social services minister, Tanya Plibersek, has accused Australia’s biggest media company, Nine Entertainment, of “normalising” coercive control by airing an exchange in which a Married at First Sight contestant says he wants a woman to be obedient like a dog.Plibersek urged parents not to let their children watch the “dangerous” reality TV juggernaut, which regularly attracts more than 2 million viewers on broadcast television alone.Sign up to get Guardian Australia’s weekly media diary as a free newsletter Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Middle East crisis live: US says nearly 2,000 targets hit in Iran war; Trump says navy may escort tankers through Strait of Hormuz 04. March 2026 (05:45) US military says strikes in the first 24 hours was nearly double the scale of the 2003 ‘shock-and-awe’ operation in Iraq; US president orders insurance to be provided for shipping in crucial waterwayTrump administration has still not settled on reasons for warMiddle East attacks intensify as Trump rejects Iran’s attempt to talkLebanese state media said that four people were killed and six more were wounded in an Israeli strike on a building in Baalbek in eastern Lebanon on Wednesday.“The initial toll is four killed and six wounded, and work is underway to rescue families from under the rubble,” Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Queensland police missed two opportunities to prevent Kelly Wilkinson’s murder, inquest hears 04. March 2026 (05:40) Reported breach of protection order ‘fell through the cracks’ before Brian Earl Johnston killed estranged wife, coroner’s court toldFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastQueensland police missed two opportunities to prevent the domestic violence murder of Kelly Wilkinson, including one where a reported breach of her protection order “fell through the cracks”, a senior officer has told the inquest into her death.The coronial inquest into the 27-year-old’s murder heard on Tuesday that her estranged husband, Brian Earl Johnston, was inappropriately granted bail on a charge of rape eight days before he burned her to death on 20 April 2021. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US military launches operation in Ecuador to combat drug trafficking 04. March 2026 (05:06) US Southern Command said joint mission with Ecuadorian forces involves ‘decisive action’ against narco-terroristsUS and Ecuadorean forces launched joint operations to combat drug trafficking, the US Southern Command said on Tuesday, but neither side gave more details.Southern Command, which encompasses 31 countries through South and Central America and the Caribbean, said in a statement on X that the “decisive action” was aimed at combating illicit drug trafficking. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Texas polls begin to close as Democratic rivals battle in Senate primary 04. March 2026 (02:41) Jasmine Crockett and James Talarico locked in fiercely contested race as Democrats eye upset in midtermsAs polls began to close across Texas on Tuesday evening, Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett and state representative James Talarico were locked in a fiercely contested and unpredictable primary that has drawn record-level turnout and outsized national attention.The marquee Senate race, unfolding in a state Democrats have not carried statewide in more than three decades, has become an early test of competing political playbooks for challenging Republican dominance – and Donald Trump. In the final weeks, the race has raised fraught questions about race, identity and electability for a party searching for a path back to power in Washington. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Pentagon names four of six US soldiers killed in Iranian strike on Kuwait base 04. March 2026 (02:28) Trump said service members killed were ‘true American patriots’ but warned more US deaths in Iran war likelyThe US Department of Defense on Tuesday identified four of the six American soldiers who were killed Sunday during a drone strike on a US base in Kuwait. Donald Trump said “there will likely be more” service members killed “before it ends”.The soldiers were identified as Captain Cody Khork, 35; Sergeant Nicole Amor, 39; Sergeant Declan Coady, 20; and Sergeant Noah Tietjens, 42. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Fight between Texas Republicans for US Senate seat leaves party on edge 04. March 2026 (02:00) Party worries a victory by Maga darling Ken Paxton over John Cornyn would open door to Democrats in red stateFour-term Republican US senator John Cornyn is fighting for his political life against Texas attorney general Ken Paxton, in a bitter primary contest that will likely end in a runoff.As polls began to close across the Lone Star state on Tuesday evening, national Republicans were openly fretting that a victory by Paxton, a scandal-plagued conservative culture warrior who is a darling of Donald Trump’s Maga movement, would give Democrats a rare opening in a solidly red state. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
