Reports Sadiq Khan could join Starmer’s cabinet dismissed by allies 27. March 2026 (16:29) London mayor could however join the House of Lords while still remaining in his current roleAllies of Sadiq Khan have dismissed reports the London mayor could join Keir Starmer’s cabinet after being made a peer, although it remains possible he could join the Lords while keeping his current job.Downing Street said reports that Khan could become a peer after crucial elections in May across England, Scotland and Wales were “speculation”, while a Labour source also declined to comment. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Man accused of 2003 rape tells court he ‘wouldn’t be able to live with himself’ if he had done it 27. March 2026 (16:16) Paul Quinn denies raping woman in case where previous suspect Andrew Malkinson had conviction quashedA man accused of a 2003 rape for which an innocent person spent 17 years in jail has told a court he “wouldn’t be able to live with myself” if he had carried out the attack.Paul Quinn, 51, denies raping the woman, in a case that led to what jurors heard was a “most terrible” miscarriage of justice Continue reading...(The Guardian)
European intelligence agencies believe Russia is supplying drones to Iran, says official 27. March 2026 (16:09) Intelligence reports find Russia is close to completing phased shipment of drones, medicine and foodMiddle East crisis – live updatesIntelligence agencies in Europe believe Russia is in the final stages of preparing to supply drones to Iran for use in its war with the US and Israel, according to a senior European official.Russia has already been providing intelligence sharing with Tehran to help it target US forces in the region, the official said, but the upcoming delivery of explosive-laden drones would mark the first evidence of lethal support since the start of the war. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Biker gangs and hired hands: how Iran is increasingly outsourcing its terror campaigns 27. March 2026 (16:00) Experts see potential hallmarks of Iranian involvement in firebombing of four ambulances in Golders Green on MondayMiddle East crisis – live updatesTo some it was the moment the mask slipped. Wearing an open-necked white shirt, Mohsen Rafighdoost, former minister of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), was filmed last March fondly reminiscing with an interviewer from the Tehran-based Didban Iran news website about the assassinations he had organised around Europe.There was Prince Shahriar Shafiq, the last Shah of Iran’s 34-year-old nephew, who was shot twice in the head outside his mother’s home in Paris in 1979. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘It’s fired people up’: support grows, including within Labor, for new gas tax to curb wartime profits 27. March 2026 (15:00) Government, industry and opposition see growing public support for a new gas tax but the industry is fighting backGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe gas industry is mobilising in opposition to a potential new tax on the sector as political momentum builds – including among Labor MPs – for the government to use the May budget to prevent producers profiting from the Middle East war.The Australian Energy Producers (AEP) chief executive, Samantha McCulloch, claimed a new tax would punish the same Asian trading partners Australia was leaning on to supply more fuel amid the global energy crisis. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Blink and miss: Trump’s tactic of threats first and U-turn later is proving stale in Iran war 27. March 2026 (15:00) President’s move, dubbed Trump Always Chickens Out, appears to have soured as he loses hold on situation in IranFrom Wall Street to the White House, the dish everyone’s talking about this week is the Persian Taco. It’s what’s served when Trump chickens out in Iran.In the early hours of Monday morning, witnessing oil prices surge, stock futures plummet and bond yields climb due to his threat to pummel Iran’s civilian power infrastructure, the president hurriedly walked it back, announcing he would put off the bombing because talks with Iran were actually going great. After the bombast and bloodshed, it was time for Taco (Trump Always Chickens Out), a move he first put on display during the tariffs crisis last year. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Older Australians in ‘immediate danger’ as fuel crisis affects travel for aged care workers 27. March 2026 (15:00) Unions and farmers call for government intervention as agriculture, construction and waste industries also at risk from higher pricesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastCare workers, tradespeople and transport drivers are being hit hard by ballooning fuel costs, with some industry groups urging the government to roll out assistance packages or even a jobkeeper-style wage assistance program to help businesses avoid laying off staff.Reports of small mining businesses scaling back operations and some construction companies deciding against hiring more apprentices have prompted suggestions the government should step in to help, with the Master Builders Association already forecasting a downturn in the number of homes that will be built this year. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Cuba says it will ‘do everything’ to find aid boats missing en route from Mexico 27. March 2026 (14:52) Two sailing vessels were part of Our America Convoy bringing food and medicine to island in face of what it called ‘the criminal US blockade’Cuba’s president, Miguel Díaz-Canel, has said his country will do everything it can to save the people on two missing sailing boats that disappeared while transporting humanitarian aid from Mexico to the Caribbean island.The boats, which set sail from the Mexican state of Quintana Roo last Friday as part of an international aid mission, had been expected to arrive in Havana by Tuesday or Wednesday, the Mexican secretariat of the navy said in a statement. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
House to consider DHS funding deal that could end partial shutdown – US politics live 27. March 2026 (14:43) If passed, the deal would mean TSA staff, who screen airport passengers, baggage and cargo, would start being paid for the first time since mid-FebruarySign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxPeter Ticktin, an 80-year-old Florida lawyer who has various ties to Donald Trump and represents some 2020 election deniers, has become an outspoken advocate for an emergency executive order on US elections that would overhaul voting rules and rights by ending machine and mail-in voting.The exact nature and extent of Ticktin’s contact and influence with Trump and other administration officials is not clear. But election experts and analysts see Ticktin’s push for an executive order as worrying, and part of a broader drive by fellow election conspiracists who are now promoting similar and legally dubious emergency order plans to revamp voting rules this year in order to boost Republican fortunes in the fall elections. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Judge rebukes woman who denied driving while video-calling from car: ‘Do you think I’m that stupid?’ 27. March 2026 (14:42) Kimberly Carroll ‘truly sorry’ after calling in to court hearing via Zoom from behind the wheel of a moving vehicleA woman who dialed into a court hearing in Detroit while in her car this week was berated by the judge, who asked “Do you think I’m that stupid?” when she appeared on video apparently driving the vehicle.Fox2 Detroit reported that defendant Kimberly Carroll called late into a hearing relating to a financial matter, and was asked by the judge, Michael K McNally, to turn on her camera. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
