Ticketmaster quietly raised other fees after US crackdown on hidden charges 26. March 2026 (12:00) Documents obtained by Guardian show company increased different fees to ‘offset revenue loss’ from FTC rule changeFollowing a wave of regulations banning the surprise fees that appear at the end of a transaction, Ticketmaster stopped charging the extra few dollars it added to each order at checkout. Typically shared with the venue, the order processing fee was a boon to a global platform that sells hundreds of millions of tickets a year.But documents obtained by the Guardian show that while Ticketmaster eliminated this fee to comply with the rules, the company simply raised the cost of different fees in a number of its venues to ensure it didn’t lose money. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Travelers flock to Clear security app to bypass TSA lines amid US airport chaos 26. March 2026 (12:00) Clear Secure has seen jump in new sign-ups amid the partial government shutdown as TSA workers go unpaidSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxAs travelers continue to face sprawling security lines across the US, one company is thriving amid the ongoing chaos.Clear Secure, a biometric firm that allows travelers to bypass Transportation Security Administration (TSA) lines at more than 60 airports in the US, has reportedly seen a jump in new sign-ups this month amid the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
EU advances trade deal with US with safeguards - Europe live 26. March 2026 (11:53) The deal was backed after months of delays caused by uncertainty over the legality of tariffs imposed by Donald TrumpMeanwhile, the US president, Donald Trump, has once again lashed out against Nato allies saying in a social media post that they have “done absolutely nothing to help” in Iran campaign.“The USA needs nothing from Nato, but ‘never forget’ this very important point in time,” he warned.“NATO NATIONS HAVE DONE ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO HELP WITH THE LUNATIC NATION, NOW MILITARILY DECIMATED, OF IRAN. THE U.S.A. NEEDS NOTHING FROM NATO, BUT “NEVER FORGET” THIS VERY IMPORTANT POINT IN TIME! President DONALD J. TRUMP” Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Co-op boss Shirine Khoury-Haq to step down after difficult year for group 26. March 2026 (11:47) Company reported loss of £125m after cyber-security attack hit sales and claims of ‘toxic’ culture Business live – latest updatesThe Co-op Group has announced that its boss will step down this weekend after a difficult year that included a cyber-attack and recent claims of a “toxic” culture at the business.Shirine Khoury-Haq will step down as chief executive on 29 March, with Kate Allum, a board member and former boss of dairy group First Milk, stepping in as interim boss while a permanent replacement is found. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Two drone strikes on civilian targets kill 28 people in Sudan 26. March 2026 (11:24) Market in North Darfur and truck carrying civilians in North Kordofan hit as civil war approaches fourth yearAt least 28 civilians have been killed in two separate drone strikes in Sudan, according to health workers, as the country’s brutal civil war between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) approaches its fourth year.A strike hit a market in the town of Saraf Omra, in North Darfur state, on Wednesday, killing “22 people, including an infant, and injuring 17 more”, a health worker at the local clinic told Agence France-Presse (AFP). Continue reading...(The Guardian)
NS&I preparing to repay hundreds of millions of pounds over missing savings 26. March 2026 (11:16) Government-backed bank in talks about recompensing about 37,000 people whose money was misplacedUK politics live – latest updatesBusiness live – latest updatesNational Savings and Investments is preparing to repay hundreds of millions of pounds to its customers over missing savings, in what is expected to be the single biggest payout in the bank’s 160-year history.The government-backed savings institution is in discussions with the Treasury to recompense about 37,000 people whose money has been misplaced due to historical failings. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Australian growth forecasts slashed as global economy faces inflation spike 26. March 2026 (11:07) OECD says the Middle East war will test the world’s resilience with Australia expected to suffer from higher rates and inflationGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe world economy is on the brink of a major inflationary spike as soaring fuel prices threaten growth in European and Asian nations, the OECD has warned, and local economists are slashing Australia’s growth prospects for this year and the next amid the ongoing US-Israel attack on Iran.The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development’s latest interim outlook said the US-Israel war on Iran will “test the resilience of the global economy”, and warned of the “significant downside risk” to their forecasts should the oil supply disruptions prove more persistent and push energy prices even higher. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Middle East conflict will damage UK’s economy ‘more than any other’ 26. March 2026 (11:00) Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development says UK economy will grow by just 0.7% this yearThe conflict in the Middle East will damage the UK’s economy more than any other industrialised nation, according to analysis by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), which warned over rising inflation.In the first major assessment by a leading international thinktank of the economic impact from the attack on Iran, the OECD said the UK economy would grow by just 0.7% this year, compared with its last forecast, made in December, of 1.2% for 2026. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Starmer tells Travelodge boss to engage with MPs over sexual assault case 26. March 2026 (10:48) PM tells Jo Boydell of concerns about her lack of availability to discuss how staff gave man access to victim’s room• UK politics live – latest updatesKeir Starmer has written to the chief executive of Travelodge to press the hotel chain to “seriously engage” with MPs raising concerns about its protocols after a woman was sexually assaulted by a man who was given her room number and a key card by staff.MPs who had sought an urgent meeting with Jo Boydell said the case of Kyran Smith, 29, who was jailed for seven and a half years last month, raised “deeply concerning” questions. He attacked the woman after a party in December 2022. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Epstein survivor who voted for Trump says she now fears ‘we’re not going to get justice’ 26. March 2026 (10:00) Jena Lisa Jones says she backed Trump in 2024 election because of his campaign promises to release Epstein filesAfter casting her vote for Donald Trump in 2024 in hopes that he would bring transparency around the Jeffrey Epstein case, Epstein survivor Jena Lisa Jones said in an interview this week that she now fears “we’re not going to get justice in all of this”.“I wanted my day in court,” said Jones, who has said she was abused by Epstein when she was 14, in an interview on the Shadow Sessions podcast that aired on Thursday morning. “I didn’t get that, and we were so close to it, it really got ripped from us, and then after [Epstein] passed, everything just went into a circus show.” Continue reading...(The Guardian)
