Experts consider expanding meningitis vaccine eligibility after Kent outbreak 20. March 2026 (18:58) Scientific advisory committee to examine impact of offering routine MenB jabs to wider range of peopleThe Kent meningitis outbreak: what is happening and why?Experts are considering the case for routinely vaccinating more people against meningitis B in response to the fatal outbreak in Kent.The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation’s review was announced after the health secretary, Wes Streeting, asked it to “re-examine eligibility for meningitis vaccines” for a wider range of people than those who now qualify. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Gabbard testimony on Puerto Rico voting machines raises questions about role of Venezuela conspiracy theory 20. March 2026 (18:50) National intelligence director said voting machine seizure was requested by US attorney in Puerto Rico – who’s been trying to revive 2020 election conspiracy theoryWhen the US director of national intelligence (DNI), Tulsi Gabbard, testified on Thursday that her office seized voting machines from Puerto Rico, she said it was at the request of the office of the US attorney in Puerto Rico. Left unsaid was that the prosecutor, as the Guardian previously reported, has been the center of a push by Donald Trump supporters to revive a long discredited conspiracy theory purporting to link Venezuela to Trump’s 2020 electoral defeat.Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro, the conspiracy theory maintains, controlled electronic voting machines worldwide and remotely manipulated results in 2020 to deprive Trump of a presidential victory. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Mexico’s monarch butterfly population jumps 64%, offering hope for at-risk species 20. March 2026 (18:41) The insects covered its largest area since 2018, despite threats from habitat loss, climate crisis and pesticidesThe population of monarch butterflies in Mexico increased 64% this winter, compared with the same period in 2025, offering a glimmer of hope for an insect considered at risk of extinction.The figures, released this week by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Mexico, showed that the area occupied by monarchs expanded to 2.93 hectares (7.24 acres) of forest from 1.79 hectares (4.42 acres) the previous winter, the largest coverage since 2018. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Travelers in US continue to face delays at airport security amid DHS shutdown 20. March 2026 (18:40) Staffing shortages intensify and lead to longer screening times as TSA workers go for weeks without payMany travelers across the US are continuing to face significant delays at airport security checkpoints as the homeland security department shutdown, which has affected staffing of the Transportation Security Administration, remains ongoing.With TSA workers going for weeks without pay, staffing shortages have intensified, leading to longer screening times and growing frustration among passengers. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
French IS member convicted of genocide for atrocities against Yazidis 20. March 2026 (18:39) Sabri Essid also found guilty of crimes against humanity after harrowing evidence from women enslaved by jihadistA French member of Islamic State has been convicted of genocide and crimes against humanity for atrocities committed against Yazidis in a historic judgment that highlighted the atrocities committed by jihadists.The Paris criminal court found Sabri Essid, who was tried in his absence, directly participated in an organised system of killing, raping and enslaving members of the Iraqi ethnic and religious minority who are descended from some of the region’s most ancient roots. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump administration sues Harvard again over accusations of antisemitism 20. March 2026 (18:19) Lawsuit alleges university violated civil rights of Jewish and Israeli people in aftermath of war in GazaThe Trump administration has renewed its assault on Harvard University, filing a lawsuit in Massachusetts alleging the Ivy League institution violated the civil rights of Jewish and Israeli people in the aftermath of the war in Gaza.The lawsuit, shared publicly by the New York Times, accuses Harvard of allowing anti-Israel protesters to operate on campus “with impunity” following the 2023 Hamas terrorist attack on Gaza and Israel’s massive military response. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Former Met special constable who groomed then raped girl and woman jailed for 24 years 20. March 2026 (18:04) Gwyn Samuels, who committed crimes as James Bubb, befriended both victims online A Metropolitan police special constable who raped a girl and a woman after “systematically” grooming them both online has been jailed for 24 years.James Bubb, who now identifies as a woman named Gwyn Samuels, first sexually assaulted the girl when she was just 12 years old after befriending her online in 2018, the trial at Aylesbury crown court was told last year. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Senior European journalist suspended over AI-generated quotes 20. March 2026 (17:13) Mediahuis suspends Peter Vandermeersch, who says he ‘fell into trap of hallucinations’, after investigation by newspaper where he was once editor-in-chiefThe publisher of Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf and the Irish Independent has suspended one of its senior journalists after he admitted using AI to “wrongly put words into people’s mouths”.Peter Vandermeersch, former head of the Irish operations at Mediahuis, said he “fell into the trap of hallucinations” – the term for AI-generated errors – when using the technology. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
FCA investigates collapsed lender MFS amid £1.3bn mortgage scandal 20. March 2026 (17:11) Move follows the granting of a worldwide asset-freezing order on company’s founder, Paresh RajaWhat is the £1.3bn MFS mortgage scandal and what is private credit?The UK’s financial regulator has launched an investigation into Market Financial Solutions (MFS), the mortgage lender that collapsed last month amid allegations of fraud.The move follows the granting of a £1.3bn worldwide asset-freezing order on MFS founder Paresh Raja on Wednesday, as creditors successfully gained court orders in London and Dubai barring the tycoon from dissipating assets. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Ambulance delays during power cut possibly contributed to man’s death, coroner rules 20. March 2026 (16:41) Peter Coates’s family welcome end to years pursuing answers after he died when breathing apparatus stoppedA family has welcomed a coroner’s conclusion that ambulance delays possibly contributed to a man’s death in 2019 after enduring “years of distress trying to pursue answers”.The family of Peter Coates said they had been met with “delays and resistance” from a regional ambulance service as they tried to discover the full circumstances of his final minutes. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
