Meta disables over 150,000 accounts in crackdown on south-east Asian scam networks 11. March 2026 (18:14) Company also launches tools to spot scammers as Thai police arrest 21 peopleMeta disabled more than 150,000 accounts and Thai police arrested 21 people in a sweeping international crackdown on south-east Asian criminal scam centers that targeted people around the world, the social media company said Wednesday.The operation was led by Thailand’s Royal Thai police anti-cyber scam center, alongside the FBI and the US justice department’s scam center strike force, with Meta investigators acting on intelligence shared in real time by law enforcement. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Former spy chief quits royal commission into antisemitism and Bondi attack 11. March 2026 (18:11) Just a fortnight after its opening hearing, Dennis Richardson has resigned without any explanationFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe former spy chief Dennis Richardson has resigned without explanation from the royal commission into antisemitism and the Bondi terror attack, just a fortnight after its opening hearing.The commissioner, Virginia Bell, released a statement on Wednesday night announcing Richardson’s surprise departure from his role as special adviser to the inquiry. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘The shine has been taken off’: Dubai faces existential threat as foreigners flee conflict 11. March 2026 (17:57) Tens of thousands of residents and tourists have left UAE since the US and Israel started bombing Iran two weeks ago, leaving beach bars, malls and hotels eerily emptyIn the playground of the rich, nobody wanted this war. For decades, Dubai built itself up as a sanctuary of unadulterated consumerism visited by tourists the world over.But now, the city in the United Arab Emirates faces an existential threat, as the war between the US and Israel and Iran has shaken the foundations of the “Dubai dream” that so many foreigners had bought into. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
What the Mandelson documents reveal – and what we still don’t know 11. March 2026 (17:49) What have we learned from release of files relating to former peer’s appointment – and sacking – as UK ambassador to Washington?UK politics live – latest updatesWe now have the first tranche of documents promised by the government connected to the appointment of Peter Mandelson as the UK’s ambassador to Washington – 147 pages from a mass of information believed to total in the hundreds of thousands.Mandelson has previously denied any wrongdoing, and his lawyers have said that he does not intend to make any further statement at this time. Here is what we have learned from the files – and what we do not yet know. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Texas to execute man who killed his girlfriend and her eight-year-old son in 2013 11. March 2026 (17:35) Supreme court recently rejected Cedric Ricks’ claim that potential jurors in his trial were eliminated based on raceSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxA north Texas man faces execution on Wednesday for fatally stabbing his girlfriend and her eight-year-old son nearly 13 years ago.Cedric Ricks was sentenced to death for the May 2013 killings of 30-year-old Roxann Sanchez and her son Anthony Figueroa at their apartment in Bedford, a suburb in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Sanchez’s 12-year-old son, Marcus Figueroa, was injured during the attack. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US vaccine panel retreats from mRNA Covid review ahead of midterms 11. March 2026 (17:25) Advisers to RFK Jr drop the plan to end federal guidance amid Republican worries about the political impactUS politics live – latest updatesSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter emailA major federal panel that advises the government on vaccines has stepped back from efforts targeting Covid-19 mRNA vaccines, a change that comes as some Republicans reportedly caution that additional shifts in vaccine policy could hurt the party in the upcoming midterm elections.Several vaccine advisers selected by Robert F Kennedy Jr, the health secretary, had been exploring the possibility of ending federal recommendations for mRNA covid shots. That initiative is no longer going forward, according to two sources familiar with the discussions who spoke to the Washington Post. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US responsible for deadly missile strike on Iran school, preliminary inquiry says 11. March 2026 (17:21) Strike that killed at least 175 people, most of them children, reportedly due to targeting mistake by US military plannersMinab school bombing: a visual guideA preliminary US military investigation has reportedly determined that Washington was responsible for a deadly Tomahawk missile strike on an Iranian elementary school in February that killed scores of children.According to the New York Times, quoting unnamed US officials and others familiar with the initial findings, the investigation has concluded that the strike on 28 February on the Shajarah Tayyebeh elementary school building was the result of a targeting mistake by the US military planners. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Lloyd’s of London stresses it is still insuring shipping in strait of Hormuz 11. March 2026 (16:58) Maritime insurer fends off criticism over cancelled policies and sharp price risesMiddle East crisis – live updatesThere is a price for everything: even the cost of insuring a ship travelling through the strait of Hormuz.Donald Trump’s proposals for the US to provide political risk insurance for seaborne trade in the Gulf may have given the impression a lack of cover was the reason why traffic through the key waterway has almost halted. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Mandelson was offered highly classified briefing before he finished vetting process 11. March 2026 (16:58) Newly released documents suggest Foreign Office may have begun to brief Mandelson before vetting was completedUK politics live – latest updatesPeter Mandelson was offered a highly classified briefing from the Foreign Office as US ambassador before he finished the formal vetting process, newly released documents reveal.The documents were released after the Conservatives forced the disclosures about the appointment of Mandelson, who was sacked in September last year because of his close association with the sex offender Jeffery Epstein. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
British fintech Revolut gets full banking licence 11. March 2026 (16:57) Group lodged application in 2021 but had to overcome accounting issues and reputational concernsRevolut can finally launch as a fully-fledged UK bank after a five-year wait for regulatory approval.The fintech said it has received the all-clear from the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) for a full banking licence, allowing it to offer accounts for retail and business customers. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
