Trump’s call for allied deployment to strait of Hormuz meets muted response 15. March 2026 (17:24) UK and Japan among countries that are considering options but yet to commit warships to blockaded shipping routeMiddle East crisis – live updatesCountries including the UK, Japan, China and South Korea have said they are still considering their options but without making commitments after the US president, Donald Trump, urged them to send warships to the strait of Hormuz to secure the vital shipping route.In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump called on the UK, China, France, Japan, South Korea and other countries to send ships to the waterway, the world’s busiest shipping route, which is being violently blockaded by Iran. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Row over tuition fees cut for European students threatens Starmer’s EU reset 15. March 2026 (16:00) British negotiators ‘blindsided’ by Brussels’ demand for a reduction that could cost universities £140m a yearBritain is in a standoff with Brussels over a demand to cut university tuition fees for European students, in a row that threatens to scupper Keir Starmer’s planned EU reset.EU officials say European students should pay “home” fees of about £9,500 a year as part of the negotiations over a youth mobility scheme, rather than the higher international rate, which can rise above £60,000. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Florida’s real estate ‘gold rush’ draws the super-rich as rising costs push others out 15. March 2026 (16:00) The luxury property surge fuels growth in Miami, but a poll finds many residents weighing an exit over housing and living costsTo a casual observer, everything in south Florida’s real estate garden is looking rosy. There’s a “gold rush” in Miami as ultra-wealthy buyers snap up mega-mansions and luxuriously appointed condos as soon as they hit the market; and the Guardian has also reported recently on the “Mamdani effect” of elite New Yorkers arriving in the sunshine state with bulging pocketbooks in search of a high-priced escape from the city’s new mayor.Yet alongside the boom, there are rumblings of a more troubling parallel reality. Undoubtedly, the billionaire class is helping to pump even more dollars into an already thriving Florida economy. But as prices rise and the less affluent find everything from housing and insurance to gas and groceries increasingly expensive, many are considering doing something about it. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Treasure hunter freed from prison after 10 years but location of gold coins still unknown 15. March 2026 (15:12) Tommy Thompson refused to give up the location of 500 missing coins found in 1988 in a historic shipwreckA US treasure hunter who was imprisoned for 10 years after refusing to reveal the location of missing gold coins has been released from prison, without officials apparently ever learning where that gold is.Tommy Thompson – a renowned salvager who in 1988 found the long-lost, so-called Ship of Gold near South Carolina – was freed from federal prison on 4 March, records and reports recently indicated. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Australian soldiers’ bodies ‘very likely’ disturbed by Israeli bulldozing at Gaza cemetery, senator says 15. March 2026 (15:00) David Pocock’s comments come as new photos show scale of damage and government official says its ‘quite possible’ bodies disturbedGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe bodies of Australian soldiers buried in Gaza have “very likely” been disturbed, the independent senator David Pocock says, as new photos tendered to parliament show widespread damage of graves by Israeli bulldozers.About 146 of the 263 graves of Australian soldiers buried in Gaza have been damaged, Senate estimates heard last week. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Queensland police sued after officer caught describing Indians as ‘perverts’ while investigating rideshare driver 15. March 2026 (15:00) Exclusive: Racial discrimination alleged after police withdrew indecent act charge a year after officer was recorded talking about ‘fucking Indians’WARNING: this article contains offensive languageQueensland police investigated a Punjabi man for a year – over charges that were eventually withdrawn – despite knowing one of the arresting officers had been caught on camera describing Indians as a “bunch of fucking perverts”.The rideshare driver named Singh, who asked that his first name not be used because of the distress caused by the case, has now launched legal action against the force due to the alleged racial discrimination he suffered during the investigation that led to him being charged with committing an indecent act, according to his statement of claim. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Religious leaders condemn Michigan synagogue attack – but moving forward together tricky 15. March 2026 (15:00) Jewish and Arab American leaders decry violence at Temple Israel, but US-Israel war on Iran complicates healingJewish and Arab American leaders across Detroit and the US strongly condemned the 12 March terrorist attack on a Michigan synagogue and largely aimed to lower tensions against the backdrop of the US and Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Iran.But in Michigan, where large populations of Arab Americans and Jews live near one another, the complexities of the situation can be difficult to grapple with – and few people had easy or quick answers on how to move forward. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Stout clobber? Guinness tie-up features £1,295 ‘pub carpet jumper’ 15. March 2026 (14:30) The brand has enlisted JW Anderson to help brew a 17-piece range of luxury fashionware, from ‘beer towel’ shorts to branded trousers and topsYou too can look like a pub carpet – and for the bargain price of £1,295. Such sartorial elegance – perhaps an option for anyone stepping out to celebrate St Patrick’s Day this week – is the aesthetic love child of a partnership between Guinness and the luxury clothing brand JW Anderson.Launched earlier this month, the tie-up allows fashionistas to get their hands on a range of Guinness-wear, exploiting the ongoing metamorphosis of the “black stuff” from unfashionable pub staple to social media status symbol. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Israeli police kill two young Palestinian boys and their parents in West Bank 15. March 2026 (14:28) Mother, father and brothers aged five and seven shot in the head as they returned from Ramadan shopping tripIsraeli police have killed two young Palestinian brothers and their parents in the occupied West Bank, shooting all four in the head and face as the family returned from a Ramadan shopping trip.Mohammed, five, Othman, seven, who was blind and had special needs, their mother Waad Bani Odeh, 35, and father Ali Bani Odeh, 37, were driving through their hometown of Tamoun late on Saturday when Israeli forces opened fire. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Nathan Martin wins closest-ever Los Angeles marathon in its 40-year history 15. March 2026 (14:00) The American propelled ahead of frontrunner Michael Kimani Kamau by a fraction of a secondSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxIn the final moments of the Los Angeles marathon last weekend, the announcers were already narrating frontrunner Michael Kimani Kamau’s finish when Nathan Martin suddenly propelled forward, shocking newscasters and spectators.The 36-year-old Martin prevailed in a single stride, stepping across the finish line an almost imperceptible fraction of a second before Kamau and becoming the first Black American to win the contest. He had challenged himself in the final miles of the race to keep putting his all into it, despite physical exhaustion, and finished the 26.2-mile race in 2 hours, 11 minutes and 18 seconds. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
