Patients face long journeys for medicines as pharmacies cut weekend hours 13. March 2026 (10:00) More than 20% of weekend availability lost in England since 2022, forcing some to turn to A&E, says national associationPeople who need to obtain medication at the weekend are having to undertake long trips because more pharmacies are cutting their opening hours on Saturdays and Sundays.One in six pharmacies in England have reduced their hours at weekends since 2022, with some shutting altogether, as a result of “unsustainable” pressures on their budgets. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Bleak economic data shows UK plc in trouble well before Middle East crisis 13. March 2026 (09:54) Zero GDP growth in January will not help Rachel Reeves claim she has put UK in position to weather oil price stormBusiness live – latest updatesUK economy unexpectedly flatlined in January, ONS data showsEven before Donald Trump’s Operation Epic Fury on Iran unleashed higher oil prices, threatening the outlook for growth and inflation, the UK economy was flatlining.That’s the bleak message in the latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), which showed zero GDP growth in January. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
NSW emerges as main loser from GST carve-up as WA gets extra $5.5bn 13. March 2026 (09:25) NSW premier says latest distribution calculation, with a reduction in the state’s share of revenue relative to its population, is unfair and ‘past its use-by date’Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralia’s richest state will receive an extra $5.5bn in GST revenue thanks to a sweetheart deal struck with Western Australia in 2018, as the New South Wales premier attacked the latest distribution calculation as unfair and “past its use-by date”.The Commonwealth Grants Commission on Friday released its recommendations on how a projected $102.5bn in goods and services tax should be carved up between the states and territories in 2026-27. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Nasa ‘on track’ for Artemis II moon mission launch as soon as 1 April 13. March 2026 (09:03) US space agency says it is working towards new date after February launch delayed by technical difficultiesNasa has said the long-delayed launch of Artemis II, the first crewed flyby mission to the moon in more than 50 years, could happen as soon as 1 April.“We are on track for a launch as early as April 1, and we are working toward that date,” Lori Glaze, a senior Nasa official, told a press conference on Thursday. Technical difficulties delayed a launch originally expected in February. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘We’re living in an Orwellian nightmare’: Grace Tame calls Anthony Albanese a ‘coward’ in scathing critique 13. March 2026 (07:20) In an essay for Crikey, the former Australian of the Year says the PM is a ‘turncoat’ who is ‘capitulating to foreign powers’ amid the US-Israel war on IranGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastGrace Tame has said “we’re living in an Orwellian nightmare” in a scathing critique of the prime minister and his government’s position on the war in the Middle East.In an essay published in Crikey on Friday, the advocate for sexual abuse survivors and human rights activist accused Anthony Albanese of being a “coward” and a “turncoat” for refusing to condemn the US-Israel strikes on Iran. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Everything is a political weapon since Trump’s re-election, says Germany’s ex-economy minister 13. March 2026 (07:00) Robert Habeck says world has moved on from weaponising energy to using tariffs, technology and more to inflict harmThe weaponisation of energy when Russia invaded Ukraine has given way to “weaponising everything” since Donald Trump returned to the White House, Germany’s former economy minister has said.Robert Habeck, the Green politician responsible for keeping the lights on during the last energy crisis, said the belief gas “would never be a political weapon” led successive German governments blindly into Putin’s trap by building the Nord Stream pipelines and selling strategic reserves to Gazprom, which Russia emptied before the invasion. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Hundreds of thousands of NHS staff in England attacked and harassed, survey shows 13. March 2026 (07:00) Health service’s 2025 staff survey found that one in seven had experienced violence from patients or the publicHundreds of thousands of NHS staff have been attacked, harassed, bullied, or subject to racism, latest NHS figures show.The health service’s 2025 staff survey found that one in seven had experienced violence from patients or the public, while more than a quarter reported harassment, bullying and abuse, the highest levels in three years. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Nearly three-quarters of England’s woods inaccessible to public, study finds 13. March 2026 (06:00) Exclusive: Campaigners call for government to introduce right-to-roam bill that allows people to walk around their local woodlandsNearly three-quarters of England’s woods are off-limits to the public, buried government documents show.The study by Forest Research, which is a government-funded quango, found that 73% of English woodland is publicly inaccessible. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Middle East crisis live: rescue effort under way after US refuelling plane with five onboard crashes in Iraq 13. March 2026 (05:52) US central command says aircraft lost in ‘friendly airspace’, adding that the crash was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire Middle East war creating ‘largest supply disruption in history of oil markets’How have you been affected by the latest Middle East events?Saudi Arabia’s defence ministry is saying that two drones have been intercepted and destroyed in the eastern region.More now after reports of explosions in Dubai on Friday morning: thick black smoke rose over the financial hub’s skyline after what authorities described as a fire in an industrial area of the city-state. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Rent pause for flooded Aboriginal communities: ‘We’re talking about the most disadvantaged people in the Territory’ 13. March 2026 (05:02) NT government says the rent freeze will be ‘applied automatically for eligible housing tenants’ as floodwaters break records in the Big Rivers regionFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Northern Territory government will freeze rental payments for public housing tenants affected by historic floods spreading across the Big Rivers region.Monsoonal rainfall has inundated remote Aboriginal communities in the region over the past two weeks. The Daly River area was hit hardest on Wednesday, with Dorisvale Crossing reaching 23.93 metres by 1.30pm, the highest level ever recorded. The nearby Katherine River peaked at 19.2 metres last Saturday, its highest level since floods in 1998. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
