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)
El Salvador’s mass arrest policy may have led to crimes against humanity, study shows 11. March 2026 (16:00) Experts documented murder, torture and disappearances under president Nayib Bukele’s policy targeting gangsThe draconian mass incarceration policy of El Salvador’s president, Nayib Bukele, may have led to crimes against humanity, according to a new study by legal experts.By locking up 1.4% of the population without due process, Bukele turned El Salvador from one of Latin America’s most violent countries into one of its least violent – but at the cost of human rights and the rule of law. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Democrats deliver ‘stunning’ flip in New Hampshire special election, latest in series of 28 upsets 11. March 2026 (15:45) Bobbi Boudman’s win over Republican Dale Fincher could be a harbinger of blue wave during midtermsSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxA Democrat won a special election for a state house seat in New Hampshire on Tuesday, flipping a Republican district that Donald Trump carried and marking the latest in a string of 28 Democratic upsets that could usher in a blue wave in the midterms.Bobbi Boudman beat Republican Dale Fincher in New Hampshire’s Carroll county district 7. It was Boudman’s third try at the seat – she lost to incumbent representative Glenn Cordelli in the last two cycles by several points. Cordelli resigned from the seat after moving, leading to the special election on 10 March. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Countries must seek energy independence through renewables and nuclear, says John Kerry 11. March 2026 (15:36) Former US secretary of state says oil shock driven by war in Iran highlights dangers of reliance on fossil fuelsMiddle East crisis live – latest updatesCountries must seek energy independence through renewable resources and nuclear energy for their national security, and to avoid the “choke points” of fossil fuel supply, the former US secretary of state John Kerry has warned.The war in Iran has sent oil prices soaring, as refineries and fields have closed down in several Middle Eastern countries and many tankers are stranded in the strait of Hormuz, with economic impacts beginning to be felt around the world. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Can the IEA put a lid on the price per barrel by releasing oil stockpiles? 11. March 2026 (15:29) Despite rare act of multilateralism, there is no guarantee the IEA’s release of 400m barrels from reserves will depress pricesIEA poised to call for largest ever release of stockpiled oil to reduce priceHow the Iran conflict could affect energy prices – video explainerWhen the global economy was still in the grip of the devastating 1970s oil crises, exposing the chokehold exerted by a few important oil states, the International Energy Agency (IEA) was created, in the hope of limiting future shocks.Almost half a century on, the IEA’s 32 members have drawn up plans to hit the emergency button, for only the fifth time in its history. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Argentina grants asylum to Brasília rioter in move that may sway Brazil vote 11. March 2026 (15:11) Decision to shield pro-Bolsonaro truck driver sentenced for 8 January 2023 attack could inflame Brazil election politicsArgentina has granted asylum to a Brazilian fugitive convicted for his role in 2023 pro-Bolsonaro riots – a decision that analysts say could reverberate in Brazil’s upcoming presidential election.A week after Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Brazil’s president, took office, hundreds of people ransacked Brazil’s congress building, presidential palace and supreme court on 8 January 2023, in an attempt to overturn former president Jair Bolsonaro’s electoral defeat. Investigators later concluded the attacks were the culmination of a broader plot aimed at staging a coup. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Snapchat told an Australian mother it would not delete her son’s account because his listed age was 25 11. March 2026 (15:00) Parents have been told to report accounts missed in Australia’s under-16 social media ban – but eSafety is ‘concerned’ some platforms aren’t complyingGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAn Australian mother who reported her 14-year-old’s Snapchat account has been rebuffed by the social media company, because his self-declared age was 25.Parents of teens who have eluded the social media ban have been told to report their children’s accounts to the platforms to get them kicked off, but some platforms are not acting on it, Guardian Australia can reveal. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Payman, Thorpe and Faruqi demand Labor change parliamentary rules to counter ‘overt’ racism 11. March 2026 (15:00) Exclusive: independent and Greens senators ask president to set up inquiry and anti-racism training for politicians to prevent bigotry ‘corroding democracy’Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastIncreasingly ugly abuse in federal parliament has prompted a group of independents and the Greens to call for an urgent intervention from Labor to change the rules, warning that allowing racism and bigotry to “fester” is corroding democracy.Guardian Australia can reveal independents, Fatima Payman and Lidia Thorpe, and the Greens’ Mehreen Faruqi are demanding Senate president Sue Lines take the problem seriously with a new inquiry and mandatory anti-racism training for politicians. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
