White House worries as gas prices jump amid ongoing US-Israel war on Iran 08. March 2026 (13:00) US drivers are largely insulated from higher oil prices caused by Middle East turmoil – but only to a pointAcross the US, the average cost of a gallon of regular gasoline has jumped nearly 27 cents in a week, to $3.25, and American consumers are bracing for higher prices at the gas pump as the US-Israel conflict with Iran threatens to disrupt the global oil supply.That fear has entered the White House too, where Donald Trump’s chief of staff, Susie Wiles, is reportedly hunting for ideas to lower gasoline prices and officials are getting “screamed at” to bring good news, according to Politico. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Iran’s new supreme leader has been selected, says deciding body 08. March 2026 (12:36) Israel says it will target any figure chosen to succeed Ali Khamenei, who was killed in US-Israeli strikesMiddle East crisis live – latest updatesThe body in charge of selecting a new supreme leader for Iran says it has reached a decision – although the name was not immediately announced.Israel has warned it would target any figure chosen to replace Ali Khamenei, who was killed in joint US-Israeli strikes on the first day of the war with Iran. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘How is he going to have the time?’ NIH staff voice concern as Bhattacharya takes on CDC role 08. March 2026 (12:00) Scientists fear NIH director will be even more absent and leave key issues unresolved as he takes interim CDC leadSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxAs Jay Bhattacharya temporarily takes the lead at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), employees at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), where Bhattacharya is the permanent director, fear his attention will falter even more as critical issues at the research agency go unaddressed.Bhattacharya first rose to prominence as a fierce opponent to Covid mitigations and has become a close ally of Robert F Kennedy Jr, the health secretary. Under their oversight, NIH has sharply curtailed the funds it awards to researchers, especially studies involving race and gender, while some employees faced hiring freezes and increased health expenses at the agency. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Will UN plans to transform the way it works ‘throw equality under the bus’? 08. March 2026 (12:00) Many of those attending the world’s largest meeting on women’s rights in New York this week are primed to defend the two key UN agencies that protect women and girls around the worldThousands of international delegates are gathering in New York this week for the world’s largest meeting on women’s rights. The United Nation’s annual Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is an opportunity for government ministers, UN officials, NGO representatives and activists to discuss the global state of gender equality and women’s empowerment. This year, there will be a strong focus on “ensuring and strengthening access to justice”.But as senior UN figures urge countries to intensify their efforts to achieve gender equality, many of the delegates will be asking whether the UN is at risk of diluting its own commitment to women and girls. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Cooper rejects Blair’s call for UK to have backed Trump’s strikes on Iran 08. March 2026 (11:41) Foreign secretary hits back at former prime minister, saying Britain had to ‘learn the lessons’ of Iraq warMiddle East crisis – live updatesYvette Cooper has rejected Tony Blair’s assertion that the UK should have supported Donald Trump’s initial airstrikes on Iran, saying Britain had to “learn the lessons” of mistakes made in Iraq.At a private lunch event on Friday, the former Labour prime minister said Keir Starmer “should have backed America from the very beginning” and let the Trump administration use British airbases, adding: “If they are your ally and they are an indispensable cornerstone for your security … you had better show up when they want you to.” Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Princess Eugenie steps down as patron of anti-slavery charity 08. March 2026 (11:11) Decision follows release of Epstein files that have disgraced her father, the former prince Andrew Mountbatten-WindsorPrincess Eugenie has stepped down as patron of the UK charity AntiSlavery International, the world’s oldest human rights organisation.The decision follows the release by the US Department of Justice of millions of documents and emails relating to Jeffrey Epstein’s role in sexual abuse and trafficking women around the world, which have disgraced her father, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Time for a change: British Columbia decides to keep daylight saving time permanently 08. March 2026 (10:00) Most residents of Canadian province wanted change for years; Trump’s unneighbourly rhetoric helped seal the dealSince 1918, the clocks in Creston, a town in eastern British Columbia, ran an hour ahead of nearby communities for half the year. For the other six months, they slipped back into sync. Not because they town changed them but because its neighbours changed back and forth from daylight saving time.Creston was an outlier: a community that effectively created its own time zone. But when residents in most parts of the province shift their clocks forward on Sunday, they will be doing it for the last time – and permanently joining Creston for the first time in nearly 70 years. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
BrewDog sold highland estate for knockdown price after abandoning reforestation plans 08. March 2026 (10:00) Self-styled ‘punk’ beer company bought land in 2020, pledging to plant Scotland’s ‘biggest ever forest’The self-styled “punk” beer company BrewDog sold its Highland estate for a knockdown price after abandoning its efforts to plant Scotland’s “biggest ever forest” there.BrewDog’s co-founder James Watt claimed its Lost Forest project at Kinrara in the Cairngorms national park would cover a “staggering area” and capture tens of millions of tonnes of CO2 during its lifetime. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Caffè Nero says growth is ‘steady’ but coffee prices are likely to rise 08. March 2026 (09:00) Founder of family-owned firm says it will pause acquisitions after takeover of 15 Compass Coffee stores in USCaffè Nero will continue opening new shops in the UK and overseas, but has warned coffee prices are likely to keep rising as the war in Iran and higher staffing costs feed through.The family-owned business, which has just bought the 15-store Compass Coffee based in Washington DC to convert to its main brand, is aiming to open as many as 30 UK stores and between 50 and 70 more this year across the 10 other countries it operates in. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Undercover officer deceived women with ‘grotesque and cruel’ lies, spycops inquiry told 08. March 2026 (08:00) Carlo Soracchi admits exploiting empathy of woman who had abusive father by claiming his father abused his sister An undercover police officer told “grotesque and cruel” lies while emotionally manipulating two women he had deceived into long-term sexual relationships, the spycops public inquiry has heard.Carlo Soracchi admitted he sought to elicit the empathy of one of the women by claiming that his sister had been abused by his father. He also told her that his father had died when he was actually alive. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
