‘Geopolitical uncertainties’ amid Iran war could slow fall in mortgage rates, says Halifax 06. March 2026 (09:19) UK house price growth slowed in February as value of typical home rose 0.3% to £301,151Business live – latest updatesHalifax has warned that the US-Israel war on Iran could slow mortgage rate decreases this year, as it said that house price growth eased dramatically in February.Halifax, which is part of Lloyds – Britain’s biggest mortgage lender – said the conflict in the Middle East was likely to affect global economies, stoke inflation and reduce the likely rate of interest rate cuts that influence borrowing costs for homebuyers. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Paul Keating savages Nine on anniversary of ‘irresponsible prediction’ Australia faced looming China war 06. March 2026 (08:59) The ‘Red Alert’ series warned in 2023 that Australia needed to be ‘ready to fight in just three years’ – and Keating has again taken his fight to the newspaper groupFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastPaul Keating has again accused the Sydney Morning Herald and the Age of misleading the public with their “irresponsible prediction” three years ago of a Chinese attack on Australia.The former prime minister took the opportunity of the third anniversary of Nine newspapers’ Red Alert series to repeat his disdain for the reporting and its primary author, international editor Peter Hartcher. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
NSW police admit to making ‘very unfortunate’ wrong claim after officer shot man dead 06. March 2026 (08:00) Inquest into fatal shooting of Steve Pampalian told statement by assistant commissioner he was ‘known to police’ was incorrectA man shot dead by a NSW police officer after he ran at him with two knives was not known to police, a coroner says, despite a “very unfortunate” claim to the contrary made by the assistant commissioner of the force immediately after the incident.Steve Pampalian, 41, was shot three times by a police officer in the driveway of his home on a quiet suburban street in Sydney’s North Willoughby on 25 May 2023 after he had a psychotic episode. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US and Venezuela move to restore diplomatic ties two months after Maduro’s capture 06. March 2026 (07:59) Re-establishing diplomatic relations will support Venezuela’s economy, US state department claims, amid push for minerals accessVenezuela and the US are restoring diplomatic ties, the two countries announced Thursday, in a new sign of thawing relations after Washington ousted former president Nicolás Maduro.The announcement came as US interior secretary Doug Burgum wrapped up a two-day trip to Venezuela, part of US president Donald Trump’s push for greater access to the country’s mineral wealth. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Vice-chancellor calls for review into student loans for those without A-levels 06. March 2026 (07:00) Adam Tickell, of University of Birmingham, says money is loaned to people who ‘are not really capable of graduating’A leading vice-chancellor has questioned whether students without A-levels should be eligible for government-backed student loans, as part of an effort to solve England’s university funding crisis.Adam Tickell, vice-chancellor of the University of Birmingham, said universities face an “almost existential challenge” and falling public support that requires a radical review of higher education funding. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Mass stranding of whales on Scottish beach caused by loyalty to their pod, report finds 06. March 2026 (07:00) The 55 pilot whales, which had to be euthanised, had been following a female having a difficult birth, scientists believeThe mass stranding and death of 55 whales on the Isle of Lewis in 2023 was caused by the mammals’ loyalty to their pod, a report has concluded.It had been thought that the unusually large incident on Tràigh Mhòr beach, Tolsta, could have been caused by trauma, disease or acoustic disturbance from military or industrially generated noise. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
UK arts must not be sacrificed for speculative AI gains, peers say 06. March 2026 (07:00) Ministers urged to abandon plans to let tech firms use work of novelists, artists and writers without permissionThe UK’s creative industries must not be sacrificed in the pursuit of speculative gains in AI technology, a House of Lords committee has warned, as the government prepares to reveal the economic cost of proposals to change copyright rules.A report by peers has urged ministers to develop a licensing regime for the use of creative works in AI products and abandon proposals to let tech firms use the work of novelists, artists, writers and journalists without permission. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Louise Casey: England’s social care system faces ‘moment of reckoning’ 06. March 2026 (07:00) Head of government-commissioned review says adult social care is held together by ‘sticking plasters and glue’England’s “creaking” adult social care system is confusing and impenetrable to the people that rely on it and held together with “sticking plasters and glue”, the head of a government-commissioned review has said in a withering critique.Louise Casey said the country faced a “moment of reckoning” over its failure to effectively and fairly meet the needs of Britain’s ageing population and rising numbers of people with chronic conditions such as dementia and Alzheimer’s. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Water firms sent bailiffs to tens of thousands of homes for debts under £1,000 06. March 2026 (07:00) Most recorded visits are for smaller debts, data from England and Wales suggests, though method of recovery is a postcode lotteryTens of thousands of people a year have bailiffs sent to their homes by water companies in England and Wales, data shows.Many thousands of these visits by debt collectors were for sums worth under £1,000, according to the data released by the House of Commons environment, food and rural affairs (Efra) committee. Bailiffs are debt collectors instructed by a court, who can seize items from those in debt, including electrical items, jewellery or vehicles. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Iran-backed militias intensify attacks against US, Israel and allies 06. March 2026 (06:00) Iraq emerges as key front in new and often clandestine confrontation after launching dozens of attacksIran-backed militias around the Middle East are intensifying attacks against Israel, the US and their allies, in retaliation for the ongoing joint US-Israeli offensive against Tehran as the war draws in new armed actors, threatening wider chaos and violence.Israel and the US have targeted Iran’s network of militant groups, with Iraq emerging as a key front in this new and often clandestine confrontation. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
