Qantas hikes international air fares citing volatile oil prices from war in Middle East 10. March 2026 (08:50) Airline reports spike in ticket sales to Europe in March, as passengers with carriers affected by flight chaos rebookGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastQantas has announced it is increasing the price of its international air fares amid oil price volatility caused by the war in the Middle East, while the airline also reported higher-than-normal ticket sales for flights to Europe.While the company hedges against change in jet fuel prices, it was not fully covered for the spike seen in the wake of surging oil prices, a spokesperson said on Tuesday. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Sounds familiar’: how the US-Israeli war in Iran parallels Russia’s invasion of Ukraine 10. March 2026 (07:00) Both campaigns have been framed differently at different times, with dubious claims of defensive action and a curious reluctance to label it warShifting goals, unclear timelines and a flimsy pretext: at times, the US-Israel campaign against Iran carries curious parallels of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.The comparison is far from exact. In 2022, Putin sent a massive army across Ukraine’s borders in an unprovoked invasion of a democratic state, a campaign that quickly resulted in heavy losses. The United States has so far largely limited its involvement to airstrikes against Iran’s authoritarian regime. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Thousands of authors publish ‘empty’ book in protest over AI using their work 10. March 2026 (07:00) About 10,000 writers including Kazuo Ishiguro, Philippa Gregory and Richard Osman join copyright campaignThousands of authors including Kazuo Ishiguro, Philippa Gregory and Richard Osman have published an “empty” book to protest against AI firms using their work without permission.About 10,000 writers have contributed to Don’t Steal This Book, in which the only content is a list of their names. Copies of the work are being distributed to attenders at the London book fair on Tuesday, a week before the UK government is due to issue an assessment on the economic cost of proposed changes in copyright law. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Testing the waters: can pumping chemicals into the ocean help stop global heating? 10. March 2026 (07:00) To some it was a reckless experiment but scientists hope the dispersal of 65,000 litres of sodium hydroxide into the Gulf of Maine could ease the climate crisisFor four days last August, a thick slick of maroon bruised the waters of the Gulf of Maine. The scene, not unlike a toxic red tide, was the result of 65,000 litres of an alkaline chemical, tagged with a red dye, that had been deliberately pumped by scientists into the ocean.Though it sounds perverse, the event was part of a scientific experiment that could advance a technology to combat both global heating and ocean acidification. Ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE), as the approach is called, acts like natural weathering, but on human – rather than geological – timescales. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Contractor warned to ‘step up’ and finish Sydney’s maligned M6 motorway or face the consequences 10. March 2026 (06:12) Twin tunnels should be open but lead contractor wants out, blaming sinkholes and a ‘reverse fault’. The NSW government insists ‘there is a technical solution available’Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastTwo years after large sinkholes opened above the construction of a $3.1bn Sydney motorway tunnel, the consortium charged with the project’s completion has been issued a notice forcing it to continue the job or face possible legal consequences.The New South Wales roads minister, Jenny Aitchison, said contractor CGU had on Monday been issued a “notice of default”, forcing it to recommence work on the 90% complete M6 tunnel by 1 May. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Was Iran really building a nuclear weapon? – podcast 10. March 2026 (06:00) Among the many justifications Donald Trump has presented for the US and Israel attacking Iran has been the supposedly imminent threat posed by its nuclear weapons programme. But how close was the country really to developing an atomic weapon? Ian Sample hears from Kelsey Davenport, the director of non-proliferation policy at the Arms Control Association. She sets out why many experts don’t believe the country even had a structured nuclear weapons programme, and explains what she thinks the impact of the war could be on nuclear proliferation around the world.Attacking Iran’s nuclear programme could drive it towards a bomb, experts warnSupport the Guardian: theguardian.com/sciencepod Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Bombing of Iran’s oil infrastructure to have major environmental fallout, experts warn 10. March 2026 (06:00) Monitors admit they are struggling to keep track of the environmental disasters arising from widening warIsrael’s bombing of Iran’s oil infrastructure will have major long-term environmental repercussions, experts have warned, as monitors admitted they were struggling to keep track of the environmental disasters arising from the widening war.Even as Iranians filled the streets to mark the appointment of a new supreme leader, the Shahran oil depot north-east of Tehran and the Shahr-e fuel depot to its south continued to burn on Monday, two days after they were bombed by Israeli warplanes. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Middle East crisis live: Trump claims Iran war will be over ‘very soon’ but Tehran says it will determine when 10. March 2026 (05:50) US president says war is ‘very complete’ and threatens worse strikes if passage of oil via strait of Hormuz is blocked; IRGC says it will not let out ‘one litre of oil’Oil prices drop sharply after Trump moves to reassure marketsTrump says Iran war is ‘very complete, pretty much’ as economic toll risesIsraeli strikes have hit south and east Lebanon, state media is reporting.The United Arab Emirates, meanwhile, says it has intercepted a missile and drone attack from Iran. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Kyle Sandilands apologises to former co-host Jackie ‘O’ Henderson and says he wants program back on air 10. March 2026 (05:34) Kiis FM radio host accuses ARN of not running ‘genuine process’ before terminating Henderson’s contract and suspending him following pair’s on-air fightFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastKyle Sandilands says he has apologised to his co-host, Jackie ‘O’ Henderson, and is “devastated” that their partnership could be ending in his first public comments since their shock split.In a lengthy statement issued on Tuesday, the Kiis FM radio host said he had been told by the broadcaster’s parent company, the Australian Radio Network (ARN), that he was “not allowed to contact Jackie” or his colleagues after her exit from the $200m Kyle and Jackie O Show on Tuesday 3 March. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Bundaberg residents told to evacuate immediately amid major flooding in parts of Queensland 10. March 2026 (04:09) The BoM has forecast flooding of the Burnett River at Bundaberg could rise to 7.5 metres by midnightFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesSign up for climate and environment editor Adam Morton’s free Clear Air newsletter hereResidents of the coastal Queensland city of Bundaberg have been told to evacuate immediately amid major flooding in the wake of a tropical low.It comes after days of heavy rain across northern Australia, with parts of the Northern Territory experiencing their worst flooding in decades, and Darwin residents asked to reduce water use after the Darwin River Dam – the city’s major water source – stopped operating due to flooding. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
