Romania’s Eurovision song criticised for ‘glamorising sexual strangulation’ 13. March 2026 (11:00) Calls for Alexandra Căpitănescu’s Choke Me to be banned as campaigners say lyrics are ‘dangerous’ and ‘reckless’Romania’s Eurovision entry Choke Me has been labelled “dangerous” and “reckless” for appearing to glamorise sexual strangulation, an unsafe practice that can lead to brain injury and death.Campaigners against sexual violence said the entry, in which the words “choke me” are repeated 30 times during the three-minute song, was “playing fast and loose with young women’s lives”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Bailiffs board Ryanair plane after airline refuses to pay delayed flight compensation 13. March 2026 (11:00) Austrian officials took action after airline ignored court order to pay €890 to unnamed womenBailiffs have boarded a Ryanair aircraft after the airline refused to pay compensation to a passenger whose flight was delayed.Austrian officials took action after the airline ignored a court order to pay the unnamed woman €890 (£742) in legal costs and compensation for a delayed flight two years ago. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Miliband unveils plans to speed up nuclear power generation for UK 13. March 2026 (10:46) Ministers face accusations of carrying out ‘irresponsible deregulation’ as they push through ‘clean energy’ proposalsEd Miliband has unveiled plans to cut regulations, costs and bureaucracy by the end of next year to speed up the development of nuclear power generation.The UK government said the changes, to be carried out this year, would deliver a “win-win for building critical infrastructure while protecting nature and the environment”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
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)
