General news

• Dodging the debate

  30-09-2016 10:39 via bbc.co.uk
  
  David Cameron was reportedly "slightly freaked" at the prospect of televised debates with other party leaders in 2015 - will the format survive at the next election?
  
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• Middle East crisis live: Trump vents frustration with allies over strait of Hormuz; US embassy in Baghdad reportedly targeted in air attack

  17-03-2026 03:14 via theguardian.com
  US president lashes out as European countries reject calls for assistance to reopen key shipping lane; Iraqi officials says several drones and rockets attacked embassy European countries reject Trump’s call for help to reopen strait of HormuzHow have you been affected by the latest Middle East events?Are fuel price increases making you cut back?Continued from previous post:Japan’s prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, has said she has no immediate plans to send her country’s maritime
  
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• Trump news at a glance: president threatens allies for not wading into strait of Hormuz as Iran conflict continues

  17-03-2026 02:10 via theguardian.com
  US president wants countries to help police the strait after Iran effectively closed the vital fossil fuel shipping channel – key US politics stories from Monday 16 March at a glanceKey US allies in Europe and beyond have ruled out sending warships to the strait of Hormuz, despite threats from Donald Trump that Nato faces “a very bad future” if members fail to help reopen the vital waterway.The UK, Germany, France and Italy, along with Australia and Japan, have said they had no
  
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• Afghanistan accuses Pakistan of deadly strike on Kabul hospital

  17-03-2026 02:08 via theguardian.com
  Afghanistan’s deputy government spokesman says death toll has reached 400 people ‘so far’ as Islamabad denies targeting facility for drug addictsHeavy casualties were feared in Kabul after a hospital that treats drug users was hit by airstrikes, which Afghanistan blamed on Pakistan’s military.Pakistan dismissed the accusation, saying the strikes on Monday – which were also launched against eastern Afghanistan – did not hit any civilian sites. Continue reading.
  
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• Trump predicts US will have ‘honour of taking Cuba’ amid power blackout

  17-03-2026 02:00 via theguardian.com
  US president declares he can do ‘anything I want’ after oil blockade plunges country into darknessDonald Trump expects to have “the honour of taking Cuba”, he declared, after a US-imposed oil blockade plunged the country into darkness under a total power blackout.The US president claimed on Monday that he could do “anything I want” with Cuba, amid US negotiations with Havana over the country’s future. Continue reading...
  
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• Ukraine war briefing: Russia agrees to stop recruiting Kenyans in fight against Kyiv

  17-03-2026 01:48 via theguardian.com
  No more Kenyans to be enlisted by Moscow; Starmer warns against fossil fuel ‘windfall for Putin’ during war on Iran. What we know on day 1,483Russia has agreed to stop recruiting Kenyan citizens to fight with its army in Ukraine, Kenya’s foreign minister said on Monday after talks with his Russian counterpart in Moscow. More than 1,780 citizens from 36 African countries are believed to be fighting alongside Russia in Ukraine, according to Ukraine’s estimates in February.
  
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• Train delays: compensation claims to be easier under Great British Railways

  17-03-2026 01:01 via theguardian.com
  Refund systems for individual train operators to be merged into single service under nationalised rail bodyRail passengers will be able to claim compensation for delayed trains directly from the website where they bought their ticket, the government has said, as part of a shake-up to make rail travel simpler.Passengers who use third-party retailers such as Trainline to buy tickets currently, have to submit applications for refunds to the relevant train operator for processing. Continue reading..
  
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• Reduced physical activity due to global heating will lead to rise in health issues, study says

  17-03-2026 00:30 via theguardian.com
  Researchers project that reduced activity could contribute to half a million additional premature deaths annually by 2050Rising temperatures are making physical activity undesirable and even dangerous in many parts of the world, and as global heating worsens, it will further affect how much people are able to move.Researchers analysed data from 156 countries between 2000 and 2022 and modelled how rising temperatures may affect physical activity globally by 2050. Continue reading...
  
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• Cannabis is not an effective treatment for common mental health conditions, says review

  17-03-2026 00:30 via theguardian.com
  International researchers find ‘very little evidence’ medical form of the drug can treat anxiety, anorexia and other disordersCannabis is not an effective treatment for common mental health conditions despite the global surge in patients using it for that purpose, a review has found.Researchers concluded there was “very little evidence for its efficacy” in treating anxiety, anorexia nervosa, psychotic disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder or opioid use disorder. Conti
  
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• Max Dowman has inspired Arsenal in hunt for silverware, says Mikel Arteta

  16-03-2026 23:30 via theguardian.com
  ‘To be that precise, that’s something difficult to imagine’Riccardo Calafiori praises 16-year-old but asks for patienceMikel Arteta believes Max Dowman’s emergence has inspired the rest of Arsenal’s players and will benefit their quest for silverware this season.Dowman became the youngest goalscorer in Premier League history after coming on as a substitute in the 2‑0 win against Everton on Saturday. Arsenal stretched their lead at the top of the table over Man
  
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• Thousands of flights canceled as winter storm marches across US

  16-03-2026 23:23 via theguardian.com
  Storm system dumps snow in midwest and threatens east coast with high winds and possible ‘long-track tornadoes’Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxA late winter storm continued a destructive, elemental march across the eastern US, with thousands of flights canceled or delayed as powerful winds combined with a partial government shutdown delayed travelers passing through airport security scanners.Flight delays and cancellations mounted at some
  
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• Brentford’s European hopes take a hit as Arokodare caps Wolves’ comeback

  16-03-2026 23:05 via theguardian.com
  When Igor Thiago, celebrating his first call-up to the Brazil squad, scored his fourth goal in four games, the second of their first-half stroll, Brentford were cruising to the shoulders of Chelsea and Liverpool. By full-time, the quest to reach European football for the first time in club history had received a severe jolt. And it could have been worse.Wolves have gone 330 days without an away win, to remain the last of the 92 league clubs to not break that duck, but showed continued signs of l
  
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• Inside the Rage Machine review – we’re all doomed, totally doomed

  16-03-2026 23:00 via theguardian.com
  Whistleblowers who once worked at Meta and X (until the guilt got too much) reveal the truth about the companies that increasingly rule our free time – and it’s even worse than you may have feared. Prep those bunkers nowSometimes it’s a real problem not being able to swear unreservedly in a national newspaper. I mean, I understand social convention and propriety ’n’ all that should be preserved and that, generally, as our parents and teachers told us, swearing is no
  
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• Meningitis outbreak LIVE: Vaccine message sent to Brits as symptoms warning issued in Kent

  16-03-2026 22:11 via express.co.uk
  A meningitis outbreak has led to two deaths in Kent.
  
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• Tour veterans offer timely challenge to big two era of Sinner and Alcaraz | Tumaini Carayol

  16-03-2026 22:04 via theguardian.com
  Meanwhile, Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina served up a classic in latest chapter of their exciting rivalryIn the uncertain early stages of his Indian Wells semi-final contest with Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev swiftly made his intentions clear. Having established a 3-1 lead, he chased down a trademark Alcaraz drop shot, then a lob, before slamming the door shut on the point by firing an ultra-flat inside-out backhand winner on to the edge of the line.This was a statement point and it formed
  
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• Heartbreak as A-level student, 18, dies from meningitis - 'beyond devastated'

  16-03-2026 22:03 via express.co.uk
  "She was a genuinely caring and attentive listener, a true friend."
  
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• ‘The Premier League is surprisingly lenient’: did Chelsea get off lightly?

  16-03-2026 21:31 via theguardian.com
  Experts believe club would be lucky to escape with fine and suspended transfer ban but further penalties may followThe Premier League’s judgment against Chelsea for breaking football’s rules – during an eight-year trophy spree under Roman Abramovich – concludes that the club engaged in “deception and concealment”.The breaches, more than 30 of them, relate to at least £47m in off-book payments linked to landmark deals for star players, including Eden
  
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• Gulf states may be covertly encouraging attacks by US, Iran foreign minister says

  16-03-2026 21:27 via theguardian.com
  Abbas Araghchi demands clarification on reports Saudi crown prince urged Donald Trump to ‘hit the Iranians hard’Middle East crisis – live updatesSome Gulf states hosting US forces may be covertly encouraging the slaughter of Iranians, Iran’s foreign minister has claimed in a thinly-veiled attack on Saudi Arabia.Abbas Araghchi demanded clarification on reports that Mohammed bin Salman was in regular private conversations with Donald Trump, urging the US president “to
  
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• Tina Fey, Jamie Dornan and Riz Ahmed first three guest hosts of UK Saturday Night Live

  16-03-2026 21:18 via theguardian.com
  British version of the topical US comedy show will air live on Sky One and will be written in the week before broadcastTina Fey, Jamie Dornan and Riz Ahmed have been named as the first three guest hosts of the UK spin-off of Saturday Night Live.The first episode of the long-awaited British version of the US late-night comedy show will air live on Sky on 21 March. Continue reading...
  
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• Dad guilty of murdering baby girl who had 'catastrophic' brain injury and 47 rib fractures

  16-03-2026 21:14 via express.co.uk
  DISTRESSING CONTENT WARNING: The baby's father, 35-year-old Sean Jefferson, as found guilty of murder and two counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent.
  
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• Cuba’s electrical grid collapses amid US oil blockade

  16-03-2026 20:41 via theguardian.com
  Ten million people left without power in latest of outages that sparked violent protest last weekendCuba’s national electric grid has collapsed, the country’s grid operator has said, leaving approximately 10 million people without power amid a US-imposed oil blockade that has crippled the island’s already obsolete generation system.The grid operator, UNE, said on social media on Monday that it was investigating the causes of the blackout, the latest in a series of widespread ou
  
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• EU calls for urgent reboot in talks with UK to stop reset deal failing

  16-03-2026 20:40 via theguardian.com
  Time is running out to find agreement on areas such as tuition fees EU citizens would pay in Britain and rules for food safetyThe EU is hoping to urgently reboot talks on the “reset” of relations with the UK as negotiations are in danger of foundering before a planned July summit.At a public meeting of the EU-UK parliamentary partnership assembly in Brussels, the European Commission vice-president and trade commissioner, Maroš Šefčovič, said both sides had to
  
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• Morrisons announces major new change in supermarket car parks

  16-03-2026 20:39 via express.co.uk
  Shoppers driving to Morrisons will enjoy a new reward if they have one type of car, the supermarket has announced.
  
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• 'My daughter caught meningitis from sharing a vape on a night out'

  16-03-2026 20:36 via express.co.uk
  A mum has warned about the dangers of sharing vapes after her daughter was rushed to hospital with Meningitis B following a night out in Canterbury.
  
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• And the winner is ... all of us? How the Oscars have changed for the better

  16-03-2026 20:35 via theguardian.com
  The diversified Academy and a mutating industry have changed what many had come to expect from the stuffy, rule-following OscarsLast year, as the major fall film festivals took place around the world, it was hard to make out the sound of audience applause. It wasn’t an attendance issue or that booing was heard instead (that’s solely a Cannes response), it was that, for many, hands were too busy wringing to find time to clap.The trifecta of Venice, Telluride and Toronto was once seen
  
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• Guardiola says Manchester City need ‘perfect game’ to get past Real Madrid

  16-03-2026 20:30 via theguardian.com
  ‘We can create many chances in minutes’Rüdiger believes he can keep Haaland quietPep Guardiola has admitted that Manchester City require a “perfect game” to overturn Real Madrid’s 3-0 lead in the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on Tuesday.Álvaro Arbeloa’s team are firm favourites to progress to the quarter-finals after their victory at the Bernabéu last week when Madrid’s captain, Federico Valverde, scored a first-half
  
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• Starmer distances UK from Iran war as EU leaders rule out sending warships

  16-03-2026 20:29 via theguardian.com
  PM refuses to be drawn into wider conflict as Germany and Italy defy Trump’s call to help reopen strait of HormuzMiddle East crisis – live updatesKeir Starmer has insisted that the UK will not be drawn into the wider war in the Middle East as European leaders ruled out sending warships to the strait of Hormuz.In his clearest signal yet of the UK’s divergence from Donald Trump’s attack on Iran, the prime minister said he would stand firm in the face of US pressure despite
  
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• Meningitis outbreak at University of Kent and three schools kills two young people with 11 in hospital

  16-03-2026 20:21 via theguardian.com
  Deaths of student and sixth-former named as Juliette announced as long queues for antibiotics form at Canterbury campusA university and three schools have been struck by an outbreak of invasive meningitis that has killed two young people and left 11 others in hospital.One of the young people to have died was a student at the University of Kent, while the second was a sixth-former at Queen Elizabeth’s grammar school (QEGS) in Faversham. Continue reading...
  
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• Thames Water rescue deal talks rumble on interminably but its future remains unclear | Nils Pratley

  16-03-2026 19:56 via theguardian.com
  As negotiations enter a ninth month, an outcome is thought to be weeks away and the devil is still in the detailIt is two years since the shareholders of Thames Water threw in the towel, declared the company “uninvestible” and accepted their shares were worthless. Yet the water torture goes on and on. We are now in the ninth month of negotiations between Thames’s senior creditors and the regulator, Ofwat, on a rescue deal – and still an outcome is thought to be weeks away
  
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• Sri Lanka brings in four-day week to eke out stocks of oil and gas hit by Iran war

  16-03-2026 19:52 via theguardian.com
  Effective closure of strait of Hormuz also affecting Bangladesh, India and Pakistan, which have brought in crisis measuresSri Lanka is introducing a shorter four-day working week to preserve its shrinking fuel and gas reserves, as the Middle East conflict continues to severely disrupt energy supplies in the region.Countries across south Asia are facing crippling shortages of fuel and LPG gas, which are used for everything from home cooking to cremating bodies, as most supplies have been held up
  
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