Keir Starmer gives resident doctors 48 hours to call off strike or lose offer

• José Guadalupe Ramos, a Mexican national, died in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody in Los Angeles, according to ICE, marking the 14th death in ICE custody for 2026. • Mexico's foreign ministry announced it would file a legal brief supporting a lawsuit brought by detainees alleging poor conditions at the detention center, including inadequate medical care, unsanitary conditions, and punitive use of isolation. • The death raises ongoing concerns about detention facility conditions and has prompted diplomatic engagement from the Mexican government to address alleged violations.

• President Donald Trump warned Monday via Truth Social that if Iran does not open the Strait of Hormuz and a deal is not reached "shortly," the US will "blow up and completely obliterate" Iran's electric generating plants, oil wells, and Kharg Island. • US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington is close to achieving its objectives in Iran "in a matter of weeks" and that Trump has "a number of options available" to prevent Iran from controlling the strategic waterway. • The threat comes as 3,500 US Marines and sailors aboard the USS Tripoli arrive in the Middle East, joining over 50,000 American troops already in the region, with hundreds of Navy SEALs also deployed.

• Iran fired six ballistic missiles and 29 drones at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia on Friday, wounding at least 15 US service members and destroying a US military E-3 Century radar aircraft. • The attack resulted in at least 13 US service members killed to date, prompting the Pentagon to prepare for weeks of potential ground conflict in Iran according to The Washington Post. • President Trump is reportedly considering a military operation in response, with 3,500 additional US troops beginning to arrive in the region as part of a broader deployment now exceeding 50,000 personnel.

Prime minister threatens to withdraw NHS training posts for residents doctors if they don’t call off strikeGood morning. Keir Starmer is chairing a meeting of the government’s Cobra emergency committee later to discuss the Iran war, but domestic issues don’t go away and he (or, to be more accurate, his staff) have also found time to write an article for the Times delivering a warning to resident doctors in England planning to go on strike. As Jamie Grierson reports, the PM is threatening to withdraw an offer of thousands of extra NHS training posts for resident doctors if they do not call off the strike within 48 hours.Judging by what Dr Jack Fletcher, chair of the BMA resident doctors committee, told the Today programme in an interview this morning, Starmer may have as little success with his ultimatum as Donald Trump seems to be having with his inconsistent and increasingly apocalyptic warnings to what is left of the Iranian government.I’m very happy to sit down with the government at any point to try and negotiate a settlement, but I don’t think that’s done by writing in newspapers and issuing threats unilaterally.The government made very late changes to the pay offer, reducing the pay investment and stretching it over a longer period in a way that had not been previously talked about.Ministers effectively moved the goalposts on the deal at the last minute.Two weeks ago, the government took that investment, reduced it, and then stretched it over three years. That is a very, very, very different outcome to the one that we were discussing just two weeks ago. Continue reading...

Inquiry will directly look at whether factors influenced offending and institutional response in England and WalesThe grooming gangs inquiry will directly examine whether ethnicity, culture or religion influenced offending and whether they shaped the institutional response.The statutory independent inquiry has published its terms of reference, which will be laid before parliament when it returns from recess on 13 April. The inquiry will then begin its full investigation into the group-based sexual exploitation of children in England and Wales. Continue reading...

Delegation marks four years since liberation of town as EU focus returns to Ukraine amid Iran war falloutSeveral EU ministers are expected in Bucha, Ukraine, today to mark the fourth anniversary of the town’s liberation and the massacre that became one of the early symbols of the Russian aggression against Ukraine.The anniversary marks a rare moment in recent weeks when the EU’s attention focuses back on Ukraine amid growing concerns about fallout from the Iran war. The EU’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, leads the delegation.“The scale of Russian atrocities in the course of its aggression is unseen on European soil since WWII. The crime of aggression is the root cause of them all. There must be accountability and there will be no amnesty for Russian criminals, including the highest political and military leadership of the Russian Federation.” Continue reading...

Simon Roberts says Easter shop will be unaffected by Middle East conflict, but industry warns prices may rise this yearShoppers will not see food prices rise until at least the summer and Easter will be unaffected by conflict in the Middle East, the boss of Sainsbury’s has said, despite fears of an inflation spike.Simon Roberts said it was “too early” to say whether and when food price inflation related to higher commodity costs would hit supermarket shelves and that the UK’s second-largest supermarket had long-term agreements with suppliers to help protect shoppers. Continue reading...

Price of typical UK home increased by 0.9% in March, but surging mortgage rates amid conflict in Middle East is expected to put break on activityBusiness live – latest updatesUK house prices increased at the fastest rate in almost 18 months in March, although surging mortgage rates amid the Iran war is likely to lead to a slowdown in the market, according to Nationwide.The UK’s biggest building society said the price of a typical UK home increased by 0.9% month-on-month in March, the largest increase since December 2024. Continue reading...

Nearly 70% of under-16s with accounts on Instagram, Snapchat or TikTok had maintained access, survey findsThe Australian government has accused big tech firms like Meta, TikTok and Google of disobeying the landmark ban on under-16s using social media, after the country’s online safety office warned many children had accounts.A survey of 900 Australian parents found around a third (31%) said their children still had one or more social media accounts after the ban, compared to 49% before the laws. Continue reading...

Jewish families ‘narrowly escaped being struck by the car’ after girl swerved towards them in Ripponlea, police sayFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA 13-year-old Melbourne girl has been charged with 52 offences including allegedly shouting antisemitic remarks, throwing eggs and swerving a stolen car towards members of the Jewish community.Victorian police said in a statement on Tuesday that the girl and two other girls were alleged to have been seen driving the stolen black Hyundai sedan in the south-eastern suburbs of Hampton, Ripponlea and Caulfield over multiple days last week. Continue reading...

Jess Wilson tried to create a united front – and it worked for a minute. But they just couldn’t help themselvesFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastFor months, a plan has been under way by moderates within the Victorian Liberal party to dislodge a group of conservative women from their prized, top positions on the upper house ballot ahead of the November state election.While they failed to move Bev McArthur and Renee Heath, and Ann-Marie Hermans held on in the second spot, they did claim one major victory by ousting Moira Deeming – by far the most high-profile of the group. Continue reading...