Labour under pressure to appoint Tory ex-minister as next Ofcom chair

• Israel's military launched a wave of airstrikes in the heart of Tehran early Friday, March 27, while U.S. President Donald Trump delayed his deadline to strike Iran's energy plants until April 6 amid ongoing Strait of Hormuz tensions. • The conflict has resulted in over 1,900 deaths in Iran, nearly 1,100 in Lebanon, 18 in Israel including four soldiers, and 13 U.S. military members, with millions displaced in both countries. • Trump cited Iran's request for a grace period and stated talks on a 15-point proposal are going 'very well,' despite Tehran's public denials of negotiations.

• The US Pentagon is developing plans for a 'final blow' in the Iran war, involving ground troops and massive bombing, as reported by Axios citing two US officials and knowledgeable sources on March 27, 2026. • US Central Command confirmed an Israeli airstrike killed Iran's IRGC Navy commander, amid escalating naval tensions near the Strait of Hormuz. • The Wall Street Journal revealed considerations for deploying 10,000 additional US troops with armored vehicles to the Middle East, coordinating with existing Marines and the 82nd Airborne Division.

• Israel's military launched a wave of airstrikes targeting the heart of Tehran early on March 27, 2026, as confirmed by military statements, while smoke rose over Beirut. • The strikes coincide with US President Donald Trump extending his deadline to bomb Iran's energy plants until April 6, 2026, after Iran's request, claiming talks are 'going very well' despite Tehran's denials. • Trump referenced a 15-point US proposal to end the conflict, amid convulsing stock markets and Iran's insistence on no direct negotiations, heightening global tensions over the Strait of Hormuz closure.

• Costa Rica signed a pact on March 27, 2026, to accept 25 migrants deported from the US each week, as part of President Trump's third-country deportation initiative overseen by special envoy Christine Noim. • The agreement advances the Shield of the Americas policy amid broader US immigration enforcement tied to geopolitical pressures. • This development supports US efforts to manage migration flows during escalating Middle East conflicts.

Despite resistance from states who had role in chattel slavery, many feel this is an idea whose time has comeJohn Mahama knows a thing or two about beating the establishment. On Wednesday, less than two years after completing a remarkable comeback as Ghana’s president with a landslide defeat of the ruling party candidate, he rallied the world to ratify a landmark vote against transatlantic chattel slavery, despite major opposition from the same western entities that drove it for centuries.The resolution to declare the practice as “the gravest crime against humanity” passed with a decisive majority at the UN general assembly and has been largely welcomed across Africa. Yet the details of the tally reveal a world still deeply divided on the gravity of the sin of enslaving more than 15 million people as chattel over the course of 400 years. Continue reading...

Ahmad Mulakhil filmed himself during the assault in Nuneaton in JulyAn Afghan asylum seeker who abducted a 12-year-old girl and filmed himself as he raped her has been jailed for 15 years.Ahmad Mulakhil was found guilty of rape, child abduction, taking an indecent video and two counts of sexual assault last month. Mulakhil admitted a second count of rape before his trial began. Continue reading...

Matvei Rumiantsev, who became jealous of woman’s friendship with US president’s son, jailed for four yearsA Russian man has been jailed for four years for assaulting a woman in an attack in London that was witnessed on a video call by Donald Trump’s youngest son, Barron.Matvei Rumiantsev, 23, attacked the woman when he became jealous of her friendship with Trump, 19, after she met him through social media, a court heard. Continue reading...

Passengers report varying experiences at different times of day at security screening as ICE agents assist TSA staffUS politics – live updatesHartfield-Jackson Atlanta international airport turned the digital wait time sign off days ago. Predicting passenger behavior can be hard; predicting the behavior of unpaid TSA agents is also hard. Keeping an accurate clock has been impossible.Even though ICE agents have started filling in for TSA screeners at some airports, a morning flight might mean a three-hour slog with lines winding around baggage carousels, from the security checkpoint all the way outside to the curb. Continue reading...

Mohammed bin Salman said to consider war a ‘historic opportunity’ to remake Middle East. Plus, Senate passes funding package for Homeland Security that excludes ICEGood morning.Saudi Arabia has urged Washington to intensify attacks on Iran, a Saudi intelligence source has confirmed, while it considers whether to join the war directly.Have there been reports of active Saudi military involvement? Not so far. But a Saudi analyst said the kingdom was likely to intervene if peace efforts led by Pakistan failed. Mohammed Alhamed said: “If [Iran] rejects the conditions and continues its attacks, the threshold for Saudi action will be crossed.”What is the latest on the strait of Hormuz? On Tuesday, Tehran said it would permit “non-hostile vessels” to pass: here is a visual guide.For the latest updates, follow our live blog.Why has there been no DHS funding? Democrats have blocked it as they demand changes to its immigration crackdown, particularly after agents in Minneapolis killed the US citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti. Continue reading...

Exchanges about US ambassador appointment may be lost after McSweeney’s phone was stolenUK politics live – latest updatesPeter Mandelson will be asked to supply messages from his personal phone as part of the investigation into his appointment as Keir Starmer’s ambassador to the US.In February, MPs forced the government to commit to publishing tens of thousands of documents after a controversy erupted over the prime minister’s awareness of the former peer’s links to the convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein before he was given the prestigious posting. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Research finds sharp rise in models evading safeguards and destroying emails without permissionAI models that lie and cheat appear to be growing in number with reports of deceptive scheming surging in the last six months, a study into the technology has found.AI chatbots and agents disregarded direct instructions, evaded safeguards and deceived humans and other AI, according to research funded by the UK government-funded AI Safety Institute (AISI). The study, shared with the Guardian, identified nearly 700 real-world cases of AI scheming and charted a five-fold rise in misbehaviour between October and March, with some AI models destroying emails and other files without permission. Continue reading...

Report shows black music accounts for 80 per cent of money generated by UK industry in past 30 yearsLeading figures in the UK music industry are calling for more work to be done to support black talent in executive roles as a report finds that 80% of UK music revenue has been generated by black music in the past 30 years.A recent report by UK Music states that black music has made £24.5bn out of the £30bn generated by the UK music industry in the past 30 years. However, industry figures have highlighted that black people are still kept out of top executive roles. Continue reading...