UK car production falls 17% as industry warns of ‘worrying’ decline

• The Pentagon is developing military options described as a 'final blow' against Iran that could include ground forces invasion, according to Axios reporting on March 27. • One plan involves invading or blockading Kharg Island, Iran's main oil export terminal; another would send U.S. forces into Iran's interior to secure highly enriched uranium at nuclear facilities. • The escalation plans emerge as President Trump extended his ultimatum deadline for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz to April 6, marking the third delay since initially setting the deadline for March 27.

• President Trump stated at a Thursday cabinet meeting that Iran is "begging to make a deal" to end the war, claiming Iran has offered him "eight big boats of oil" as a goodwill gesture—later revising the number to 10. • Trump insisted he is not the one pushing for negotiations despite Iran's repeated official denials of direct talks with the United States as the conflict enters its fourth week. • U.S. Special Envoy Steve Woodcock indicated strong signs Iran could be convinced to reach a peace deal, while Trump also criticized NATO allies for failing to send naval assets to secure the Strait of Hormuz.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

Campaigner criticises ‘shortsighted and self-defeating’ decision and says it increases risk to the UK publicThe polio virus was detected in London sewage for the second time this year, days before ministers withdrew funding for global polio eradication efforts.Its detection reveals the spending cuts to be “shortsighted and self-defeating”, campaigners said. Polio is an extremely infectious viral disease, which typically affects young children under-five. It can cause paralysis by damaging nerves in the spine and base of the brain, and can be life-threatening if it affects muscles used for breathing. Continue reading...

London mayor could however join the House of Lords while still remaining in his current roleAllies of Sadiq Khan have dismissed reports the London mayor could join Keir Starmer’s cabinet after being made a peer, although it remains possible he could join the Lords while keeping his current job.Downing Street said reports that Khan could become a peer after crucial elections in May across England, Scotland and Wales were “speculation”, while a Labour source also declined to comment. Continue reading...

Grant cuts of nearly 70% may force university departments to close and ‘annihilate’ research, scientists sayBritish physicists have shaped our understanding of nature and the universe for more than a century, uncovering the building blocks of matter and furthering our knowledge on cosmic puzzles from the big bang to black holes.But senior scientists warned on Friday that the field of particle theory faces an existential threat after universities were informed of savage cuts to research. Brian Cox, a TV scientist and professor at the University of Manchester, said the impact amounted to the “destruction of the future”. Continue reading...

Paul Quinn denies raping woman in case where previous suspect Andrew Malkinson had conviction quashedA man accused of a 2003 rape for which an innocent person spent 17 years in jail has told a court he “wouldn’t be able to live with myself” if he had carried out the attack.Paul Quinn, 51, denies raping the woman, in a case that led to what jurors heard was a “most terrible” miscarriage of justice. Continue reading...

Allan Leighton predicts food prices will inevitably rise as group’s full-year profits dive by a third to £764mAsda’s executive chair has called on the government to “stand up and start doing stuff” to support farmers and ease the price of fuel as he warned that food prices would inevitably rise as a result of the conflict in the Middle East.Allan Leighton said farmers were under pressure but the supermarket had so far received “a trickle of requests not an avalanche” of cost price increases from its suppliers, as they were under pressure from higher fertiliser, energy and fuel costs. Continue reading...

Move by state education officials picked by Republican governor removes the course as a graduation componentEducation leaders in Florida have removed sociology as a graduation component at state universities in Ron DeSantis’s latest attack on what the Republican governor sees as the “woke” indoctrination of students.The move on Thursday by a majority of DeSantis’s hand-picked university board of governors effectively relegates the stand-alone Introduction to Sociology course to a makeweight elective instead of a core component subject that has been a popular choice for generations of students. Continue reading...