• CERN researchers conducted the first-ever transport of volatile antimatter, mysterious antiparticles with negative charges identical to corresponding particles but opposite in charge.
• The antimatter transport represents a major milestone in particle physics research; if the antimatter contacts regular matter even momentarily, it annihilates in a flash of energy.
• This breakthrough has significant implications for advancing fundamental physics understanding and could enable new experimental capabilities at the European Organization for Nuclear Research.
Survey puts Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco ahead with Democratic vote split between large field of candidatesRepublicans continue to lead the California governor’s race amid a crowded field of Democrats, a new poll commissioned by the state’s Democratic party found, fueling concerns of a conservative win in the famously liberal state.The party on Tuesday published the results of a large-scale poll of 2,000 likely voters conducted by Evitarus Research that revealed that 16% of participants would back the conservative political commentator Steve Hilton in the upcoming primary, while 14% would support Chad Bianco, the Riverside county sheriff. Continue reading...
• The US long winter COVID-19 wave is ending with all major metrics showing declines or plateaus in SARS-CoV-2 spread nationwide as of mid-March 2026.
• COVID-19 test positivity dropped to 2.5% for the week ending March 14, the lowest since 2022, while emergency department visits for COVID reached just 0.4%.
• Cases are declining or likely declining in 45 states per CDC forecasts as of March 17, with flu-like illness visits down 12% to 3.3% and RSV levels also falling.
Former White House strategist says current situation at airports will help ‘really perfect ICE’s involvement in the 2026 midterm elections’Hello and welcome to the US politics live blog.The former White House strategist and podcaster Steve Bannon has suggested the presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers at airports is a “test run” for using them at polling stations in the midterms later this year.We can use what’s happening with these ICE [officers] helping out at the airports, we can use this as a test run, as a test case to really perfect ICE’s involvement in the 2026 midterm elections, sir?Yeah, I think we should have ICE agents at the polling places, because if you’re an illegal alien you can’t vote, right? It’s against the law, it’s a federal crime for you to vote in federal elections.And so, if you’re an American citizen, you should be happy that ICE is there, because you’re not going to have illegal aliens canceling out your vote.The US Senate confirmed Markwayne Mullin to serve as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, elevating the Republican senator to a role where he will be among the public faces of Donald Trump’s crackdown on undocumented immigrants. The Republican controlled chamber confirmed Mullin largely along party lines, with a vote of 54-45. More here.Donald Trump has claimed there have been talks between the US and Iran over the past day in which the two sides had “major points of agreement”, appearing to avert a potentially severe escalation of the conflict. Tehran has denied the claim, in which Trump also speculated that a deal could soon be done to end the war. Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson said no talks had been held with the US since the bombing campaign began 24 days ago. More here.The US supreme court appeared poised to curtail how mail-in ballots can be counted if they arrive after election day, which would affect laws in more than a dozen states during a midterm election year. The justices are considering Watson v Republican National Committee, a challenge over a Mississippi state law that was brought in 2024 by the Republican party. More here.California attorney general Rob Bonta said he has sued the US energy department to stop it from using a cold-war era law to restart the long-disputed Sable Offshore pipeline system linking the Santa Ynez offshore platform to California refineries. US energy secretary Chris Wright earlier this month restarted the pipelines using powers granted to him by Donald Trump through an executive order that invoked the Defense Production Act to supersede state laws. More here.Prediction markets are facing fresh bipartisan scrutiny in the US Senate as companies such as Kalshi and Polymarket continue to battle state-led efforts to regulate online betting. A bill was introduced in the US Senate on Monday that would ban federally regulated platforms from allowing wagers on sporting events, what would be a huge blow to marketplaces where billions of dollars have been traded on major events like the Super Bowl and the NCAA’s March Madness. More here. Continue reading...
• The National Academies of Sciences hosts Space Science Week 2026 from March 23-27, gathering leaders in planetary protection, astrophysics, Earth science, and space applications.
• Annual event explores cutting-edge developments and future directions across space science disciplines.
• Occurring in the U.S., it highlights ongoing advancements relevant to national space priorities and research funding.
• UC Davis researchers created a new blood test to quickly detect the active, infectious form of tuberculosis, aiming to accelerate diagnosis and curb spread.
• TB killed 1.23 million globally in 2024, with over 10,000 U.S. cases including 2,000 in California; the test targets high-burden areas like India.
• Professor Imran H. Khan submitted trial data to India's ICMR for approval and co-founded AppGenex Diagnostics to commercialize it.
Demonstrations to be held across the US against ICE’s ‘reign of terror’ with flagship event in Minnesota’s Twin CitiesMillions of people are expected to protest the Trump administration at more than 3,000 No Kings events in cities and small towns across the country on Saturday. Ezra Levin, co-founder of Indivisible, one of the groups coordinating No Kings, said he expected it to be “the biggest protest in American history”.This will be the third No Kings protest since Trump was re-elected. A flagship event will be held in Minnesota’s Twin Cities – Minneapolis and St Paul – after residents stood up to the surge of federal immigration agents the Trump administration sent into the region earlier this year. In January, agents killed two residents, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, who were observing Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) activities. Continue reading...
About 40 people taken to hospital after Air Canada Express crash, some with serious injuries Pilot and co-pilot killed after Air Canada jet collision at LaGuardia New YorkSign up for the Breaking News US email On Monday morning, the Federal Aviation Administration issued a ground stop for arrivals and departures at Newark international airport after reports of a burning smell promoted a tower evacuation.The incident happened around 7.30am ET and the burning smell came from an elevator, the FAA said. The ground stop is in effect until about 8.30am, causing delays to flights at another major New York area airport. Continue reading...
Leftwing victor has pledged to cut officials’ expenses and luxuries, but first must turn his attention to a series of crisesWhen Paris’s new leftwing mayor, Emmanuel Grégoire, leapt on a bike for a victory tour along the French capital’s large network of new cycle lanes on Sunday night, he was sending a crucial message to Paris residents.Not only would he continue to build bike lanes and keep limits on cars in the city, keeping the French capital’s pro-cycling focus on environmental issues and reducing its dangerous air pollution., he was also seeking to style himself as humble, frugal – “of an absolute moral rigour”, in his words – after promising to shrink Paris officials’ hefty expenses accounts and end the use of chauffeur-driven cars. Continue reading...
CCTV showed three people setting light to an ambulance in Golders Green in the early hours of Monday morningAn attack on four Jewish community ambulances was aimed at making British Jews “be less visible” and “fear going about” their lives, Wes Streeting said as he pledged extra health support.Speaking at the scene of the attack in north London, the health secretary said:The aim of these attackers is clear. They want Jewish people in this country to live smaller lives, to live less Jewish lives, to be less visible as Jewish people, to fear going about Jewish life.I know that the Jewish community will not be cowed by this despicable act of evil, but it is the responsibility of the rest of us not to be bystanders.Every decent person in this country needs to stand up and speak up against this vile antisemitic hatred.This is a horrific antisemitic attack. And of course my thoughts, I think all of our thoughts, will be with those in the vicinity, the residents who are understandably very concerned, the Jewish community across the country deeply concerned.I’ve already been in touch with community leaders this morning and will continue to do so during the day. Continue reading...
• The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced expanded coverage for advanced lipid panels and inflammatory biomarker testing starting April 1, 2026, for beneficiaries age 50 and older.
• The expansion removes prior authorization requirements for up to two tests annually, reflecting new evidence that early cardiovascular risk detection improves outcomes and reduces emergency hospitalizations by 18%.
• CMS estimates the policy will affect approximately 28 million Medicare beneficiaries and cost $120 million annually while potentially preventing 8,000 heart attacks and strokes per year.
Heather Danae Lewis who was one of 30 people charged in Minnesota church protest showed she did not attend eventFederal prosecutors have dropped criminal charges against a woman accused of participating in a controversial January protest at a Minnesota church after the woman apparently did not attend the event at all.Prosecutors notified a federal judge they intended to drop charges against Heather Danae Lewis, who was one of 30 people charged in connection with an anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) protest that disrupted a service at Cities church in St Paul. Officials have charged the protesters with civil rights crimes, saying they interfered with the right of the congregants at the church to exercise their religious beliefs. The media professional Don Lemon, who was at the event reporting on the protest, was among those charged. Continue reading...
• Key stock indexes broke or are testing long-term support levels, with the Dow Jones closing below its 200-day moving average for the third consecutive day.
• Market weakness has shifted from selective rotation to broader deterioration, with participation narrowing and leadership concentrating in defensive and commodity-driven sectors.
• Technical analysts warn that previous orderly rotation patterns have given way to genuine breakdown, signaling potential for sustained market pressure if support levels fail.
• The Trump administration has granted Silicon Valley-based nuclear companies expedited pathways to test experimental reactor designs, with the DOE creating a new program and assigning concierge teams to help companies navigate bureaucracy.
• About a dozen advanced reactor companies are currently planning to participate, with the administration targeting some reactors to achieve "critical" status—a key milestone toward functioning power plants—by July 2026.
• The DOE quietly overhauled safety rules for new reactors and shared the revised regulations with companies before making them public, addressing long-standing complaints that companies lack opportunities to experiment.
Regime will do whatever it takes to cling on to power – including sacrificing economies of other Gulf statesMiddle East crisis – live updatesBrinkmanship, the ability to take a country to the edge of war without plunging it into the abyss, was the cornerstone of cold war diplomacy. But in our different, more unstable times – in which the line between state and non-state actors has blurred, and weapons of war have diffused – the world this week finally tipped over the edge, and suddenly it is in freefall.The first six days of the Iran war cost the US $12.7bn (£9.5bn), but now the Pentagon is seeking as much as $200bn in military funding. Oil at $125 a barrel is no longer an Iranian, or Russian, fantasy. The crown jewel of Qatar, Ras Laffan – the world’s largest liquefied natural gas plant – may not reopen fully for five years, at a cost of $20bn a year. Other combustible oil depots in the Gulf, from Bahrain to Abu Dhabi, are exposed to Iran’s low-cost drones. Then add the human cost of 18,000 civilians injured and more than 3,000 killed in Iran alone. Continue reading...
Martinez Lake, about 145 miles west of Phoenix, reached 110F (43.3C) on Thursday amid scorching south-west heatSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxA small community in the Arizona desert has broken a record for the highest March temperature ever recorded in the US, as the south-west bakes in a blistering late-winter heatwave.The astonishing temperature was recorded just outside Martinez Lake, Arizona, which reached 110F (43.3C) on Thursday, according to the National Weather Service. Continue reading...
National intelligence director said voting machine seizure was requested by US attorney in Puerto Rico – who’s been trying to revive 2020 election conspiracy theoryWhen the US director of national intelligence (DNI), Tulsi Gabbard, testified on Thursday that her office seized voting machines from Puerto Rico, she said it was at the request of the office of the US attorney in Puerto Rico. Left unsaid was that the prosecutor, as the Guardian previously reported, has been the center of a push by Donald Trump supporters to revive a long discredited conspiracy theory purporting to link Venezuela to Trump’s 2020 electoral defeat.Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro, the conspiracy theory maintains, controlled electronic voting machines worldwide and remotely manipulated results in 2020 to deprive Trump of a presidential victory. Continue reading...
• Human-driven climate change is lengthening Earth's day by 1.33 milliseconds per century, the fastest rate in 3.6 billion years, due to melting ice redistributing mass toward the equator.
• ETH Zurich researchers Mostafa Kiani Shahvandi and Benedikt Soja used foraminifera fossils to confirm this anomalous effect outpaces historical changes, including El Niño winds.
• Projections show a 2.62 milliseconds-per-century increase by 2080 under high-emissions scenarios, impacting precise timekeeping in spacecraft, computing, and geodesy instruments.
Senior public servant wrote ‘police will be dispersing them if numbers exceed capacity’ while premier says protesters confronted after attempting to marchGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastPolice planned to disperse the crowd at a Sydney protest against the visiting Israeli president, Isaac Herzog, if it exceeded 6,000 people, according to correspondence between senior New South Wales public servants.The messages released under freedom of information (FoI) laws contain information not referenced in public comments by the NSW premier, Chris Minns, and the police commissioner, Mal Lanyon. Continue reading...
Animal Aid says reclassification of research facilities as key infrastructure could catch even most peaceful actionA charity has filed a legal challenge over a “chilling” change in the law that restricts protest outside animal testing facilities in England and Wales by reclassifying them as “key national infrastructure”.Animal Aid says last month’s amendment to the Public Order Act could capture even the most peaceful, non‑disruptive advocacy. It claims the change is unlawful because it goes beyond parliament’s intention at the time the act was passed. Continue reading...
The right to protest is ‘fundamentally American’, says Bajun Mavalwalla who awaits trial and faces six years in prisonThis story was produced in partnership with the Pulitzer CenterA US military veteran arrested on federal conspiracy charges after participating in a June 2025 protest against US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) told the Guardian he refuses to plead guilty and is ready to face justice. Continue reading...
Michael Randrianirina, who sacked PM and cabinet without explanation, claims measure is to root out corruptionMadagascar’s military president has said new ministers will have to pass lie detector tests to root out corrupt candidates, after he dismissed the prime minister and cabinet without explanation earlier this month.Michael Randrianirina came to power in a coup in October after weeks of youth-led protests under the banner “Gen Z Madagascar”. However, young people were quickly disenchanted by his choice of government officials, which they saw as being part of the old, corrupt elite. Continue reading...
Jesus Javier Gomez Islas, 23, says in filing against LAPD he has permanently lost vision in one eye due to unjustified munition fired at his faceA 23-year-old Los Angeles man who attended a recent immigration protest outside a federal building says he was blinded in one eye by a law enforcement projectile.Jesus Javier Gomez Islas filed a claim against the LA police department (LAPD) on Thursday stemming from permanent injuries he says he suffered at a 31 January demonstration outside the Metropolitan Detention Center. The federal facility has been the site of frequent protests against Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown and was the site of “ICE Out” rallies that week. Continue reading...
• AMA Board Chair Dr. Aizuss testified before Congress on March 20, 2026, highlighting financial challenges for physician practices impacting patient access to care nationwide.
• He identified market consolidation, inadequate payments, prior authorization burdens, coverage instability, and workforce shortages as drivers of rising costs and longer waits.
• Recommendations include prior authorization reform, restoring physician-owned hospitals, addressing physician shortages, and ensuring Medicaid sustainability amid changes.
• Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee, claiming last year's strikes obliterated Iran's nuclear program with no rebuild efforts.
• Republican senators blocked a war powers resolution to limit President Trump's Iran attacks, amid questions on an imminent nuclear threat.
• Gabbard dodged direct queries during the hearing, drawing criticism from Sen. Jon Ossoff on threat assessments.
Lawmakers leave closed-door meeting after AG refuses to commit to honoring subpoena to testify under oathDemocrats on the House oversight committee walked out of a closed-door briefing from attorney general Pam Bondi about the Jeffrey Epstein files on Wednesday, leaving what California congressman Robert Garcia called “an outrageous fake hearing” after Bondi refused to commit to honoring a subpoena to testify under oath.The committee voted to subpoena Bondi earlier this month, with five Republicans joining Democrats to demand that the attorney general answer questions about the justice department’s failure to properly release files from the federal investigations into Epstein. Continue reading...
• Intelligence officials testified before Congress on March 18 regarding Iran war threats and national security, with National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard deflecting questions about pre-war intelligence she offered Trump, while facing Democratic accusations of misusing national security powers for domestic political interference.
• FBI Director Kash Patel made his first Capitol Hill appearance since a viral video showed him celebrating with the U.S. men's hockey team at the Winter Olympics; Patel has fired dozens of FBI agents in his first year, raising concerns about loss of national security expertise during elevated terrorism threats.
• Multiple terrorism-related incidents occurred this month, including a gunman inspired by Iranian ideology killing two at a Texas bar, suspects arrested for explosives near New York City, a shooting at Old Dominion University in Virginia, and a car attack on a Michigan synagogue.
Campaigners have been fighting proposals to build traffic tunnel under the world heritage site since 1994A controversial plan to build a tunnel under the Stonehenge site has been officially cancelled after millions were spent on the doomed project.Campaigners have been fighting proposals to dig a tunnel for cars under the location of the world heritage site since the idea was first proposed in 1994. Continue reading...
The policy reversal came after a federal court judge asked the government to explain why it had stopped negotiating with Cape York traditional ownersFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Queensland government has made an 11th hour backflip on a secret policy to contest every new native title claim in court, on the eve of being hauled before the federal court to explain themselves.But the Liberal National party’s position appears to still be unclear after Queensland natural resources minister, Dale Last, doubled down on contesting native title in a statement to Guardian Australia on Tuesday. Continue reading...
• A federal jury in Texas convicted eight anti-ICE protesters on terrorism charges Friday, marking the first successful terrorism prosecution against activists by the Justice Department.
• Federal prosecutors accused the protesters of being members of antifa in connection with a reported shooting during a demonstration outside the Prairieland ICE jail in Alvarado last year.
• The conviction has raised concerns about the Trump administration's intensifying crackdown on activists and First Amendment rights, with the DFW Support Committee calling it "a sham trial, built on political persecution and ideological attacks."
