The rightwing populist has been in power for 16 years but a new generation of voters are preparing to vote for his opponent, polls suggestAs he rushed to finish off his cigarette before heading to class, Ákos, 20, confessed that he has more at stake than most as Hungarians prepare to head to the polls in the coming days.“If things remain the same, or get even worse, I can’t see a future here,” said the aspiring teacher. “There are many people who want to try living elsewhere, and that’s totally fine, but I’m not one of them. For so long I’ve dreamed of working and teaching here.” Continue reading...
• The US-led military campaign struck Iran's B1 bridge near Karaj, one of the tallest structures in the Middle East, causing significant collapse, civilian casualties, and outrage in Tehran.
• President Trump shared footage of the strike on social media, warned Iran of more attacks, and hinted at targeting additional infrastructure if Tehran does not agree to a deal.
• In retaliation, Iranian state media and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps published a list of eight major Gulf and regional bridges as potential targets for counter-strikes, signaling dangerous escalation.
• Top-seeded UCLA defeated second-seeded Iowa 96-45 to capture its second consecutive Big Ten Conference Tournament championship, marking the first time in program history the Bruins won back-to-back conference tournament titles.
• The 51-point margin of victory set a new Big Ten Tournament Final record, surpassing Iowa's previous record of a 33-point victory over Ohio State in 2023.
• UCLA finished the regular season with a perfect 18-0 conference record and undefeated home court record for the first time since 2016-17, becoming just the fourth team in Big Ten history to go undefeated in conference play.
• US stock markets experienced sharp volatility in March 2026, with equities approaching correction territory before a month-end rally as oil prices surged significantly, driven by geopolitical events shaping the economic outlook.
• Energy emerged as the strongest-performing sector, driving value stocks to materially outperform growth peers, while bond markets showed less stability than expected as inflation concerns contributed to higher rate volatility.
• Despite market weakness and narrowing leadership, corporate profit expectations remained resilient with consensus earnings forecasts pointing to healthy growth in 2026, suggesting the selloff was driven by valuation reassessment rather than earnings deterioration.
Exclusive: documents chronicle years-long campaign to make it easier to build intensive livestock unitsMinisters are rewriting planning rules to make it easier to build intensive livestock farms despite concerns about water pollution, air quality and local opposition.Documents obtained by the Guardian under the Freedom of Information Act show that proposed changes to the national planning policy framework (NPPF) were discussed by ministers and officials in response to concerns of the country’s leading chicken producers, who have been lobbying on the issue for at least two years. Continue reading...
• Brookings Institution updated its regulatory tracker on March 31, 2026, monitoring new, delayed, repealed rules, guidance, policy revocations, and executive actions in the second Trump term.
• Rules tracked are current as of March 30, 2026, providing a curated view of deregulatory efforts across agencies.
• The tracker highlights significant shifts in federal oversight, influencing policy implementation and compliance.
EU, Spain and Germany, as well as rights groups, condemn law to execute Palestinian convicted terroristsA vote in the Israeli Knesset approving a bill sanctioning the execution of Palestinians convicted on terror charges for deadly attacks, but not Jewish extremists accused of similar crimes, has been greeted with widespread international condemnation.“The death penalty bill in Israel is very concerning to us in the EU,” the EU spokesperson Anouar El Anouni said in Brussels. “This is a clear step backwards – the introduction of the death penalty, together with the discriminatory nature of the law. Continue reading...
Exclusive: the 2026 document is designed to provide ‘scaffolding’ for a long-term Labor governmentGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastLabor’s longstanding opposition to mandatory jail terms has been omitted from the first draft of its new national party platform, after the Albanese government backed minimum sentences on several occasions.An early working draft of the ALP’s updated platform also includes more assertive language on China and seeks to position Australia as an “active middle power” in an increasingly fraught and contested world. Continue reading...
• The Dow Jones Industrial Average and Nasdaq Composite have officially entered correction territory, each falling more than 10% from their recent peaks, signaling sustained market weakness across major indices.
• The S&P 500 declined 25.13 points to close at 6,343.72, down 0.4%, while deepening losses to 9.1% below its record set in early 2026; the Nasdaq composite fell 0.7% to 20,794.64.
• Wall Street has recorded its fifth consecutive week of losses, driven by rising geopolitical tensions from the US-Iran conflict combined with aggressive Trump administration tariff measures heightening market uncertainty.
• Saudi Arabia, UAE, and other Gulf allies are privately urging President Trump to prosecute the U.S.-led war against Iran longer, arguing Tehran remains insufficiently weakened after a month of bombings.
• Allies shifted from initial complaints over lack of notice to viewing the conflict as a historic chance to cripple Iran's clerical rule, per U.S., Gulf, and Israeli officials.
• Secretary of State Marco Rubio affirmed alignment with Gulf partners, stating on 'Good Morning America' that Iran's 'religious zealots' must never possess nuclear weapons due to their apocalyptic vision.
• The New Zealand All Whites defeated Chile 4-1 at Oakland in a landmark achievement, marking their first-ever victory over a South American nation in 20 attempts on their route to the World Cup.
• This result represents a significant milestone for the New Zealand national football team in their qualification campaign.
• The dominant performance demonstrates the All Whites' improved form heading into upcoming World Cup matches.
• The Dow Jones Industrial Average confirmed correction status on March 28, 2026, falling over 10% from its February 10 record close to 45,166.64.
• Twenty-four of 30 Dow components closed negative on Friday, with Nasdaq down 2.2% to 20,948.36 and S&P 500 off 1.7% to 6,368.85.
• Geopolitical tensions, surging oil, and inflation fears drove the risk-off sentiment, with sectors like Consumer Discretionary down 3.1%.
• Latino-focused neobank DNERO is gearing up for its U.S. market launch, highlighted among March 2026's top five fintech product debuts.
• The platform aims to serve underserved Latino communities with tailored digital banking services amid rising demand for inclusive finance.
• DNERO's entry reflects surging investment in niche fintech startups targeting demographic-specific needs in the competitive U.S. landscape.
Trump has ordered pay be restored to TSA employees but it is unclear where money will come from and whether he has such legal powersHello and welcome to the US politics live blog.Airports continue to warn passengers to arrive several hours early due to unpredictable Transportation Security Administration (TSA) wait times, as the shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) became the longest shutdown in US history.A generational divide over the Iran war has emerged between older attendees and their political heirs at this year’s Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Texas, as the group’s leaders pleaded for unity ahead of a challenging midterm election year for Republicans. More here.Iran has warned the US that it is prepared to confront any ground assault, accusing Washington of secretly planning a land attack while publicly seeking talks, as the war that has killed thousands of people and caused the biggest ever disruption to global energy supplies entered its second month. More here.US lawmakers have responded to reports that the Pentagon is preparing for weeks of ground operations in Iran as thousands of US troops assemble in the Middle East and the conflict showed signs of entering a more dangerous phase. More here.The abortion rate is holding steady in the US despite total and partial bans in some states – largely because of travel across state lines and a significant increase in telehealth appointments, a new report says. More here.Pope Leo has said God ignores the prayers of leaders who wage war and have “hands full of blood”, in an apparent rebuke to the Trump administration. The pontiff made the comments on Sunday as thousands of US troops arrived in the Middle East.More than 8 million people protested against the Trump administration at more than 3,300 No Kings events across the US and in more than a dozen countries on Saturday, according to organizers. Continue reading...
If the now-six-week partial shutdown continues after the weekend, it will become the longest of any shutdownThe shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the fourth largest agency in the US government, became the longest partial shutdown in US history on Sunday.If the now-six-week partial shutdown continues after the weekend, it will also become the longest of any shutdown, surpassing the impasse late last year that dragged on for 43 days. Continue reading...
A 26-year old man died in a cell in Darwin on Saturday morning, and a 25 year-old man died in a police car on TuesdayGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA 26-year-old man died at Darwin correctional centre on Saturday, Northern Territory police said.It was the territory’s second reported death in custody in just a matter of days. Continue reading...
Treasury department said Financial Times article about Scott Bessent’s views on Fed oversight was ‘manufactured’ The US treasury department demanded on Friday that the Financial Times (FT) retract a report on treasury secretary Scott Bessent’s views on the Federal Reserve, accusing the newspaper of publishing “false claims” in a formal complaint that was escalated to the news outlet’s parent company, Nikkei Inc.The email from treasury officials, addressed to senior editors at the FT and Nikkei, disputed multiple claims in the story and criticized the headline as misrepresenting the underlying reporting. Continue reading...
• The Nasdaq 100 and Dow Jones Industrial Average have both entered correction territory, defined as a more-than-10% decline from recent peaks, marking a significant milestone in the market downturn.
• Tech stocks have been particularly hard hit, with Amazon dropping 3.1% and Meta Platforms falling 3.5%, as the sector faces pressure from both high valuation concerns and geopolitical tensions related to the Iran war.
• The S&P 500 has suffered five consecutive weeks of losses—its longest losing streak in nearly four years—and is now 8.7% below its record set in early 2026.
Liz Kendall urged by online safety figures to hand job to Jeremy Wright ahead of Labour grandee Margaret HodgeMinisters are facing pressure to appoint a former Conservative cabinet minister as the new chair of the media regulator Ofcom, as he battles for the job against a Labour peer.The job of running the regulator has become a key post in public life, as concern over online content has grown rapidly, alongside the rise of more politically partisan broadcasting. No successor has yet been named to replace Michael Grade, the former BBC chair who has just weeks left in the job. Continue reading...
Air superiority is supposed to deliver a quick triumph. But history has shown that promise to be written on the windMiddle East crisis – live updatesTo explore the roots of Donald Trump’s Iran military strategy and the pugilistic rhetoric of his defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, means looking back 105 years. In 1921, a year before Benito Mussolini and his blackshirts marched on Rome to launch the Fascist era, an Italian general named Giulio Douhet published The Command of the Air, proposing a revolution in warfare.Victory in the future, he said, would no longer come from the grinding trench combat of the Great War. Instead it meant large-scale aerial bombardments, targeting not just combatants but civilians and civilian infrastructure and logistics. Continue reading...
Rationing is not under consideration yet as hundreds of retailers report being without one or more types of fuelGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastPetrol stations are reporting a surge in demand of up to 25% in the last fortnight alone on top of already major spikes earlier in the Iran war as Anthony Albanese comes under pressure to devise a national plan to cushion Australia against the “biggest energy crisis in history”.The Australasian Convenience and Petroleum Marketers Association has revealed the scale of the demand on retailers, which has left hundreds of stations across the country without one or more types of fuel. Continue reading...
• Back-to-back subtropical Kona storms in March 2026 triggered destructive flash flooding across several Hawaiian Islands, including Oʻahu.
• NASA Earth Observatory published images and analysis of the flooding event on March 25, 2026, highlighting the cyclones' impact.
• These storms underscore intensifying weather patterns linked to climate variability in the Pacific region.
Former MP appears at Westminster magistrates court to admit four drugs charges stemming from raid on his homeThe former MP Crispin Blunt has pleaded guilty at Westminster magistrates court to four charges of possession of drugs including cannabis and crystal meth.The 65-year-old former justice minister appeared at Westminster magistrates’ court on Wednesday to admit four drugs charges, which stem from a raid on his home in Horley, Surrey, on October 25 2023. Continue reading...
The Last Princesses of Punjab opens on Thursday at Kensington PalaceThe extraordinary life of an exiled Punjabi princess, embraced by the British royal court and a goddaughter of Queen Victoria, but who would become a pioneering suffragette and challenge the very authority of the elite social circles in which she moved, is to be told in a new exhibition.Princess Sophia Duleep Singh was the daughter of Duleep Singh, the last Sikh maharajah of the Punjab. As a child he was forced to surrender his lands to the East India Company in 1849, and sign away the famous Koh-i-noor diamond, now a potent symbol of colonial exploitation and set in the crown of the late Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. Continue reading...
• Elon Musk launched Terafab, a $20 billion-plus semiconductor fab in Austin, Texas, jointly developed by Tesla, SpaceX, and xAI to produce custom chips for EVs, Optimus robots, and AI computing.
• The facility targets terawatt-scale power output, addressing global chip shortages constraining Musk's AI and robotics timelines amid TSMC capacity limits.
• This vertical integration bolsters U.S. domestic manufacturing self-sufficiency amid geopolitical tensions and accelerates competition in AI hardware where compute is the key bottleneck.
Rathlin Island in Northern Ireland is ferret-free after £4.5m five-year partnership led by RSPB NIPredatory feral ferrets have been removed from an island for the first time ever, in a boost for Northern Ireland’s largest seabird colony.Rathlin Island is ferret-free after a £4.5m five-year partnership led by RSPB NI involving islanders, charities, volunteers and a red labrador called Woody. Continue reading...
• The tech-heavy Nasdaq and Dow Jones are on the brink of correction territory, defined as a 10% decline from recent peaks, with investors growing concerned the Iran conflict may cause lasting market damage beyond typical episodes.
• All three major stock indexes closed Friday with their fourth consecutive weekly loss: the Dow fell 2.1%, Nasdaq dropped 2.1%, and the S&P 500 tumbled 1.9%, according to FactSet data.
• The "TACO trade" (Trump Always Chickens Out), where investors bet Trump will reverse course during market selloffs, is looking increasingly suspect as the conflict deepens, with analysts warning that longer-term resolution becomes harder the deeper the conflict progresses.
• Tesla officially launched Terafab, a $20 billion AI chip manufacturing facility in Austin, Texas, marking a major expansion in US AI hardware production.
• The factory aims to produce advanced AI chips for Tesla's autonomous driving and robotics initiatives, reducing reliance on foreign suppliers.
• This development strengthens US domestic semiconductor capabilities amid global chip shortages and boosts Texas as a tech hub.
Exclusive: Rebecca Harris promotes latest Crewkerne Gazette skit, created by Joshua Bonehill-Paine who says he is a member of Tory partyThe Conservative party’s chief whip has been condemned for promoting AI-generated footage created by a notorious far-right figure jailed for hate crimes against Jewish people.Rebecca Harris reposted the latest skit by the Crewkerne Gazette, which depicts Kemi Badenoch and her shadow justice secretary, Nick Timothy, as characters in the gangster film Scarface. Continue reading...
• Los Angeles Lakers defeated Denver Nuggets in overtime, sparked by Austin Reaves' intentional missed free-throw put-back to force the extra period.
• Reaves celebrated by cradling the basketball and whispering 'I love you' after the key play in the comeback win.
• Young fan Jackson Tuyay's passionate cheering ignited the crowd and inspired the Lakers' defense against a top team.
