The Guardian

Exclusive: Rented datacentres and ‘supercomputer’ site that’s still a scaffolding yard raise questions for Starmer’s push to ‘mainline AI into veins of economy’A multibillion-pound drive to “mainline AI into the veins” of the British economy is riddled with “phantom investments” and shaky accounting, a Guardian investigation has found.Since 2024, successive Conservative and Labour governments have proclaimed massive deals to build new datacentres, create thousands of jobs and construct a supercomputer. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/mar/09/revealed-uks-multibillion-ai-drive-is-built-on-phantom-investments Author : Aisha Down Publish date : 2026-03-09 14:40:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

As the US space agency misses its launch window for the second month, smaller firms continue work on their partsIt was shaping up into another ordinary day at the Colorado headquarters of the small space startup Lunar Outpost last Friday when chief executive Justin Cyrus learned of a surprise press conference called by Jared Isaacman, the new administrator of Nasa.Cyrus’s company epitomises the many private contractors of the space agency working on a myriad of projects crucial to the Artemis program that seeks to return humans to the moon, so anything Isaacman had to say about it was naturally of

The prime minister is facing pressure from unions and some backbenchers to prepare a support package as oil and gas prices threaten to push up inflationHere is some detail on reports that G7 finance ministers are preparing to discuss the release of emergency oil reserves, courtesy of Guardian business reporter Lauren Almeida:The emergency meeting would take place at 8.30am New York time to discuss the impact of the Iran war, the FT reported, citing unnamed people familiar with the matter.People are also rightly worrying what this means for life at home – their bills, their jobs, their communities.I want to

Donald Trump insists surge in energy prices is ‘very small price to pay’ as Middle East conflict sparks fresh stock market sell-offMiddle East crisis - live updatesOil prices surged past $100 per barrel for the first time since 2022 as fallout from the US-Israel war with Iran continued to rattle global markets and leading economies moved to tackle a worsening energy supply crisis.A weekend of escalating violence in the Middle East intensified concerns around a sustained supply crunch, propelling oil prices to their highest level in four years and triggering a deep stock market sell-off. Continue reading... Source link :

Schools and highways close and Territorians living near major rivers leave amid possibly record-breaking rainFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastKatherine’s mayor has warned locals to be wary of flood waters inundating the town after a crocodile was spotted on the town’s AFL oval, as residents are warned to boil their water amid the record-breaking deluge.As rain and storms continued to soak the Top End on Monday, the Bureau of Meteorology issued major flood warnings for thousands of Territorians near the Katherine, Daly and Georgina rivers and Eyre

Iran has named hardliner Mojtaba Khamenei as the country’s new supreme leader; Donald Trump says oil price spike ‘a small price to pay’ as markets tumbleFull report: Ali Khamenei’s son Mojtaba chosen as Iran’s new supreme leaderTell us: how have you been affected by the latest events in the Middle East?Hello and welcome to our continuing live coverage of the war on Iran.Here are the main developments:Iran has named Mojtaba Khamenei as the country’s new supreme leader after the killing of his father Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in US-Israeli strikes, state-run media announced. He was selected by Iran’s Assembly of Experts,

Victorian government says ‘it’s only fair’ Great Ocean Road tourists should pay to see famous limestone stacksFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastTourists will soon have to pay an entry fee to see the Twelve Apostles on Victoria’s Great Ocean Road.The Victorian government will on Monday announce a fee for tourists to visit the $126m Twelve Apostles Visitor Experience Centre, which is due to open at the end of 2026. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/mar/09/twelve-apostles-visitors-charged-entry-fee-great-ocean-road-victoria Author : Benita Kolovos Victorian state correspondent Publish date : 2026-03-08 23:28:00

Ted O’Brien says Israel and US are doing the ‘heavy lifting for the free world’ amid war with Iran. Follow the latest updates liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastMan charged with murder after alleged stabbing in Sydney’s inner westA man was charged with murder after an alleged stabbing in Sydney’s inner west on Sunday.I think it’s important to work through this calmly, to understand the intelligence and the briefings that the government has to get to this juncture … If you’re going to send Australian personnel to a conflict, that is one of the most

National Gas insists storage broadly in line with levels for time of year despite disruption for tankers carrying LNGGreat Britain has only two days of natural gas after a decline in energy reserves, as more tankers carrying liquefied natural gas (LNG) are diverted from their course to Europe towards Asia because of the Iran war.Great Britain had 6,999 gigawatt hours (GWh) of natural gas stored on Saturday, according to figures from National Gas, which owns and operates the gas national transmission system. This compares with 9,105 GWh a year earlier. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/mar/08/great-britain-has-only-two-days-of-gas-stored-as-iran-war-disrupts-supplies Author : Julia Kollewe

Lake, whom Trump appointed without Senate confirmation to run Voice of America parent agency, cut over 1,000 jobsA federal judge ruled Saturday that Kari Lake unlawfully led the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM) for several months last year and voided mass layoffs and other actions taken during that period to dismantle the agency.The US Agency for Global Media (USAGM) is an independent federal agency that oversees the Voice of America (VOA), the US’s largest and oldest international broadcaster, and provides grants to Radio Free Asia, Radio Free Europe and other news agencies. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/08/kari-lake-us-media-agency-voice-of-america Author

Vermont and New York face high stakes to protect climate superfund laws as it faces attacks from Trump’s DoJSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxBy rolling back a bedrock climate legal determination, the Trump administration has undercut its attacks on a groundbreaking state climate accountability law, green groups have argued in court.Trump’s justice department has asked a judge to kill a first-of-its-kind 2024 Vermont “climate superfund” policy requiring major polluters to pay for damages caused by their past planet-heating pollution, partly on the grounds that that federal law, not state law, governs

Foreign secretary hits back at former prime minister, saying Britain had to ‘learn the lessons’ of Iraq warMiddle East crisis – live updatesYvette Cooper has rejected Tony Blair’s assertion that the UK should have supported Donald Trump’s initial airstrikes on Iran, saying Britain had to “learn the lessons” of mistakes made in Iraq.At a private lunch event on Friday, the former Labour prime minister said Keir Starmer “should have backed America from the very beginning” and let the Trump administration use British airbases, adding: “If they are your ally and they are an indispensable cornerstone for your security … you

Reports of explosions in Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Qatar as smoke billows above TehranFull report: Iran rejects Trump’s demand for unconditional surrender as a ‘dream’From ‘peace president’ to Operation Epic Fury: Trump’s road to warThe Israeli military said it launched a wave of strikes “across Iran” on Sunday, targeting military sites.A military statement said it had “initiated a wave of strikes targeting the Iranian terror regime military infrastructure across Iran”. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2026/mar/08/middle-east-crisis-live-china-warns-world-cannot-return-to-law-of-the-jungle-trump-says-iran-being-decimated Author : Yohannes Lowe (now) and Hannah Ellis-Petersen (earlier) Publish date : 2026-03-08 08:21:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to

Exclusive: Campaigners urge Keir Starmer to back ‘Philomena’s Law’ to protect payments for up to 13,000 survivors living in BritainSurvivors of Ireland’s mother and baby homes have started to have benefits cut in Britain because they accepted compensation from the Irish government.The cuts to the means-tested benefits of survivors in Britain come as campaigners including the actors Siobhán McSweeney and Steve Coogan called on Keir Starmer to back a bill known as Philomena’s Law, which would ringfence survivors’ benefits. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/08/survivors-of-irelands-mother-and-baby-homes-face-benefit-cuts-in-uk-after-accepting-compensation Author : Ben Quinn Political Correspondent Publish date : 2026-03-08 06:00:00 Copyright for syndicated content

Foreign minister says Australia ‘not participating in offensive action against Iran’ but may help protect other countries Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Australian government is considering offering military support to assist Gulf nations facing strikes from Iran, but will not participate in any ground troop deployment into Iran, the foreign minister has said.The government confirmed nine flights had arrived in Australia from the Middle East since the US and Israeli strikes on Iran one week ago, with another three flights scheduled to arrive on Sunday. Dozens

Foreign minister, Constantinos Kombos, tells Guardian Iranian-made drone that hit airbase was launched from Lebanon Britain is facing growing calls to withdraw its military bases from Cyprus as locals step up protests against facilities seen as a threat to their security after an unprecedented drone attack on RAF Akrotiri.Anger over the installations spilled on to the streets of Nicosia, the capital, as protesters chanting “out with the bases of death” marched to the colonial-era presidential palace on Saturday amid fears of the Mediterranean nation being dragged into the wider Iran conflict. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/07/uk-faces-growing-calls-from-locals-to-remove-cyprus-military-bases Author : Helena

Follow today’s news headlines liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastForeign minister Penny Wong has reiterated her claim that Australia is “not in a position to determine the legal basis of decisions that the United States and Israel have made” in attacking Iran.Asked about how far Australia would go to support the war, Wong told ABC TV’s Insiders:In these circumstances, it’s best for us to always come back to what is our position, both as a matter of objectives and also as a matter of conduct, which is why we have also said, you know, we

Detectives are investigating if alleged surveillance of Jewish locations and individuals is linked to possible attacks on British soilCounter-terrorism detectives have been granted more time to question four men arrested on suspicion of spying for Iran on locations and individuals linked to the Jewish community.The suspects, one Iranian and three dual British-Iranian nationals, can now be held in custody until 13 March, the Metropolitan police said on Saturday. The men, aged 22, 40, 52 and 55, were arrested under the National Security Act at addresses in Harrow, Watford and Barnet shortly after 1am on Friday. The Met said six other

Report indicates that US intelligence officials question effectiveness of strikes to produce regime change in IranUS government reviews of the war in Iran show that the Trump administration may be ill-equipped for a regime-change war, according to reports.The Washington Post reported on Saturday morning that a classified intelligence review found that the war in Iran is unlikely to oust the Iranian establishment, despite the Trump administration’s desire to continue its attacks. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/07/iran-us-israel-war-regime-change Author : José Olivares Publish date : 2026-03-07 17:04:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

California state superintendent says mother and sons arrested during ICE check-in and deported to ColombiaCalifornia’s superintendent is calling for the return of a hearing-impaired six-year-old after he, his mother and his five-year-old sibling were detained on Tuesday while reporting for their check-in at an ICE office in San Francisco and deported to Colombia.Lesly Rodriguez Gutierrez and her sons were arrested during their visit to ICE’s Intensive Supervision Appearance Program (Isap), said Alameda County Immigration Legal and Education Partnership (ACILEP). A relative who was waiting outside for Gutierrez and her sons was unable to hand off the assistive devices necessary for

Charities warn estates of victims who died before the scheme began are losing hundreds of thousands in financial loss paymentsFamilies of victims of the infected blood scandal have criticised the government for imposing a “penalty for dying” in its compensation scheme, which has seen them lose out on hundreds of thousands of pounds.The scheme awards payouts to living victims and the families of those who have died after being infected with HIV or hepatitis as a result of being given contaminated blood products by the NHS. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/mar/07/families-say-infected-blood-scandal-compensation-scheme-creates-penalty-for-dying Author : Hannah Al-Othman North of England correspondent

Presenter who entertained children with his sharp-witted, furry puppet Agro Vation, remembered for his brash and unapologetic humourGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastJamie Dunn, a veteran radio personality who unleashed the puppet Agro on Australia, entertaining both children and adults alike for decades, has died aged 76.Dunn, who was once Australia’s longest-serving breakfast radio host, died on Saturday. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2026/mar/07/radio-personality-and-agro-puppeteer-jamie-dunn-dies-aged-76 Author : Australian Associated Press Publish date : 2026-03-07 09:35:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

Bank criticised for tone of spending summaries, with one user complaining to ombudsman over ‘humiliating’ use of dataWhen does lighthearted banter become inappropriate and humiliating?The digital bank Monzo has been accused of overstepping the mark by using the data it holds to tell one customer with a past eating disorder that she eats a lot of fast food, spends “more than most” on Just Eat takeaways, and had banished her life goals thanks to her spending choices. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/money/2026/mar/07/monzo-customer-language-year-in-monzo-review Author : Rupert Jones Publish date : 2026-03-07 07:00:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked

Donald Trump says he would only accept Tehran’s ‘unconditional surrender’ as war continues to expand; Israel launches huge attacks on Iran and LebanonTell us: how have you been affected by the latest events in the Middle East?Clashes erupted as Israeli forces attempted a landing operation along the Lebanon-Syria border, with Hezbollah saying its fighters were involved, Lebanese official media reported on Saturday.The state-run National News Agency (NNA), citing the Lebanese health ministry, said Israeli strikes on Nabi Sheet killed at least three people and wounded 16 others.Citizens and residents are urged to remain calm and head to the nearest safe

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s ‘deplorable’ alleged actions warrant his removal from the royal line of succession, Carney saysThe Canadian prime minister, Mark Carney, has said Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor should be removed from the royal line of succession for alleged actions he described as “deplorable”.Speaking to reporters in Tokyo, Carney said the actions that have caused the former prince to be stripped of his royal titles “necessitate” his removal from the line of succession. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/07/canadian-pm-mark-carney-says-former-prince-andrew-should-be-removed-from-royal-line-of-succession Author : Guardian staff and agencies Publish date : 2026-03-07 02:08:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.