Author: staff

Though Mahmood’s proposals will lengthen the time it takes them to gain access to the welfare system, the change “will not make a significant difference to the lifetime fiscal impact” of these migrants, according to the report. “The only way this policy would significantly bring down the £10 billion lifetime fiscal cost is if it led to large numbers of care workers and dependents leaving the U.K. before they reached the qualifying period for settlement,” the IPPR says. As it stands, that’s not the case Mahmood is making. The primary reason care workers make a negative net lifetime financial contribution…

Israel continued its intense strike campaign against the Iranian regime’s security forces on Friday by killing the spokesman of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Ali Mohammad Naini, the intelligence chief and deputy commander of the Basij forces, Esmail Ahmadi-Moghaddam as well as the commander of the IRCG Aerospace Force, Mehdi Ghorishi, the Iranian media and Israel’s Defence Forces (IDF) announced on Friday. Ali Mohammad Naini was known to be the IRGC’s main propagandist, while Esmail Ahmadi-Moghaddam was described as a main pillar of the Basij force, “with a central role in suppressing protests,” Israel said. Additionally, as Israel keeps…

The patient died at Cherbourg hospital. Cherbourg is a key port for ferries to and from the U.K. The health authority said “no link can be established with the meningitis epidemic currently underway in the United Kingdom.” The U.K. is grappling with an ongoing outbreak of meningitis in the southeast county of Kent, linked to a local nightclub. As of Friday, 29 people have fallen ill and two people have died, the U.K. Health Security Agency said. Health Secretary Wes Streeting described the outbreak as “unprecedented.” Health officials have rolled out preventive antibiotics and vaccination to those who attended the…

The France Unbowed leader wants to build on his party’s success in local elections to become a leading presidential rival to Jordan Bardella and Marine Le Pen on the far right. It’s a race few see him winning. Mar 18 6 mins read

Iran’s capital Tehran showed signs of cautious activity on 19 March 2026 as residents prepared for Nowruz, despite ongoing US-Israeli strikes that have disrupted daily life since 28 February. Markets reopened in areas such as Tajrish, where people bought flowers, sprouted grains and goldfish for Haft-Seen tables. Traffic increased on main roads, though many neighbourhoods remained quieter than usual. The return matters as Nowruz marks the start of the Iranian year 1405 on 20 March, a key cultural moment even during conflict. Since the start of the war, more than 1,300 people have been reported killed across Iran, and many…

The rise of artificial intelligence (AI), the transformation of talent and funding challenges mark a turning point for Europe’s technological competitiveness. This was made clear on the first day of the CTx Tech Experience event in Seville, where business leaders and investors agreed on the need to strengthen Europe’s ability to scale innovation. One of the main points of consensus is that the continent continues to face structural obstacles, such as market fragmentation, regulatory complexity, and a lack of capital to boost the growth of startups. In response to this, different voices in the ecosystem have advocated greater coordination between…

If a toy were determined to be unsafe, the government could intervene through the Product Safety and Metrology Act passed last year, which grants it increased powers to impose regulations on consumer products put on the U.K. market, including those sold online. The government has also said it will consult shortly on “major reforms” to the U.K.’s product safety framework to tackle the prevalence of unsafe products sold to Brits and increase the regime’s enforcement powers. In a written statement in December, Digital Economy Minister Liz Lloyd said the government was committed to reviewing the regulations for toys, which would “examine…

Published on 20/03/2026 – 13:18 GMT+1 Two of the world’s largest bot networks were shut down in a major international operation, authorities announced on Friday. German, US and Canadian cybercrime specialists joined forces to dismantle Aisuru and Kimwolf, suspected of being behind major online attacks. They “posed a significant threat to IT infrastructure due to their size and associated attack capacitym,” said German police, prosecutors and cybercrime officials. A botnet is a network of computers or connected devices that have been infected with malware and are controlled secretly by an operator, who uses them for malicious purposes like attacks or…

Meta has reversed course on plans to end virtual reality support for Horizon Worlds, the social media platform once pitched as a cornerstone of the company’s metaverse vision. On March 17, Meta told users that Horizon Worlds would no longer be supported on Quest headsets from June 15, with the platform instead continuing on mobile and web. But the decision lasted barely a day. In an Instagram Q&A, Meta chief technology officer Andrew Bosworth said the company had decided to keep Horizon Worlds running in virtual reality (VR) after fans said they were “heartbroken” by the move. Meta will keep…

Travellers heading to Spain this Easter are being warned of flight disruption as airport staff prepare to strike. Spanish unions have called for industrial action at several major airports, with workers responsible for baggage handling, aircraft turnaround, boarding, and other essential ground services all set to walk out. The stoppages will coincide with a peak travel period, when millions of passengers pass through Spanish airports. Here’s what travellers need to know. Major Spanish airports brace for strike disruption Airport ground staff are planning to strike during the busy Semana Santa (Easter Holy Week) travel period. The walkouts have been called…