Energy bills: UK government urged to launch ‘social tariff’ to help vulnerable households

18/03/2026 06:00 The Guardian

As Iran war drives up cost concerns, thinktank says £3.7bn discount system should be developed before next winterThe UK government is facing calls to spend almost £4bn to launch a “social tariff” providing cheaper energy for poor households amid growing concerns over the Iran conflict.As households brace for an increase in living costs, the Resolution Foundation said ministers should develop a system of discounted domestic energy bills in time for next winter to protect the most vulnerable households. Continue reading...

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‘A bigger scar’: prolonged war in Middle East could slash $16.5bn from Australian economy, Chalmers warns

Treasurer likens impact of conflict to recent major shocks, including global financial crisis and Covid pandemicFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastInflation could peak at 5% this year and petrol price hikes continue to slu...

18/03/2026 07:16 The Guardian

PM calls national cabinet meeting over fuel crisis – as it happened

Follow today’s news live‘A bigger scar’: prolonged war in Middle East could slash $16.5bn from Australian economy, Chalmers warnsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastARN confirms Kyle Sandilands contract terminatedARN just issued a statement confirming Kyle Sandilands’...

18/03/2026 07:13 The Guardian

Ali Larijani was ruthless – and clear-eyed about west’s implacable hostility to Iran

A 2006 Guardian interview with Iran’s slain security chief now reads as a grim warning of the conflict that killed himDeep down, Ali Larijani always believed that the western powers were bent on destroying Iran’s revolutionary regime, for which he had fought on the battlefield.The prescience of...

18/03/2026 06:00 The Guardian

Iranian strikes hit near Australian airbase in UAE, Albanese confirms

Prime minister says no Australian personnel were injured and maintains Australia is not at war with IranFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAn Iranian projectile hit near Australia’s headquarters at the Al Minhad airbase...

18/03/2026 03:15 The Guardian

Tulsi Gabbard, who warned of war with Iran, now defends Trump’s decision to attack – as it happened

Director of national intelligence wrote on social media that Trump ‘is responsible for determining what is and is not an imminent threat’Trump news at a glance: key stories of the daySign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxA top counter-terrorism official in...

18/03/2026 02:04 The Guardian

Isolated and exposed: can New Zealand’s fragile economic recovery withstand the global oil shock?

New Zealand economic growth tipped to overtake Australia’s this year but Middle East conflict casts a shadow over outlookJust as New Zealand’s fragile economic recovery shows flickers of improvement – with economists predicting its annual growth could surpass that of its larger neighbour Austr...

18/03/2026 00:57 The Guardian

Rayner: government ‘cannot just go through the motions in the face of decline’

Former deputy prime minister says Labour’s immigration changes are ‘un-British’ and Starmer must respond to fall in party’s popularityAngela Rayner has said the very survival of the Labour party is at stake and warned Keir Starmer that he “cannot go through the motions” in the face of de...

17/03/2026 22:42 The Guardian

Iran’s national security council confirms death of its chief, Ali Larijani

Larijani was killed by an Israeli airstrike and is the most senior Iranian fatality since Ali Khamenei on first day of warMiddle East crisis – live updatesIran’s supreme national security council has confirmed the death of its chief, Ali Larijani, after Israel said it had killed him in an airstr...

17/03/2026 21:35 The Guardian

Middle East crisis live: Trump bashes Nato allies over strait of Hormuz as Iranian official warns waterway ‘won’t return to its pre-war status’

President says ‘we don’t need any help’ after several allies ruled out sending warships to key fossil fuels shipping channelFull report: Iran’s security chief, Ali Larijani, killed in airstrike, Israel saysHow have you been affected by the latest Middle East events?Are fuel price increases m...

17/03/2026 21:01 The Guardian

Cutting jury trials risks ‘undermining justice’ for abused women and girls, Lammy warned

In letter to justice secretary, groups say judge-led decisions more likely to be influenced by bias than those made by 12 random people Thirty organisations representing victims of violence against women and girls (VAWG) have written to the justice secretary, David Lammy, urging him to drop plans t...

17/03/2026 20:58 The Guardian

Democrats urge windfall tax as big oil set to make billions from Iran war

Progressive and green groups join call for tax on major fossil-fuel companies to help offset rising living costsWith big oil companies poised to reap billions of dollars in profits from the war in Iran, Democratic lawmakers and progressive groups are calling for a windfall tax on major fossil fuel c...

17/03/2026 20:24 The Guardian

UK prepares to sue Abramovich over £2.4bn proceeds of Chelsea FC sale

Russian billionaire accused of missing ‘last chance’ to release money to help victims of Ukraine warUK officials are preparing for a possible court case against Roman Abramovich after he missed a deadline to release £2.4bn he raised from selling Chelsea FC.The Russian billionaire failed to hand...

17/03/2026 19:59 The Guardian

Europe must prepare for drone strikes by terrorists and criminals, warns Zelenskyy

Ukraine’s president says mass attacks on civilians are no longer the preserve of a ‘madman like Putin’European nations should prepare for attacks by non-state actors including criminal networks, terror groups and lone attackers as drone technology advances, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned.The U...

17/03/2026 19:38 The Guardian

Reform UK may breach data laws with free energy bills competition

Experts say Nigel Farage’s party is not being transparent about how it will use data it collects on people’s voting habitsReform UK risks breaching data protection laws with its competition to win free energy bills for a year, lawyers and data experts have warned.Nigel Farage announced the lotte...

17/03/2026 19:34 The Guardian

Kemi Badenoch calls Trump’s repeated criticisms of Starmer ‘childish’

Tory leader says US president’s words ‘completely wrong’ as she tries to distance herself from his war on IranKemi Badenoch has called Donald Trump’s repeated criticisms of Keir Starmer “childish”, as the Conservative leader continued her recent moves to distance herself from the US pres...

17/03/2026 19:28 The Guardian

Oil flows again through controversial California pipeline after Trump order

Pipeline, closed since 2015 after huge oil spill, reopens after president cites need to boost US supply amid war on IranOil has begun to flow from a controversial California pipeline system for the first time in an more than decade following a Trump administration order, despite state officials decr...

17/03/2026 19:27 The Guardian

Zelenskyy says Europe is a ‘global force’ that can stand against any other power in address to MPs – as it happened

Keir Starmer previously reassured that the war in Iran would not distract the UK from supporting Ukraine Nigel Farage is speaking now at the Reform UK event.The website promoting the lottery is up. It is called nigelcutmybills.com. Continue reading...

17/03/2026 18:22 The Guardian

Energy minister: ‘every penny’ levied on household energy bills will be scrutinised

But Michael Shanks says government will not be rushed into plans to reduce costs faced by households due to war in IranBritain’s energy minister has said “every penny” levied on household energy bills will be scrutinised after suppliers warned that households could face a price hike of £250 a...

17/03/2026 18:21 The Guardian

Arts Council England must change or face ‘disaster’, culture department is told

Margaret Hodge, who led report into arts funder, tells DCMS committee that grant recipients have lost confidence in the bodyArts Council England requires a “radical” overhaul so it can to respond to the challenges of the culture sector, according to Margaret Hodge, who said it would be a “disa...

17/03/2026 18:14 The Guardian

Lisa Nandy vows to give BBC permanent charter to prevent political interference

Minister says the change is needed to protect the corporation from repeated ‘culture war’ attacksThe government is to put the BBC’s charter on a permanent footing for the first time, after the corporation said the change was needed to protect it from political interference.In a significant cha...

17/03/2026 18:05 The Guardian

Belgian court sends ex-diplomat, 93, to trial over 1961 murder of Congo leader

Family of then PM, Patrice Lumumba, welcome decision to charge Étienne Davignon as ‘beginning of a reckoning’ A former Belgian diplomat, 93, should stand trial over alleged complicity in the 1961 murder of Patrice Lumumba, the first prime minister of what was then the newly independent Congoles...

17/03/2026 18:03 The Guardian

War, inheritance and … a baby? First Dune: Part Three trailer is here

The final instalment in Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi trilogy brings back Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya and Florence Pugh and introduces a nasty new villainTimothée Chalamet may have finally escaped Oscar season, but not movie promotion – the first look at Dune: Part Three is here.The first trailer r...

17/03/2026 17:04 The Guardian

‘Everything was burning, people were burning’: witnesses describe strike on Kabul drug rehab centre

Pakistani strike on Afghan capital kills 400 people, who burned in their beds or were crushed by collapsing wallsWitnesses and survivors have described the horrific scenes of a Pakistani air raid that hit a drug rehabilitation centre in Kabul, killing more than 400 people, who burned in their beds o...

17/03/2026 15:29 The Guardian

Death of influential Ali Larijani could be bigger loss to Iran than Khamenei

Security chief’s huge influence on many levels of Iranian politics and abroad will make his killing devastatingMiddle East crisis – live updatesIsrael’s assassination of Ali Larijani, the secretary of Iran’s supreme national security council and one of the linchpins of Iranian politics, will...

17/03/2026 15:06 The Guardian

Trump counter-terrorism chief quits over Iran war, blaming Israel

Joe Kent resigned as national counter-terrorism center director, saying Iran posed no imminent threat to the USSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxJoe Kent, director of the National Counterterrorism Center and a far-right political figure and supporter of Don...

17/03/2026 15:05 The Guardian

Rachel Reeves warns of ‘anxious times’, and warns ‘globalisation as we once knew it is dead’ – business live

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news, including Rachel Reeves’s Mais lecture at Bayes Business School in LondonThe number of people in England and Wales falling into insolvency has jumped.There were 11,609 individual insolvencies registered in England and Wales in February, t...

17/03/2026 14:08 The Guardian

Australian households fear double whammy of rate hikes and higher petrol prices will lead to recession

Borrowers face losing hundreds of dollars a month in higher repayments and rising pump rices will add to the pain, economists warnFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastSurging interest rates and petrol prices have stripped mo...

17/03/2026 14:04 The Guardian

Australia’s environment minister wants to ban fishers and drillers from more ocean – and avoid a culture war

Conservationists hope Murray Watt’s review of national marine parks will ‘right the wrongs’ of previous downgrade of protectionSign up for climate and environment editor Adam Morton’s free Clear Air newsletter hereThe federal environment minister, Murray Watt, has pledged to put an extra hal...

17/03/2026 14:00 The Guardian

Warner Bros CEO David Zaslav in line for $700m payout from Paramount deal

One of the best-paid executives in Hollywood has already made $113m after selling shares in WBD this monthBusiness live – latest updatesDavid Zaslav, the chief executive of Warner Bros Discovery, is in line for a $700m (£525m) payday from the $110bn sale of the Hollywood studio to Paramount Skyda...

17/03/2026 13:46 The Guardian

UK security adviser attended US-Iran talks and judged deal was within reach

Exclusive: Jonathan Powell thought Tehran’s ‘surprising’ offer on its nuclear programme could prevent rush to war, sources sayMiddle East crisis – live updatesBritain’s national security adviser, Jonathan Powell, attended the final talks between the US and Iran and judged that the offer ma...

17/03/2026 13:20 The Guardian

BREAKING NEWS

18/03 08:35 - Rayner warns immigration reforms risk being 'un-British' 18/03 08:30 - The oil logic behind Trump’s war on Iran 18/03 08:30 - The oil logic behind Trump’s war on Iran 18/03 08:22 - Temperatures forecast to reach 20C in warmest day of the year so far 18/03 07:56 - Ukraine faces missile shortage due to Middle East war, says Zelensky 18/03 07:16 - ‘A bigger scar’: prolonged war in Middle East could slash $16.5bn from Australian economy, Chalmers warns 18/03 07:13 - PM calls national cabinet meeting over fuel crisis – as it happened 18/03 07:11 - News24 | Israel strike on Lebanon apartment kills six, taking death toll to 912 18/03 07:06 - Iran war: What is happening on day 19 of US-Israel attacks? 18/03 07:06 - Iran war: What is happening on day 19 of US-Israel attacks? 18/03 06:35 - Trump’s Next Decision in War: Whether to Retrieve Iran’s Nuclear Fuel 18/03 06:00 - Ali Larijani was ruthless – and clear-eyed about west’s implacable hostility to Iran 18/03 06:00 - Energy bills: UK government urged to launch ‘social tariff’ to help vulnerable households 18/03 05:52 - Iran fires missiles, drones across Gulf, region remains in war crosshairs 18/03 05:52 - Iran fires missiles, drones across Gulf, region remains in war crosshairs 18/03 05:46 - Israel, the Iran War, and the G.O.P.’s Growing Antisemitism Problem 18/03 05:33 - The Papers: 'First cracks' in Trump camp over Iran war and UK tackles meningitis outbreak 18/03 05:00 - News24 | Iran hits Israel with cluster warheads after killing of security chief Ali Larijani 18/03 04:43 - Trump confirms meeting with China’s Xi Jinping delayed as war on Iran rages 18/03 04:43 - Trump confirms meeting with China’s Xi Jinping delayed as war on Iran rages 18/03 04:37 - Actor Sean Penn gifted a special ‘Oscar’ by Ukraine’s railway company 18/03 04:37 - Actor Sean Penn gifted a special ‘Oscar’ by Ukraine’s railway company 18/03 04:08 - ‘This is America’s war’: Iran’s Foreign Minister Araghchi 18/03 04:08 - ‘This is America’s war’: Iran’s Foreign Minister Araghchi 18/03 03:51 - U.S. Says Anthropic Is an ‘Unacceptable’ National Security Risk 18/03 03:15 - Iranian strikes hit near Australian airbase in UAE, Albanese confirms 18/03 03:04 - News24 | Top US counterterrorism official resigns over Iran war, claims ‘no imminent threat’ 18/03 02:59 - News24 | NATO allies refuse Trump’s Strait of Hormuz warship request as oil soars 18/03 02:59 - News24 | Qatar Airways announces limited March flight schedule as airspace remains closed 18/03 02:46 - ‘We’ll be doing something with Cuba very soon’, Trump says 18/03 02:46 - ‘We’ll be doing something with Cuba very soon’, Trump says 18/03 02:31 - Starmer says 'focus must remain on Ukraine' despite war in Iran after talks with Zelensky 18/03 02:12 - Top US counterterrorism official resigns over Iran war, urging Trump to 'reverse course' 18/03 02:04 - Tulsi Gabbard, who warned of war with Iran, now defends Trump’s decision to attack – as it happened 18/03 01:58 - Ukraine sends 201 military experts to counter Iranian drones in the Gulf 18/03 01:58 - Ukraine sends 201 military experts to counter Iranian drones in the Gulf 18/03 01:30 - Live: Israel strikes central Beirut as Iran attack leaves two dead near Tel Aviv 18/03 01:04 - Who is Joe Kent, and why did he resign as Trump’s counterterrorism chief? 18/03 01:04 - Who is Joe Kent, and why did he resign as Trump’s counterterrorism chief? 18/03 00:57 - Isolated and exposed: can New Zealand’s fragile economic recovery withstand the global oil shock? 18/03 00:52 - Larijani’s warning to US, Israel before his killing 18/03 00:52 - Larijani’s warning to US, Israel before his killing 18/03 00:00 - Iran war live: Tehran mourns Larijani, Soleimani; 2 killed in Israel 18/03 00:00 - Iran war live: Tehran mourns Larijani, Soleimani; 2 killed in Israel 17/03 23:57 - Israel killed Larijani hoping to ‘torpedo’ chance of US-Iran talks 17/03 23:57 - Israel killed Larijani hoping to ‘torpedo’ chance of US-Iran talks 17/03 23:29 - Joe Kent, a Top Counterterrorism Official for the Trump Administration, Resigns, Citing Iran War 17/03 23:09 - The Unlikely Alliance to Save East Palestine, Ohio 17/03 22:52 - A War With, Not for, Israel 17/03 22:42 - Rayner: government ‘cannot just go through the motions in the face of decline’ 17/03 21:35 - Iran’s national security council confirms death of its chief, Ali Larijani 17/03 21:18 - Top Iranian officials killed in Israeli airstrike in wartime blow to country's leadership 17/03 21:15 - TSA Official Warns Small U.S. Airports Could Close if Shutdown Continues 17/03 21:14 - How Zelensky’s ‘oil blockade’ against EU states backfired on Ukraine 17/03 21:04 - Watch: Sean Penn receives 'Oscar' in Ukraine after skipping US ceremony 17/03 21:01 - Middle East crisis live: Trump bashes Nato allies over strait of Hormuz as Iranian official warns waterway ‘won’t return to its pre-war status’ 17/03 21:00 - Israel Keeps Killing Key Iranian Leaders. Will It Work? 17/03 21:00 - 'Why did this happen to my innocent four-year-old?': Inside Iran's children's wards 17/03 20:58 - Cutting jury trials risks ‘undermining justice’ for abused women and girls, Lammy warned 17/03 20:46 - EU and NATO leadership ‘worst in decades’ – El Pais op-ed 17/03 20:43 - Trump team applying pressure to media: Tell the war's story the way we see it 17/03 20:39 - Starmer Turns His Attention To Ukraine (Or Tries To) 17/03 20:36 - War in Iran exposes cracks in Trump's MAGA coalition 17/03 20:24 - Democrats urge windfall tax as big oil set to make billions from Iran war 17/03 20:16 - Senior official openly breaks with White House, resigns over war 17/03 20:08 - Could the Iran war keep Netanyahu in power for longer? 17/03 20:08 - Could the Iran war keep Netanyahu in power for longer? 17/03 19:59 - UK prepares to sue Abramovich over £2.4bn proceeds of Chelsea FC sale 17/03 19:38 - Europe must prepare for drone strikes by terrorists and criminals, warns Zelenskyy 17/03 19:34 - Reform UK may breach data laws with free energy bills competition 17/03 19:28 - Kemi Badenoch calls Trump’s repeated criticisms of Starmer ‘childish’ 17/03 19:27 - Oil flows again through controversial California pipeline after Trump order 17/03 19:21 - Italy warns Russian tanker could explode in Mediterranean at any time 17/03 18:58 - US lawmakers Murphy, Casar push legislation to regulate prediction markets 17/03 18:58 - US lawmakers Murphy, Casar push legislation to regulate prediction markets 17/03 18:36 - A Reporter Asked JD Vance If He Was "On Board" With The Iran War, And His Answer Was… Interesting 17/03 18:27 - War in Iran Shows Growing Conservative Divide Over Israel 17/03 18:26 - Iran and Russia are 'brothers in hatred', Zelensky tells MPs 17/03 18:22 - Zelenskyy says Europe is a ‘global force’ that can stand against any other power in address to MPs – as it happened 17/03 18:21 - Energy minister: ‘every penny’ levied on household energy bills will be scrutinised 17/03 18:14 - Arts Council England must change or face ‘disaster’, culture department is told 17/03 18:05 - Lisa Nandy vows to give BBC permanent charter to prevent political interference 17/03 18:03 - Belgian court sends ex-diplomat, 93, to trial over 1961 murder of Congo leader 17/03 18:00 - China Is Embracing OpenClaw, a New A.I. Agent, and the Government Is Wary 17/03 17:59 - Starmer, Zelenskyy urge ‘focus’ on Ukraine as Iran war diverts attention 17/03 17:59 - Starmer, Zelenskyy urge ‘focus’ on Ukraine as Iran war diverts attention 17/03 17:21 - Did America and Israel just ramp up the war in the Middle East? 17/03 17:04 - Israel carrying out ‘mass expulsion of Palestinians’ in West Bank, UN warns 17/03 17:04 - Israel carrying out ‘mass expulsion of Palestinians’ in West Bank, UN warns 17/03 17:04 - War, inheritance and … a baby? First Dune: Part Three trailer is here 17/03 17:04 - Watch: Iranians show daily life under air strikes and regime crackdown 17/03 17:03 - US counterterrorism chief resigns in protest over Iran war 17/03 17:02 - Fear and defiance in southern Lebanon city as Israel-Hezbollah war intensifies 17/03 16:50 - "25th Amendment Now!": Trump Claimed That A Former President Praised The Iran War... But All Four Former Presidents' Representatives Denied It 17/03 16:33 - Trump’s Dangerous Lack of a Strategy in Iran 17/03 16:32 - Why Iranians are taking to Tehran’s streets during war 17/03 16:32 - Why Iranians are taking to Tehran’s streets during war 17/03 16:14 - 'I tell my children it’s just thunder': How ordinary Iranians are dealing with war 17/03 16:11 - Top US counterterrorism official resigns over Iran war 17/03 16:10 - Water supply cut in Moldova after oil spill blamed on Russian strike in Ukraine