AnewZ Morning Brief - 21 March, 2026
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for 21 March, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for 21 March, covering the latest developments you need to know.
The Scottish Parliament has voted against legalising assisted dying, ending a years-long campaign to make Scotland the first part of the UK to allow the practice.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was warned about the "reputational risks" of appointing Peter Mandelson as U.S. Ambassador due to his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, files released on Wednesday (11 March) show.
Britain has deployed the Royal Navy destroyer HMS Dragon to the eastern Mediterranean to strengthen protection for its military assets in the Middle East after a drone strike targeted a key UK air base in Cyprus earlier this month.
The annual pro-Palestinian al-Quds Day march in London, scheduled to take place on Sunday, has been banned by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood following warnings from the Metropolitan Police about the risk of “serious public disorder.”
British MPs have rejected a proposal to introduce an Australia-style ban on social media for under-16s, opting instead to give ministers flexible powers to impose restrictions on platforms.
U.S. President Donald Trump and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke by phone on Sunday as tensions between Washington and Westminster deepened over the conflict involving Iran. The call came less than a day after Trump criticised Britain’s response to U.S. strikes on Iranian targets.
The fallout from the Jeffrey Epstein scandal is again stirring debate in Britain. Could the repercussions of the disgraced U.S. financier and convicted child sex trafficker force greater political accountability in the UK - or will they fade as yet another passing Westminster storm?
The UK has pledged to step up engagement with Beijing after Hong Kong media tycoon and British citizen Jimmy Lai was sentenced to 20 years in prison, with the case resurfacing as a key issue following Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s recent trip to Beijing.
Britain's first chartered repatriation flight from Oman has been rescheduled following a series of technical and operational issues, the Foreign Office said in a statement on Thursday. The government had chartered a flight from Muscat to London which was due to leave on Wednesday evening.
A torpedo from a U.S. submarine sunk an Iranian warship off the coast of Sri Lanka, U.S. Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth told reporters as the Iranian conflcit entered its fifth day on Wednesday.
France plans to send anti-missile and anti-drone systems to southern Cyprus after a British air base on the island was attacked by drones, the semi-official Cyprus News Agency (CNA) said on Tuesday.
The U.S.-Iran crisis has entered its third day, with further strikes reported across the Middle East and the death toll rising. Oil prices have surged to levels last seen during the Covid-19 pandemic, raising fears of economic disruption and higher prices worldwide.
UK police have concluded searches at Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s former residence in Windsor Great Park as part of an investigation into alleged misconduct in public office.
Britain imposed its largest package of sanctions on Russia in years on Tuesday (24 February), marking the fourth anniversary of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, as London also announced fresh military and humanitarian support for Kyiv.
Police in Britain said Peter Mandelson, the former U.K. ambassador to the United States, has been released on bail after being arrested as part of a misconduct in public office investigation linked to the Epstein files.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has written to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to say he would back any UK government plan to remove Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor from the line of succession, a statement shared by Starmer's office said.
The United Kingdom Defence Secretary John Healey has said he hopes to be the minister who oversees the deployment of British troops to Ukraine, arguing that such a move would signal the end of Russia’s war.
UK politicians have renewed calls for Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly Prince Andrew, to be removed from the line of succession following his arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office and revelations over his links to convicted U.S. sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The United Nations Security Council has expressed deep concern over Israel’s plans to expand control in the West Bank, warning the move threatens the prospects of a two-state solution.
Artificial intelligence chatbots could soon face the same legal restriction as social media platforms under plans outlined by the UK government to tighten online safety laws, as Prime Minister Keir Starmer warned technology firms they will be held accountable for illegal AI-generated content.
Britain and Germany’s highest ranking military chiefs have made an unprecedented joint appeal to the public to accept the “moral” case for rearmament and prepare for the threat of war with Russia.
Buckingham Palace said it is ready to support any police investigation into allegations that Prince Andrew shared confidential British trade documents with late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, as King Charles expressed “profound concern” over the latest revelations.
Pressure is mounting on UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer amid resignations and a row over Peter Mandelson, a powerful figure in the ruling Labour Party. The episode has raised doubts about Starmer’s authority and how firmly his own party continues to back him.
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