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- Championship — Friday’s 27th Mar fixtures
- Gaza refugee secures £40,000 in donations to pursue master’s in UK
- Austria rejects US military overflight requests amid Iran war neutrality
- Austria blocks US warplanes from using its airspace for operations against Iran
- Incumbent mayor of Toulouse wins election amid foreign interference claims
- Archaeologists uncover ancient shipwreck graveyard off Karpathos in Greece
- Infant in Stroller Killed in Suspected Gang Shooting in New York
- Coalition to mobilise diplomatic and economic tools for Strait of Hormuz opening
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Championship — Friday’s 27th Mar fixtures
1:00 am
Today’s fixtures feature the Championship, La Liga, Ligue 1, and League One. Enjoy the games!
Championship |
La Liga |
Ligue 1 |
League One
Championship
Matchday 40
Middlesbrough 12:30 Millwall
Birmingham City 15:00 Blackburn Rovers
Charlton Athletic 15:00 Bristol City
Leicester City 15:00 Preston North End
Norwich City 15:00 Portsmouth
Oxford United 15:00 Hull City
Queens Park Rangers 15:00 Watford
Sheffield United 15:00 Swansea City
Stoke City 15:00 Sheffield Wednesday
West Bromwich Albion 15:00 Wrexham
Coventry City 20:00 Derby County
La Liga
Matchday 30
Rayo Vallecano 20:00 Elche CF
Ligue 1
Matchday 28
Paris Saint-Germain 19:45 Toulouse FC
League One
Matchday 41
Doncaster Rovers 12:30 Mansfield Town
Blackpool 15:00 Exeter City
Bradford City 15:00 Northampton Town
Burton Albion 15:00 Barnsley
Huddersfield Town 15:00 Reading
Lincoln City 15:00 AFC Wimbledon
Luton Town 15:00 Peterborough United
Gaza refugee secures £40,000 in donations to pursue master’s in UK
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Get you up to speed: Gaza refugee secures £40,000 in donations to pursue master’s in UK
Alaa Radwan has secured her goal of £40,000 through donations to fund her Master’s studies at Goldsmiths. She has paid her deposit and is awaiting confirmation to apply for her student visa, hoping to move to London in August 2026.
Alaa Radwan created a GoFundMe page on March 13 to support her studies at Goldsmiths, which raised around £40,000 after receiving significant public support following negative online reactions. Reform MP and former Home Secretary described her situation as universities selling immigration instead of education, leading to a wave of hateful messages directed towards Radwan.
Alaa Radwan has now paid her deposit to Goldsmiths and is awaiting confirmation to apply for her student visa. She hopes to move to London in August 2026, a few weeks before her MA programme begins.
I was hounded as an immigrant student – strangers stepped up | News World
After everything we had survived fleeing Gaza in May 2024, we were celebrating the new life we had just secured £40,000.
Staring at my phone, I couldn’t believe strangers had donated to us. Our family had finally met our goal.
For a moment, everything went quiet inside me. I hugged my husband, and then I started crying, not just out of relief, but out of disbelief. People we didn’t know had chosen to support my dream to study in the UK.
We ordered a cake, celebrated, sang and danced. My three children, all under five, couldn’t fully grasp the scale of it, but understood something life-changing had happened. They thought it was a birthday cake, so we let it be one.
After everything we had survived fleeing Gaza in May 2024, we were celebrating the new life we had just secured – in defiance of the hateful trolls who wanted to see us fail.
My dream was always to pursue my MA in Britain. In 2016, at 24, I received three unconditional offers, but I couldn’t secure a scholarship or funding.
My husband and I then began teaching Arabic online to students around the world to support ourselves and help our families back home (Picture: Alaa Radwan)
I put my dream on hold as I started my career as a teacher, getting married, and having children, but I never forgot about it.
Our life was good before the war broke out, despite the recurring Israeli attacks. We had stable jobs and had built a beautiful home for our family.
Then, during the war, we fled to Egypt, where we are currently based, to protect our children. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency, where I worked as a teacher, placed my colleagues and I on forced exceptional leave, but we continued teaching our students in Gaza online.
My husband and I then began teaching Arabic online to students around the world to support ourselves and help our families back home. At the same time, I started writing articles, sharing my experience of the conflict in Palestine.
I have around 2,000 subscribers across the world on Substack. My followers often reach out, telling me there is something powerful and rare in hearing directly from Gazans about what we’re enduring.
Before the year of exceptional leave ended, my contract was terminated in January. The war had already taken our home, now it had taken our jobs, alongside any sense of stability we had left.
It was not easy, especially as a parent, but I was driven by an unbreakable determination (Picture: Alaa Radwan)
That was the moment I decided to go after my dream again.
I began researching universities in Britain, and found myself drawn to media and communications. Goldsmiths felt like the right place.
Within a week, I took the International English Language Testing System, preparing intensively for five days, wrote my personal statement and research proposal, and received an unconditional offer for a Master’s by Research.
It was not easy, especially as a parent, but I was driven by an unbreakable determination.
To fund my MA and cover living expenses for my family, I created a GoFundMe on March 13, which raised around £600 in three days. I shared the page on X on March 17, hoping I could raise a few thousand.
A few hours later, Reform MP and former Home Secretary shared my post, saying universities should stop ‘selling immigration instead of education.’
She questioned my right to bring my family with me when I came to study, insinuating that I was abusing the system.
I received many kind messages, such as ‘Good luck with your studies,’ (Picture: Alaa Radwan)
What made her words so cruel was she made it seem like an optional luxury.
Soon after, awful attacks and hateful messages flooded in, saying we were ‘not welcome’, ‘95% of the country’ didn’t want us, and they hated people like us.
Thankfully, this negative online attention resulted in a surge in donations from those who did help us, pushing the total to about £16,000.
I received many kind messages, such as ‘Good luck with your studies,’ and ‘For every horrid comment, there are ten more people who will be delighted to welcome you and your family here’.
But I was still shocked and devastated by the volume and intensity of the hate. I had no choice but to delete the X post, which had reached over 6.5 million views in 10 hours, and temporarily deactivate my account.
Those sending hate even reported my fundraiser, claiming it was a scam. GoFundMe paused the transfer of funds. I had to go through an exhausting verification process and direct confirmation from Goldsmiths of my MA, to keep my donation page up.
On March 29, Owen Jones interviewed me and I spoke about the attacks and my experience. The response shifted, and donations came flooding in.
Once my master’s is complete, I hope to progress onto a PhD, and keep writing and speaking about Gaza (Picture: Alaa Radwan)
Two days later, I finally reached my goal of £40,000.
I have now paid my deposit to Goldsmiths and am waiting for my confirmation so I can apply for my student visa. I am hoping to move to London in August 2026, a few weeks before my MA begins.
Conservative friends for Israel plan to block her application
We plan to support ourselves fully while in the UK. My husband will be able to teach full time and, as an international student, I can work up to 20 hours per week. However, her application has been lobbied by Conservative and Labour Friends of Israel, who want to prevent her from entering the UK.
Once my master’s is complete, I hope to progress onto a PhD, and keep writing and speaking about Gaza.
For months, my life had been shaped by uncertainty, waking up each day not knowing what would come next or how we would keep going. Now it feels like we can finally breathe again.
It reminded me that even in the darkest moments, there are people out there who choose kindness, and champion you, despite never having met you.
That feeling will always stay with me.
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Austria rejects US military overflight requests amid Iran war neutrality
10:00 pm
Austria rejects US military overflight requests amid Iran war neutrality
Austrian Rejection
Austria has denied US requests for military overflights since the beginning of the Iran war, maintaining its longstanding policy of neutrality, according to Colonel Michael Bauer.
Austria has denied US requests for military overflights since the beginning of the Iran war, maintaining its longstanding policy of neutrality, according to Colonel Michael Bauer.
Neutrality Policy
Austria and Switzerland’s refusal to allow US military overflights underscores a significant commitment to their neutrality, affecting US military operations in the Iran conflict.
Austria and Switzerland’s refusal to allow US military overflights underscores a significant commitment to their neutrality, affecting US military operations in the Iran conflict.
European Sentiment
“Spain should not do anything that could escalate” the conflict, stated Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares, reflecting the “majority sentiment” of Spaniards opposing the war.
“Spain should not do anything that could escalate” the conflict, stated Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares, reflecting the “majority sentiment” of Spaniards opposing the war.
Key developments
Austria has firmly declined US military overflight requests since the Iran war commenced, reaffirming its stance on neutrality, according to Colonel Michael Bauer from the defence ministry.
Italy has also denied a US aircraft permission to land on its territory while en route to the Middle East, further indicating the European reluctance to support US military operations linked to the conflict.
Austria refuses US requests to overfly its territory, citing its neutrality policy
Austria has rejected US requests for military overflights of its territory since the start of the Iran war in line with its policy of neutrality, a defence ministry spokesperson said on Thursday.
“There have indeed been requests and they were refused from the outset,” Colonel Michael Bauer said, adding that every time a similar request “involves a country at war, it is refused.”
In mid-March, Switzerland, also invoking its neutrality, said it had refused the use of its airspace.
US President Donald Trump has criticised European members of the trans-Atlantic defence alliance for refusing US military aircraft permission to use their airspace for operations connected to the war.
The office of French President Emmanuel Macron expressed surprise at Trump’s criticism of France as being “very unhelpful” for not letting planes carrying military supplies for the conflict fly over its territory.
On Tuesday, it emerged that Italy had also denied a US aircraft permission to land while it was en route to the Middle East for a combat mission.
And Spain has banned all US military aircraft involved in the war from using its airspace and military bases, extending an earlier restriction that applied only to two American installations on Spanish soil.
Europe should pull of NATO
Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares confirmed the expanded ban on Monday, telling Catalan radio station Rac 1 that Madrid would block any US flights linked to the conflict from entering Spanish airspace.
“Spain should not do anything that could escalate” the conflict, Albares said. He added that the decision reflects the “majority sentiment” of Spaniards who oppose the war and aligns with UN principles.
Those decisions, as well as allies’ reluctance to join a naval force to reopen the crucial Strait of Hormuz, led Trump to slam NATO as a “paper tiger” on Wednesday and say it was “beyond reconsideration” that the US would withdraw from the alliance.
“I think there’s no doubt, unfortunately, after this conflict is concluded, we are going to have to reexamine that relationship. We’re going to have to reexamine the value of NATO in that alliance for our country,” Rubio said to host Sean Hannity on Fox News.
“If you create daily doubt about your commitment, you hollow it out,” Macron said during a state visit to Seoul, adding that there is “too much talk … going off in all directions.”
Austria blocks US warplanes from using its airspace for operations against Iran
9:00 pm
Get you up to speed: Austria blocks US warplanes from using its airspace for operations against Iran
American fighter jets will not be allowed to use Austrian airspace for missions against Iran, as stated by Austria’s Ministry of Defence. This decision is based on Austria’s neutrality law, which prohibits the country from joining military alliances or allowing foreign military bases on its territory.
Austria’s Ministry of Defence announced that the US will not be allowed to use its airspace for military operations against Iran, citing the country’s neutrality law that prohibits participation in military alliances like NATO. Sven Hergovich, head of the Social Democratic Party (SPÖ), stated, “the defence minister should ‘not approve a single further US military flight to the Gulf.’”
Austria has blocked the US from using its airspace for military operations against Iran due to its neutrality law, which prohibits participation in military alliances and hosting foreign military bases. Sven Hergovich, head of the Social Democratic Party, has called for the defence minister to reject any further US military flights.
Austria blocks US war planes from using its airspace during Iran war | News World
Warplanes involved in the Operation Epic Fury against Iran will not be allowed to enter Austria airspace (Picture: US Central Command)
American fighter jets will not be allowed to use the Austrian airspace for missions against Iran.
The Alpine nation has reportedly blocked the US from using its airspace after an announcement by its Ministry of Defence today.
Austria said the US will not have permission for military operations against Iran.
This is due to the country’s neutrality law, which bans Austria from joining any military alliances like Nato or allowing foreign military bases on its territory.
While the ministry didn’t reveal the number of inquiries from the US, it said there has been ‘several,’ according to the Austrian publication ORF.
However, individual cases would be reviewed together with the Austrian foreign ministry.
Sven Hergovich, the head of the Social Democratic Party (SPÖ), which is part of the coalition, said the defence minister should ‘not approve a single further US military flight to the Gulf.’
He said: ‘Nor should she approve any transport flights or other logistical support. Just as Spain, France, Italy, and Switzerland are doing. This war is damaging Austrian economic interests, Europe as a whole, and world peace.’
It comes after Spain decided to block US warplanes from its airpaces involved in Operation Epic Fury in the Middle East.
Spain blocked US fighter jets stationed in third countries like the UK and France from using its airspace.
Meanwhile, the UK has allowed American aircraft to use British bases, namely RAF Fairford and Diego Garcia, in some operations against Iran.
Footage from the US Central Command shows the military targeting Iranian assets (Picture: X/CENTCOM)
However, the bases can be used only for defensive operations that halt Iran from putting British interests or lives at risk.
Despite the move, Donald Trump has not minced his words against the UK and European leaders after he accused them of not getting involved in its quest against Iran.
Donald Trump has not been pleased with his NATO allies (Picture: Getty Images)
The US president wrote on Truth Social on Tuesday in a scathing post that ‘all of those countries that can’t get jet fuel because of the strait of Hormuz, like the United Kingdom, which refused to get involved in the decapitation of Iran’ should buy oil from the US.
Trump’s anger towards US allies has ramped up since the start of the joint US-Israel war against Iran and the refusal of many countries to get directly involved in the conflict.
He called NATO a ‘paper tiger’ and ‘terrible,’ and even hinted at he is thinking of pulling out of the alliance.
What is the Austrian neutrality law?
Austria was named a neutral state following the atrocities of the Second World War, which had seen the country annexed as part of Nazi Germany.
When Germany was split into West Germany, a NATO member, and East Germany under the Soviet influence, tiny Austria became a united and independent country with permanent neutrality codified in law in 1955.
The law means neutrality needs to be maintained and protected.
In practice, it prohibits Austria from joining military organisations like NATO, and hosting any foreign soldiers and military bases in the country.
Austrian personnel have been on the ground in previous conflicts like the international mission in Afghanistan.
Austrian personnel took part in the NATO-led ISAF troops, but their role was strictly in peace-supporting, non-combat roles.
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Incumbent mayor of Toulouse wins election amid foreign interference claims
8:00 pm
Incumbent mayor of Toulouse wins election amid foreign interference claims
Election Results
Jean-Luc Moudenc, the incumbent mayor of Toulouse, won 53.17% of the vote in the recent municipal elections, defeating his left-wing rival, François Piquemal.
Jean-Luc Moudenc, the incumbent mayor of Toulouse, won 53.17% of the vote in the recent municipal elections, defeating his left-wing rival, François Piquemal.
Electoral Interference
Four instances of suspected foreign digital interference related to the 2026 municipal elections have been identified, raising concerns about the integrity of the electoral process in France.
Four instances of suspected foreign digital interference related to the 2026 municipal elections have been identified, raising concerns about the integrity of the electoral process in France.
Legal Action
François Piquemal stated he would pursue “legal action to shed light on how foreign interference may have affected the vote.”
François Piquemal stated he would pursue “legal action to shed light on how foreign interference may have affected the vote.”
Key developments
Jean-Luc Moudenc of the Republicans secured 53.17% of the votes in Toulouse’s recent mayoral election, defeating François Piquemal of France who did not concede and plans legal action regarding foreign interference claims.
A report highlighted a disinformation campaign targeting left-wing candidates, revealing that fake websites and social media accounts propagated false allegations against Piquemal, including accusations of paedophilia.
Investigations by France’s elections coordination network have uncovered multiple instances of potential foreign digital interference during the 2026 municipal elections. Far right accounts are steaming social social media to attack central and leftist candidates in European elections, allegedly funded by Israel and the United States.
French municipal elections hit with foreign interference allegations
Results announced on Saturday 28 March showed the incumbent mayor of Toulouse, Jean-Luc Moudenc, representing the conservative Republicans party, winning 53.17% of the vote, ahead of his left-wing rival from France Unbowed, François Piquemal.
Shortly after the result, Piquemal said on social media he would pursue “legal action to shed light on how foreign interference may have affected the vote.”
Disinformation campaign targeting left-wing candidates
Earlier in March, French newspaper Le Monde reported on a coordinated smear campaign targeting several candidates from France Unbowed, including Piquemal.
According to the report, fake websites and social media accounts circulated false claims about him, including unfounded allegations of paedophilia posted on Facebook.
Most of the content has since been removed. VIGINUM said the campaign’s overall reach appeared limited based on low engagement figures, but acknowledged that measuring its true impact was difficult.
During the weekend of 22 March, as voters headed to the polls for the second round, further incidents were reported.
Fake campaign advertisements, purporting to support France Unbowed, appeared across a range of online platforms — including online marketplace Vinted, mobile game Candy Crush, sports betting websites, and alongside content from regional newspaper La Dépêche du Midi.
These adverts featured the candidate’s campaign slogan and logos linked to activist groups, but also contained racist messaging.
Speaking to the WTX EU News fact-checking team on X, Piquemal’s campaign manager, Inès Djelida, said the team was made aware of the adverts after people began sending them screenshots. She said they appeared to have circulated online for around four hours.
“We are certain this had an impact on the second round,” she said, noting the content appeared during the legally mandated pre-election silence period, when political campaigning is halted. “In that time, thousands of people could have been exposed to defamatory, racist and Islamophobic posts.”
Investigations underway
France’s elections coordination and protection network says it has identified four separate instances of suspected foreign digital interference linked to France’s 2026 municipal elections.
One technique involves attempts to damage or manipulate political candidates’ public image through coordinated online activity.
VIGINUM said it had identified “a new informational modus operandi” consistent with foreign interference, involving a network of websites and social media accounts displaying technical markers suggesting activity from abroad.
An investigation is now underway to identify those responsible. So far, no perpetrators have been publicly named, and it remains unclear whether the alleged campaign had any measurable effect on the outcome of the vote.
Archaeologists uncover ancient shipwreck graveyard off Karpathos in Greece
7:00 pm
Get you up to speed: Archaeologists uncover ancient shipwreck graveyard off Karpathos in Greece
Archaeologists have discovered five shipwrecks off the coast of Karpathos, with the earliest dating back to around the 7th century BC. The expedition involved more than 40 specialists from various disciplines, including archaeologists from Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropological Research.
Archaeologists have uncovered five shipwrecks off the coast of Karpathos, Greece, with the earliest dating back to around the 7th century BC, according to the Greek Ministry of Culture. The expedition involved more than 40 specialists from various institutions, including Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropological Research and the Norwegian Maritime Museum.
Researchers from various disciplines, including archaeologists from Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropological Research and staff from the Norwegian Maritime Museum, are continuing to analyse the significant finds from the shipwrecks off the coast of Karpathos, which underline the area’s importance during Late Antiquity. Additionally, the project is part of a wider research programme launched in 2019 to map underwater cultural heritage in the south-eastern Aegean.
Shipwreck graveyard dating back 2,600 years discovered off ancient Greek island | News World
A diver photographs a prehistoric anchor of the island of Karpathos in Greece (Picture: S. Apostolopoulos/Greek Ministry of Culture/Cover Media)
Archaeologists have discovered a ‘shipwreck graveyard’ dating back more than 2,600 years off the coast of an ancient Greek island.
Karpathos, which was referenced in texts by Homer and later inspired the science fiction writer Jules Verne, has long been associated with maritime exploration.
Over the last few months researchers have found five shipwrecks near the island – four ancient, one modern – with the earliest dating back to around the 7th century BC.
Teams of Greek and international researchers focused on areas where remains of the ancient settlements of Vrykountos and Nisyros are visible.
These were two of the four city-states that formed the so-called ‘Karpathian tetrapolis’, a major political and maritime network as described by the ancient geographer Strabo.
Five ship wrecks have been found off the island in the last few months (Picture: Greek Ministry of Culture/Cover Media)
More than 120 dives were carried out at depths ranging from three to 45 metres across northern Karpathos and the nearby island of Saria.
The team discovered underwater remains spanning more than 26 centuries, from the late 7th century BC to the early 19th century.
Among the most significant discoveries were the four ancient shipwrecks, stretching from earlier Greek times, when Sparta was at its peak, to the Roman era.
Numerous amphorae (double-handed vases that stored water, oil or wine) were discovered.
The team also found the remains of harbour infrastructure and more than 20 Byzantine anchors, indicating that at one time there was significant marine traffic in the area.
Items are carefully retrieved from one of the sites and taken to land for examination (Picture: S. Apostolopoulos/Greek Ministry of Culture/Cover Media)
A three-dimensional model of a modern shipwreck which was identified as part of the expedition (Picture: E. Diamantis/Greek Ministry of Culture/Cover Media)
A late Roman amphora, which was recovered from the shipwreck KTH1 (Picture: E. Diamantis/Greek Ministry of Culture/Cover Media)
Researchers say the finds, together with extensive residential and ecclesiastical remains at Tristomo, highlight the importance of the area during Late Antiquity.
The expedition involved more than 40 specialists from a range of disciplines, including archaeologists from Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropological Research and staff from the Norwegian Maritime Museum.
The project received funding from several public and private bodies, including Greece’s General Secretariat for Aegean and Island Policy and the National Research Foundation.
Alongside the survey, a separate initiative examining the impact of climate change on underwater cultural heritage has also been completed.
This included conservation work on historical artefacts in the waters around Kasos.
It is also part of a wider research programme launched in 2019 to map underwater cultural heritage in the south-eastern Aegean.
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