WeekDay AM: 10 Things you need to know this morning
Club fire protests, King meets Carney, and flying airport taxis set for take-off

 
today's international story

Angry protests after North Macedonian nightclub fire

What happened
Thousands of protesters have rallied in the North Macedonian town of Kocani, accusing local leaders of corruption after a blaze broke out in a nightclub, killing 59 people – many of them teenagers – and injuring at least 155. Demonstrators threw eggs and damaged municipal buildings as grief turned to rage.

Who said what
"Nobody should die like that – nobody," a teenage boy told the BBC. "Those kids, they had a future, they had talents."

Authorities are investigating bribery allegations linked to the fire at Club Pulse, which was packed with young partygoers and operating at double its 250-person capacity. Kocani's Mayor Ljupco Papazov resigned yesterday as the scandal intensified.

State prosecutor Ljupco Kocevski said an inspection of the club had revealed significant safety code violations, including insufficient emergency exits and fire extinguishers, as well as improper access for emergency vehicles. Interior minister Panche Toshkovski added that the club was operating without a proper licence.

"Bribes to authorities to skip licensing requirements and skirt safety regulations are commonplace in North Macedonia," said PBS News. The European Union has "repeatedly expressed concerns over pervasive corruption in the country", which has been identified as an obstacle to its accession to the bloc.

What next?
North Macedonia has declared seven days of mourning. The government has also ordered that a sweeping three-day inspection be carried out at all nightclubs and late-night venues across the country.

 
 
today's diplomacy story

King meets Carney in gesture of support for Canada

What happened
Canada's new Prime Minister Mark Carney met King Charles at Buckingham Palace yesterday. Carney told the monarch, who is Canada's head of state, that they had "much to catch up on".

Who said what
The Canadian PM also met Keir Starmer at Downing Street, with the UK leader welcoming the relationship between the "two sovereign allies".

The visit comes as Donald Trump has been threatening Canada's sovereignty by repeatedly suggesting that he would make it the 51st US state – something Carney called "disrespectful" yesterday.

The visit to Buckingham Palace was "another symbolic gesture of support" from the King, said the BBC's Sean Coughlan. The monarch, who wore a red tie during his meeting with Carney, "has to send coded signals rather than spell things out in words".

What next?
Before arriving in London Carney visited Paris, where he met French President Emmanuel Macron. He said it was important to deepen ties with "reliable allies" in Europe at a critical time in Canada's history.

 
 
Today's transport story

Flying airport taxis set for take-off

What happened
Flying taxis could soon be operating in the UK, according to Virgin Atlantic. Richard Branson's company has signed a deal with Joby Aviation, with initial taxi flights expected to operate from Virgin Atlantic hubs at Heathrow and Manchester Airports.

Who said what
The partnership with Joby Aviation will bring "short-haul, zero-emission flights to airports and cities throughout the UK", said Virgin Atlantic CEO Shai Weiss.

The taxis are designed "to carry a pilot and up to four passengers at speeds of up to 200mph", said The Independent. At that speed, a flight from Heathrow to Canary Wharf could take "just eight minutes, instead of 80 minutes by car".

What next?
The proposals form part of the Department of Transport's "Future of Flight Action Plan", published under the previous Conservative government, which wants to see a regular flying taxi service become a reality by 2030.

 
 

It's not all bad

Harvard University will offer free tuition to students from families earning less than $200,000 (£154,000) – with full financial aid (including housing and food) for those under $100,000 (£77,000). The move, starting in the 2025-26 academic year, expands access to nearly 86% of US families. Harvard joins a growing number of US universities increasing financial aid, a shift that experts say could make elite education more inclusive and diverse, fostering broader opportunities for talented students from all backgrounds.

 
 
under the radar

The park proposal 'ripping apart' genteel Galloway

A new national park in Galloway, southwest Scotland would bring an end to the stunning but overlooked region's "obscurity", said The i Paper.

Yet the proposal to create the UK's first new national park in 15 years is at the centre of an "increasingly bitter" row among local residents, complete with accusations of sign stealing, a shouting match in the street and demands for a referendum.

"There will be mutiny if this is forced through – a lot of people are livid," said Stewart Wyllie, a farmer and a regional chair of Scotland's farmers' union.

So why is the "ostensibly inoffensive issue of a national park ripping apart the genteel towns of Galloway", asks The Guardian. Advocates say it will bring much-needed visitors and revenue to the region, which experiences higher than average poverty levels and offers limited job opportunities for young people. But those against the plan – including some locals who work in the tourism industry – are "concerned about everything from poor road infrastructure to Lake District-style overtourism".

The Scottish government is currently awaiting a report on the public consultation over the proposal, but given the intensity of feeling "it's not clear" whether the plans for a national park in Galloway will move forward, said The Guardian.

In the meantime, those against the park are demanding a referendum, hoping they can push the issue far enough out that it becomes part of the 2026 Holyrood election campaign.

 
 
on this day

18 March 1990

Thieves stole 13 paintings from a Boston museum in what many describe as history's biggest art heist. The paintings, including works by Rembrandt and Vermeer, were worth more than $500 million (£385 million) and have never been recovered. The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum continues to offer a $10 million (£7.7 million) reward for information on the perpetrators of the crime.

 
 
Today's newspapers

The Telegraph leads on Kemi Badenoch's speech today, in which she will say the target of reaching net zero by 2050 is "impossible". The Tory leader will warn that the net-zero "fantasy" could bankrupt Britain, says The Times. The Guardian's top story looks at "how Trump's new world order has shaken Europe". Meanwhile, The i Paper says Rachel Reeves is "still scrambling to win over Cabinet" and secure backing for her disability benefit cuts.

See the newspaper front pages

 
 
tall tale

Fur sale

A Vinted seller has gone viral for using a teddy bear to model her unwanted clothes. "He was just sat there on my bed and I thought, 'I think he'd fit in a skirt'," Cara O'Brien, 23, told Indy100. The brown stuffed bear has "posed in everything from crop tops to mini skirts and dresses", with O'Brien crediting it with winning her at least £500 worth of sales.

 
 

Morning Report was written and edited by Arion McNicoll, Harriet Marsden, Sorcha Bradley, Abby Wilson, Ross Couzens, and Chas Newkey-Burden, with illustrations by Julia Wytrazek.

Image credits, from top: Robert Atanasovski / AFP / Getty Images; Aaron Chown – WPA Pool / Getty Images; David Paul Morris / Bloomberg / Getty Images; Illustration by Julia Wytrazek / Getty Images.