UNITED KINGDOM

Treasurer faces $26bn deficit in 25 March budget. Follow today’s news liveThe premier of Queensland, David Crisafulli, appeared on the Today show this morning following media reports suggesting tropical cyclone Alfred will cost the budget around $1.2bn.Asked if he was concerned the hit might signal a limit to the amount of financial assistance affected residents would receive, he said the state government’s focus was “to make sure we go from response to recovery”.We’ve got to do things differently. So I acknowledge it might cost a little bit more up front to do that. But why would you replace things to

Prime minister's move against Shin Bet’s Ronen Bar will prompt further accusations of authoritarianismBenjamin Netanyahu has announced he will seek to dismiss the director of Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security service, through a cabinet vote later this week, in a move that will prompt further accusations of authoritarianism.The Israeli prime minister said in a video statement on Sunday that “ongoing distrust” made it impossible for him to continue to work with Ronen Bar, who has led Shin Bet since 2021. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/mar/16/netanyahu-seek-dismiss-head-israel-internal-security-service-shin-bet Author : Jason Burke in Jerusalem Publish date : 2025-03-16 19:30:00 Copyright for syndicated

The Toxicator closed for about an hour on its first day after a burst pipe flooded the area nearby with sewageA toxic waste-themed ride at Alton Towers had to be temporarily closed on its opening day – after a burst pipe flooded the nearby area with sewage.Toxicator, the park’s newest ride, was shut for about an hour on Saturday after the area nearby was evacuated. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/mar/16/alton-towers-new-toxic-waste-themed-ride-briefly-closes-due-to-sewage-leak-toxicator Author : Hannah Al-Othman Publish date : 2025-03-16 17:26:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

Steve Witkoff says US discussions with Russian president ‘positive’ and ‘solution-based’ and leaders likely to speakDonald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff said on Sunday that he expected the US president to speak with Vladimir Putin this week, saying that the Russian president “accepts the philosophy” of Trump’s ceasefire and peace terms.Witkoff told CNN that discussions with Putin over several hours last week were “positive” and “solution-based”. He declined to confirm when asked whether Putin’s demands included the surrender of Ukrainian forces in Kursk; international recognition of Ukrainian territory seized by Russia as Russian; limits on Ukraine’s ability to mobilize; a halt