UNITED KINGDOM

Prime minister takes questions in Commons after decision to slash disability paymentsLast night, to back up its analysis of the disability cuts, the Institute for Fiscal Studies published two charts illustrating aspects of the changes.This one shows how the £5bn cuts announced yesterday compare in scale to previous benefit cuts, listed here in order of how big they were, in current prices. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2025/mar/19/labour-dwp-further-benefit-cuts-disability-pmqs-conservatives-uk-politics-latest-news-updates Author : Andrew Sparrow Publish date : 2025-03-19 12:25:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

Gaza health officials say five killed in two strikes as Israeli evacuation order may suggest plans for ground operationsIsrael has launched a new wave of airstrikes in Gaza on the second day of its resumed offensive in the devastated Palestinian territory.The attacks were far less intensive than the massive strikes early on Tuesday morning, which killed more than 400 and shattered the relative calm since a 19 January ceasefire paused the 18-month war. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/mar/19/israel-launches-gaza-airstrikes-on-second-day-of-resumed-offensive Author : Jason Burke in Jerusalem Publish date : 2025-03-19 11:08:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

Prime minister defends changes to welfare system but Labour MPs struggle to digest plans for disability payments The rising benefits bill is “devastating for public finances” and has “wreaked a terrible human cost”, Keir Starmer has said as he defended the government’s drastic changes to the welfare system.Writing in the Times, the prime minister said “the facts are shocking”, noting one in eight young people are not in education, employment or training and 2.8 million working age people are out of work because of long-term sickness. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/mar/19/rising-bill-for-benefits-has-also-wreaked-terrible-human-cost-says-keir-starmer Author : Aletha Adu Political correspondent Publish date

German defence minister says Putin’s desire to render Ukraine defenceless is ‘very transparent’US envoy Steve Witkoff said in a televised interview overnight that US-Russia talks are expected to continue on Sunday, with the two sides meeting again in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.Speaking to Fox, he suggested that Russians have also signed up to a form of agreement on “the Black Sea maritime aspect of a ceasefire,” and added that he was “certainly hopeful that Ukrainians will agree to it.”“The point is that, up until recently, we really didn’t have consensus around these two aspects, the energy and infrastructure ceasefire and the