The Guardian

Under Pete Marocco’s lead, nearly all USAID staff was fired, with funding slashed and contractors dismissedPete Marocco, the Trump administration official who played a major role in dismantling the US Agency for International Development (USAID), has left the state department, a US official said on Sunday.Donald Trump’s administration has moved to fire nearly all USAID staff, as billionaire Elon Musk’s so-called “department of government efficiency” has slashed funding and dismissed contractors across the federal bureaucracy in what it calls an attack on wasteful spending. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/13/trump-pete-marocco-leaves-state-department Author : Reuters Publish date : 2025-04-13 23:42:00 Copyright for

Greens would use balance of power to push to make university and Tafe free. Follow today’s news headlines liveAnywhere but Canberra: Australian voters on what matters to themInteractive guide to electorates in the Australian electionListen to the first episode of our new narrative podcast series: GinaSee all our Australian election 2025 coverageGet our afternoon election email, free app or daily news podcastOn housing, experts have raised some concerns on the impact both major parties’ policies will have to demand in the market, while not adequately addressing supply.Labor has said their policy, to open up their 5% deposits for all first

Chair of prison workers body says copycat incidents must be prevented after attack by convicted terroristThe union representing prison officers has said inmates should be banned from cooking in jail, with staff fearing copycat incidents after the brother of the Manchester Arena bomber attacked three officers at HMP Frankland.Hashem Abedi, a convicted terrorist who was jailed for life after helping his suicide bomber brother Salman Abedi carry out the Manchester Arena attack in 2017, is alleged to have set upon staff with hot cooking oil and improvised blades. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/apr/13/ban-inmates-from-cooking-after-hashem-abedi-assault-says-prison-union Author : Hannah Al-Othman and Jessica

Reserves would give company six months to find alternative sellers if Scunthorpe blast furnaces are switched offNetwork Rail has built up a stockpile of rails to last as long as a year in case of disruption in the supply from British Steel’s Scunthorpe works.The company, which manages Britain’s railway tracks, has been stockpiling rails over the past 12 months as British Steel started to contemplate the closure of its two blast furnaces. The rails are stored at various depots around the country. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/apr/13/network-rail-stockpile-rails-british-steel-scunthorpe Author : Jasper Jolly Publish date : 2025-04-13 16:21:00 Copyright for syndicated

Jonathan Reynolds says allowing British Steel to collapse would have cost £1bn as public ownership looks increasingly likelyJasper Jolly, a financial reporter at the Guardian, has written some analysis on the multiple crises British Steel faces as the supplies needed to keep the blast furnaces operating at the Scunthorpe plant are running low. Here is an extract from his piece:Union leaders representing steelworkers said they were relieved that the government appeared to be moving towards public ownership. Charlotte Brumpton-Childs, a former Scunthorpe steelworker and national officer for the GMB union, said nationalisation was “the only way to save the UK

Emily Thornberry calls for UK to join France, as Emmanuel Macron says June UN conference must be decisive momentThe UK foreign office is under pressure from Labour MPs to recognise a Palestinian state if Emmanuel Macron, the French president, presses ahead with plans to recognise Palestine at a joint international conference set for June.France is co-chairing the conference at the UN in New York alongside Saudi Arabia, and Macron has said the conference must be a decisive moment. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/apr/13/labour-mps-pressure-foreign-office-to-recognise-palestinian-statehood Author : Patrick Wintour Diplomatic editor Publish date : 2025-04-13 11:17:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs

The National Theatre is worried about a shortage of skills from costume designers, to set creators, to computer techniciansThe decline of drama as a school subject has had a serious knock-on effect on the live entertainment business. While it is harder now for a budding star to imagine a stage career, the more immediate impact is on theatres’ skills and craft departments.The problem is a top priority for Indhu Rubasingham, two weeks into her high-profile job as artistic director at National Theatre. Now she and the NT’s executive director, Kate Varah, are announcing a move to boost the supply of

Albanese unveils an automatic $1,000 deduction on annual tax returns while Dutton pledges $1,200 one-off tax refund for low- and middle income earnersElection 2025 live updates: Australia federal election campaignPolls tracker; election guide; full federal election coverageAnywhere but Canberra; interactive electorates guideListen to the first episode of our new narrative podcast series: GinaGet our afternoon election email, free app or daily news podcastAustralians would get an automatic $1,000 tax deduction on their annual returns without having to produce receipts or paperwork, in an election promise made by Anthony Albanese at Labor’s campaign launch.The new, permanent tax deduction was announced by

Major incident declared and surrounding homes evacuated after suspected gas explosion in terrace house in WorksopA major incident has been declared following a suspected gas explosion at a home in Nottinghamshire on Saturday evening that partly destroyed the property.Nearby homes in Worksop were evacuated as fire crews and the East Midlands ambulance service worked to account for all residents. On Saturday night, it was unclear if the blast had caused any casualties. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/apr/13/explosion-house-nottinghamshire-worksop-major-incident Author : Staff and agencies Publish date : 2025-04-13 03:19:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

US Vermont senator’s tour with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortes has been drawing record-breaking crowds since FebruaryThe Vermont senator Bernie Sanders drew a record-breaking crowd at his rally in Los Angeles on Saturday, which included musical acts from Joan Baez and Neil Young, who encouraged the crowd to “take America back”.Sanders’s Fighting Oligarchy: Where We Go from Here tour has been drawing massive crowds. Aided by the progressive New York representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the team set the record in Tempe, Arizona, for biggest-ever political rally in that state three weeks ago. In Denver, Colorado, more than 34,000 people showed up – a career-high

Both announcements come ahead of the major party campaign launches in Sydney and Perth on SundayAnywhere but Canberra: Australian voters on what matters to themInteractive guide to electorates in the Australian electionListen to the first episode of our new narrative podcast series: GinaSee all our Australian election 2025 coverageGet our afternoon election email, free app or daily news podcastMinns says a permanent memorial will come – but will take time to get rightChris Minns was also up on ABC News Breakfast this morning, asked whether a permanent memorial would still be happening.We want to make sure that it’s appropriate, that

Turkey’s president lashes out shortly after talks with Netanyahu’s government aimed at defusing tensionsThe Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has lambasted Israel for undermining stability in neighbouring Syria during a diplomatic forum, days after the two countries held talks aimed at defusing an escalating conflict between them on Syrian soil.“Turkey will not allow Syria to be dragged into a new vortex of instability,” Erdoğan told attendees at the Antalya diplomacy forum on the southern Turkish coast, accusing Israel of “trying to undermine the 8 December revolution”, in reference to the insurgency that toppled the former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad after

Musician best known for tracks such as Chase the Devil and War Ina Babylon rose to fame in the 1960sMax Romeo, the influential Jamaican reggae artist best known for tracks such as Chase the Devil and War Ina Babylon, has died at the age of 80.The singer, known to his family and friends as Maxie Smith, died after heart complications in Saint Andrew Parish, Jamaica, on Friday. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/apr/12/jamaican-reggae-artist-max-romeo-dies-aged-80 Author : Caolán Magee Publish date : 2025-04-12 17:32:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

Only a quarter of staff are satisfied with how their department tackles bullying and harassment, FoI requests revealOnly a quarter of staff at Cambridge University are satisfied with how their department tackles bullying and harassment, according to an internal survey seen by the Observer.Cambridge undertook its staff culture survey in January 2024 and is now facing accusations from academics that it tried to cover up the “grim” results, which have been released through freedom of information (FoI) requests. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/education/2025/apr/12/cambridge-university-accused-of-bullying-cover-up-as-internal-survey-revealed Author : Anna Fazackerley Publish date : 2025-04-12 15:12:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the

Abbas Araghchi says ‘initial understanding’ could be reached in Oman and lead to ‘path of negotiations’Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, has arrived in Oman for mediated talks with the US special envoy Steve Witkoff, saying there is a chance the two sides can reach an initial understanding that leads to a timetable for negotiations on Iran’s nuclear programme.The aim is to agree a format and parameters for talks that in months could lead to some US economic sanctions on Tehran being lifted and a recasting of Iran’s civil nuclear programme. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/apr/12/iran-foreign-minister-oman-us-nuclear-programme-talks Author : Patrick Wintour

Inmates in several prisons given chance to study ethics and rhetoric ‘to inform contemporary life’ and skillsA classical education, once the preserve of Eton, Oxbridge and the likes of Boris Johnson, is being made available to inmates serving time in prisons.In a break from the kind of curriculum usually on offer inside – lessons in literacy, numeracy, tiling and decorating – a small number of prisoners are being offered the opportunity to learn life skills from the ancient philosophers. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/apr/12/classics-philosophy-england-jails-prison-education-durham Author : Sally Weale Education correspondent Publish date : 2025-04-12 10:00:00 Copyright for syndicated content

MPs to debate emergency law that will give the business secretary the power to direct the companyThe industry minister has said there would be “no extra costs” for the taxpayer as a result of taking control of British Steel’s Scunthorpe site, beyond the £2.5 billion already budgeted for supporting the industry.Sarah Jones said:We are hoping that the company will co-operate with what we are asking them to do, we hope that we will give them a notice and they will continue.If they do not, we will step in. Now the company will be liable for any costs that we incur,

Golani troops were under command of reservist Armoured 14th Brigade, part of division led by Brig Gen Yehuda VachThe Israel Defense Forces (IDF) unit involved in the killings of 15 Palestinian paramedics and rescue workers in the Gaza Strip last month was under the command of a brigade led by a notorious Israeli general previously accused by some of his own troops of having “contempt for human life”.The IDF has confirmed that troops from Golani, one of the army’s five infantry brigades, opened fire on two convoys of ambulances in Rafah on 23 March and dug a mass grave to

Tanya Plibersek says she feels ‘anxious’ at prospect of Peter Dutton becoming prime minister and defends Labor’s stance on salmon industry in TasmaniaAnywhere but Canberra: Australian voters on what matters to themInteractive guide to electorates in the Australian electionListen to the first episode of our new narrative podcast series: GinaSee all our Australian election 2025 coverageGet our afternoon election email, free app or daily news podcastPlibersek deflects question over whether she would be opposition leader in event of Labor lossPlibersek was asked: “If on May 4 prime minister Peter Dutton gets up and does his acceptance speech, will you be

White House has claimed that Khalil’s ‘beliefs and associations’ are counter to US foreign policy interestsMahmoud Khalil case – live updatesMahmoud Khalil, the Columbia University graduate and Palestinian organizer, is eligible to be deported from the United States, an immigration judge ruled on Friday during a contentious hearing at a remote court in central Louisiana.The decision sides with the Trump administration’s claim that a short memo written by the secretary of state, Marco Rubio, which stated Khalil’s “current or expected beliefs, statements or associations” were counter to foreign policy interests, is sufficient evidence to remove a lawful permanent resident from

School district says DHS agents, seeking five students in first through sixth grades, were barred from entering Immigration officials attempted to enter two Los Angeles elementary schools this week, but were turned away by school administrators. The incident appears to be the Trump administration’s first attempt to enter the city’s public schools since amending regulations to allow immigration agents to enter “sensitive areas” such as schools.At a Thursday press conference, the Los Angeles unified school district superintendent, Alberto Carvalho, confirmed that agents from the Department of Homeland Security were seeking five students in first through sixth grades. Continue reading... Source

Judge calls administration’s failure to comply with court order ‘extremely troubling’Lawyers for the Trump administration were unable on Friday to tell a federal court exactly where the Maryland resident who was wrongly deported to El Salvador last month is or how he is, as the judge admonished the government at a heated hearing.The US district judge Paula Xinis said it was “extremely troubling” that the Trump administration failed to comply with a court order to provide details on the whereabouts and status of the Salvadorian citizen Kilmar Abrego García and she wanted daily updates on what the government is doing

Kimberley Cookson, 22, faces one count of gross negligence manslaughter for Noah Sibanda’s death following incident at nurseryA nursery worker from Dudley has been charged with manslaughter over the death of a 14-month-old boy.Noah Sibanda, described by his parents as “a beautiful, happy and easy-going little boy”, died after an incident at Fairytales Day Nursery in Bourne Street in Dudley on 9 December 2022. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/apr/11/nursery-worker-dudley-manslaughter-death-noah-sibanda-cps Author : Donna Ferguson Publish date : 2025-04-11 16:28:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

Col Susannah Meyers removed amid reports she distanced base from Vance’s criticism of Denmark’s oversight of territory• Europe live – latest updatesThe head of the US military base in Greenland has been fired for criticising Washington’s agenda for the Arctic island after JD Vance visited two weeks ago.Col Susannah Meyers, who had served as commander of the Pituffik space base since July, was removed amid reports she had distanced herself and the base from the US vice-president’s criticism of Denmark and its oversight of the territory. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/11/col-susannah-meyers-head-of-us-military-base-greenland-fired-after-jd-vance-visit Author : Miranda Bryant and agencies Publish date

Supreme court upholds earlier order that Kilmar Abrego Garcia should be released after being improperly sent to prisonThe Mississippi library commission, which offers services such as specialized research assistance to libraries in the state, has ordered the deletion of two research collections: the race relations database and the gender studies database. The collections were stored in what’s called the Magnolia database, which is used by publicly funded schools, libraries, universities and state agencies in Mississippi.The commission’s executive director, Hulen Bivins, confirmed the deletion to the Guardian, and said:We may lose a lot of materials.All of the states, we are in