The Guardian

All members of the senior civil service should receive a 3.25% rise, the government saysThe Conservatives are taking the credit for the near-50% fall in net migration. They say it is the changes to visa rules that they introduced that brought the numbers down.This is from Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary.Net migration has halved - dropped by 430,000 - in 2024 compared to 2023This is thanks to measures put in place by the last Conservative GovernmentThis drop is because of the visa rule changes that I put in place.Labour will try to claim credit for these figures but they

Netanyahu says it is necessary to ‘avoid a humanitarian crisis in order to preserve our freedom of operational action’ in Gaza.French president Emmanuel Macron said he had contacted his Israeli counterpart after the killings of two Israeli embassy staff members in Washington DC. Macron posted on X:To President @Isaac_Herzog, I extended our thoughts to the families and loved ones of the victims.Nothing can justify such violence. My thoughts go to their loved ones, their colleagues, and the State of Israel.There is and should be no place in our societies for hatred, extremism, or antisemitism. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2025/may/22/israel-gaza-war-aid-netanyahu-hamas-middle-east-crisis-live-news

Friedrich Merz visits Lithuania today to mark the official formation of Germany’s first permanent overseas military unit since the second world warRomania’s Constitutional Court has rejected the defeated ultranationalist candidate’s request to annul the presidential vote as a result of foreign interference.Despite conceding the defeat on Sunday night, George Simion later filed his challenge in a bid to overturn the result which saw him lose to liberal Bucharest mayor Nicuşor Dan. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2025/may/22/europe-news-latest-germany-russia-ukraine-nato Author : Jakub Krupa Publish date : 2025-05-22 07:55:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

Homicides are under investigation, police say during press conference, after fatal shooting of man and woman Two Israeli embassy staff shot dead near Washington DC Jewish museum – homeland security secretaryUS Speaker Mike Johnson on the shooting:I’ve been informed of the tragic shooting that occurred outside of the Capitol Jewish Museum tonight in Washington D.C. We are monitoring the situation as more details become known and lifting up the victim’s families in our prayers.Yoni Kalin and Katie Kalisher were inside the museum when they heard gunshots and a man came inside looking distressed, they said. Kalin said people came to

Liberals agree to postpone announcement of shadow cabinet in attempt to broker agreement two days after dramatic split. Follow today’s news liveNSW floods map: record-breaking rain in charts and mapsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastMinns says community ‘no doubt bracing’ for more bad news after flooding deathThe NSW premier is “bracing for more tough news” following news of a death in the state’s inundated mid-north coast.It’s devastating for that man and his family and his friends. a tight-knit community on the mid-north coast, and to lose anyone in these natural disasters is obviously horrifying. So

President says he will speak with advisers about taking public firms that support about 70% of US mortgagesUS politics live – latest updatesDonald Trump said he will make a decision in the near future about taking Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac public, a move which he said he is giving “very serious consideration”.In a post on Truth Social, the US president said he will speak with treasury secretary, Scott Bessent; commerce secretary, Howard Lutnick; and federal housing finance director, William Pulte, about doing so. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/21/trump-fannie-mae-freddie-mac Author : Coral Murphy Marcos and agencies Publish date :

US president ambushes Cyril Ramaphosa with videos and papers claiming to support false allegations amid questions over refugee status for white AfrikanersTrump ambushes South African president in Oval OfficeAnalysis: Trump’s claims ignore reality in South AfricaA federal judge has rejected a bid by the US treasury department to cancel a union contract covering tens of thousands of IRS staff, Reuters reports, in an early blow to Donald Trump’s efforts to eliminate collective bargaining rights for many federal workers.US district judge Danny Reeves in Lexington, Kentucky, said in a written opinion late on Tuesday that the department lacked legal standing to

After months of mounting anger from voters and pressure from MPs No 10 accepted a change had to be madeRarely are British voters united by one issue, but Labour MPs returning to Westminster after the local election campaign this month all reported a single policy dominating all others: cuts to the winter fuel allowance.“It is all people wanted to talk about on the doorstep,” said one. “Some were upset about the coming cuts to disability benefits, some were exercised by immigration. But everyone was angry about winter fuel payments.” Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/may/21/its-all-people-wanted-to-talk-about-how-labour-u-turned-on-winter-fuel-payment-cut Author : Kiran Stacey Political

National Parking Platform where motorists can pay for all parking on single app to launch ‘as soon as possible’ For motorists fed up with having to wrestle with a phone full of apps to pay for parking their car, relief could finally be in sight with a unified app.Lengthy delays have dogged a government-funded initiative, the National Parking Platform (NPP), designed to let people use one app to pay for all their parking instead of having to sign up to a plethora of services. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/money/2025/may/21/uk-wide-parking-app-to-be-rolled-out-by-industry-bodies-after-pilot-scheme Author : Rupert Jones Publish date : 2025-05-21 16:55:00 Copyright

Downing Street unable to say how many more pensioners would receive winter fuel payments or when changes would come inYouGov has published more details of its polling on the electorate’s relationship with Labour, as covered in the Sky News report mentioned earlier. (See 10.06am.)It shows that Reform UK supporters are most likely to think that Labour is trying hard to appeal to them – but least likely to say they would respond positively. Only 4% of Reform UK supporters say they would consider voting Labour, the poll says.I ask her if there will be any changes as demanded by MPs

Twenty-eight-year-old polar bear, who had been at Highland Wildlife Park since 2015, is euthanised on vets’ adviceThe UK’s oldest polar bear, and the first in the country to give birth to a cub in 25 years, has been put down because of age-related health problems.Victoria was 28 and had been kept in Highland Wildlife Park near Aviemore in the Scottish Highlands since 2015. Vets at the park took the decision to euthanise her on Tuesday morning after an assessment about her quality of life and wellbeing. Since December she had been receiving geriatric care after showing signs of arthritis. Continue

Case came to supreme court after court of appeal determined the term ‘open-air recreation’ included campingWild camping will be allowed on Dartmoor after the supreme court ruled that a multimillionaire landowner was wrong to ban it on his land.Dartmoor was – until the legal action – the only place in England where wild camping without the permission of the landowner was enshrined in law. In Scotland, people have enjoyed this right since 2003. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/may/21/wild-camping-on-dartmoor-is-legal-supreme-court-rules Author : Helena Horton Environment reporter Publish date : 2025-05-21 09:14:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

The European Union said it would review its trade cooperation deal with Israel over the blockade of Gaza, while the UK suspended free-trade negotiationsIsrael still blocking aid for Gaza despite promise to lift siege, says UNA car has been struck by an Israeli drone in southern Lebanon near Tyre according to reports. Lebanon’s National News Agency said the attack happened on the Al-Hawsh-Ain Baal road. Israeli news service Kan reported that one person had been killed.The former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert has said that what Israel “is doing now in Gaza, is very close to a war crime” during

NSW premier Chris Minns says service not ‘good enough’ as delays continue on Wednesday after high-voltage wire fell on train, crippling networkAustralia news live: latest politics updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe New South Wales premier has called for an independent review as hundreds of thousands of Sydney commuters continue to face severe disruptions after a high-voltage wire collapsed on to a train on Tuesday afternoon, crippling the city’s rail network.Chris Minns also announced a fare-free day for Monday to compensate commuters who faced chaotic train platforms, long bus queues and Uber surge pricing as

Two days of heavy rainfall still on way as SES carries out 130 rescues amid floods in Taree and nearby areasAustralia news live: latest politics updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastResidents of the mid-north coast of New South Wales have described anxious waits for rescue in the dark as unprecedented flooding inundates homes and businesses across the region.The State Emergency Service has performed 130 rescues in the past 24 hours, the bulk of those occurring in Taree, Wingham and Glenthorne.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/may/21/nsw-weather-bom-warns-of-lots-of-flooding-to-come-on-mid-north-coast Author :

Uinversity students’ mental health and wellbeing must be ‘prioritised alongside their studies’, argue campaignersA review of student suicides in England dodged “the real issues” with universities, the parents of a student who killed herself before a class presentation have said.The national review of higher education student suicide deaths, commissioned by the Department for Education, heard that families suffered “distressing experiences” at the hands of university administrators, and concluded that universities owed a “duty of candour” to relatives, including greater transparency and involvement.In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email [email protected] or [email protected]. In

Wednesday’s power outage at Strathfield still causing delays across the system. Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastSydney trains still disrupted after yesterday’s power failureSydney commuters face widespread disruption this morning as the city’s train network recovers after a high-voltage wire fell on to the top of a train at Strathfield yesterday afternoon, trapping 300 passengers and sparking chaotic scenes during the evening rush. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2025/may/21/australia-news-live-sydney-train-delays-taree-nsw-floods-coalition-breakup-david-littleproud-sussan-ley-nationals-liberals-ntwnfb Author : Martin Farrer Publish date : 2025-05-20 20:39:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

Hospital plans to keep Adriana Smith on life support until August, when doctors will deliver baby via C-sectionThe fetus of a brain dead Georgia woman who is being kept alive to carry out her pregnancy is continuing to grow, the woman’s mother said late Monday, days after the controversial case exploded into the national news and sparked questions about the ethics of using the state’s anti-abortion law to keep a woman with no chance of recovery on life support.“He has his toes, arms, limbs – everything is forming,” the mother, April Newkirk, told the local news station 11Alive. “We’re just

Foreign secretary tells parliament that the Israeli government’s ‘egregious actions and rhetoric’ are isolating the country from its friends and partnersThe Scottish secretary has said the new UK-EU trade deal provides “12 years of certainty and stability” for the fishing industry, amid criticism from the industry that the government has made too large a concession to the EU on fishing rights.The Scottish Fishermen’s Federation (SFF) has described the deal as a “horror show”, but Ian Murray said: “I don’t agree with that.”It gives 12 years of certainty and stability for the industry, it doesn’t change any of the deal that

New rules on agrifood products viewed as positive but some companies say they no longer need to use British suppliersThe UK’s trade deal with the European Union is expected to smooth trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, but for some businesses in the latter it no longer matters, as they have ditched British suppliers.“Overall the deal is welcome but we’re indifferent,” said Peter Bradley, a director of the Mid-Ulster Garden Centre. “We give our business now to Dutch, Italian and Republic of Ireland companies. We’ve got into a nice pattern and rhythm, post-Brexit, and British suppliers have almost become

PM Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani dismisses concerns country is trying to buy influence as Schumer introduces bill to block such a movePresident Donald Trump is expected to head to Capitol Hill on Tuesday to meet congressional Republicans as they aim to reach agreement on a sweeping tax-cut bill, with their narrow majority divided over the scope of spending cuts, reports Reuters.Hardline Republicans in the US House of Representatives on Friday briefly blocked the advance of the bill – which nonpartisan analysts say could add $3tn to $5tn to the federal government’s $36.2tn debt – but relented on Sunday.

Ukrainian president says ‘pressure on Russia will push it toward real peace’Trump and Putin hold phone call but Kremlin refuses ceasefireRussia has lost 975,800 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion on 24 February 2022, the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces reported on 20 May.This number includes 1,030 Russian casualties over the past day. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2025/may/20/russia-ukraine-vladimir-putin-volodymyr-zelenskyy-donald-trump-war-news-live-updates Author : Jane Clinton Publish date : 2025-05-20 08:09:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

Simon Spurrell was forced to sell his business because of £600,000 loss caused by Brexit red tapeA British cheese maker who was forced to sell his business because of a £600,000 loss caused by Brexit red tape has welcomed the new deal with Brussels – but says it comes four years too late.Simon Spurrell, who made headlines when he highlighted prohibitive export costs after the UK’s exit from the single market, said he was delighted the “grownups are back in the room” and he will now consider relaunching his business as long as the details are confirmed. Continue reading... Source

Mid-north coast and Hunter region cops barrage of extreme weather, with more than 30 schools closed and people in Taree advised to take shelter Australia news live: latest politics updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastPersistent and heavy rain has caused flash flooding in New South Wales, with emergency services responding to more than 2,000 calls and assisting with evacuations.Much of NSW’s mid-north coast and Hunter region has copped the barrage, with 22 flood rescues performed overnight.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/may/20/nsw-flash-flooding-floods-weather-newcastle-taree-warnings-school-closures Author : Lisa Cox and Australian

President signs bill with first lady Melania Trump to criminalize sharing intimate images without consentPresident Donald Trump on Monday signed into law the Take It Down Act, a measure that imposes penalties for online sexual exploitation that first lady Melania Trump helped usher through Congress, and he had her sign it, too, despite what sounded like a mild objection on her part.“C’mon, sign it anyway,” the president told his wife. “She deserves to sign it.” Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/19/trump-take-it-down-act-bill Author : Associated Press Publish date : 2025-05-20 00:21:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.