The Guardian

Labor and Coalition cut deal which unions argue will deny income support to people who can’t workFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastWorkers suffering psychological injuries in New South Wales will have their compensation entitlements slashed under a controversial deal between Labor and the Coalition.The major parties announced on Thursday that they would pass legislation early in 2026 that would freeze premiums for 18 months, saving businesses and charities from a projected 36% increase over the next three years. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/dec/11/nsw-workers-compensation-psychological-injury-claims Author : Anne

The 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) carries $8bn more than the funding Trump requested in MayThe US House has approved a sweeping defence bill that bolsters Europe’s security, in what appears to be sharp rebuke to Donald Trump’s mounting threats to downgrade Washington’s ties to traditional allies and Nato.The bipartisan vote came just days after the publication of a White House national security strategy that said Europe faced “civilisational erasure” and made explicit Washington’s support for Europe’s nationalist far-right parties – rattling EU leaders and opening up a seismic shift in transatlantic relations. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/11/us-house-passes-bill-to-bolster-europes-defence-in-apparent-rebuke-to-trumps-foreign-policy-strategy

More than £10bn was committed to building new schools between 2014-15 and 2023-24, compared with £6.8bn for rebuilding existing schoolsConservative governments spent £325m creating 67 free schools that subsequently failed or disappeared, many through lack of demand, according to data revealed by a freedom of information request.The figures from the Department for Education (DfE) show that the government committed more than £10bn to building new schools between 2014-15 and 2023-24, compared with £6.8bn for rebuilding existing schools, which critics say left England with a backlog of crumbling and decaying buildings. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/education/2025/dec/10/conservative-governments-free-schools-failed Author : Richard Adams

Deputy PM meets with the US secretary of defence, Pete Hesgeth, as series of Aukus meetings begin. Follow the latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastRecord number of Victorian students to get Atar results todayFrom 7am on Thursday, a record 49,310 Victorian students will receive their tertiary admission scores, an increase of 1,849 on the previous year, AAP reports.A preliminary excavation of the area uncovered the yet to be formally identified human remains around 1.30pm.The coroner has been advised and a postmortem will occur in due course. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2025/dec/11/vce-atar-results-victoria-social-media-ban-reactions-abs-employment-figures-queensland-parliament-aukus-meeting-washington-dc-anthony-albanese-labor-sussan-ley-coalition-ntwnfb Author :

Ro Khanna, California Democrat who was co-sponsor of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, says judge’s decision ‘gives me hope we’re going to see transparency’House speaker Mike Johnson said today that he has yet to see the video of the boat strike that has been the subject of intense scrutiny and accusations of war crimes.The Republican speaker said he missed the classified briefing with Hegseth and Rubio this week because he was working with House GOP lawmakers on their emerging health care proposals. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2025/dec/10/trump-us-politics-live-updates Author : Marina Dunbar (now) and Shrai Popat (earlier) Publish date :

María Corina Machado misses ceremony but her daughter says she is ‘safe’ and due in Oslo in ‘just a few hours’Jørgen Watne Frydnes, chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, is now delivering his opening speech.It’s a damning verdict on Maduro’s authoritarian rule in Venezuela, as he talks about a number of figures facing repression and torture from the regime.“As we sit here in Oslo City Hall, innocent people are locked away in dark cells in Venezuela. They cannot hear the speeches given today – only the screams of prisoners being tortured.”Venezuela has evolved into a brutal, authoritarian state facing a

Daughter delivers speech, with Nobel Institute saying María Corina Machado still expected in Oslo after journey of ‘extreme danger’ Europe live – latest updatesVenezuela’s most prominent opposition leader, María Corina Machado, has vowed to continue her struggle to free the country from years of “obscene corruption”, “brutal dictatorship” and “despair” as she was awarded the Nobel peace prize at a ceremony in Norway’s capital, Oslo.The 58-year-old conservative has lived in hiding in Venezuela since its authoritarian leader, Nicolás Maduro, was accused of stealing the 2024 presidential election from her political movement. Despite fevered speculation that she would make a dramatic

Australian psych-rockers, who removed their music from Spotify in protest against the streaming service, lament the appearance of AI band King Lizard WizardSpotify has removed an AI impersonator of popular Australian rockers King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard from the streaming service, with the band’s frontman voicing despair at the situation.King Gizzard removed their music from Spotify in July in a protest against the company’s chief executive Daniel Ek, who is the chair of military technology company Helsing as well as a major investor. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/dec/10/king-gizzard-and-the-lizard-wizard-despair-at-ai-clone-appearing-on-spotify Author : Ben Beaumont-Thomas Publish date : 2025-12-10 10:43:00 Copyright

From a live blog on the BBC to cautious reaction in the New York Times, here’s how the world’s media covered the banThe BBC blogged about it, News Corp boasted about it and the New York Times questioned its effectiveness.Australia’s world-first laws stopping children accessing social media until they turn 16 turned heads globally, with mixed and nuanced results. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/dec/10/how-the-world-media-covered-australias-under-16s-social-media-ban Author : Tory Shepherd Publish date : 2025-12-10 07:17:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

Stacey Warnecke, 30, died after giving birth to a son at her Melbourne home accompanied by an unregulated doulaFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA hospital exhausted its supply of a wellness influencer’s blood type in an unsuccessful attempt to save her life as she bled uncontrollably after a free birth at home, a court has been told.Stacey Warnecke, 30, was with her husband, Nathan Warnecke, and unregulated doula Emily Lal when she delivered her son at her Melbourne home on 29 September. Continue reading... Source link :

Trump had further said Nicolás Maduro’s ‘days are numbered’ as military has targeted alleged drug boatsTwo US fighter jets circled the Gulf of Venezuela on Tuesday, in what appeared to be an escalation of the Trump administration’s ongoing hostilities toward the South American country and its leftist leader, Nicolás Maduro.Venezuelans and South American media followed the flights in real time using websites like FlightRadar24, which showed a pair of F/A-18 Super Hornets flying together into the narrow Gulf of Venezuela for about 40 minutes. The jets flew just north of Maracaibo, Venezuela’s most populous city. Continue reading... Source link :

The 71-year-old performer’s son Micah has been arrested on suspicion of murder, Santa Monica police saidJubilant Sykes, the Grammy-nominated opera and gospel singer, has died aged 71 after being stabbed to death at his home in California.His 31-year-old son, Micah Sykes, was arrested on suspicion of murder, authorities said on Tuesday. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/dec/10/jubilant-sykes-son-arrested-after-grammy-nominated-opera-singer-stabbed-to-death Author : Sian Cain and agencies Publish date : 2025-12-10 00:29:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

Australians wake up with under-16s social media ban in effect. Follow the latest updates liveCallout: How is Australia’s social media ban affecting you and your family?Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastInman Grant says getting ‘the most powerful, rich companies’ to comply was always going to be messyInman Grant said she expects kids to experience massive changes as the social media ban sticks around. The eSafety commissioner added that some social media companies were more difficult to work with than others during the rollout of the ban, telling ABC News:To the extent that there are seven

Rwanda-backed M23 rebels clash with Congolese army and other groups as they march on strategic eastern townAbout 200,000 people have fled their homes in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as Rwanda-backed rebels march on a strategic eastern town just days after Donald Trump hosted the Rwandan and Congolese leaders to proclaim peace.The UN said at least 74 people had been killed, mostly civilians, and 83 admitted to hospital with wounds from escalating clashes in the area in recent days. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/09/drc-fighting-forces-200000-to-flee-just-days-after-washington-peace-deal Author : Reuters Publish date : 2025-12-09 19:28:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to

Peer named as chair of national inquiry, which is expected to cover England and Wales, after long-delayed searchUK politics live – latest updatesThe former children’s commissioner Anne Longfield will chair the national grooming gangs inquiry in what will be a “moment of reckoning” for the nation, the home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, has announced.Lady Longfield, who will resign the Labour whip in the House of Lords, was recommended by Louise Casey after a long-delayed search during which some victims quit the inquiry’s advisory panel amid disagreements over the chair appointment. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/dec/09/ex-childrens-commissioner-anne-longfield-to-chair-grooming-gangs-inquiry Author : Jessica Elgot and

The actor spoke at an interview amid renewed news coverage and commentary about her husband’s 2024 presidential bidUS politics live – latest updatesThe actor Cheryl Hines has said she does not believe her husband, Robert F Kennedy Jr, will run for the White House after Donald Trump’s presidency.Hines was asked by Elizabeth Vargas, a NewsNation anchor, on Monday, “Is your husband going to run for president in 2028? And, if so, are you ready for that?” Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/09/cheryl-hines-rfk-jr-run-president-2028 Author : Ramon Antonio Vargas Publish date : 2025-12-09 14:34:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked

Group that includes congressional leaders and leading intelligence committee members is traditionally briefed on major national security actionsDonald Trump has defended his tariff regime as he prepares to give a speech on the US economy and cost of living at a rally in Pennsylvania this evening.Posting on his social media platform Truth Social in the early hours of Tuesday morning, Trump wrote:Because of Tariffs, easily and quickly applied, our National Security has been greatly enhanced, and we have become the financially strongest Country, by far, anywhere in the World. Only dark and sinister forces would want to see that end!!!The

Former deputy PM addresses Commons as MPs back deal to allow protection from unfair dismissal to start after six months of employmentVictims of NHS maternity failings received “unacceptable care”, leading to “tragic consequences”, Lady Amos, the head of an investigation into maternity care in England, has said. Jamie Grierson has the story.When Angela Rayner told MPs last night that the government should not “blink or buckle” on workers’ rights (see 8.58am), she was referring to the fact that, even when the employment rights bill becomes law, there are many areas where how it gets implemented remains to be decided by

Tech company has installed the advertising screens in hundreds of apartment blocks across 20 British citiesDigital billboards that can film viewers’ responses to adverts have been installed in hundreds of apartment blocks, in a move that civil liberty campaigners called “creepy as hell”.The supplier, 30Seconds Group, says the cameras allow them to track “occupant engagement” from residents who are a “captive audience” as they wait for lifts to their apartments. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/09/uk-campaigners-condemn-digital-billboards-track-viewers Author : Matthew Weaver Publish date : 2025-12-09 07:00:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

Agents who kneeled in 2020 accuse Kash Patel of retaliation and say they were trying to calm volatile situationTwelve former FBI agents fired after kneeling during a 2020 racial justice protest in Washington have sued to get their jobs back, saying their action had been intended to de-escalate a volatile situation and was not meant as a political gesture.The agents say in their lawsuit that they were fired in September by Kash Patel, the FBI director, because they were perceived as not being politically affiliated with Donald Trump. But they say their decision to take a knee on 4 June

President accuses neighbor of violating treaty governing water-sharing and urges water to be released ‘immediately’ Donald Trump has threatened to impose an additional 5% tariff on Mexico if it does not immediately provide additional water to help US farmers, accusing the country of violating a treaty that outlines water-sharing between the neighbors.Under the treaty, which dates back to 1944, Mexico must send 1.75m acre-feet of water to the US from the Rio Grande through a network of interconnected dams and reservoirs every five years. The agreement also stipulates that the United States must annually allocate 1.5m acre-feet of water from

NSW Ambulance unable to verify details of previously unknown incident in September. Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastKevin Hogan says no one ‘gobsmacked’ by Barnaby Joyce’s decision to join One NationKevin Hogan, the deputy leader of the Nationals, compared Barnaby Joyce to Mark Latham after the former said yesterday he would join One Nation.The only other person I can think of that has left who has been a previous leader of a political party and joined One Nation is Mark Latham. And Barnaby Joyce joins those ranks as having been a previous

Eyal Zamir said Israel would hold on to current positions, giving it control of more than half of the territoryThe “yellow line” that divides Gaza under Donald Trump’s ceasefire plan is a “new border” for Israel, the country’’s military chief told soldiers deployed in the territory.The chief of the general staff, Eyal Zamir, said Israel would hold on to its current military positions. These give Israel control of more than half of Gaza, including most agricultural land and the border crossing with Egypt. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/08/yellow-line-that-divides-gaza-under-trump-plan-is-new-border-for-israel-says-military-chief Author : Emma Graham-Harrison in Jerusalem Publish date : 2025-12-08 20:49:00

Leader John Swinney says independence could cut household energy bills by a third in the long termThe future of Scottish renewables will underpin the Scottish National party’s Holyrood election campaign, the party leader, John Swinney, has said, as he claimed independence could cut household energy bills by a third in the long term.At what was billed as the first campaign event before next May’s elections to the Scottish parliament, Swinney declared: “It’s Scotland’s energy” – mirroring the famous 1970s slogan “It’s Scotland’s oil”, which bolstered the SNP’s first Westminster breakthrough. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/dec/08/its-scotlands-energy-snp-to-focus-on-renewables-in-holyrood-election Author : Libby Brooks

Trump administration argues that 90-year precedent that stops presidents from removing officers ‘must be overruled’In a statement, Pamela Smith said she was “deeply humbled, grateful and deeply appreciative” of her time in her role, which she described as the “greatest honor” of her career. She gave thanks to the mayor for appointing her in 2023 and supporting her throughout her tenure, which she acknowledged had been both “challenging and rewarding”.Smith adds that “tremendous progress” has been made but the city is not at “zero percent crime” yet.I am confident that the department is in a strong position and that the