The Guardian

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

In today’s newsletter: what chance does a backbench rebellion have of shifting the government’s plans to cut benefits?Good morning. After weeks of leaks and speculation, in parliament yesterday the work and pensions secretary, Liz Kendall, set out the government’s plan to cut the benefits bill. Her announcement covered a lot of ground, and she said that it was necessary to fix a system that is “failing the very people it is supposed to help and holding the country back”.When the dust settled, the consequences of that mission looked stark. In order to claw back £5bn a year by the end

Counsel assisting NSW inquest says CCTV footage of Paul Thijssen in hours before attack at Sydney school ‘not easy to watch’Lilie James was smiling and happy in the moments before Paul Thijssen used a hammer to murder his ex-girlfriend in a school gymnasium toilet, a coronial inquest examining their deaths has been told.James’s body was found in the bathroom at St Andrew’s Cathedral school in Sydney on 25 October 2023 after she’d been to water polo training with students.In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is on 13 11 14 and the national family violence counselling service is on 1800

Bill Browder says such visas ‘a way for dodgy people … to buy themselves legitimacy and insert themselves into countries’Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastSee all our Australian election 2025 coverageThe architect of global Magnitsky sanctions – which punish human rights abusers and corrupt officials – has warned Peter Dutton’s desire to bring back a controversial “golden ticket” visa scheme would be “a big mistake”.The significant investor scheme allowed foreign nationals who invested $5m in Australia access to a four-year visa that could be converted to permanent

Order calls for revising infrastructure policy to better assess risks instead of ‘all-hazards approach’, White House saidDonald Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order that seeks to shift responsibility for disaster preparations to state and local governments, deepening the president’s drive to overhaul the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema).The order, first previewed by the White House on 10 March, calls for a review of all infrastructure, continuity and preparedness and response policies to update and simplify federal approaches. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/18/trump-executive-order-fema-disaster-preparation Author : Reuters Publish date : 2025-03-19 02:12:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked

Rum’un growls like Nosferatu and sports fur made from recycled school polo shirts, track pants and backpacksFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA “cheeky” Tasmanian devil that poos out footballs, growls like Nosferatu and is covered in papier-mache-like recycled fur has been unveiled as the new mascot of the state’s long-awaited AFL team.Rum’un, which translates to Tasmanian slang for “an odd or eccentric person; a scallywag, or someone cheeky” in the Macquarie Dictionary, made his debut as the Tasmania Devils’ latest recruit at an event on Tuesday evening.Sign

Commission launched in 2022 says lagoon project, not full barrage, should be backed by UK and Welsh governmentsUrgent action is needed to harness the UK’s potential for tidal range energy in the Severn estuary but smaller lagoon models should be pursued over a larger dam-like barrage, a panel of experts has said.The Severn Estuary Commission said that harnessing the energy of the tides in the estuary could deliver predictable, renewable electricity that would work independent of weather conditions. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/mar/19/urgent-action-needed-to-harness-tidal-power-in-severn-estuary-say-experts Author : Jamie Grierson Publish date : 2025-03-19 00:01:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the

New Mexico police say bicyclist was hit on video from inside a stolen car and boy, 13, believed to be the driverA 13-year-old boy has been charged with murder in an allegedly deliberate hit-and-run of a bicyclist that was recorded on video from inside a stolen car, police in Albuquerque, New Mexico, said.The teenager, who is believed to be the driver, and a 15-year-old have been charged with murder, conspiracy to commit murder, leaving the scene of an accident involving great bodily harm or death, and unlawful possession of a handgun by a person, according to a late Monday police

Barry ‘Butch’ Wilmore and Suni Williams expected to splash down just before 6pm ET in Florida, along with Nasa astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr GorbunovNasa astronauts heading back to EarthFollowing along on the live narration of the mission, and wondering who is providing onscreen providing the commentary?On the left, it’s Kate Tice, quality systems engineering senior manager, SpaceX. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/science/live/2025/mar/18/nasa-spacex-landing-stranded-astronauts-latest-updates Author : Lois Beckett Publish date : 2025-03-18 21:44:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

News agencies will continue to independently review content and provide warning ‘labels’. Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastGrowing inequality erodes social cohesion – LeighIn his speech, Andrew Leigh will say growing inequality is an issue because it erodes social cohesion.When wealth is concentrated among a few, society becomes fragmented. Our sense of collective responsibility diminishes, and the fabric that binds us as Australians weakens.This approach contrasts with our predecessors, whose tax policies disproportionately benefited the highest earners, widening the gap between rich and poor. By maintaining a fair and responsible tax structure,

One detained man’s lawyer says he is gay artist who had fled persecution in his home country, not a gang memberA lawyer for one of the Venezuelan immigrants sent from the US to a notorious mega prison in El Salvador has accused the Trump administration of waging a “sickening” campaign of psychological warfare against asylum seekers and migrants.“In my 15 years of representing people in removal proceedings in the United States, this is the most shocking thing that I’ve ever seen happen to one of our clients,” said Lindsay Toczylowski, a California-based lawyer for the Immigrant Defenders Law Center (ImmDef)

Ruling party now projected to form majority government months after political wipeout seemed inevitableIn January, Canadian pollsters and political pundits struggled to find fresh ways to describe the bleak prospects of Justin Trudeau’s Liberal party, musing whether it would be a wipeout of existential proportions, or merely a catastrophic blowout.But fresh polling released by three companies this week shows a stunning reversal of fortunes for the party: newly minted prime minister Mark Carney’s Liberals are projected to secure a majority government. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/mar/18/canada-liberals-polls-mark-carney Author : Leyland Cecco in Toronto Publish date : 2025-03-18 17:24:00 Copyright for

US president’s post marks a significant escalation of rightwing attacks on the judiciary; judge tells White House to provide more details about deportation flights by noon ETWhite House’s defense for not recalling deportations ‘one heck of a stretch’, says judgeDonald Trump has called for the impeachment of the judge handling lawsuits over his administration’s deportation of suspected Venezuelan gang members, a significant escalation of rightwing attacks on the judiciary.While allies of the president such as Elon Musk have repeatedly said judges who rule against him should be impeached, this appears to be the first time the president has backed such

Billionaire denies conflict of interest as he heads Trump initiative to cut costs throughout federal governmentUS politics live – latest updatesElon Musk’s Starlink internet service is now available at the White House, the New York Times reported, exacerbating conflict of interest concerns that are growing with each day the world’s richest person spends at the heart of government.Karoline Leavitt, Donald Trump’s White House press secretary, said the installation was done to “improve wifi connectivity on the complex”. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/18/musk-starlink-internet-white-house Author : Martin Pengelly Publish date : 2025-03-18 14:59:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked

President attends board meeting of prestigious arts center, criticizes its buildings and says he never liked HamiltonTouring the Kennedy Center in Washington for the first time since his controversial takeover in February, Donald Trump criticized its buildings, mused about hosting its annual honors since he was “the king of ratings, whether we like it or not”, and took a shot at a hit musical that canceled its run in protest of his actions.“I never liked Hamilton very much,” the president said. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/18/trump-kennedy-center-awards Author : Martin Pengelly in Washington Publish date : 2025-03-18 13:29:00 Copyright for

Suzie Miller’s award-winning monologue hits the road next year, with the Killing Eve actor playing a barrister who defends men of rape and is assaulted herself Jodie Comer is to reprise her Olivier and Tony award-winning performance in Prima Facie “one last time” on tour next year, including a visit to her hometown of Liverpool.The monologue, written by Suzie Miller, stars Comer as a barrister who defends men of rape and is assaulted herself. The Killing Eve actor made her West End debut in 2022 in the show, which sold out and then broke box-office records when it played in

Pat McFadden, Cabinet Office minister, says changes to be announced today are about giving people ‘hope of work in the future’Badenoch is now taking questions.Q: You don’t wnat to get to net zero by 2050, but what is your date? What do you say to people who argue that, without a date, you don’t have a plan?That’s not how it works. You can’t just pull out of the air. And what we did was pick a target and then start thinking of how to get there.We need to start thinking about it in a different way. How does this impact

US and Russian presidents will speak on the phone as Ukraine says it hopes to achieve peace but will not recognised occupied territories as RussianWe have just heard from the Kremlin on the exact timing of the Putin-Trump phone call, with officials saying it is scheduled for 1pm to 3pm GMT (2pm to 4pm CET).“There is a large number of issues from the normalisation of our relations and the Ukrainian issue, all of which the two presidents will discuss,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, quoted by AFP. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2025/mar/18/trump-putin-call-ukraine-ceasefire-proposals-european-council-meeting-europe-live-news-latest Author : Jakub Krupa Publish date :

In today’s newsletter: Why Benjamin Netanyahu ordered new attacks on dozens of sites in Gaza – and what happens nextGood morning. Just before 2.30am local time, Israel launched airstrikes on dozens of targets across Gaza. War planes hit sites across the territory, from Gaza City in the north to Khan Younis in the south. At least 330 people have been reported dead so far, Gaza’s health ministry said, and Benjamin Netanyahu’s office appeared to suggest that the two-month-old ceasefire is now over: “Israel will, from now on, act against Hamas with increasing military strength,” it said.You can follow the latest

Hunter Wildlife Rescue started receiving numerous reports of sick and dead birds on Monday, centred on the suburbs Hamilton and CarringtonFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastNew South Wales authorities are calling for the public’s help as it investigates the suspected poisoning and mass deaths of more than 200 little corellas across multiple Newcastle suburbs.The NSW Environment Protection Authority said it was interrogating pesticide misuse as the possible cause of the “serious incident”, based on its observations and advice from local veterinarians.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news

Made up of blobby tissue and living deep in the ocean, the distinctive species beat the longfin eel and pygmy pipehorse in the annual contestIt was once crowned the “world’s ugliest animal” and now the disgruntled-looking gelatinous blobfish has a new gong to its name: New Zealand’s fish of the year.The winning species of blobfish, Psychrolutes marcidus, lives in the highly pressurised depths off the coasts of New Zealand and Australia and has developed a unique anatomy to exist. Blobfish do not have a swim bladder, a full skeleton, muscles or scales. Instead, their bodies are made up of blobby

BYD reveals new platform with charging speeds of 1,000 kW, which would be twice as fast as Tesla’s superchargersChinese electric vehicle (EV) maker BYD has unveiled a new charging system that it said could make it possible for EVs to charge as quickly as it takes to refill with petrol and announced for the first time that it would build a charging network across China.The so-called “super e-platform” will be capable of peak charging speeds of 1,000 kilowatts (kW), enabling cars that use it to travel 400km (249 miles) on a five-minute charge, founder Wang Chuanfu said at an event

Error message previously shown on Maj Gen Rogers’s site as officials argue that it’s wrong to call diversity a strengthUS politics live – latest updatesThe US defense department webpage celebrating a Black Medal of Honor recipient that was removed and had the letters “DEI” added to the site’s address has been restored – and the letters scrubbed – after an outcry. But defense department officials have continued to argue publicly that it is wrong to say that diversity is a strength, and that it’s essential to dismantle all “diversity, equity and inclusion” efforts.On Saturday, the Guardian reported that US army