The Guardian

Conservative opposition leader Friedrich Merz could unseat chancellor Olaf Scholz but threat of gains by far-right AfD looms largeGuten Tag, and good day from Berlin.Sixty million Germans choose their next government today, which will lead Europe’s largest economy through what will most likely be the most tumultuous era in decades. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2025/feb/23/german-election-live-olaf-scholz-alice-weidel-afd-friedrich-merz-germany-latest-news Author : Jakub Krupa in Berlin Publish date : 2025-02-23 11:39:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

Credit reporting firm Equifax accidentally sends email to a charity that suggests it has data on ‘hundreds of thousands of unsuspecting Britons’The Home Office has been accused of collecting data on “hundreds of thousands of unsuspecting British citizens” while conducting financial checks on migrants.A report by a private contractor for a routine immigration application was mistakenly sent to a charity by a government official, and contained information on more than 260 people including their names, dates of birth and electoral roll data. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/feb/23/home-office-contractor-collecting-data-on-uk-citizens-while-checking-migrants-finances Author : Lizzie Dearden Publish date : 2025-02-23 10:00:00 Copyright for syndicated

Hezbollah’s former leader was killed in Israeli strike last September; Israel suspends release of 600 PalestiniansAs we mentioned in the opening summary, Hassan Nasrallah, who led Hezbollah for more than three decades, was killed last September by Israel in a series of airstrikes on the group’s underground headquarters in Dahieh, a southern suburb of Beirut.The Guardian’s international security correspondent, Jason Burke, has this profile on Nasrallah, who, prior to his death, had not been seen in public for years because of fears of being assassinated by Israel. Here is an extract from the piece:A qualified Islamic scholar, effective public speaker

Ahead of a career retrospective, Sue Williamson tells how the US pair are dragging her country ‘through the mud’For more than 50 years, Sue Williamson’s art has been shining a light on South Africa’s problems – first to campaign against the apartheid state, and then to question how far the country has progressed in reconciliation and remembrance.But as she prepares for her first retrospective exhibition, the 84-year-old artist has a new pair of targets in sight: US president Donald Trump and his billionaire, South African-born adviser, Elon Musk. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/feb/23/trump-and-musk-are-gaslighting-anti-apartheid-artist-on-how-us-president-and-his-billionaire-ally-are-attacking-south-africa Author : Rachel Savage in Johannesburg

The UK leader has been advised to choose his words carefully at this week’s crucial White House meeting• Keir Starmer lays down Ukraine peace demand ahead of Trump talksWhen Keir Starmer is advised on how to handle his crucial meeting with Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday, he will be told by advisers from Downing Street and the Foreign Office to be very clear on his main points and, above all, to be brief.“Trump gets bored very easily,” said one well-placed Whitehall source with knowledge of the president’s attention span. “When he loses interest and thinks someone is

Super Members Council says summit may sway US president on tariffs on Australian industry after seeing scale of investment in USFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralia’s $2.8tn superannuation industry will bolster the Albanese government’s bid to secure an exemption from the Trump administration’s 25% tariffs on steel and aluminium imports this week.A delegation of Australia’s largest funds will meet with US government officials from Monday, as part of a four-day summit designed to improve awareness of the industry’s long-term contributions to the US economy and its plans

Victim is in a stable condition at a Brisbane hospital with abdominal and leg injuries, authorities sayFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA man is recovering in a Brisbane hospital after being bitten by a shark and airlifted for treatment from a Moreton Bay island.The man, who is reported to be 29, was mauled in the waters off the bay side of Moreton Island near the Wrecks Walking Track shortly after 3pm on Saturday.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/feb/23/man-bitten-by-shark-off-queenslands-moreton-island-in-second-attack-in-less-than-a-month Author

Statement by Netanyahu’s office demands assurance of ‘release of next hostages … without humiliating ceremonies’Israel says the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners will be delayed “until the release of the next hostages has been assured, and without the humiliating ceremonies” at handovers of Israeli captives in Gaza.The statement by Benjamin Netanyahu’s office came early Sunday as vehicles apparently carrying prisoners left the open gates of Ofer prison in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, only to turn around and go back in. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/feb/22/israel-hamas-prisoners-hostages Author : Associated Press Publish date : 2025-02-23 01:29:00 Copyright for syndicated content

Ex-leader of far-right Proud Boys trails group through lobby of Washington hotel, engaging officer Michael Fanone Enrique Tarrio, the former leader of the far-right Proud Boys group who was convicted and then pardoned for his role in the January 6 insurrection, confronted a group of police officers who defended the Capitol during the attack, accusing one of them of being a “coward”.A video shared by Tarrio on social media on Saturday showed him following the officers, Michael Fanone, Harry Dunn and Aquilino Gonell, through the lobby of a Washington hotel that was hosting the Principles First summit, a conference where

The treasurer will continue to lobby US officials for an Australian exemption to steel and aluminium tariffs Greens want Labor’s new Medicare plan implemented before electionThe federal Greens have welcomed the Albanese government’s plan to significantly boost bulk-billing rates, as part of an $8.5bn policy, but claimed its campaigning influenced the decision.Greens pressure works. In a wealthy country like ours everyone should be able to see a GP, psychologist, dentist or nurse with their Medicare card.It’s good Labor has adopted part of our plan to help people see the GP for free. Now let’s make it law before the election.Trade

Open letter from some of the country’s most distinguished artists ‘strongly protests’ at the removal of Sabsabi and curator Michael DagostinoGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastLiving artists who have represented Australia at the Venice Biennale over the past five decades – and the estates of a number of now deceased artists who have done the same – have signed an open letter to the board and chief executive of Creative Australia to reinstate sacked artist Khaled Sabsabi and his curator Michael Dagostino.Some of Australia’s most distinguished living artists, including Imants Tillers, Mike Parr, Susan Norrie,

Parents of Muo Lisa and her male cousin were doing farm work when the two-year-olds came across unexploded ordinanceA grenade believed to be more than 25 years old killed two toddlers when it blew up near their homes in rural Cambodia, officials said.The accident happened on Saturday in Siem Reap province’s Svay Leu district, where there had been heavy fighting in the 1980s and 90s between Cambodian government soldiers and rebel guerrillas from the communist Khmer Rouge. The group had been ousted from power in 1979. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/feb/22/two-toddlers-in-cambodia-killed-by-decades-old-grenade-that-detonated Author : Associated Press Publish date : 2025-02-22

The pontiff is in hospital for a complex lung infection and has been given high flows of oxygen and blood transfusionsThe Vatican has said Pope Francis is in a critical condition after he suffered a long asthmatic respiratory crisis that required high flows of oxygen.Francis has been hospitalised for a week with a complex lung infection. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/feb/22/pope-francis-now-in-a-critical-condition-after-respiratory-crisis-vatican-says Author : Associated Press Publish date : 2025-02-22 18:53:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

Appearance comes after chaotic week with mass layoffs of federal workers and Trump’s ire directed at Ukraine leaderDonald Trump’s administration has shut down a national database documenting police misconduct.The Guardian’s Gloria Oladipo reports: Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2025/feb/22/us-live-blog-politics-donald-trump Author : Maya Yang Publish date : 2025-02-22 18:04:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

An independent standards authority says the industry must learn from recent scandals and create safer working environmentsNew guidelines will be issued this week for the UK’s creative industries after a series of scandals including reports of inappropriate behaviour by Gregg Wallace and Gino d’Acampo, and bullying allegations on the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing.The Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority (CIISA) will set new standards with the aim of stamping out bullying, harassment and discrimination, and address “power imbalances”. The guidelines call on organisations to create reporting mechanisms and ways to learn from previous scandals, as well as safe and inclusive working

Archaeologist believes his ‘find of the century’ – of Pharaoh Thutmose II – could be surpassed by ongoing excavationTo uncover the location of one long-lost pharaoh’s tomb is a career-defining moment for an archaeologist. But to find a second is the stuff of dreams.Last week British archaeologist Piers Litherland announced the find of the century – the first discovery of a rock-cut pharaoh’s tomb in Egypt since Tutankhamun’s in 1922. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/feb/22/you-dream-about-such-things-brit-who-discovered-missing-pharaohs-tomb-may-have-unearthed-another Author : Donna Ferguson Publish date : 2025-02-22 15:00:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

German carmaker will review plans for site which had been forecast to secure 4,000 jobs in EV productionBMW Group has paused a £600m investment into a Mini car assembly plant on the outskirts of Oxford, amid a declining demand for electric vehicles.In 2023, the German carmaker, which has owned Mini since 2000, announced the investment to upgrade its Cowley plant for electric production of the Mini. It was supported by government-backed investment, and was forecast to secure 4,000 jobs in electric vehicle production. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/feb/22/bmw-pauses-600m-upgrade-oxford-mini-plant-electric-vehicle-demand Author : Aneesa Ahmed Publish date : 2025-02-22 13:47:00 Copyright for

Ukraine’s lithium deposits are among biggest in Europe and the US is looking for ‘payback’ for previous military assistanceDrawing in the snow with his finger, Mykola Hrechukha sketched out how Ukraine’s new lithium mine might look. It would have a deep central shaft, with a series of side tunnels, he said. “The lithium is good everywhere. The biggest concentration is at a depth of 200-500 metres,” he said. “We should be able to extract 4,300 tonnes a day. The potential is terrific.”For now, though, there is little sign of activity. The deposit is buried under a large sloping field, used

Public concern about NHS is worrying and frightening, says leading emergency doctor after poll revealedThree in four people in the UK fear getting stuck on a trolley in a hospital corridor or an ambulance not arriving after dialling 999, prompting claims that the NHS is facing “a crisis of public trust”.Huge numbers also worry about their local A&E not having enough beds (77%) and not being able to get care at their GP surgery (70%), research also found. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/feb/22/three-four-people-uk-fear-failed-ae-services-nhs Author : Denis Campbell Health policy editor Publish date : 2025-02-22 09:27:00 Copyright for syndicated content

Five-year-old platform intended to make drivers’ lives easier will only be supported until the end of March‘Those without smartphones unfairly penalised, say campaignersHow to navigate apps: from checking safety to recalling passwordsUK-wide parking app may be out of road after funding withdrawnIt was hailed as “the future of UK parking”, intended to remove one of the bugbears of modern life: the need to sign up to a plethora of different apps in order to park your car.But a big question mark now hangs over the future of the National Parking Platform (NPP), a government-funded scheme designed to make drivers’ lives

Moscow and Washington held their first talks on ending the nearly three-year war in Ukraine on TuesdayThe Russians are looking for “visible shifts for the better in American policy”, the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said, according to the RIA state news agency reported on Saturday.“Today we are facing two parallel, but, of course, to some extent, politically interconnected tracks: one is Ukrainian affairs, the other is bilateral,” Ryabkov said. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2025/feb/22/russia-ukraine-war-putin-trump-zelenskyy-europe-live-news-updates-latest Author : Charlie Moloney Publish date : 2025-02-22 08:25:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

Hamas says six captives expected to be freed from Gaza on Saturday in swap for about 600 Palestinian prisoners and detaineesIsraelis are gathering in Tel Aviv as they wait for the anticipated release of six hostages held by Palestinian militants in Gaza. These images have come in from Israel:The Israeli military expects Hamas to release the six Israeli hostages from two separate locations in Gaza starting from 9am local time, the Times of Israel is reporting a defence official as saying. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2025/feb/22/middle-east-crisis-live-israel-hamas-new-gaza-hostage-prisoner-exchange Author : Adam Fulton Publish date : 2025-02-22 07:06:00 Copyright for syndicated content

In speech at Arc conference, podcaster argues ‘identity politics and multiculturalism … are two failed experiments’Konstantin Kisin has until this week been best known as a libertarian, pro-free speech independent podcaster, and for a viral appearance at the Oxford Union arguing that “woke culture has gone too far”.His profile has suddenly risen, however, after hosting the Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch, on his podcast, and arguing in an episode with Fraser Nelson, the former editor of the Spectator, that Rishi Sunak was not English owing to his “brown Hindu” background – triggering criticism on social media. Continue reading... Source link :

Adam Abeldon rules that president’s efforts to ban DEI programs likely violate first amendment of constitutionA federal judge in Maryland on Friday temporarily blocked Donald Trump from implementing bans on diversity, equity and inclusion programs at federal agencies and by businesses that contract with the federal government.US district judge Adam Abelson said the directives by Trump and an order urging the Department of Justice to investigate companies with DEI policies likely violate the first amendment of the US constitution. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/21/judge-temporarily-blocks-trumps-anti-dei-purge Author : Guardian staff and agencies Publish date : 2025-02-22 00:55:00 Copyright for syndicated content

Pete Hegseth supports cuts of up to 8% of civilian workforce as Trump bids to institute massive government cutsThe Pentagon announced plans Friday to fire 5-8% of its civilian workforce, staring next week with layoffs of 5,400 probationary workers, a Department of Defense official said in a statement.The initial civilian layoffs will be followed by a Department of Defense hiring freeze to analyze the military’s personnel needs in compliance with Donald Trump’s political goals, Darin Selnick, the acting under-secretary of defense for personnel and readiness, said in the statement. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/21/pentagon-layoffs-civilian-workers Author : Lois Beckett and