The Guardian

Reserve Bank boss Michele Bullock to appear at parliamentary committee hearing. Follow today’s news headlines liveFormer treasury secretary Ken Henry has been speaking on radio this morning after a speech at Per Capita’s community tax summit yesterday where he said recent governments have carried out “wilful acts of bastardry” and created intergenerational inequality and environmental destruction that will leave younger voters worse off.As part of his speech he recommended indexing tax thresholds to inflation. Freezing tax thresholds increases people’s taxable income as wages go up with inflation. This results in additional revenue to the government, in a phenomenon called “fiscal

Vice-president also reaffirmed the administration’s Ukraine stance at largest conservative voters conferenceUS politics live – latest updatesJD Vance marked one month since the Trump administration returned to power on Thursday by again claiming uncontrolled immigration was “the greatest threat” to both Europe and the United States.The vice-president took the stage at the country’s largest conservative voters conference in National Harbor, Maryland, to double down on his criticism that stunned European leaders last week when he accused them of suppressing free speech and “running in fear” from voters’ true beliefs. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/20/jd-vance-cpac-trump Author : Joseph Gedeon in

National security adviser says Ukraine is wrong to push back against Trump’s approach to peace talks with RussiaWhite House officials have told Ukraine to stop badmouthing Donald Trump and to sign a deal handing over half of the country’s mineral wealth to the US, saying a failure to do so would be unacceptable.The US national security adviser, Mike Waltz, told Fox News that Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, should “tone down” his criticism of the US and take a “hard look” at the deal. It proposes giving Washington $500bn worth of natural resources, including oil and gas. Continue reading... Source link

Arts Everywhere Fund will improve cultural offerings in communities and on the curriculumUK politics live – latest updatesCulture has been “erased” from communities and curriculums, according to the culture secretary, Lisa Nandy who vowed to make the arts more accessible by announcing new funding for Britain’s “crumbling” cultural infrastructure.The £270m fund will support attractions “in urgent need of financial support to keep them up and running, helping to carry out vital infrastructure work and improve long-term financial resilience”, according to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/feb/20/lisa-nandy-announces-fund-uk-cultural-infrastructure Author : Lanre Bakare Arts and

Plane caught fire and flipped at Toronto’s Pearson airport, hospitalizing 21 of 80 people onboardDelta Air Lines is offering passengers of a jet that caught fire and flipped over on a Toronto runway $30,000 each – “no strings attached”.Flight 4819 crashed after touching down at Toronto’s Pearson airport on Monday afternoon. Videos of the crash were captured by witnesses and then passengers inside the plane. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/20/delta-payments-toronto-plane-crash Author : Jessica Glenza Publish date : 2025-02-20 15:34:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

White House national security adviser Mike Waltz said Ukraine should ‘tone it down, take a hard look and sign that deal’ on minerals with the USFormer US state secretary John Kerry said “the basic playing field for making peace in Ukraine is there,” as he rejected Donald Trump’s suggestions that Ukraine was responsible for starting the war with Russia and dismissed Russian president Vladimir Putin’s logic for invasion as “lies.”Speaking at a London conference organised by the consultancy Brand Finance, Kerry, who served as the US state secretary in Barack Obama’s Democratic administration, said this:Putin individually decided, contrary to what

Push to end birthright citizenship could be headed to supreme court after judges deny appeal; VP due to give speech at conservative conferenceIf confirmed in a Senate vote this afternoon, Kash Patel would take over an FBI gripped by turmoil while facing allegations that he played a key role in a purge of the bureau’s agents while his nomination was pending.Dick Durbin, the ranking Democrat on the Senate judiciary committee, claimed last week that he had “highly credible information” that Patel had given orders to sack senior personnel when he had no power to do so as a private citizen.It

Sandal maker, founded in Germany in 1774, had wanted to stop ‘copycats’ from selling similar productsThey may be the footwear of choice for Hollywood A-listers and pop stars, but Birkenstock sandals are not works of art, Germany’s top court ruled on Thursday.The German sandal maker had sought a ruling that its footwear, known for its cork and latex soles, could be classified as art and thus afforded strong copyright protections. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/feb/20/birkenstocks-are-not-works-of-art-top-german-court-rules-in-copyright-case Author : Agence France-Presse in Frankfurt Publish date : 2025-02-20 11:57:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

Downing Street says the two leaders spoke overnight, after Donald Trump accused the Ukrainian president of being a ‘dictator’As well as appearing on the airwaves this morning to promote Labour’s £270m Arts Everywhere fund, culture secretary Lisa Nandy also supplied some quotes for the press release accompanying the launch.She said:Arts and culture help us understand the world we live in, they shape and define society and are enjoyed by people in every part of our country. They are the building blocks of our world-leading creative industries and make a huge contribution towards boosting growth and breaking down barriers to opportunities

European manufacturer reports 8% drop in income for 2024 but says there is ‘solid demand’ for its productsAirbus has said it aims to make 820 planes this year as the world’s biggest aerospace manufacturer attempts to overcome problems in its supply chain.The European company said that deliveries would rise by 7% compared with the 766 planes made last year, as it reported an 8% drop in income for 2024 excluding various charges, to €5.4bn (£4.7bn). Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/feb/20/airbus-plans-to-make-820-planes-this-year-despite-supply-chain-problems Author : Jasper Jolly and agencies Publish date : 2025-02-20 09:22:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked

Bodies of Shiri Bibas and her two children, Ariel and Kfir, who Hamas says were killed in an Israeli airstrike, as well as Oded Lifshitz, 83, handed overThe handover of the four bodies from Hamas to the Red Cross is now complete.The vehicles are on their way to Israel, and the crowd in Khan Younis is beginning to disperse. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2025/feb/20/israel-gaza-war-hostages-shiri-bibas-ariel-kfir-oded-lifshitz Author : Hamish Mackay Publish date : 2025-02-20 07:54:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

In today’s newsletter: Zelenskyy described Trump’s claims as “disinformation” – only for the US president to double down. But his claims have no plausible basis in factGood morning. Donald Trump’s view of Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping and Kim Jong-un: “The smartest one gets to the top”. Donald Trump’s view of Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who won Ukraine’s presidency in a landslide, enjoys continued popular support, and had to postpone new elections because his country was, as you will remember, invaded: he’s a dictator.Zelenskyy earned that astonishing designation yesterday by rejecting Trump’s claims that he is very unpopular, that Ukraine brought the invasion

US president issues order aimed at preventing taxpayer dollars supporting illegal immigration and another designed to get rid of regulationsDonald Trump has signed an executive order aimed at ending federal benefits for people in the country illegally, his latest in a blizzard of moves to crack down on immigration.The White House said the order seeks to end “all taxpayer-funded benefits for illegal aliens” but it was not clear which benefits will be targeted. People in the country illegally generally do not qualify except for emergency medical care. Children are entitled to a free K-12 public education regardless of immigration status

Former sponsors walk away from 2025 event – while organisers say they do not meet partnership requirementsFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastGoogle and Meta do not meet the requirements to partner with the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, the organisation has said, after the two tech giants ended their official involvement and ditched diversity obligations in the US.At the 47th annual Mardi Gras parade up Oxford Street next Saturday, a notable absence will be the two tech firms, previously event sponsors.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking

GFG chair Sanjeev Gupta says SA government is on the ‘wrong course’ after it forced the operation into administrationFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA support package of $2.4bn will be poured into the Whyalla Steelworks to protect thousands of jobs and “invest in the nation”, the prime minister says.The federal and South Australian governments would “combine dollar for dollar on administration” to ensure the steelworks keep operating, and staff and creditors are paid, while a new owner is found, Anthony Albanese told steelworkers . Continue reading... Source

Independent review asked to recommend cuts to public service to reduce workforce by 5%-6%Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThousands of public service jobs in Victoria are to be slashed after a review ordered by the state’s new treasurer, who has warned “difficult decisions” need to be made to bring the budget under control.Jaclyn Symes and the premier, Jacinta Allan, on Thursday announced an independent review into the Victorian public service (VPS), to be headed by Helen Silver, a banking executive and former head of the Department of

Ships’ presence off east coast follows incident in South China Sea in which a Chinese fighter jet released flares in front of Australian military planeFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralia will “watch every move” of three Chinese warships which have been detected 150 nautical miles off Sydney, on Australia’s east coast, the defence minister has said.Three People’s Liberation Army-Navy vessels – the Jiangkai-class frigate Hengyang, the Renhai-class cruiser Zunyi and the Fuchi-class replenishment vessel Weishanhu – were detected off north-east Queensland last week and have been surveilled

Exclusive: Review found some of the safeguards of state’s once groundbreaking laws have impeded access to end-of-life choicesFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastFor Nick Carr, one of the hardest things to witness as a doctor is terminally ill patients in unbearable pain and knowing there is an option to end their suffering – but not being able to speak of it.“There’s been times where I’ve been sitting there, having to sit on my hands, having to shut my mouth because I want to say to them, ‘Do

Australia and Papua New Guinea to start negotiations on defence treaty. Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAdam Bandt on Greens’ proposed Centrelink boostAnnouncing the plan (see previous post), Australian Greens leader Adam Bandt said:Finishing school and working out what’s next is a pivotal time for young people, but with rents, education fees and the cost of living all rising, many of them are finding completing further study is not a path they can afford.Starting out your adult life shouldn’t be this hard. Labor should be doing much more to support young people

‘In Brazil coup-mongers go to jail. In the US they get back into the White House,’ says one leading politicianBrazilian democrats have celebrated the strength of their country’s judiciary and institutions after former president Jair Bolsonaro was left facing political oblivion and jail time for allegedly plotting a coup, in stark contrast to the US’s failure to bring Donald Trump to justice for his anti-democratic acts.“In Brazil coup-mongers go to jail. In the US they get back into the White House,” said Marcelo Freixo, a leading leftwing politician on Wednesday after the attorney general formally accused Bolsonaro of engineering a

The order doesn’t fulfill campaign pledges, but does cement the administration’s reputation for promoting childbearingDuring Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, as support for reproductive rights mounted, the president promised to force insurance companies to pay for in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments. On Tuesday, Trump signed an executive order that, the White House said, “expands access to in vitro fertilization”.“PROMISES MADE. PROMISES KEPT”, Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, posted in all-caps on Twitter/X. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/19/trump-ivf-executive-order Author : Carter Sherman Publish date : 2025-02-19 18:26:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

Exclusive: rights group says use of algorithms and data is unfair, dangerous and reinforces discrimination in policingBritish policing’s use of algorithms and data to predict where crime will happen is racist and picks on the poor, a report from Amnesty International says.The human rights group says predictive policing tools, used by most police forces in the UK, are so unfair, dangerous and discriminatory that they should be banned. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/feb/19/uk-use-of-predictive-policing-is-racist-and-should-be-banned-says-amnesty Author : Vikram Dodd Police and crime correspondent Publish date : 2025-02-19 17:00:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

Hundreds of shoppers complain that basics including bread and milk are unavailable because of glitchHundreds of Tesco customers have reported problems with the retailer’s app and website, saying they have been unable to place online orders.They took to social media to complain that a wide range of groceries were showing as unavailable when they tried to check out and complete their shop. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/feb/19/tesco-customers-unable-buy-groceries-website-fails Author : Joanna Partridge Publish date : 2025-02-19 15:39:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

Foreign posts told to end all ‘non-mission critical’ news subscriptions in Trump directive that will ‘endanger lives’The state department has reportedly ordered its outposts around the world to cancel all subscriptions to news and media outlets that are supposedly “non-mission critical” in another extraordinary Trump administration crackdown on normal information channels.An email memo was circulated to embassies and consulates earlier this month explaining that the move was a further effort to cut costs by the federal government, the Washington Post reported late on Tuesday. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/19/state-department-media-subscriptions-cancelled Author : Guardian staff Publish date : 2025-02-19 14:17:00 Copyright

Billionaire claims he is implementing ‘will of the people’ as he and US president praise each other so much, Sean Hannity says it is like ‘interviewing two brother’Musk and Trump put on lovefest in Sean Hannity interviewDonald Trump and Elon Musk lavished praise on each other while defending the Doge overhaul in a joint interview on Fox News.Musk boasted of a “thrashing of the bureaucracy as we try to restore democracy and the will of the people” when asked about criticism of the so-called “department of government efficiency”.Donald Trump has signed an executive order to expand access to in vitro