The Guardian

Contrary to claims by the US president, we have found that diversity initiatives result in better scientists and greater progressChristina Pagel is a member of Independent SageDonald Trump’s attacks on diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) initiatives since his January inauguration have been intense, indiscriminate and escalating. A tragic plane crash was baselessly blamed on DEI. All DEI programmes within public bodies have been ended and private contractors face cancellation if they also don’t comply. Webpages that defend religious diversity in the context of Holocaust remembrance have been taken down.Science and academia have been particularly targeted. Universities are threatened with losing

Keir Starmer will face Kemi Badenoch at PMQs before the chancellor delivers her spring statement Rachel Reeves will not be raising taxes in the spring statement today, even though there are many people on the left who would prefer taxes to rise as an alternative to public spending being cut. Reeves came into office promising only one budget-type event a year, and that is one reason why she is not hiking taxes today. But mainly it’s because she thinks Britons are relatively highly taxed already, because Labour was elected on a manifesto ruling out most of the obvious possible tax

US vice-president says he wants to ‘check out’ security as Denmark welcomes move to rule out some sites after protests from Greenlandic leadersUkrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has responded to the Russian attacks on Ukraine overnight, saying they revealed that Moscow was not moving towards “real peace.”In a post on Telegram, he called out attacks just hours after ceasefire negotiations as “a clear signal to the whole world that Moscow is not going to pursue real peace,” and called for more pressure to be put on Russia, including further US sanctions. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2025/mar/26/jd-vance-greenland-denmark-ukraine-russia-black-sea-europe-news-live Author : Jakub Krupa

Former NSW Liberal MP appears at Downing Centre district court after pleading not guilty to allegationsFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA former Liberal MP shaved 10 years off his age when he used a gay hook-up app to meet a 13-year-old boy who he then sexually abused, prosecutors have alleged.Roderick “Rory” Amon, 35, is accused of sexually assaulting the 13-year-old boy he knew on Sydney’s northern beaches in 2017.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/mar/26/ex-mp-rory-amon-child-sexual-abuse-claims-lease-sydney-potts-point-ntwnfb Author : Australian Associated Press

In today’s newsletter: After a blunder exposes top officials sharing war plans on a private group chat, questions are being asked about secrecy, protocol … and sheer incompetenceGood morning. Look, it could happen to anyone: I well remember, for example, the time I added my mum to a thread with my siblings discussing what to get her for Christmas. On the other hand, I don’t have a secure communications facility in my house for when I need to get something out on the family group chat. Also, we rarely digress from pictures of cute kids to setting out war plans

News of protests has been preserve of a few newspapers and channels outside well funded pro-government networksAt the same time as the sound of clanging pots and pans rang out through the streets of opposition strongholds in Istanbul on a recent evening, marking another mass anti-government demonstration, a different reality was being broadcast to viewers of Turkish pro-government channels.Public television showed the president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, speaking to a gilded conference room after an iftar dinner. He boasted of his government’s achievements, of hiring new teachers and attracting youth to an aerospace and technology conference. Continue reading... Source link :

CPI figures have economists predicting one to three RBA cash rate cuts in 2025 – the question is whether one will occur before federal electionFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesSee all our Australian election 2025 coverageGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralia’s inflation rate has eased again, in data that will buoy Labor heading into an election and raise hopes for mortgage holders another interest rate cut is not far off.The headline inflation rate was 2.4% in the 12 months to February, a slight decrease on the previous month’s figure, according to consumer

Slow-moving trough drags tropical moisture inland, dumping widespread heavy rain onto an already saturated landscape, Bureau of Meteorology saysFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastHeavy rainfall has closed nearly 200 roads and cut off multiple towns in Queensland as already saturated rivers risk more flooding.The Bureau of Meteorology issued a severe weather warning for heavy rainfall across normally dry inland areas of central west Queensland, including parts of the Northern Goldfields and Upper Flinders, North West, Channel Country, and Maranoa and Warrego districts.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking

Kremlin stipulates maritime ceasefire will start only if it gets sanctions relief on agricultural exportsRussia and Ukraine have agreed to “eliminate the use of force” in the Black Sea after parallel talks with US negotiators in Saudi Arabia, though the Kremlin said a maritime ceasefire would start only if it received sanctions relief on agricultural exports.Donald Trump said that the US was reviewing the Russian conditions after the Kremlin insisted it had negotiated concessions with the White House that would mark the first major recision of sanctions since the full-scale invasion of 2022. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/mar/25/russia-and-ukraine-agree-ceasefire-in-black-sea Author

Government changes parliamentary schedule on Wednesday morning in surprise move to bring debate on federal budget tax cuts immediatelyLabor bets big with $17.1bn in tax cuts to win over middle AustraliaExplore all of our 2025 Australia federal budget coverageLabor is seeking to quickly pass its budget night tax cuts through the parliament this week in an apparent bid to wedge the Coalition, who have said they do not support he changes.If the tax changes pass this week, before the election is called, it would require the Coalition to pledge to repeal the $5 per week cuts if they came to

Officials look into death of Stephanie Brinson, who’s second person in a year to die during family visit at Ione facilityPrison officials are investigating the death of a woman who was strangled during an overnight visit with her husband at a California prison last year.Stephanie Diane Dowells, 62, also known as Stephanie Brinson, was killed in November, becoming the second person in a year to die during a family visit at Mule Creek state prison in Ione, the Los Angeles Times reported. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/25/woman-strangled-california-prison Author : Coral Murphy Marcos Publish date : 2025-03-25 22:35:00 Copyright for

The opposition leader won’t give away whether the Coalition will offer an alternative tax package. Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastPM says budget strengthens Australia in face of global turbulenceAsked whether there’s enough reserve in the budget to weather another global economic storm – for example, if the US tariffs wreak havoc in global markets – Albanese reiterates the point that Labor has set up the budget to reduce deficits and improve the bottom line.What we’ll always do is stand up for Australia’s national interest. That is what we will do. That’s

Pledge comes after Labour MPs were whipped to remove legal protections from Great British Energy billMinisters have vowed to tackle forced labour in supply chains to mollify MPs after asking them to remove legal protections from the Great British Energy bill.Labour MPs were whipped on Tuesday night to strip out an amendment intended to ensure that companies using forced labour do not drive the UK’s green energy transition. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/mar/25/uk-ministers-vow-to-tackle-forced-labour-in-supply-chains-to-mollify-mps Author : Eleni Courea Political correspondent Publish date : 2025-03-25 20:02:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

Spider-Man’s Amy Pascal and Harry Potter’s David Heyman will helm the tech company’s first official 007 adventureAfter rumours circulated online, Amazon has now confirmed that Amy Pascal and David Heyman will steer the next James Bond adventure.The news comes after longtime producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson gave creative control to the tech company in a deal that is reported to have cost around $1bn. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/mar/25/amazon-james-bond-producers Author : Benjamin Lee Publish date : 2025-03-25 17:55:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

Annual report says Beijing making ‘steady but uneven’ progress on capabilities to capture TaiwanChina remains the United States’ top military and cyber threat, according to a new report by US intelligence agencies that said Beijing was making “steady but uneven” progress on capabilities it could use to capture Taiwan.China has the ability to hit the United States with conventional weapons, compromise US infrastructure through cyber-attacks, and target its assets in space, as well as seeking to displace the US as the top AI power by 2030, the Annual Threat Assessment by the intelligence community said. Continue reading... Source link :

Amid protests, White House officials close ranks around Elon Musk, the Tesla owner leading efforts to slash federal jobsEscalating reports of vandalism at Tesla dealerships and charging stations across the US have prompted the FBI to create a taskforce to target the perpetrators.The development, announced by Kash Patel, the bureau’s director, comes as Donald Trump White House officials close ranks around Elon Musk, the Tesla owner and world’s richest person who has been leading efforts to slash federal jobs and budgets as head of the “department of government efficiency” (Doge). Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/25/fbi-tesla-taskforce-vandalism Author : Richard Luscombe

Sergei Lavrov says Russia willing to agree deal on safety of shipping in Black Sea but says Moscow will need guarantees A former head of Dutch cybersecurity has expressed his surprise at Donald Trump’s top team’s use of Signal for classified communications that revealed “visceral anti-European messaging”.Bart Groothuis, an MEP for the Dutch liberal VVD party, who used to run the cybersecurity bureau at the Dutch ministry of defence, said he was “a bit surprised” at the US government’s use of a commercial app for highly classified conversations. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2025/mar/25/europe-russia-us-ukraine-security-blunder-latest-live-news-updates Author : Jakub Krupa Publish date

Democratic national committee chair Ken Martin calls on defense secretary to resign; House speaker Mike Johnson signals support for Pete Hegseth and national security adviser Mike WaltzSignal leak reveals depths of Trump administration’s loathing of EuropeExploitable flaws: what US adversaries could learn from leakElon Musk appears to be laying the groundwork to privatize some space and satellite operations now under the authority of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa), or steer lucrative contracts toward his SpaceX and Starlink companies, former agency employees say.They’re sounding the alarm as at least four other federal agencies have reportedly begun pushing new contracts toward

Exhibition opens this week in Taunton Castle, where mass death sentences were infamously issued during Bloody AssizesA fresh look at an ill-fated 17th-century uprising that haunts the English West Country – and may hold lessons for the world today – is taking place close to the spot where many of the rebels were condemned to death.An exhibition at the Museum of Somerset tells the story of the Monmouth Rebellion, which ended with defeat for the rebels who fought alongside the charismatic Duke of Monmouth, with many condemned to death at the notorious Bloody Assizes led by George Jeffreys, the Lord

Report claims Stay Belvedere Hotels, responsible for running multiple hotels housing asylum seekers, was exploiting system for profitDuring his interview round this morning Matthew Pennycook, the housing minister, said he did not believe accepting free concert tickets was “appropriate” – in an apparent criticism of the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, who received tickets to watch Sabrina Carpenter. Jessica Elgot has the story.In a response to Pennycook’s comments (which follow a similar response from Heidi Alexander, the transport secretary, to questions about Reeves’ tickets yesterday), the shadow Cabinet Office minister, Mike Wood, said:This is an extraordinary slap down of the profligate champagne

MPs likely to be whipped against move to add protections, as government insists it is already taking action on risk of forced labourMinisters have been accused of turning a “blind eye to slavery” by ordering Labour MPs to remove legal protections to stop money being spent by state-owned Great British Energy on solar panels manufactured by forced labour in China.The protections have been added to the government bill in the House of Lords via an amendment from the cross-bench peer Lord Alton, which said the new body must not spend money on solar or other materials where supply chains have

Military tells people to head towards ‘known shelters’ despite the fact there is no guarantee of safety as 57 people killed in past 24 hoursWelcome to our live coverage of the latest developments in the Middle East, with a particular focus on Israel’s continuing war on Gaza.Gaza’s health ministry said yesterday that 730 Palestinian people had been killed in Israeli attacks since the country’s military resumed intensive bombardments across the strip last Tuesday, including about 60 people in the past 24 hours.Hossam Shabat, a journalist for the Al Jazeera Mubasher channel, was killed in northern Gaza on Monday. Witnesses told

In extraordinary blunder top Trump cabinet members added Atlantic editor to chat discussing strikes on HouthisOutrage after White House accidentally texts journalist war plans: ‘Huge screw-up’Senior members of Donald Trump’s cabinet have been involved in a serious security breach while discussing secret military plans for recent US attacks on the Houthi armed group in Yemen.In an extraordinary blunder, key figures in the Trump administration – including the vice-president, JD Vance, the defence secretary Pete Hegseth, the secretary of state, Marco Rubio, and the director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard – used the commercial chat app Signal to convene and discuss

Iwao Hakamada, the world’s longest serving death row prisoner, had been wrongly convicted of a quadruple murderA Japanese man wrongly convicted of murder who was the world’s longest-serving death row inmate has been awarded $1.4m in compensation, an official has said.The payout represents 12,500 yen ($83) for each day of the 46 years that Iwao Hakamada spent in detention, most of it on death row when each day could have been his last. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/mar/25/iwao-hakamada-worlds-longest-death-row-prisoner-japan-compensation-after-release Author : Agence France-Presse Publish date : 2025-03-25 05:09:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

Amid fears of a ‘wide-scale rollback’ of protections, there are questions over whether ‘rushed legislation’ would actually workFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesSee all our Australian election 2025 coverageSign up for climate and environment editor Adam Morton’s free Clear Air newsletter hereA new bill being introduced by the Albanese government to protect Tasmanian salmon farming could stop communities challenging other decisions, including coal and gas developments, and may not even be effective in its principal aim, experts have warned.The government plans to amend the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act to end a formal reconsideration by