Trump signs executive order targeting ‘benefits for illegal aliens’

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US president issues order aimed at preventing taxpayer dollars supporting illegal immigration and another designed to get rid of regulations

Donald 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 under a 1982 supreme court ruling.

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Europe greenwashing with north Africa’s renewable energy, report says

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Greenpeace argues European-backed projects hamper countries’ ability to decarbonise their own economies

European countries are extracting renewable energy from Morocco and Egypt to “greenwash” their own economies, while leaving north Africans reliant on dirty imported fuels and paying the environmental costs, a Greenpeace report says.

Both Morocco and Egypt are aiming to leverage their strategic locations south of the Mediterranean, and their solar and wind power potential, to position themselves as pivotal to Europe’s quest to diversify its energy supply.

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Energy network owners have made £3.9bn from higher bills, says report

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Citizens Advice believes Ofgem made flawed interest rate calculation for companies in Great Britain

The companies behind Great Britain’s gas pipes and power lines have pocketed a windfall of nearly £4bn from household bills during the energy and cost crisis, according to a report.

The analysis, by Citizens Advice, argued that energy network owners were able to make the “excess profits” over the past four years after the industry regulator misjudged their costs.

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All eyes on far-right AfD in German election rocked by violence and US interference

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Extremists tipped for second place after shifting debate to immigration and crime and winning endorsements from Musk and Vance

In the tumultuous German election campaign, which has been rocked by jaw-dropping US interference, a spate of violent attacks and rare fears for the country’s political stability, all eyes have been locked on the party most likely to finish second.

When the dust settles after Sunday’s vote and conservative opposition leader Friedrich Merz is – barring further surprises – elected chancellor, the 2025 race will be remembered as the moment the far-right Alternative für Deutschland, consistently polling in second place, went from sideshow to centre stage.

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What are sinkholes, how are they formed and why did one appear in a Surrey street?

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Failed water main or mineshaft most likely culprits as hole opens up in the village of Godstone

Residents of Godstone in Surrey have been evacuated from their homes amid fears that two large sinkholes in their high street could trigger a gas explosion. Here we look at what causes sinkholes, whether they are becoming more common and what can be done to prevent them.

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LNP release of Queensland corruption watchdog report ‘terrifying and petty’, Jackie Trad says

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Former deputy premier criticises government’s use of parliamentary privilege to make public previously suppressed CCC report on her conduct

The former Queensland deputy premier, Jackie Trad, says the new government’s decision to release a previously suppressed Crime and Corruption Commission report into her conduct is “terrifying and petty”.

The CCC investigation report has been the subject of a years-long legal wrangle, and had been blocked from release after a high court ruling in 2023.

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Meta and Google opt out of Sydney Mardi Gras amid move away from DEI in US

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Former sponsors walk away from 2025 event – while organisers say they do not meet partnership requirements

Google 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.

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Victoria to axe thousands of public service jobs as treasurer warns of ‘difficult decisions’

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Independent review asked to recommend cuts to public service to reduce workforce by 5%-6%

Thousands 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 Premier and Cabinet under John Brumby and Ted Baillieu.

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Australia will ‘watch every move’ of Chinese warships detected off east coast

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Ships’ presence off east coast follows incident in South China Sea in which a Chinese fighter jet released flares in front of Australian military plane

Australia will “watch every move” of three Chinese warships which have been detected off the country’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 since as they have sailed south. The Financial Times reported the ships were about 150 nautical miles off the coast of Sydney.

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Indian prime minister’s party names a woman as top government official in New Delhi state – The Associated Press

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  1. Indian prime minister’s party names a woman as top government official in New Delhi state  The Associated Press
  2. Delhi's New Chief Minister Rekha Gupta's Old Social Media Posts Trigger Row  NDTV
  3. Rekha Gupta sworn in as Delhi chief minister as BJP returns to power after 26 years  The Indian Express
  4. 'Arvind Kejriwal will have to spend most of his time in jail': BJP's Delhi minister-pick Manjinder Singh  The Times of India
  5. PM Narendra Modi on Delhi CM Rekha Gupta: 'Risen from the grassroots'  Hindustan Times
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Troubled Whyalla steelworks gets $2.4bn government bailout as hunt for new owner begins

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GFG chair Sanjeev Gupta says SA government is on the ‘wrong course’ after it forced the operation into administration

A 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 kept operating, and staff and creditors were paid, while a new owner was found, Anthony Albanese told steelworkers.

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Martial law was Yoon Suk Yeol’s answer to ‘legislative dictatorship’, insurrection trial hears

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Lawyers for impeached South Korean president who caused chaos argue that court has no jurisdiction to put him on trial for ‘act of governance’

Lawyers for Yoon Suk Yeol have told a court in Seoul that the impeached president declared martial law in late 2024 to prevent the country becoming a “legislative dictatorship” controlled by his political opponents.

The claim came as Yoon became the first South Korean president to stand trial in a criminal case, brought over his short-lived declaration of martial law in early December.

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