Russia’s largest military call-up whips up fear among young men
With at least 100,000 soldiers killed in the war against Ukraine, Moscow is making life harder for draft dodgers.
French row with Algeria escalates further with tit-for-tat expulsions
France recalls its ambassador to Algeria and orders 12 Algerian diplomats to leave as tensions continue to rise.
Gaza ‘mass grave’ for Palestinians and those helping them: MSF
Doctors Without Borders slams Israel for targeting humanitarian workers, blocking aid to Gaza and mass killings.
Leaders’ debate live: PM says he has ‘no reason’ not to trust Trump as Dutton says ‘I don’t know the president’
Prime minister and Coalition leader face off in showdown hosted by ABC. Follow live updates
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Albanese says Labor didn’t commission modelling on negative gearing
Anthony Albanese said Peter Dutton’s suggestion that the housing crisis is something that developed in the last two years is “nonsense”.
Everyone watching this program knows that this has been developing for a long period of time. We have not had enough homes been built. The former government did not bother to have a housing minister for half the time they were in office. What we’ve done since we came to office, is look towards the big issue which is supply.
The experts say that what that potentially [would] do is is diminish supply, not increase it. That’s why the key to fixing the housing issues is supply.
It certainly wasn’t commissioned by us to do so.
We need to do both. We need to particularly give young people a fair crack … The key is supply. That’s why only Labor is offering a plan at this election to increase supply of housing.
That is on the supply side a very significant benefit. The second part is we reduce migration by 25%, so that we can allow the housing stock to be built up again and by doing that – as well as stopping foreigners for two years from purchasing Australian homes – we give young Australians a go.
Continue reading...Reeves says inflation fall shows ‘plan for change is working’ – UK politics live
Chancellor says wages are growing faster than prices but acknowledges many are still struggling with the cost of living
A government minister has reiterated the call for the Unite union to accept a deal and end the bin strike in Birmingham.
Speaking on GB News this morning, Lillian Greenwood, parliamentary under-secretary of state for the future of roads, said residents were facing “a completely unacceptable situation”
Continue reading...Trump claims tariffs bringing in ‘record numbers’ amid reports US seeking to isolate China – US politics live
President also claims inflation is falling as Chinese state media tells US to ‘stop whining’ amid escalating trade war
Joe Biden on Tuesday accused Donald Trump and his billionaire lieutenant, Elon Musk, of “taking a hatchet” to the social security administration as they moved at warp-speed to dismantle large swaths of the federal government.
In his first public remarks since leaving office, the former president avoided any explicit mention of Trump – his predecessor and successor – but he was sharply critical of the new administration for threatening social security, which Biden called a “sacred promise” that more than 70 million Americans rely on each month.
Continue reading...UK supreme court ruling on legal definition of woman ‘brings clarity and confidence’, says government – live
Judges say definition of women and sex in Equality Act 2010 act refers to biological women and biological sex
The definition of a woman and sex in the Equality Act relates to “a biological woman and biological sex”, the supreme court has ruled as it unanimously allowed an appeal from gender critical campaign group For Women Scotland.
A possible outcome of the case is that the court will agree with the previous interpretation of the law as it stands, but suggest parliament considers amending the Equality Act to deal with these previously unforeseen consequences.
Continue reading...Trump has put Christian nationalists in key roles – say a prayer for free speech
Experts warn that a specific brand of Christianity will be prioritized and lead to a ‘further dismantling’ of institutions
The Trump administration’s promotion of white Christian nationalists and prosperity gospel preachers to key government roles will lead to the “further dismantling of government institutions” and the chilling of free speech, experts have warned.
Donald Trump announced the creation of an “anti-Christian bias” taskforce and a White House Faith Office (WHFO) in February, saying it would make recommendations to him “regarding changes to policies, programs, and practices” and consult with outside experts in “combatting anti-Semitic, anti-Christian, and additional forms of anti-religious bias”.
Continue reading...Doge unemployment ‘fraud’ discoveries are old finds from Biden era, experts say
Exclusive: Some aren’t even fraud but rather known attempts by states to protect victims of identity theft, former top official says
In a series of late-night posts on X last week, Elon Musk and his so-called “department of government efficiency” revealed the seemingly startling findings of their “initial survey” into unemployment benefits.
They cited examples of claimants who were deceased, between one and five years old, or not born yet. They even cited one case of someone with a listed birthday in 2154 allegedly claiming $41,000.
Continue reading...Trump and Musk taking ‘hatchet’ to social security, says Biden | First Thing
Former president accuses Trump in first speech since leaving office. Plus, deadly Israeli strike hits second Gaza hospital this week
Good morning.
In his first speech since leaving the White House, Joe Biden accused Donald Trump and Elon Musk yesterday of “taking a hatchet” to social security, which he called a “sacred promise” that 73 million Americans rely on each month.
What else did Biden say? “In the 90 years since Franklin Roosevelt created the social security system, people have always gotten their social security checks. They’ve gotten them during wartime, during recessions, during a pandemic. No matter what, they got them. But now for the first time ever, that might change. It’d be a calamity for millions of families.”
What is the humanitarian toll of Sudan’s civil war? The consequences for Sudan’s 51 million people have been devastating. Tens of thousands are reportedly dead. Hundreds of thousands face famine. Almost 13 million people have been displaced, 4 million of whom went to neighbouring countries. Almost half the population – 24.6 million people – do not have enough food.
Continue reading...“Russia Is Not Strong”! Chinese POWs Captured By Ukraine Warn Others Not To Believe Russian ‘Promises’ – EurAsian Times
- “Russia Is Not Strong”! Chinese POWs Captured By Ukraine Warn Others Not To Believe Russian ‘Promises’ EurAsian Times
- Ukraine parades Chinese nationals captured fighting for Russia. What message was it was trying to send? CNN
- China is sending soldiers to Ukraine to prepare for a Taiwan invasion The Hill
- BREAKING: China provides Russia with weapons, Zelensky says. The Kyiv Independent
- Zelensky claims 155 Chinese fighting for Russia in Ukraine BBC
Seth Rogen attack on Trump edited out of science awards show coverage
Presenting an award at the Breakthrough prize ceremony, the actor and writer allegedly accused the president of destroying American science
A pointed criticism of President Trump’s policies on science by Seth Rogen was edited out of the filmed coverage of an annual science awards show, it has emerged.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, which was one of the sponsors of the event, Rogen was one of the presenters at this month’s Breakthrough prize ceremony, a high profile and lavishly funded awards programme recognising “outstanding scientific achievements” co-founded by, among others, Google co-founder Sergey Brin and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, and which describes itself as “the Oscars of science”.
Continue reading...UK government report calls for taskforce to save England’s historic trees
Exclusive: Ancient oaks ‘as precious as stately homes’ could receive stronger legal safeguards under new proposals
Ancient and culturally important trees in England could be given legal protections under plans set out in a UK government-commissioned report.
Sentencing guidelines would be changed so those who destroy important trees would face tougher criminal penalties. Additionally, a database of such trees would be drawn up and they could be given automatic protections, with the current system of tree preservation orders strengthened to accommodate this.
In 2020, the 300-year-old Hunningham Oak near Leamington was felled to make way for infrastructure projects.
In 2021, the Happy Man tree in Hackney, which the previous year had won the Woodland Trust’s tree of the year contest, was felled to make way for housing development.
In 2022, a 600-year-old oak was felled in Bretton, Peterborough, which reportedly caused structural damage to nearby property.
In 2023, 16 ancient lime trees on The Walks in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, were felled to make way for a dual carriageway.
Continue reading...Tuvalu unveils first cash machines in ‘momentous’ ceremony
Tiny cash-based Pacific nation gets electronic banking for the first time.
Rare letter offers glimpse into Bram Stoker’s early thoughts on Dracula
‘Lord forgive me. I am quite shameless’, author playfully wrote in note weeks after horror novel published in 1897
He had just unleashed one of the most famed gothic horror books on the world, a blood-curdling classic that chilled readers and has inspired countless authors, film-makers and video game developers ever since.
But a rare note that Bram Stoker wrote only weeks after Dracula was published in 1897 gives a glimpse into the playful fun he must have had with the novel.
Continue reading...Israel will keep Gaza buffer zone, minister says, as ceasefire efforts stall – Reuters
- Israel will keep Gaza buffer zone, minister says, as ceasefire efforts stall Reuters
- LIVE: Israel killed 25 in Gaza today, says troops to ‘remain’ indefinitely Al Jazeera
- Israeli defense minister says troops will remain in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria indefinitely AP News
- Israel Threatens Further Escalation in Gaza War The New York Times
- Israel Has Taken Over About a Third of the Gaza Strip WSJ
Gender critical campaigners win at UK supreme court over definition of woman
Judges rule that Equality Act definition excludes transgender women holding gender recognition certificates
Gender critical rights campaigners have won their supreme court challenge over the definition of a woman.
Five judges from the UK supreme court ruled unanimously that the legal definition of a woman in the Equality Act 2010 did not include transgender women who hold gender recognition certificates (GRCs).
Continue reading...UK Supreme Court rules that equalities law defines a woman as someone born biologically female – AP News
- UK Supreme Court rules that equalities law defines a woman as someone born biologically female AP News
- UK Supreme Court says legal definition of ‘woman’ excludes trans women, in landmark ruling CNN
- The courts have spelled out what our politicians are too scared to say: trans women aren’t women The Telegraph
- Gender critical campaigners win at UK supreme court over definition of woman The Guardian
- UK Supreme Court Says Trans Women Are Not Legally Women Under Equality Act The New York Times
The great Mississippi tops list of most endangered rivers amid fears over Trump rollbacks
Cuts to disaster agency and deregulation of fossil fuels, plus rise of water-guzzling datacentres, highlighted in new report
The Trump administration’s sweeping cuts to the federal climate disaster agency – and the full-throttle deregulation of fossil fuels and water-guzzling datacentres – could prove catastrophic for America’s endangered rivers, threatening the food, water and livelihoods of millions of people, according to a new report.
American Rivers’ annual most-endangered rivers list lays bare a myriad of human-made threats including floods, drought and other extreme weather events driven by the climate crisis, as well as industrial pollution and poor river management – all of which Trump’s regulatory rollbacks will almost inevitably make worse.
Continue reading...German doctor charged with murder of 15 patients
The suspect, 40, is accused of setting fire to the homes of some of his alleged victims to cover his tracks.