Cheap goods ‘not essence of American dream’, Trump official says amid tariff price fears

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Treasury secretary Scott Bessent defends the new administration’s aggressive trade strategy

Buying cheap products is “not the essence of the American dream”, Donald Trump’s top economic official has declared, amid warnings that the US president’s trade wars risk increasing prices.

The US treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, defended the new administration’s aggressive trade strategy on Thursday, two days after it imposed sweeping tariffs on Canada and Mexico and hiked duties on China.

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American severance may be averted, but Europe’s leaders must fear the worst

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Head-spinning speed of events leaves EU adapting at pace while trying to infer Trump’s possible geo-strategic aims

With a mixture of regret, laced with incredulity, European leaders gathered in Brussels to marshal their forces for a power struggle not with Russia, but with the US.

Even now, of course at the 11th hour, most of Europe hopes this coming battle of wills can be averted and the Trump administration can still be persuaded that forcing Ukraine to the negotiating table, disarmed and blinded, will not be the US’s long-term strategic interest.

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Elon Musk and Texas governor celebrate firing of worker over pronouns in email signature

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Billionaire Trump ally and Greg Abbot tweet about Frank Zamora, who was let go after refusing to remove pronouns

The Texas governor, Greg Abbott, and, later, Elon Musk showed support on Wednesday for the firing of a state employee who refused to remove his pronouns from his work email signature.

Frank Zamora, 31, was let go from his job as a program manager at the Texas real estate commission (TREC) last month because he refused to comply with a mandate from the organisation to employees to remove gender pronouns from email signatures.

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Butterfly population in US shrinking by 22% over last 20 years, study shows

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Drop in line with rate of overall insect loss as scientists point to habitat loss, pesticide use and the climate crisis

Butterflies may be among the most beloved of all creatures, routinely deified in art and verse, but they are in alarming decline in the United States with populations plummeting by a fifth in just the past two decades, according to the most comprehensive study yet of their fortunes.

The abundance of butterflies in the US slumped 22% between 2000 and 2020, the new analysis of more than 76,000 mostly regional surveys, published in Science, found. For every five butterflies fluttering daintily around at the start of the century, just four remain today.

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New Israeli Army Chief Set to Present Plans to Resume Fighting in Gaza, Retake Key Areas – Haaretz

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  1. New Israeli Army Chief Set to Present Plans to Resume Fighting in Gaza, Retake Key Areas  Haaretz
  2. New Israeli military chief assumes command with Gaza ceasefire in the balance  Reuters
  3. In 1st moves as IDF chief, Zamir orders recheck of Oct. 7 probes, dissolving Iran unit  The Times of Israel
  4. What do Eyal Zamir’s first blockbuster moves mean?- analysis  The Jerusalem Post
  5. 'We will strike a decisive blow' – New IDF Chief Zamir vows victory, calls return of hostages a 'moral duty'  All Israel News
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Five jailed for far-right plot to overthrow German government

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Extremists linked to Reichsbürger movement also planned to kidnap health minister and create conditions for civil war

A German court has jailed five members of an extremist group linked to the Reichsbürger (Reich Citizens) movement for plotting a coup and to kidnap the health minister.

The defendants, four men, aged 46 to 58, and a 77-year-old woman, who belonged to the self-styled “United Patriots” group, were sentenced to between five years and nine months and eight years’ jail by the Koblenz higher regional court on Thursday.

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Liz Kendall says getting people into work is best way to cut benefits bill

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Chancellor is eyeing welfare system for potential cuts but pensions secretary says more support for jobseekers is key

The work and pensions secretary, Liz Kendall, has said helping more people back into a job is the best way to cut the benefits bill, as the chancellor looks for savings ahead of the 26 March spring statement.

With Rachel Reeves zeroing in on welfare as a source of potential cuts as she prepares to take action to meet her self-imposed fiscal rules, Kendall said the starting point must be getting people back into work – not numbers on a spreadsheet.

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Switzerland cancels Geneva Conventions meeting on Palestinian areas – Reuters

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  1. Switzerland cancels Geneva Conventions meeting on Palestinian areas  Reuters
  2. Israel hails cancellation of ‘biased’ Geneva Conventions meeting on Palestinians  The Times of Israel
  3. Switzerland cancels Middle East humanitarian law conference  SWI swissinfo.ch in English
  4. Foreign Ministry: 'Countries that value Geneva Convention should not join meeting'  Arutz Sheva
  5. Switzerland cancels Geneva Conventions meeting on Palestinian areas, diplomats say  MSN
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Trump Met the Freed Israeli Hostages, but Did He Listen to Them? – Haaretz

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  1. Trump Met the Freed Israeli Hostages, but Did He Listen to Them?  Haaretz
  2. Released From Hamas Captivity, a Hostage Finds His Family Gone  The New York Times
  3. 'They handcuffed one of the boys, cut his hand—and smiled'  Ynetnews
  4. ‘You were sent by God’: Freed hostages meet Donald Trump in White House  The Jerusalem Post
  5. ‘Know they’ll get the job done’: Ex-hostages praise efforts by Trump, Witkoff to free captives  The Times of Israel
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USA’s all-weather ally Israel and members of the Five Eyes to limit intelligence sharing with Donald Trump – The Economic Times

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  1. USA's all-weather ally Israel and members of the Five Eyes to limit intelligence sharing with Donald Trump  The Economic Times
  2. ‘What the Hell Is Happening to Your Country?’  The Atlantic
  3. What is the Five Eyes alliance as Trump upends geopolitics?  Reuters
  4. ‘A world without American leadership’: Top allies scaling back intelligence sharing with America  MSNBC
  5. Trump deepens NATO’s crisis of trust on sharing intel  POLITICO Europe
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Council tax in Scotland to reach record high with 15% rise in some areas

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Levies on tourists and cruise ships considered by some local authorities in attempt to plug funding gaps

Council tax costs in Scotland will hit record levels next month after local authorities agreed to raise rates by up to 15%, with some planning new levies on tourists and cruise ships.

All of Scotland’s 32 local authorities have announced council tax increases from April of at least 6%, with the majority raising them by about 10%, after years of successive cuts to their grant funding.

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Pamela Bach, Baywatch actor and David Hasselhoff’s ex-wife, dies

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Actor also known as Pamela Hasselhoff died on Wednesday and the cause is still under investigation, authorities say

Pamela Bach, an actor and the ex-wife of the Baywatch star David Hasselhoff, has died.

The Los Angeles medical examiner’s office reports that she died on Wednesday and the cause is still under investigation. Also known as Pamela Hasselhoff, Bach appeared on The Young and the Restless and met her future husband on the set of his series Knight Rider.

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Temporary Ukraine Ceasefire ’Unacceptable,’ Russian MFA Spokeswoman Says – The Moscow Times

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  1. Temporary Ukraine Ceasefire ’Unacceptable,’ Russian MFA Spokeswoman Says  The Moscow Times
  2. Ukraine updates: EU leaders back new defense spending plans  DW (English)
  3. Putin says any Ukraine peace deal must ensure Russia's security, vows no retreat  Reuters
  4. Kremlin rejects possibility of compromise and refuses to discuss ceasefire – ISW  Ukrainska Pravda
  5. Putin Refuses To Concede To Ukraine, Mocks Macron's EU Nuclear Shield | 'They Forget How It Ended'  The Times of India
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Deadly clashes erupt between Syrian forces and Assad loyalists – FRANCE 24 English

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  1. Deadly clashes erupt between Syrian forces and Assad loyalists  FRANCE 24 English
  2. Syrian forces and Assad loyalists in deadly clashes in Latakia province  BBC.com
  3. Thirteen Syrian security officers killed in clashes with Assad loyalists  The Guardian
  4. Syrian forces clash with Assad-linked militants in escalating violence  Reuters
  5. Deadly Clashes Pose Test for Syria’s New Leaders  The New York Times
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