White House gives federal agency heads deadline to produce plan for layoffs

26/02/2025 19:12 The Guardian

Trump’s budget chief and head of personnel management direct bosses to provide detailed plans by 13 MarchUS government agency heads have been given a 13 March deadline to produce a plan for drastically slashing the federal workforce as Donald Trump reinforced warnings that workers who failed to account for what they do could be fired.A White House memo issued on Wednesday directed bosses to provide details of their workforce reduction plans in the most specific instruction yet to managers to cut stuff who are deemed unnecessary or inefficient. Continue reading...

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Trump cabinet flunkies hail wannabe Caesar and Elon, his oligarch pal

Special adviser showed instinctive feel for authoritarianism as he addressed the president’s first full cabinet meetingOn Tuesday, just over a mile from the White House, the classicist Mary Beard spoke to an audience about Roman emperors. “An autocrat is somebody who kills you when he’s being...

26/02/2025 21:51 The Guardian

Fired USAid workers and HIV activists hold ‘die-in’ to protest Trump and Musk

Dozens of demonstrators lie down in government office building to warn against dismantling foreign aid agencyFired USAid employees and advocates for people with HIV staged a protest in a Capitol office building on Wednesday, warning that Donald Trump’s drive to dismantle the agency tasked with imp...

26/02/2025 21:26 The Guardian

Pro-Russia Bosnian Serb president Dodik sentenced for separatist actions

Milorad Dodik says he will not accept any conviction after his repeated calls for Serb-run part of Bosnia to join SerbiaA court in Bosnia has sentenced the pro-Russia Bosnian Serb president, Milorad Dodik, to one year in prison and banned him from politics for six years over his separatist actions a...

26/02/2025 21:22 The Guardian

Australia news live: health insurance premiums to rise 4%; half of aged care providers fall short

Federal government agrees to rise of 3.73% but some could face even higher increases. Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastJames Paterson also had his say last night about the naval drills carried out by China off the coast of Australia last week, desc...

26/02/2025 20:04 The Guardian

Zelenskyy insists on guarantees ahead of Trump meeting after US president says Ukraine can ‘forget about’ joining Nato – live

This live blog is now closed. For the latest on US-Ukraine, read our full report:Trump says no significant security guarantees in Ukraine minerals dealThe Kremlin said on Wednesday that expert level talks between the US and Russia were being prepared. In his daily media briefing Kremlin spokesperson...

26/02/2025 20:01 The Guardian

Ministers and Labour MPs raise concerns over overseas aid cut decision

Ed Miliband thought to have expressed unease at cabinet meeting while MPs across party have condemned ideaCabinet ministers including Ed Miliband have raised concerns over Keir Starmer’s decision to slash overseas aid to pay for increased defence spending, as dozens of Labour MPs from all wings of...

26/02/2025 19:58 The Guardian

Trump says no significant security guarantees in Ukraine minerals deal

President says Volodymyr Zelenskyy will visit White House to sign ‘very big agreement’, but details remain unclearDonald Trump has announced that Volodymyr Zelenskyy will visit the White House on Friday to sign a rare earth minerals deal, but the US will not provide significant security guarante...

26/02/2025 18:41 The Guardian

Trump’s first full cabinet meeting celebrates government-shrinking effort led by Musk

Tech billionaire, who is not a member of the cabinet and described himself as ‘humble tech support’, warns without evidence that US could ‘go bankrupt’US politics live – latest updatesDonald Trump used his first full cabinet meeting of his second term to emphasize his administration’s fo...

26/02/2025 18:38 The Guardian

University of Edinburgh warns of staff cuts as it faces £140m financial deficit

Vice-chancellor says large-scale savings are needed but union says university should instead use its wealthThe University of Edinburgh is facing a £140m black hole that demands radical actions including job cuts, according to its vice-chancellor, as it becomes the latest higher education institutio...

26/02/2025 18:09 The Guardian

Starmer refuses to rule out defence budget being used to fund Chagos Islands deal – as it happened

This blog is now closed, you can read more of our UK political coverage herePMQs is about to start.Here is the list of MPs down to ask a question.The threat from the far right is real, but that leaves me all the more convinced that working together is not only the right choice, but the only choice ...

26/02/2025 17:05 The Guardian

Romanian presidential hopeful Călin Georgescu faces criminal investigation

Pro-Russia populist, who won first round of election that was later annulled, suspected of communicating false informationRomanian prosecutors have opened a criminal investigation into Călin Georgescu, the far-right, Moscow-friendly populist who surged from almost nowhere to win the first round of...

26/02/2025 16:08 The Guardian

Social media influencers are ‘fearmongering’ to promote health tests with limited evidence, study finds

Researchers warn of harms of overdiagnosis for generally healthy people as well as the cost of tests themselvesFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastInfluencers are appealing to emotional narratives around health and often ...

26/02/2025 16:00 The Guardian

‘Trump gold card’ to offer rich foreigners route to US citizenship for $5m

US president says new visa program would be open to Russian oligarchs, some of whom ‘are very nice people’US politics live – latest updatesWealthy foreigners willing to pay about $5m, Russian oligarchs potentially among them, will soon be able to apply for a visa to live in the United States c...

26/02/2025 14:19 The Guardian

Gary Lineker among 500 media figures urging BBC to reinstate Gaza documentary

Exclusive: Film and TV stars among those writing to corporation after it pulled Gaza: How to Survive a WarzoneGary Lineker, Ruth Negga, Juliet Stevenson and Miriam Margolyes are among 500 film, TV and other media professionals calling on the BBC to reinstate its documentary on children and young peo...

26/02/2025 13:46 The Guardian

Trump faces Truth Social backlash over AI video of Gaza with topless Netanyahu and bearded bellydancers

Users of president’s own social media site criticise video showing reimagined Gaza featuring Trump and Israeli PM sipping cocktailsDonald Trump is facing a backlash on his Truth Social platform after sharing an AI-created video of him sipping cocktails with a topless Benjamin Netanyahu in Gaza, in...

26/02/2025 12:15 The Guardian

First Thing: Zelenskyy will visit White House to sign minerals deal, says Trump

US president says of his Ukrainian counterpart, ‘I hear he’s coming on Friday’. Plus, train robbers swipe $2m worth of NikesDon’t already get First Thing in your inbox? Sign up hereGood morning.Donald Trump has said that Volodymyr Zelenskyy will visit the White House on Friday to sign a rare...

26/02/2025 12:05 The Guardian

Colombia risks return to violent past, says architect of landmark peace deal

Exclusive: The bloody foundering of President Gustavo Petro’s ‘Total Peace’ strategy is a ‘national failure’, says Juan Manuel Santos, who ended war with Farc guerrillas in 2016Colombia risks sliding back into its violent past as armed groups exploit the stumbling peace strategy of Preside...

26/02/2025 11:30 The Guardian

Wednesday briefing: Why Keir Starmer cut foreign aid to pay for defence – and who loses out

In today’s newsletter: The prime minister announced a significant increase in defence spending to 2.5% of GDP, funded entirely by a cut in the aid budgetGood morning.On Tuesday, Keir Starmer confirmed that the government will increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027, with plans to raise it...

26/02/2025 06:44 The Guardian

Trump says Zelenskyy set to visit White House on Friday to sign minerals deal

President says ‘I hear he’s coming on Friday’ amid reports that terms of US-Ukraine aid exchange have been reachedDonald Trump has said that Volodymyr Zelenskyy is likely to visit the White House on Friday to sign a rare earth minerals deal to pay for US military aid to defend against Russia...

26/02/2025 05:14 The Guardian

UK ‘falling short’ in fight against rise of superbugs resistant to antibiotics

Antimicrobial resistance contributing to estimated 35,000 deaths a year in UK, and government ‘a long way’ from containing the problem, says NAOSuperbugs are on the rise in the UK and the government is failing in its efforts to tackle them, ministers have been warned.The World Health Organizatio...

26/02/2025 05:00 The Guardian

Dutton accuses Albanese of ‘ducking and weaving’ as PM at odds with ADF timeline of Chinese live-fire drill notification

Opposition leader says Albanese ‘failing to answer basic questions’ as PM claims civilian and military notification happened ‘at around the same time’Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAnthony Albanese says Austral...

26/02/2025 03:22 The Guardian

Woolworths’ profit slumps as cost of living drives shoppers elsewhere

Grocery chain, which has also been rocked by industrial disruptions at warehouses, suffers a near 21% drop in its six-month net profitFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastWoolworths has recorded a rare slide in profit after...

26/02/2025 02:44 The Guardian

Trump says Zelenskyy could visit White House on Friday to sign minerals deal – live

Trump had asked Ukrainian president for deal worth $500bn to pay for military aid for defence against RussiaFull story on deal reportedly being reachedAnalysis: Macron attempt to heal transatlantic divide with TrumpIt’s coming down to the wire for beleaguered House speaker Mike Johnson, who is try...

26/02/2025 01:37 The Guardian

Australia news live: defence ‘can’t be definitive’ whether Chinese nuclear submarine accompanying flotilla now south of Hobart

Chinese warships south of Tasmania appear likely to sail through the Great Australian Bight, the chief of the Australian defence force has said. Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastABC pays tribute to Antony Green as he announces upcoming election wil...

26/02/2025 00:23 The Guardian

UK universities warned to ‘stress-test’ assessments as 92% of students use AI

Survey of 1,000 students shows ‘explosive increase’ in use of generative AI in particular over past 12 monthsBritish universities have been warned to “stress-test” all assessments after new research revealed “almost all” undergraduates are using generative artificial intelligence (genAI)...

26/02/2025 00:01 The Guardian

Israel strikes targets in southern Syria after demanding demilitarisation

Military sites hit as Tel Aviv says it ‘will not allow southern Syria to become southern Lebanon’Israeli warplanes have carried out several airstrikes on military targets outside Damascus and in southern Syria, as Israeli officials warned the country’s army not to move south of the capital cit...

25/02/2025 23:50 The Guardian

Newsom threatens to pull funds unless California cities crack down on homelessness

‘We’re not going to fund failure,’ says governor, who warned local authorities they could lose out on millions of dollarsCalifornia’s governor warned cities and counties that they could lose out on hundreds of millions of dollars in state funding if they do not make progress in clearing out...

25/02/2025 21:20 The Guardian

House Republicans to vote on spending deal that could slash Medicaid funding

Budget central to Trump’s agenda might get stalled before 14 March deadline as lawmakers warn of nearly $1tn in cutsHouse Republicans are planning to vote on Tuesday on a spending blueprint central to Donald Trump’s agenda, but the package faces potential derailment over nearly $1tn in Medicaid...

25/02/2025 19:36 The Guardian

Starmer slashes aid to fund major increase in defence spending

Announcement prompts concerns that PM is pandering to US president and warnings over consequences of aid cutsKeir Starmer has announced that Britain will “fight for peace in Europe” with a generational increase in defence spending paid for by slashing the foreign aid budget.The move, just two da...

25/02/2025 19:21 The Guardian

Scottish government ‘firmly’ backs single-sex spaces amid equality watchdog warning

EHRC raises issues from tribunal brought by nurse who objected to sharing women’s changing room with trans doctorThe Scottish government “stands firmly behind” the provision of single-sex spaces, a minister has said after the UK equality watchdog addressed issues raised by an employment tribun...

25/02/2025 18:39 The Guardian

BREAKING NEWS

26/02 22:02 - Trump Says Ukraine Should Look to Europe for Any Security Guarantees 26/02 22:01 - Trump, Zelensky goals differ ahead of high stakes summit 26/02 21:51 - Trump cabinet flunkies hail wannabe Caesar and Elon, his oligarch pal 26/02 21:26 - Fired USAid workers and HIV activists hold ‘die-in’ to protest Trump and Musk 26/02 21:24 - Trump shares AI-generated video of ‘what’s next’ for ‘Trump Gaza’ 26/02 21:22 - Pro-Russia Bosnian Serb president Dodik sentenced for separatist actions 26/02 21:17 - US to ‘get back’ money spent on aid to Kiev – Trump 26/02 20:53 - Key takeaways from Donald Trump’s first cabinet meeting with Elon Musk 26/02 20:53 - Key takeaways from Donald Trump’s first cabinet meeting with Elon Musk 26/02 20:51 - U.S.-Ukraine Minerals Deal Draft Features Vague Reference to Security Guarantees 26/02 20:39 - For military staff across Europe, wargaming is all the rage 26/02 20:21 - Nothing in current deal points to security guarantees or continued US military support: analyst 26/02 20:04 - Australia news live: health insurance premiums to rise 4%; half of aged care providers fall short 26/02 20:01 - Zelenskyy insists on guarantees ahead of Trump meeting after US president says Ukraine can ‘forget about’ joining Nato – live 26/02 19:58 - Ministers and Labour MPs raise concerns over overseas aid cut decision 26/02 19:12 - White House gives federal agency heads deadline to produce plan for layoffs 26/02 18:58 - Utah Could Become the First State to Ban Fluoride in Public Water 26/02 18:48 - America’s self-isolating president 26/02 18:41 - Trump says no significant security guarantees in Ukraine minerals deal 26/02 18:38 - Trump’s first full cabinet meeting celebrates government-shrinking effort led by Musk 26/02 18:29 - French PM threatens to review migration pact with Algeria in deportations spat 26/02 18:09 - University of Edinburgh warns of staff cuts as it faces £140m financial deficit 26/02 18:08 - What we know about US-Ukraine minerals deal 26/02 17:58 - Rare Protest at U.S. Embassy in Ukraine Reflects Fears Over Trump 26/02 17:51 - US will not give security guarantees to Ukraine, Trump says 26/02 17:51 - US will not give security guarantees to Ukraine, Trump says 26/02 17:40 - What We Know About the U.S.-Ukraine Minerals Deal 26/02 17:34 - News24 | Ukraine outlines US minerals deal, document has no concrete security guarantees 26/02 17:05 - Starmer refuses to rule out defence budget being used to fund Chagos Islands deal – as it happened 26/02 17:01 - US abstains from WTO statement condemning Russia – Reuters 26/02 16:56 - What are Ukraine’s rare minerals, and why is Trump eyeing them? 26/02 16:54 - Romania launches criminal probe into far-right, pro-Moscow presidential candidate Georgescu 26/02 16:54 - Ros Atkins on... the US-Ukraine mineral deal 26/02 16:46 - UK’s Starmer to Meet Trump With a Boost on Defense and Pleas for Ukraine 26/02 16:43 - Wonder Woman game axed as Warner Bros cuts three studios 26/02 16:08 - Romanian presidential hopeful Călin Georgescu faces criminal investigation 26/02 16:05 - Here are the two big NATO losers from improved Russia-US relations 26/02 16:00 - Social media influencers are ‘fearmongering’ to promote health tests with limited evidence, study finds 26/02 15:17 - Germany probes freighter traveling from Russia – media 26/02 15:02 - China confirms military drills in Taiwan Strait 26/02 14:55 - What we know so far about the US-Ukraine minerals deal 26/02 14:55 - What we know so far about the US-Ukraine minerals deal 26/02 14:48 - The US-Ukraine mineral deal: A look at rare earths, their use and purposes 26/02 14:48 - 'We don't intend to stay' in Gaza, Israeli FM Sa'ar says 26/02 14:40 - Lavrov announces new round of Russia-US talks 26/02 14:19 - ‘Trump gold card’ to offer rich foreigners route to US citizenship for $5m 26/02 14:06 - German election winner dismisses ICC arrest warrant for Netanyahu 26/02 14:00 - US-Ukraine critical minerals deal: What we know so far 26/02 14:00 - US-Ukraine critical minerals deal: What we know so far 26/02 13:46 - Gary Lineker among 500 media figures urging BBC to reinstate Gaza documentary 26/02 13:11 - Why Ukraine is negotiating a minerals deal with the US 26/02 12:53 - What the U.S. and Ukraine May Gain From Trump’s Rare Earth Diplomacy 26/02 12:46 - Trump Takes Aim at Chinese Shipping Amid Widening Trade War 26/02 12:30 - Ukrainians Are Revealing The Reality Of Living During A War, And It's Heartbreaking 26/02 12:15 - Trump faces Truth Social backlash over AI video of Gaza with topless Netanyahu and bearded bellydancers 26/02 12:05 - First Thing: Zelenskyy will visit White House to sign minerals deal, says Trump 26/02 12:00 - Is the US-Ukraine mineral deal a win-win agreement? 26/02 12:00 - Is the US-Ukraine mineral deal a win-win agreement? 26/02 12:00 - News24 | 'They will try to attack again': Ukraine prepares for next phase of Russia war, despite US talks 26/02 12:00 - Why your coffee fix has gotten so pricey — and it will only get worse 26/02 11:56 - ‘Propaganda lessons for everyone’: Russia’s wartime curriculum exposed 26/02 11:56 - ‘Propaganda lessons for everyone’: Russia’s wartime curriculum exposed 26/02 11:30 - Colombia risks return to violent past, says architect of landmark peace deal 26/02 11:11 - A closer look at Ukraine's mineral wealth as deal with US takes shape 26/02 11:09 - US open to economic cooperation with Russia – Rubio 26/02 11:00 - War-weary Ukrainian Americans dare to hope as Trump pivots to Russia 26/02 10:41 - Russia could return to Olympics – candidate for IOC chief 26/02 10:32 - ‘Ukraine supporters’ arrested over firebomb attack at Russian consulate – media 26/02 10:30 - Canada already is America’s 51st state 26/02 10:30 - Canada already is America’s 51st state 26/02 10:29 - Two French researchers admit carrying out attack on Russian consulate in Marseille 26/02 08:52 - US-Ukraine deal on minerals set to be signed this week in Washington 26/02 08:33 - US, Ukraine agree to minerals deal but no security promise for Kyiv 26/02 08:05 - Harsher bans needed to stop dangerous tackles - Warburton 26/02 07:48 - Reflections on the Russia-Ukraine war 26/02 07:48 - Reflections on the Russia-Ukraine war 26/02 07:37 - Nuclear-armed Ukraine not a ‘serious offer’ – Rubio 26/02 07:15 - Thanks To Trump’s Tariffs, Grocery Shopping Will Feel Like A Luxury — Here’s How People Are Coping 26/02 07:07 - Trump says US could lift Russia sanctions 26/02 07:02 - Returning to the front line in Ukraine 26/02 07:02 - Returning to the front line in Ukraine 26/02 06:50 - Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events – day 1,098 26/02 06:50 - Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events – day 1,098 26/02 06:44 - Wednesday briefing: Why Keir Starmer cut foreign aid to pay for defence – and who loses out 26/02 06:35 - Live: Zelensky calls for security guarantees ahead of talks in Washington 26/02 06:25 - Grab A Paper Bag Before Scrolling Through These 34 Products With Gnarly Results Pics 26/02 05:14 - Trump says Zelenskyy set to visit White House on Friday to sign minerals deal 26/02 05:00 - UN warns of 'extreme brutality' surge in Haiti as killings soar, thousands flee 26/02 05:00 - UK ‘falling short’ in fight against rise of superbugs resistant to antibiotics 26/02 03:25 - Israel strikes military targets in southern Syria after calling for demilitarisation 26/02 03:22 - Dutton accuses Albanese of ‘ducking and weaving’ as PM at odds with ADF timeline of Chinese live-fire drill notification 26/02 03:20 - Trump wants Russia rare earths deal 26/02 02:44 - Woolworths’ profit slumps as cost of living drives shoppers elsewhere 26/02 01:37 - Trump says Zelenskyy could visit White House on Friday to sign minerals deal – live 26/02 01:24 - Trump says Ukraine’s Zelenskyy to sign ‘very big’ minerals deal 26/02 01:24 - Trump says Ukraine’s Zelenskyy to sign ‘very big’ minerals deal 26/02 01:23 - Under Trump, America’s New Friends: Russia, North Korea and Belarus 26/02 01:15 - Ukraine official says minerals deal agreed with US 26/02 00:59 - 'We are still at war': Syria's Kurds battle Turkey months after Assad's fall 26/02 00:29 - Washington ‘not providing’ military assistance to Kiev – Trump