The Guardian

No more than seven government MPs will be appointed but Greens and independents will not be included Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast The Aukus nuclear submarine deal and Australia’s involvement in military conflicts will be considered by a secretive new committee of federal parliament, dubbed a “closed shop” by th…

Chancellor axes two-child benefit cap and cuts energy bills paid for by mansion tax and freezing tax thresholds Analysis: ‘Tax-raising budget crash-lands on struggling economy’ Budget 2025: key points at a glance Budget 2025: what it means for you Rachel Reeves targeted Britain’s wealthiest households with a £26bn tax-raising budget, to fund scrapping the two-child benefit policy and cutting ener…

Former Nationals leader could announce his decision to quit as early as today, reports claim. Follow today’s news live Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Good morning, Krishani Dhanji here with you, thanks to Martin Farrer for getting us started. It’s the last sitting day of the year – it’s d-day for the government on environment and it needs to make a deal today to pass…

Damaging events could knock finances off course, says Treasury’s independent forecaster as it downgrades growth outlook Reeves says budget will cut living costs after shock OBR leak Budget 2025: key points at a glance The Treasury’s independent forecaster has warned that Rachel Reeves’s tax-raising budget will still leave the public finances in a “vulnerable” position despite her more than doubli…

By the time the chancellor reached the dispatch box, the OBR had accidentally published its verdict in full online At a glance: the key points from the budget Shortly before midday on Wednesday, a series of headlines about Rachel Reeves’s budget began appearing on the Reuters newswire, sending instant ripples though financial markets. The details were jaw-dropping: they appeared to spell out the …

Sainsbury’s chief executive says ‘industry concerns have been heard’, although others outside retail industry are left frustrated by changes Retailers have breathed a sigh of relief after changes to their business rates bills in the budget were not as bad as feared, after the industry had warned for months that more punitive measures could lead to shop closures and jobs losses . The chancellor, R…

Conditions of two soldiers isn’t immediately known after incident, and emergency vehicles were seen responding in the area US politics live – latest updates Two US national guard soldiers were shot on Wednesday near the White House and their conditions aren’t immediately known, according to a law enforcement official not authorized to discuss the matter publicly, who spoke to AP on condition of a…

Homeland security secretary Kristi Noem says allowing Haitians to remain is ‘contrary to US national interest’ The Trump administration has once again moved to halt humanitarian protections for Haitians living in the US, this time announcing that their temporary protected status (TPS) will expire on February 3. According to a new Department of Homeland Security notice issued on Wednesday, TPS for…

Hong Kong is one of the last places in the world where bamboo is widely by construction workers Death toll in Hong Kong tower block fire rises to 36 with 279 reported missing A deadly fire in an apartment complex in Hong Kong appears to have spread in part because the buildings were sheathed in bamboo scaffolding, a traditional building material that the authorities have been phasing out for safe…

Fashion designer and ‘100% party girl’ who was part of the 1980s London club scene and designed for Rihanna, Björk and Kylie Minogue Pam Hogg, the fashion designer who brought a club kid look to the catwalk in the 1980s, has died. Hogg was born in Paisley, near Glasgow, and began making her clothes at the age of six. First studying painting and printed textiles at the Glasgow School of Art, she m…

Southern California residents shared disastrous effects of Trump’s immigration crackdown at a congressional hearing The Trump administration’s ICE raids across southern California have had disastrous effects on the region’s immigrants and swept up US citizens in the process, community leaders and residents said at a congressional hearing in Los Angeles on Monday. Andrea Velez, an American arreste…

In a Truth Social post, the president lashed out at journalist Katie Rogers after a Times article questioned whether he was slowing down Donald Trump lashed out on Wednesday against a New York Times reporter, calling her “ugly inside and out” in his latest personal insult against female members of the media after last week calling another “piggy”. In a Truth Social post, Trump criticitized the ne…

Scouting America decries accusations by defense secretary that the organization is attacking ‘boy-friendly spaces’ Scouting America, formerly known as the Boy Scouts of America, has said it is “surprised and disappointed” by a report that the US defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, could sever all military ties to the organization for being “genderless” and failing to “cultivate masculine values”. In…

Gunshots heard near state buildings as incumbent president and main rival claim victory in first round of elections Soldiers in Guinea-Bissau have announced they were taking “total control” of the west African country, three days after elections in which the two main presidential contenders claimed to have won. Military officers said they were suspending Guinea-Bissau’s electoral process and clos…

Commission president says undermining of sovereign European nation would ‘open the doors for more wars’ Europe live – latest updates The European Commission president has warned against “the unilateral carving up of a sovereign European nation” as Europe scrambles to assert influence over the US’s attempt to end the war in Ukraine. Speaking to European lawmakers in Strasbourg on Wednesday, Ursula…