5 h. ago FACT FOCUS: Trump credited with rising military recruitment. Growth started before his reelection

Posts circulating on social media this week have praised President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for sending military recruitment skyrocketing

Politics

7 d. ago Trump ally pushes DoJ unit to shift civil rights focus, new messages show

Internal mission statements from Harmeet Dhillon pivots division’s priorities away from marginalized groups’ rightsThe justice department’s civil rights division is shifting its focus away from its longstanding work protecting the rights of marginalized groups and will instead pivot towards Donald Trump’s priorities including hunting for noncitizen voters and protecting white people from discrimination, according to new internal mission statements seen by the Guardian.The new priorities were sent to several sections of the civil rights division this week by Harmeet Dhillon, a Trump ally who was confirmed a little more than two weeks ago to lead the division. Several of them only give glancing mention to the statutes and kinds of discrimination that have long been the focus of the division, which dates back to the Civil Rights Act of 1957. Several of the mission statements point to Trump’s executive orders as priorities for the section. Continue reading...

Politics

8 d. ago ‘We’re going to stand up to Trump,’ says Mark Carney in second Canadian election debate

PM focuses on threat from across the border as most polls show his Liberals leading Pierre Poilievre’s Conservative party in tight raceCanada’s prime minister, Mark Carney, faced sustained attacks from his Conservative rival at an election debate on Thursday but the Liberal leader sought to focus attention on what he calls Canada’s top threat: Donald Trump, the US president.Most opinion polls show Pierre Poilievre’s Conservative party trailing Carney’s Liberals ahead of the 28 April vote for Canada’s federal government. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Delay to Universal Credit rise for millions of DWP benefit claimants

Because of the way Universal Credit is paid, most people will not see the higher payment rates reflected in their benefit payments until up to two months later

Politics

1 week ago Warning lights flash for US consumer strength as credit defaults rise

After years of robust spending there are signs that Americans’ wellspring of financial firepower is fading

Events

2 w. ago Hilarious moment Thai man discovers he has avoided conscription

Thailand requires men aged 21 or over to attend a 'lottery' day every April where they must enlist in the military for a two-year stint, before being recruited at random.

Politics

2 w. ago Furious Beijing accuses Trump of 'going against the whole world' after he refused to reverse punishing 125% tariffs as China renews vow to 'fight to the end' in trade war

Trump's multi-front trade war narrowed focus on its eastern theatre as duties were temporarily lifted from dozens of global trading partners - while China faced more tariffs

Politics

2 w. ago FACT FOCUS: Trump misrepresents facts about coal as he signs executive orders to boost its use

As President Donald Trump announced moves to ease restrictions on the U.S. coal industry Tuesday, he extolled what he views as its values

Politics

2 w. ago DWP update as government confirms exact amount Universal Credit set to rise

The DWP has confirmed that the increase to the standard allowance will be above inflation for the rest of this Government, with the first above inflation increase set to come in 2026/27

Politics

2 w. ago ‘False teacher’: Trump’s pick to head the ‘White House faith office’ roils some fellow Christians

Paula White, a millionaire televangelist who speaks in tongues, was criticized for an alleged cash-for-blessings schemeOn the campaign trail, Donald Trump repeatedly promised to “protect religious liberty”, and two weeks after his inauguration he acted: creating a “White House faith office”, which will be led by Paula White, a millionaire televangelist known to speak in tongues who called the Black Lives Matter movement the “Antichrist” and once encouraged people to buy “resurrection seeds” for $1,114.The move brought renewed focus on White, Trump’s longtime spiritual guru. And for White, not all of it will be welcome. Continue reading...

Society

3 w. ago Will Trump’s tariffs ignite a global trade war? Today in Focus Extra – podcast

Donald Trump has introduced eye-watering tariffs on countries around the world. Will they ‘make America wealthy again’? Richard Partington reportsDonald Trump is on a mission to ‘make America wealthy again’. Speaking outside the White House, he said for too long the country had been ‘looted, pillaged, raped and plundered by nations near and far, both friend and foe alike’. Now that would come to an end, he said, as he slapped eye-watering tariffs on countries around the world.The Guardian’s senior economics correspondent, Richard Partington, explains why Trump has taken such action and how it could affect the global economy. ‘It could come at huge costs to consumers,’ he says, as markets around the world react with confusion. With prices in the US also likely to rise, will voters soon rue what the president has called ‘liberation day’? Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago DWP rules means Universal Credit claimants will see delays to benefit rises

Universal Credit and other benefits, including Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and Carer's Allowance, are set to increase by 1.7% from April 7 - with state pension payments rising by 4.1%

Politics

3 w. ago Trump is about to bomb Iran: Top Israeli sources reveal planned attack on nuclear sites and deliver chilling 'war is coming' warning

This morning the world's focus is on Trump's decision to launch a global trade war. But in a few weeks' time, he will embark on a real war.

Events

3 w. ago Workers in Scotland receive pay rise as Living Wage and Minimum Wage increase takes effect

The UK Government said the pay rises would help "kick-start economic growth and ensure our country is fit for the future".

Economics

3 w. ago Exact dates DWP and HMRC benefits will rise in April including State Pension and Universal Credit

Benefit rates are set to go up by 1.7% in April but the date they increase on will vary depending on the type of benefit

Politics

3 w. ago Trump’s tariff ‘Liberation Day’ looms, but voters want him to focus on lowering prices, poll says

President equally divides country overall but most disapprove of his handling of economy

Politics

3 w. ago Full list of benefits to rise in April including Universal Credit, PIP and State Pension

DWP have confirmed a full list of benefits set to increase in April. Here, we take a look at the full list of pay rises for benefit claimants - including PIP, Universal Credit and State Pension

Politics