43 m. ago Marco Rubio announces cancellation of most USAid programs – live

Secretary of state says on social media that 83% of the programs at USAid are being cancelledSecretary of state Marco Rubio has announced that USAid will cancel the majority of its programs, while the rest will be folded into the state department.Writing on X, Rubio said:After a 6 week review we are officially cancelling 83% of the programs at USAID.The 5200 contracts that are now cancelled spent tens of billions of dollars in ways that did not serve, (and in some cases even harmed), the core national interests of the United States. Continue reading...

Politics

56 m. ago Wall Street falls again as tariff fears grip markets – business live

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news, as US markets slide after Beijing imposes tariffs on imports of agricultural goods from AmericaAnalysts at investment bank Jefferies remain optimistic about the prospects for the US economy in the second half of 2025 – while also fearing that it may slow more than expected in the first half of the year.In an updated US Economic Outlook, Jefferies tell clients:Broadly, these changes are modest relative to what we were looking for at the beginning of the year. We started out 2025 expecting growth to slow in the first half due to exactly the sort of tensions and uncertainty about policy that we are currently seeing. It now appears that the slowdown will be a bit more pronounced than we expected, but we remain optimistic about the second half of the year and beyond.We expect that the labor market will continue to cool gradually in the months ahead, with downside risks due to government spending uncertainty. We continue to expec...

Economics

63 m. ago Athol Fugard was a dreamer, listener and master storyteller – on stage and at home | Barney Norris

The South African writer, who has died aged 92, was grateful for his extraordinary life and wrote out of love rather than angerI feel that Athol Fugard and his wife, Paula Fourie, changed my life in the autumn of 2022 when I visited South Africa to spend time with them and their daughter Halle. We were supposed to be working on a book together, and we did; but our time became so much more than that. There were lunches in the house or the restaurant round the corner; walks in the woods; a braai that went on past midnight.Over coffee in the mornings I’d sit with Athol and we’d use an app on his phone to identify the calls of all the birds in the garden. Then he might tell me a story from his life – the awe he felt when he asked Yvonne Bryceland to smash a chair to bits during rehearsals for Antigone and she proceeded to do so for a full 30 minutes; the journey he made by sea at 18 from Cairo to Japan, when an illiterate Somalian sailor used to watch him every night as he wrote a novel...

Politics

1 hour ago 'I found a deal stack that gets £375 worth of Elizabeth Arden beauty for 66% off'

Beauty fans can bag the £251 Elizabeth Arden Spring Beauty Blockbuster for just £75 when they spend £50 or more across the range

Economics

2 h. ago Wall St futures drop as investors fret over US economic slowdown

Treasuries rally as traders seek havens amid concerns over growth and inflation

Economics

2 h. ago Germany's prospective new government struggles to win support for defense, infrastructure plans

Germany’s Greens say they won't support the prospective next government’s plans to loosen debt rules for defense spending and draw up a huge infrastructure investment fund

Politics

3 h. ago Hundreds of Scots have flights to Germany cancelled amid airport strikes

An unexpected walkout of staff at airports in Germany began last night.

Events

4 h. ago Your inner voice is telling you something. If you listen closely, you may not like it

Your way of thinking could be making you miserable or stunting your emotional growth. But how can you challenge it?The other night, I got home from work feeling very tired. It was really cold and what I really wanted for dinner was a jacket potato. In fact, I wanted two. So I heated the oven, slathered my potatoes in oil and sea salt and cooked them for an hour and 20 minutes.I was so tired that I neglected to complete the final step, an error that risked turning this very ordinary dinner into an explosive disaster: I forgot to prick my potatoes. Continue reading...

Politics

4 h. ago Aldi shoppers 'running' for £10 perfume similar to Jodie Comer's go

Don't want to spend the money on the beloved Le Labo Santal 33? Then look no further than Aldi's Specialbuys range.

Economics

4 h. ago Greenock skincare and wellness business set to expand into European market

A Greenock business that has seen significant growth is now set to target the European market.

Economics

6 h. ago Major German airport strike causes travel chaos – here’s the airports that are affected

The one-day strike has caused the cancellation of most flights

Events

6 h. ago Major German airport strike cause travel chaos – here’s what airports are affected

The one-day strike has caused the cancellation of most flights

Events

8 h. ago Drone attacks killing hundreds of civilians across Africa, says report

Calls grow to control military use of unmanned aerial vehicles which, despite claims of precise targeting, are claiming civilian livesAlmost 1,000 civilians have been killed and hundreds more injured in military drone attacks across Africa as the proliferation of unmanned aerial vehicles continues unchecked on the continent, according to a report.At least 50 separate deadly strikes by armed forces in Africa have been confirmed during the three years up to November 2024, with analysts describing a “striking pattern of civilian harm” with little or no accountability. Continue reading...

Events

10 h. ago FT economists’ poll: Germany can spend almost €2tn without harming growth

FT survey finds ‘large fiscal capacity’, but economists urge would-be chancellor Friedrich Merz to spend funds wisely

Economics

10 h. ago Germany can spend almost €2tn without harming growth, economists say

FT survey finds ‘large fiscal capacity’, but economists urge would-be chancellor Friedrich Merz to spend funds wisely

Economics

13 h. ago Who is Mark Carney, former central banker replacing Justin Trudeau as prime minister of Canada?

Carney has promised to stand up for Canada amid brewing trade war with Trump and speed up sluggish growth in national economy

Politics

17 h. ago Restoring planet’s harmony is vital task, says King in Commonwealth message

This year’s Commonwealth Day theme is Together We Thrive, which celebrates the ‘enduring spirit of the Commonwealth family’.

Politics

17 h. ago Why women want to see more of their friends at a certain time of the month

Lead researcher Dr Anastasia Makhanova from the University of Arkansas in the US said 'the desire to spend time with [friends and family]' is 'highest' at a certain point of the month.

Politics

18 h. ago Coronation Street to welcome trio of male characters after several stars exit

Colson Smith, who plays Craig Tinker, and Sue Cleaver (Eileen Grimshaw), are among those who announced their departures earlier in the year.

Politics

21 h. ago The Guardian view on Modi redrawing India’s electoral map: deepening a dangerous north

The Hindu nationalist prime minister’s push could shift power northward to his political advantage but risks escalating political tensionsWhen Narendra Modi’s alliance won a narrow majority in last year’s Indian election, it signalled his waning popularity after a decade in power. A victory in 2029 may seem unlikely. Yet his government’s push to redraw parliamentary constituencies using post-2026 census data could tilt the electoral field in his favour.The process, known as delimitation, ensures each member of parliament represents an equal number of voters – a principle of democratic fairness. Since 1976, however, it has been frozen to avoid penalising Indian states that curbed population growth. If delimitation proceeds, Mr Modi’s populous northern strongholds will gain seats, weakening the political clout of India’s economically dynamic and culturally distinct southern cone. Its five states are governed by different parties but, critically, none belong to Modi’s ruling Hindu nati...

Politics