4 h. ago Trump reportedly wants to shrink size and focus of state department; climate agency braces for more cuts – live

President wants radical overhaul of state department, including fewer diplomats and embassies, Politico reports; Noaa expects more cuts after hundreds firedUS aid cuts have forced the UN children’s agency Unicef to suspend or scale back many programmes in Lebanon, with more than half of children under the age of two experiencing severe food poverty in the country’s east, a Unicef official said on Friday.“We have been forced to suspend or cut back or drastically reduce many of our programmes and that includes nutrition programmes,” Unicef’s deputy representative in Lebanon, Ettie Higgins, told reporters in Geneva via video link from Beirut, Reuters reports. Continue reading...

Politics

20 h. ago Social Security Administration could lay off up to 50% of its workforce, source says – live

Social Security Administration expected to lay off at least 7,000 people, but a source tells Associated Press reduction could be as high as 50%As Donald Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk work zealously to slash tens of billions in federal spending by axing thousands of jobs and gutting some government agencies, Musk faces mounting claims he has conflicts of interest and no oversight, legal and ethics experts say.Trump’s largest campaign donor and the world’s wealthiest man, Musk was tapped by the president to lead the so-called “department of government efficiency” (Doge) in a radical and opaque cost-cutting drive that allows him to keep control of SpaceX, Tesla and other huge companies with billions of dollars in federal contracts.We expect that today’s meeting will be the first in a series of such expert consultations that will bring us closer to overcoming the disagreements that have arisen with the American side, strengthening confidence-building measures. Continue reading...

Events

24 h. ago Democrat slams tariffs announcement: ‘Trump is driving the US economy straight into a wall’ – live

Ron Wyden, ranking member of Senate finance committee, says tariffs on neighboring countries will be felt by Americans and called it a betrayal to Trump’s votersTrump threatens China with additional 10% tariff in escalation of trade warAs Donald Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk work zealously to slash tens of billions in federal spending by axing thousands of jobs and gutting some government agencies, Musk faces mounting claims he has conflicts of interest and no oversight, legal and ethics experts say.Trump’s largest campaign donor and the world’s wealthiest man, Musk was tapped by the president to lead the so-called “department of government efficiency” (Doge) in a radical and opaque cost-cutting drive that allows him to keep control of SpaceX, Tesla and other huge companies with billions of dollars in federal contracts.We expect that today’s meeting will be the first in a series of such expert consultations that will bring us closer to overcoming the disagreements that have a...

Politics

27 h. ago Trump says tariffs for Mexico, Canada, and China to go into effect next week – live

US president blames illegal drugs from Mexico and Canada as reason for tariffs going into effect on 4 March; China to be charged an additional 10% As Donald Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk work zealously to slash tens of billions in federal spending by axing thousands of jobs and gutting some government agencies, Musk faces mounting claims he has conflicts of interest and no oversight, legal and ethics experts say.Trump’s largest campaign donor and the world’s wealthiest man, Musk was tapped by the president to lead the so-called “department of government efficiency” (Doge) in a radical and opaque cost-cutting drive that allows him to keep control of SpaceX, Tesla and other huge companies with billions of dollars in federal contracts.We expect that today’s meeting will be the first in a series of such expert consultations that will bring us closer to overcoming the disagreements that have arisen with the American side, strengthening confidence-building measures. Continue readin...

Politics

32 h. ago Supreme court backs Trump over holding back $1.5bn in USAid cash – US politics live

Stay of lower court ruling comes as Trump administration said it is eliminating $60bn worth of US assistance around the worldUK prime minister Keir Starmer is in Washington where later today where he will have his first meeting with President Trump since the inauguration.With Trump aligning with Moscow even more explicitly than he did during his first administration, and threatening to wind down the Nato guarantees that have underpinned the security of western Europe since the second world war, the stakes could not be higher. Continue reading...

Politics

49 h. ago F1 testing LIVE: Results and times as Lando Norris goes fastest after power cut hits Bahrain

Follow live updates as the 2025 season gets underway with the three-day pre-season test in Bahrain

Events

50 h. ago F1 testing LIVE: Latest updates and times as power cut hits Bahrain on bizarre day one

Follow live updates as the 2025 season gets underway with the three-day pre-season test in Bahrain

Events

51 h. ago F1 testing LIVE: Power cut and rain hit Bahrain as bizarre day one session red

Follow live updates as the 2025 season gets underway with the three-day pre-season test in Bahrain

Events

52 h. ago F1 testing LIVE: Red flag as power cut stops session in Bahrain after Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari bow

Follow live updates as the 2025 season gets underway with the three-day pre-season test in Bahrain

Politics

54 h. ago US climate research agency braces for ‘efficiency’ cuts: ‘They will gut the work’

Workers at National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration fear crackdown will have global falloutThe Trump administration has set its sights on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa), the US’s pre-eminent climate research agency, with significant cuts and a political crackdown on climate science. As Trump takes aim at the agency, the impact is likely to be felt across the US and around the world.Noaa provides essential resources to the public and has helped make the US a scientific leader internationally. Operating 18 satellites and 15 research and survey ships, the agency’s scientists, engineers and policy experts issue forecasts relied on by aviation, agriculture and fishing industries; ocean floor mapping depended upon for shipping; advises on species protection, and increasingly precise and accurate modeling on what to expect as climate crisis unfolds. Continue reading...

Science

66 h. ago Trump live updates: President faces criticism over DOGE cuts as key vote on House budget bill looms

Big tech billionaire grants extension to initial deadline as administration’s Office of Personnel tells agencies that answering mailout is ‘voluntary’, sowing confusion

Politics

3 d. ago Starmer announces big cut to UK aid budget to boost defence spending

PM confirms rise in military spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 – three years earlier than plannedUK politics live – latest updatesKeir Starmer has announced drastic cuts to Britain’s international aid budget to help pay for a major increase in defence spending, amid fears over Donald Trump’s commitment to European security.The prime minister said the UK government would increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 – three years earlier than planned – as he prepared for what is likely to be a diplomatically fraught visit to Washington DC this week. Continue reading...

Economics

3 d. ago Watch live: Starmer defends cutting foreign aid budget to boost defence spending

Watch live as Sir Keir Starmer holds a press conference on Tuesday, 25 February, after announcing he will slash the foreign aid budget to hike defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP to counter “tyrants” like Vladimir Putin.

Economics

4 d. ago Good Morning Britain's Susanna Reid halts live broadcast for 'breaking news' announcement

Good Morning Britain was abruptly halted on Monday as Richard Madeley and Susanna Reid cut to a live interview with former Prime Minister Boris Johnson

Politics

6 d. ago Trump triggers upheaval at Pentagon as top general pushed out and DOGE staff cuts to hit thousands: Live

President also directed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to solicit nominations for five additional high-level positions, which will be announced soon

Politics

7 d. ago Federal workers brace for more firings after judge lifts block on Trump administration job cuts – US politics live

Trump administration expected to continue its mass downsizing of the federal workforce amid warnings of unlawful terminations and a ‘monumental’ billMass firings could cause ‘monumental’ bill, say expertsWe expect Britain’s prime minister Keir Starmer to soon visit Donald Trump, at a moment when the American president is upending much of America’s foreign policy with his embrace of Russia’s position in the war in Ukraine. The Guardian’s Patrick Wintour looks at whether Starmer’s visit might reassure a rattled Europe:In November 1940, Winston Churchill sent a telegram to Franklin Roosevelt expressing relief both at the US president’s re-election and the victory of his anti-appeasement policy. “Things are afoot which will be remembered as long as the English language is spoken in any quarter of the globe, and in expressing the comfort I feel that the people of the United States have once again cast these great burdens upon you, I must now avow my sure faith that the lights by which we...

Politics

7 d. ago FTSE 100 Live 21 February: Firms cut jobs at fastest rate since 2020, banks fined £100m

Four leading City banks were today fined more than £100 million for unlawfully sharing market sensitive information about the pricing of UK bonds.

Economics

7 d. ago Elon Musk praises Doge efforts to cut federal workforce after judge ruling – live

Musk claims Trump administration is ‘finding savings’ amid mass terminations; federal judge won’t block administration from laying off federal workersJudge rules Trump administration can continue mass firings of federal workersDonald Trump signed another round of executive orders onboard Air Force One last night, among them one aimed at ending federal benefits for people in the country illegally.The order seeks to end “all taxpayer-funded benefits for illegal aliens”, according to the White House, although it was not clear which benefits will be targeted. Continue reading...

Events

7 d. ago Trump administration can move forward with mass firings of federal workers, judge rules – live

Federal judge won’t block administration from laying off thousands of federal workers, a move that is shrinking and upending US governmentJudge rules Trump administration can continue mass firings of federal workersDonald Trump signed another round of executive orders onboard Air Force One last night, among them one aimed at ending federal benefits for people in the country illegally.The order seeks to end “all taxpayer-funded benefits for illegal aliens”, according to the White House, although it was not clear which benefits will be targeted. Continue reading...

Events

7 d. ago Trump administration can move forward with mass firings of federal works, judge rules – live

Federal judge won’t block administration from laying off thousands of federal workers, a move that is shrinking and upending US governmentJudge rules Trump administration can continue mass firings of federal workersDonald Trump signed another round of executive orders onboard Air Force One last night, among them one aimed at ending federal benefits for people in the country illegally.The order seeks to end “all taxpayer-funded benefits for illegal aliens”, according to the White House, although it was not clear which benefits will be targeted. Continue reading...

Events