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Politics
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Healey will cut welfare bill with ‘tough’ approach on young people to accept jobs
Chancellor vows to trim bill before next election as fiscal watchdog says disability benefits will cost £100bn a year before end of decade Business live – latest updates John Healey had said there will be a reduction in the welfare bill before the next election, with a “tough” approach to young people who do not accept support to get a job or training. The chancellor was repeatedly pressed on the issue in broadcast interviews after documents from the Office for Budget Responsibility suggested sickness and disability benefits would cost £100bn a year before the end of the decade. Continue reading...
Albanese concedes savings needed as he faces internal Labor pressure on cost-of-living crisis
Prime minister vows not to slash health and education funding amid political problem over handling of economy Get our daily political email , free app or daily news podcast Anthony Albanese has ruled out major cuts to health, education and essential services in December’s mid-year budget update, but conceded savings are required as Labor struggles to curb accelerating inflation. Amid growing pressure from within Labor’s own ranks, as well as from the opposition and business, Albanese said the Coalition was hypocritical in not supporting existing savings proposals, including the government’s plan to reduce the private health insurance rebate for people over 65. Continue reading...
Coroner calls for TGA to review unapproved peptides after death of Australian actor
Richard Norton, 75, went into cardiac arrest in March 2025 after injecting prescribed but unapproved CJC1295 and ipamorelin The death of an Australian stuntman after injecting unapproved peptides could result in tougher restrictions on the substances. Richard Norton, 75, an experienced film industry fight choreographer and martial artist, went into cardiac arrest in March 2025 after injecting a prescribed but unapproved peptide. Continue reading...
Woman, 19, dies after masked gunmen opened fire outside Brisbane pub
Vana-Reese Schuster-Togiatau was injured during a drive-by shooting outside Fitzy’s Loganholme in the city’s south on Saturday Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast A 19-year-old woman who was on a night out with friends has died after a drive-by shooting that left three other people injured. Vana-Reese Schuster-Togiatau, from Jimboomba, was hit in the head and neck when masked gunmen opened fire into a crowd outside Fitzy’s Loganholme, a pub in Brisbane’s south, on Saturday night. Continue reading...
Toblerone owner sues British vegan chocolate brand over chunky shape
Catherine’s Originals denies Mondelēz claims in London high court of ‘passing off’ and trademark infringement The owner of Toblerone is taking legal action against a tiny British vegan chocolate brand which it claims has been copying the Swiss chocolate bar’s famous chunky shape. Mondelēz has filed papers at the high court in London accusing Catherine’s Original’s of “passing off” and trademark infringement with its O’bar – a length of chocolate divided into segments each with a rounded semi-oval hump. Continue reading...
Angry Labour MPs urge leadership not to overrule energy secretary on Rosebank
Exclusive: Backbenchers voice alarm over ‘intolerable position’ faced by Miatta Fahnbulleh over oilfield decision Furious Labour MPs have been lobbying the prime minister and chancellor not to overrule the energy secretary should she decide to block the Rosebank oilfield. MPs say they are alarmed at the cabinet splits that have emerged over the issue after sources told the Guardian that Miatta Fahnbulleh was minded to refuse environmental permission for the field. Continue reading...
Cambodian police and soldiers helped guard abusive scam compounds, Amnesty alleges
Survivors tell rights group that serving officers who worked as guards administered electric shocks and beatings Cambodian police and military officers worked as private security guards in scam compounds where thousands were forced to work in the online fraud industry, according to a report by Amnesty International. The global rights group alleged they worked for security companies as part of a system that enabled slavery and rape in the compounds, with some guards using electric batons to keep people trapped. Continue reading...
Liz Truss has brought our divided nation together – in mockery of her | Emma Brockes
Though times are hard and days are dark, the former PM’s latest book reminds us of the fun to be had when a figure is so ridiculous but cannot see it In these times of social and political division, it’s worth doing a quick audit of what keeps us together. Where, as we fight over what constitutes “wealth” and whether or not to go back in on Brexit , are the key sites of consensus? The Celebrity Traitors and the gloriousness of Nigella on Bake Off may offer one area of unity; you can say the words “David Attenborough” to any sample of the population and elicit exactly the same murmur of approval. But, as the recent history of the internet shows, the most forceful bonds are those forged against, rather than in favour of, something. With that in mind, let’s turn to our old friend Liz Truss. It’s an unusual position, isn’t it, wondering if we might owe a debt of gratitude to the former prime minister who, after tanking the value of the pound in 2022 and otherwise carrying on with the efficacy of someone stopped at random in the street and given the keys to government, is widely regarded as the worst ever to have held office. Truss has a book out this week, her second since leaving office, entitled Bank Job: A Short Book on How the Bank of England Broke the Bond Market and Brought Down the Government, and on the evidence of its early reception, it seems likely to prove even more successful in uniting disparate communities of Britain than her previous volume, Ten Years to Save the West . Emma Brockes is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...
Neighbour of new Montenegro embassy in London sues council over impact on mental health
Case in Pimlico is latest instance of tensions between small countries seeking a space in capital and residents It is not a classic neighbour-from-hell dispute, what with the protagonist inviting everyone over for evening drinks and canapés. But the sudden conversion of a five-bedroom family home in Pimlico, central London, into the embassy of Montenegro has triggered a neighbourhood row that has gone all the way to the desk of a high court judge. The first stirrings of trouble came when one resident argued in a submission to the council this spring that the new embassy’s “flagpole and rather tacky-looking flag stick out like a sore thumb” among Cambridge Street’s Grade II-listed homes. Continue reading...
Defence backed claim that social media footage of public servants could invite bullying
Official’s controversial September request for Senate hearing footage to not be shared on social media has been heavily criticised Get our daily political email , free app or daily news podcast The secretary of the defence department approved a senior official’s controversial idea to tell a Senate hearing that footage of public servants giving evidence should not be shared on social media because it could invite online bullying and raise national security concerns. Emails obtained by Guardian Australia under freedom of information reveal deputy secretary Celia Perkins’ planned request to the parliamentary inquiry was flagged with the offices of deputy prime minister Richard Marles and assistant minister for defence Peter Khalil, and received the backing of department secretary Meghan Quinn. Continue reading...
Spain begins mourning period after deadly train crash
Emergency services combed through the wreckage overnight as Civil Guard sets up clinics for relatives to provide DNA samples and help identify victims Spain has begun three days of mourning after a high-speed rail collision – its second this year – killed 68 people and injured scores, with relatives desperately seeking news about their loved ones. The trains, one from Spain’s state-owned Renfe and the other from the private rail company Iryo, were travelling on Wednesday morning in the same direction on the line that stretches from the Spanish capital, Madrid, to the southern region of Andalusia. After the Iryo train came to a halt, the other slammed into its rear, knocking several carriages off the track near the town of Urda. Continue reading...
Israel election results live: count of absentee ballots under way as coalition talks among Eisenkot bloc set to begin
With the final count unlikely to shift results significantly, experts say Gadi Eisenkot’s hopes of unseating Benjamin Netanyahu rest on his willingness to work with Palestinian parties Full report: Coalition talks loom in Israel Analysis: Israel’s choice: Netanyahu remaining in power or a Palestinian-backed coalition Hello and welcome to our continuing coverage of the Israeli election. With 91% of votes now counted, the current results show prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc projected to receive 53 seats, with the grouping of his opponent Gadi Eisenkot on 48 and the Palestinian parties on track to receive a record 19 seats. Israel’s future hangs in the balance after it became clear that Benjamin Netanyahu has lost his governing majority . His political fate now depends on whether opposition Jewish parties are prepared to forge a common front with Palestinian parties , whose support surged in Tuesday’s historic elections. Indeed, Gadi Eisenkot and his allies face a clear choice: either make a pact with Arab Israeli parties heading for a record result of 19 seats, or hand Netanyahu a political lifeline in the form of new elections or a unity government. Yousef Jabareen, head of the Arab-majority Joint List, said the Israeli public had voted for new leadership and “anyone who wants to offer a substantive and genuine alternative to Netanyahu’s blood-soaked government will have to talk to us”. He told AFP that while he was willing to cooperate with an opposition-led government to unseat Netanyahu, he was not open to joining such a coalition outright. The ad hoc support of Palestinian lawmakers could enable Eisenkot to maintain a minority government, although few observers believe such an arrangement would survive for long. Israel’s Central Elections Committee said it had received a Likud party complaint alleging that Arab parties had compromised election integrity and would examine the claims as part of its routine post-election review. Netanyahu’s party responded to partial election results showing Arab-led parties could play a king-making rol e in forming a new government by accusing them – without evidence – of “stealing” the election and demanding that the police and Shin Bet security service investigate the allegations. UN rights chief Volker Turk has said that he hopes the next Israeli government will “change course massively” and respect international law . “The message is: don’t continue the current course of warfare where you think you are above international law, because I think that’s what we have frankly seen in the current environment,” Turk told reporters in New York. He added: “Israel has its obligations under international law, international humanitarian law, international human rights law, and they need to respect them, and I hope that the next government will do precisely that and change course massively.” Continue reading...
‘The more you earn, the less you keep’: readers react to the budget
From a young chef and a single father to business owners and a pensioner, Guardian readers reveal how John Healey’s measures will affect them What the budget means for you Louie, 24, a chef living in London, says a lot of people have “written off the idea of even considering getting a property” in their 20s. Continue reading...
Will the budget deliver ‘growth in every postcode’?
The chancellor outlined ‘the biggest wave of devolution in a generation’ – but large swathes of the country are excluded Budget 2026: key points at a glance In just two years, there could be dozens of mayors preparing to spend billions of pounds as part of Andy Burnham’s mission to devolve greater powers across England. Fresh devolution deals could also be in place following negotiations with leaders in Scotland, Wales and possibly Northern Ireland, allowing the prime minister to say at the next election that he has fulfilled a promise to rewire Britain’s political landscape with a view to giving more local control. Continue reading...
How will John Healey’s energy support package affect you?
Chancellor’s ‘new course’ includes a £100 one-off payment, low-carbon upgrade loans and an end to standing charges John Healey has unveiled a package of support for households being buffeted by “global economic storms”. “I’m setting a new course to get energy costs down in line with Europe,” the chancellor said in his maiden budget. In the long term, he hopes that changes in how Britain covers the cost of renewables and grid upgrades will “drive down all aspects of energy bills”. Continue reading...
‘There has to be a bolder shift’: retail and hospitality businesses assess relief in budget
Chancellor cuts business rates for more small businesses and limits rise in minimum wage for younger workers Budget 2026: key points at a glance “It is like letting the tyres down and then handing you a pump,” says James Nye, assessing the relief handed to businesses in John Healey’s first budget as chancellor. The managing director of Norfolk’s Anglian Country Inns argues that the budget made a “couple of steps towards helping” but added more labour costs for already burdened companies. Continue reading...
Thames Water creditors to vote on emergency £2.4bn loan as cash runs low
Campaigners say costly new funds will lead to higher bills, which company denies A group of creditors to troubled Thames Water are poised to vote on whether to grant an emergency £2.4bn loan to keep the company afloat, as campaigners raise concerns it could add £40 to each household’s bills in interest alone. A consortium of creditors, called London & Valley Water, will vote on Thursday on whether to increase a funding facility for the debt-laden utility company to £5.4bn to keep it operating to autumn 2027. Continue reading...
‘Hey hun’: police colleague messaged Beau Lamarre-Condon on Instagram after alleged murders, court hears
Trial also hears accused told police he wasn’t ‘avoiding them’ in three-minute call before he turned himself in after allegedly murdering Jesse Baird and Luke Davies A police officer accused of a double murder told police he was not avoiding them despite vanishing for days after the incident, a Sydney court has heard. The court heard police attempted to contact Beau Lamarre-Condon after the alleged murders, with a colleague messaging him on Instagram: “Hey hun ... can you please contact the crime manager at eastern suburbs asap when you get a chance?” Continue reading...
Outcry after Call of Duty maker uses real footage of deadly Seoul crowd crush in new video game
Bereaved families have urged the publisher of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 to remove a clip from the game that shows a figure performing CPR and bodies lying in the street Bereaved families in South Korea have demanded that the makers of Call of Duty remove harrowing footage of the deadly 2022 Seoul crowd crush from the latest instalment of the video game. The clips , which are seconds-long, appear in the opening moments of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 , and are used to represent a scenario of civilian casualties during a fictional North Korean invasion. Continue reading...
We shouldn’t ‘blindly’ believe allegations of violence against women, Queensland’s new DV minister said in resurfaced comments
Concerns raised about appointment of former federal senator who has previously supported the rights of people accused of sexual assault Get our daily political email , free app or daily news podcast Women’s safety advocates have raised concerns about the appointment of rightwing Queensland MP Amanda Stoker as the state’s minister for the prevention of domestic violence in light of her resurfaced statements that people should not “blindly” believe women who make allegations of violence. Stoker, who was appointed to the role on Saturday, argued in a 2023 article that the recent push to believe complaints “rather than carefully assess[ing] relevant evidence” would harm innocent defendants. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s Politics, really newsletter here Continue reading...
H.R. 10924: Medicare for America Act of 2026
Bill Text: This bill's text is now available.
H.Res. 1644: Supporting the goals and ideals of October as “National Domestic Violence Awareness Month”.
Bill Text: This resolution's text is now available.
H.R. 10950: Data Center Oversight Act
Bill Text: This bill's text is now available.
H.R. 10918: Natural Gas Dominance Act
Bill Text: This bill's text is now available.