Senior figures express concerns over medical union’s refusal of pay rise that is higher than offer to other NHS staffTrade unions have privately expressed qualms about the forthcoming doctors’ strikes, expressing frustration at the conduct of the talks and the demands of the British Medical Association.The BMA is pushing for a pay rise higher than the 3.5% offered to doctors by the government, with strikes planned for next week. Continue reading...
• Visa unveiled six AI-driven tools to automate charge dispute management for issuers, acquirers, and merchants, reducing manual reviews and fraud losses.
• The tools, launched yesterday, aim to accelerate resolution processes across US payment networks.
• This upgrade positions Visa at the forefront of AI-enhanced fintech security and efficiency.
California House members tour Otay Mesa center, which has faced allegations of poor conditions and sexual assaultsTwo California lawmakers conducted an oversight visit Thursday at ICE’s Otay Mesa detention center, an immigrant detention facility that has faced allegations of overcrowding, poor conditions and sexual assaults.The visit had been previously scheduled. But congressman Mike Levin, a Democrat, told the Guardian he planned to conduct more unannounced visits following a federal court ruling that struck down the Trump administration’s policy of forcing members of Congress to announce oversight visits seven days in advance. Continue reading...
Details about compensation for personal injury awarded to UK school staff revealed by NASUWTA teacher who became ill from a rat infestation and another who was injured after a pupil threw a toaster and chair are among UK school staff who received a share of £15m paid out in compensation.The details were revealed by the NASUWT union ahead of its annual conference in Birmingham later this week, and relate to successful claims for unfair dismissal, redundancy, discrimination, personal injury and health and safety. Continue reading...
British Medical Association leaders say PM’s threat to axe posts makes strike action more likelyResident doctors have accused Keir Starmer of damaging the prospects of a deal to end their pay and jobs dispute by threatening to axe 1,000 new jobs for medics in the NHS.The claim from the British Medical Association leaders came just before the Thursday deadline given by the prime minister for the union to accept the government’s final offer. Continue reading...
Australian treasurer says Iran war having ‘extreme impact on global economy’ as Albanese to address nation about fuel crisis Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastJim Chalmers has unveiled a suite of Covid-era support measures including tax deferrals for businesses struggling with soaring fuel prices, in the latest sign the government is preparing for a more severe economic downturn from the US-Israel war on Iran.Addressing the media on Wednesday morning, the treasurer said “the war in the Middle East is having an extreme impact on the global economy, [and[ Australians and Australian small businesses are paying the price for that”. Continue reading...
Two-month arrangement aimed at preventing small-boat crossings comes as existing deal expiresThe UK will pay France an extra £16.2m to keep police patrolling Channel beaches and prevent a surge in small-boat crossings after negotiators failed to agree a permanent deal before a midnight deadline.The stopgap arrangement, which will last for two months, comes after French negotiators refused to give in to UK demands for further interventions and patrols to stop asylum seekers from reaching the UK via the Channel. Continue reading...
Union says there has been ‘far too little progress’ in talks over pay and career developmentUK politics live – latest updatesSenior doctors in England are to be balloted over the prospect of strikes, the British Medical Association has announced.The union said that simultaneous ballots of consultants and specialist, associate specialist, and speciality (SAS) doctors would run from 11 May to 6 July as both sets of medics escalate their disputes with the government. Continue reading...
Union boss says workers have received some, but not all, of their paySign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxHello and welcome to the US politics live blog.Security lines have eased at airports, clearing the worst of the bottlenecks as Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) officers began receiving backpay for working during the government shutdown.Allegations swirl that a broker for Pete Hegseth inquired into an investment in key defense companies before the Iran war began. The Morgan Stanley broker allegedly made an inquiry with BlackRock regarding an investment into a defense-focused equity fund. The Pentagon denied the allegations calling them “entirely false and fabricated”.Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill to rename the Palm Beach International Airport after Donald Trump. This would make the airport the latest in a long list of institutions, government programs, buildings and even money named after the president.The US government has directed all of its embassies and consulates to launch coordinated campaigns against foreign propaganda. Marco Rubio signed a cable on Monday directing the embassies to coordinate with the US military’s psychological operations unit to address disinformation. It suggested using Elon Musk’s social media platform X to carry out the campaign.José Guadalupe Ramos, a Mexican national, becomes the 14th known person to die in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody since the beginning of the year. He was found unconscious in his bunk last week at the Adelanto detention center in California and pronounced dead after being taken to a nearby medical center.The army is investigating a helicopter fly-by at Kid Rock’s hillside swimming pool in Tennessee on Saturday. Two army choppers on a training run visited and hovered by the rocker’s house as he saluted them. According to the army, there was no official request for the fly-by, which triggered the administrative review. Continue reading...
Union celebrates ‘landmark decision’ that will mean adults aged 20 or younger are no longer paid lessFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastHalf a million young Australians working in the retail, fast food and pharmacy sectors are set for a wage increase after the Fair Work Commission abolished junior pay rates for those aged 18 and over.The wage rises will be phased in over four years in a landmark change that unions compared to the introduction of equal pay for women in the 1970s. Continue reading...
Airport wait times appear to be shorter as workers received back pay for two whole paychecksSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxThe Transportation Security Administration (TSA) issued its employees back pay on Monday, after Donald Trump signed an order for them to be paid even as a partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security drags on, with no end in sight.The paychecks appear to have relieved severe congestion at airport TSA checkpoints, which resulted in hours-long lines at several major air hubs over the past two weeks but brought Congress no closer to resolving the standoff over the the DHS’s budget. Continue reading...
Forthcoming rules mean debilitating conditions may not meet strict ‘severe and lifelong’ eligibility criteria, say disabled people’s organisationsHundreds of thousands of severely ill and disabled people making new claims will have their benefits cut if the government assesses that their condition might improve, charities have said.In April, the health element of universal credit – an extra payment for people assessed as too unwell to work or prepare for work – will be reduced to £50 a week and frozen for new claimants unless their condition is found to be terminal or severe and lifelong with no prospect of improvement. Continue reading...
• President Trump signed an executive order directing the Department of Homeland Security to pay TSA agents after House Republicans blocked the Senate's funding plan for the agency.
• The partial government shutdown has caused widespread disruptions at airports across the country, with long security lines and traveler frustrations continuing nationwide.
• The executive action represents an attempt to maintain airport security operations while funding negotiations continue between Congress and the White House.
Order comes after House Republicans rejected a Senate‑passed deal to fund key DHS subagencies, including the TSASign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxDonald Trump signed an executive order Friday instructing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to immediately pay Transportation Security Administration agents as the partial shutdown drags on.Negotiations on Capitol Hill remain stalled after House Republicans rejected a Senate‑passed deal to fund key DHS subagencies, including the TSA. After first announcing on Truth Social that he would pay more than 60,000 airport security workers – without explaining where the money would come from – the president issued the order. Continue reading...
• President Trump announced on Thursday he would sign an emergency order to pay Transportation Security Administration agents unpaid for weeks due to the ongoing homeland security funding impasse in the Senate.
• The administration plans to redirect funds from last year's tax cut and domestic policy law to the Department of Homeland Security, per two anonymous officials familiar with the plan.
• The move addresses intensifying airport chaos caused by Democrat-refused funding unless tied to open border policies, highlighting partisan divides over immigration enforcement.
• Health plans' reliance on downcoding programs to cut physician reimbursements prompts state-level reforms highlighted in AMA's March 27, 2026 State Advocacy Update.
• These practices harm doctors' earnings and patient care quality, leading policymakers to intervene for fairer payment systems.
• The update covers top advocacy stories from March 2026, emphasizing protections for physicians amid ongoing reimbursement battles.
President says order will ‘address this Emergency Situation’ as TSA employees have gone without pay during disputeDonald Trump announced Thursday he will sign an order instructing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to pay Transportation Security Administration agents immediately.“I am going to sign an Order instructing the Secretary of Homeland Security, Markwayne Mullin, to immediately pay our TSA Agents in order to address this Emergency Situation, and to quickly stop the Democrat Chaos at the Airports,” Trump wrote on social media. “I want to thank our hardworking TSA Agents and also, ICE, for the incredible help they have given us at the Airports.” Continue reading...
Government-backed bank in talks about recompensing about 37,000 people whose money was misplacedUK politics live – latest updatesBusiness live – latest updatesNational Savings & Investments is preparing to repay hundreds of millions of pounds to its customers over missing savings, in what is expected to be the single biggest payout in the bank’s 160-year history.The government-backed savings institution is in discussions with the Treasury to recompense about 37,000 people whose money has been misplaced due to historical failings. Continue reading...
British Medical Association blame government for longest proposed walkout so far, with leaders warning strike action could cost NHS estimated £300mResident doctors in England will strike for six days after Easter after rejecting what they said was the health secretary Wes Streeting’s final offer to end the long-running pay and jobs dispute.The British Medical Association blamed the government for its decision to undertake its longest stoppage so far, from 7am on Tuesday 7 April to 6.59 on Monday 13 April. Continue reading...
Report by Verdant says rooting out waste, fraud and tax avoidance would save money that could help improve public servicesA “Doge of the left,” could save up to £30bn a year for taxpayers by rooting out waste, fraud and tax avoidance, according to the first report from a new green thinktank.Launched amid growing interest in the future manifesto of Zack Polanksi’s Green party, the Verdant thinktank will be co-chaired by James Meadway, a former adviser to Labour shadow chancellor John McDonnell, and civil society campaigner Deborah Doane. Continue reading...
• The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission released its March 2026 Report to Congress, recommending a 0.5% increase in physician payments above current levels.
• This proposal aims to address payment updates for Medicare services amid ongoing discussions on healthcare financing sustainability.
• The report influences federal policy decisions on Medicare reimbursement rates for physicians across the US.
New Mexico hails ‘historic’ win after jury finds firm misled consumers over safety and enabled harm against usersA New Mexico jury on Tuesday ordered Meta to pay $375m in civil penalties after it found the company misled consumers about the safety of its platforms and enabled harm, including child sexual exploitation, against its users.This is the first bench trial to find Meta liable for acts committed on its platform. Continue reading...
Ruling linked to takeover of Autonomy in 2011 comes two years after tech tycoon died in superyacht disasterThe estate of late British tech tycoon Mike Lynch has been ordered to pay £920m to the technology company Hewlett-Packard (HP) two years after he died in a superyacht disaster.The ruling by London’s high court said the estate was liable to pay the sum as compensation, costs and interest for HP’s acquisition of Lynch’s firm Autonomy, after a UK legal ruling in 2022 that he duped the US firm into paying £8.2bn for his software firm Autonomy. Continue reading...
Policy begins on 1 April and is aimed to ease financial pressure as the price of fuel surges due to conflict in the Middle EastNearly 150,000 New Zealand families will soon receive a weekly cash payment to help them afford petrol, the government has announced, in what is believed to be the world’s first fuel relief package that directly pays citizens since the Iran war began.On Tuesday, prime minister Christopher Luxon and finance minister Nicola Willis announced roughly 143,000 families with children will get an extra NZ$50 ($29.20; £21.80) a week through a boost to the in-work tax credit – a payment to families with dependent children where at least one parent is in paid employment and neither parent receives benefits. Another 14,000 families on slightly higher incomes will also be eligible for payments, but will receive less than $50 per week. Continue reading...
Donna Motsinger alleges she was drugged and raped by Cosby in 1972 after he gave her a glass of wine in his limoSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxA California jury found Bill Cosby guilty of sexual assault in a civil trial on Monday, awarding Donna Motsinger $19.25m in damages. Motsinger alleged in the case that while working as a restaurant server in 1972, she was drugged and raped by Cosby after he gave her a glass of wine in his limousine.Motsinger sued Cosby after California amended its laws to change the statutes of limitations on when accusers can file sexual assault cases. In remarks after the jury’s verdict, she described the trial as a five-decade-long effort to get justice. Continue reading...
Trump administration announces deal with TotalEnergies to redirect investment in wind to oil and gas insteadAs a fuel crisis triggered by the war in Iran drives up global fossil fuel prices, the Trump administration has announced it will pay French energy major TotalEnergies $1bn to kill plans to construct wind farms off the US east coast.The deal is the latest blow to the US offshore wind industry, which has faced repeated disruptions to multi-billion-dollar projects under Donald Trump. Continue reading...
• Nicholas Brendon, known for playing Xander Harris on 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer,' has died at age 54, prompting tributes from former castmates.
• The news emerged in Los Angeles entertainment updates on March 22, 2026, highlighting his enduring legacy in the cult classic series.
• Brendon's death adds to reflections on pop culture icons, amid other entertainment notes like Dan Bucatinsky's return in 'The Comeback' final season.
Court’s decision to eliminate Save plan and internal shuffling on who handles what when it comes to student loans presents new challenges for borrowersSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxMany Americans with student debt are again facing future upheaval after a federal appeals court recently ordered the end of a Biden-era student loan repayment program, known as the Saving on a Value Education (Save) Plan, a move that coincided with another grim revelation: new education department data shows that by the end of 2025, 7.7 million borrowers had defaulted on $181bn in federal student loans.The Save plan, which was launched in 2023, is an income-driven repayment program created with the goal of cutting undergraduate loans in half, bringing some borrowers’ monthly payments to $0, and offering early forgiveness for low-balance borrowers. Shortly after the program was announced, Republican attorneys general across the country sued to get it killed, arguing that it was an overstep of executive power and imposed heavy taxpayer costs. Continue reading...
Prosecutors say they paid ‘slammers’ to intentionally crash into tractor-trailers and file fraudulent lawsuitsSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxA federal jury in New Orleans has found two personal injury attorneys guilty of involving themselves in a scheme to stage collisions with 18-wheelers and then collect settlement payouts.The lawyers, Jason Giles and former Hollywood stuntwoman Vanessa Motta, were found guilty on Friday of fraud, obstruction of justice and witness tampering, local news outlets WVUE and WWL Louisiana – a Guardian reporting partner – reported. Their law firms were convicted of related charges. Continue reading...
• The Trump administration, through Energy Secretary Chris Wright's leadership, is accelerating AI data center expansion via a 'Ratepayer Protection Pledge' encouraging major tech firms including Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, and xAI to fund their own power generation.
• Utilities have signed agreements for 183 gigawatts of data center capacity, equivalent to 22% of 2025 U.S. electricity demand, with initiatives including streamlined permits and federal land use for construction.
• The expansion presents challenges in deregulated markets like Texas and mid-Atlantic states, where utilities manage only transmission infrastructure rather than power supply responsibility, requiring state and regional coordination to ensure adequate power plant development.