Ending

• अमेरिकी प्रतिनिधि सभा ने गुरुवार को एक होमलैंड सिक्योरिटी विनियोग विधेयक पारित किया, जिससे दो महीने की एजेंसी शटडाउन समाप्त होने का मार्ग प्रशस्त हुआ, जिसने संघीय आव्रजन, सीमा और साइबर सुरक्षा संचालन के कुछ हिस्सों को ठप कर दिया था। • राष्ट्रपति डोनाल्ड ट्रम्प ने इसके तुरंत बाद इस उपाय पर हस्ताक्षर कर दिए, जिससे होमलैंड सिक्योरिटी विभाग के लिए पूर्ण वित्तपोषण बहाल हो गया और वित्तीय वर्ष के दौरान हवाई अड्डे की सुरक्षा, निर्वासन संचालन और सीमा प्रवर्तन में संभावित व्यवधानों को टाल दिया गया। • शटडाउन संघर्ष ने सीमा प्रवर्तन स्तरों को लेकर ट्रम्प के सहयोगियों को उदारवादी रिपब्लिकन और डेमोक्रेट्स के खिलाफ खड़ा कर दिया, लेकिन अंतिम विधेयक ने ट्रम्प-युग की मुख्य सीमा पहलों को बरकरार रखा, जबकि कुछ कट्टर खर्च मांगों को नरम किया।

• द्विदलीय उपाय में Secret Service और TSA के लिए वित्त पोषण शामिल है, लेकिन इसमें आप्रवासन प्रवर्तन संचालन शामिल नहीं हैं • कांग्रेस द्वारा DHS को वित्त पोषित करने के पक्ष में मतदान करने के बाद आंशिक सरकारी शटडाउन समाप्त हुआ • अमेरिकी प्रतिनिधि सभा (US House of Representatives) ने Department of Homeland Security के अधिकांश हिस्से को वित्त पोषित करने—आप्रवासन प्रवर्तन संचालन को छोड़कर—और इतिहास में सबसे लंबे एजेंसी शटडाउन को समाप्त करने के लिए मतदान किया है

• UK इसके काफी करीब था, जिसने 675,000 tonnes का निर्यात किया, जिसमें से अधिकांश कचरा Turkey, Malaysia और Indonesia भेजा गया • the Guardian के लिए किए गए व्यापार डेटा के analysis के अनुसार, Germany 2025 में plastic waste का दुनिया का सबसे बड़ा exporter था और उसने 810,000 tonnes से अधिक विदेश भेजा। • Watershed Investigations और Basel Action Network के analysis के अनुसार, UK इसके ठीक पीछे रहा।

• पहली तिमाही का उत्पादन, जो AI निवेश और सरकारी खर्च से प्रेरित है, बढ़ा है क्योंकि तेल के झटके मुद्रास्फीति की आशंकाओं को हवा दे रहे हैं • अमेरिकी सकल घरेलू उत्पाद (GDP) 2026 के पहले तीन महीनों में 2% की गति से बढ़ा, हालांकि ईरान के साथ युद्ध द्वारा ऊर्जा की कीमतों को प्रभावित करना जारी रखने के कारण उपभोक्ता खर्च धीमा हो रहा है • 2025 की चौथी तिमाही के लिए अंतिम GDP आंकड़ों ने दिखाया कि अमेरिकी आर्थिक विकास धीमा होकर 0.5% की गति पर आ गया था, जिसका मुख्य कारण पिछले वर्ष संघीय कर्मचारियों की बड़े पैमाने पर की गई छंटनी के बाद सरकारी खर्च में आई कमी थी

• 17 मार्च, 2026 को जारी Axios/Ipsos American Health Index के अनुसार, अधिकांश अमेरिकी स्वास्थ्य सेवा की बढ़ती लागतों पर चिंता व्यक्त करते हैं और इन चुनौतियों से निपटने के लिए संघीय कर खर्च में वृद्धि का समर्थन करते हैं। • यह सर्वेक्षण स्वास्थ्य सेवा की affordability पर सरकारी कार्रवाई के लिए द्विपक्षीय समर्थन को दर्शाता है, जो बढ़ते चिकित्सा खर्चों के बारे में अमेरिकी जनता के बीच व्यापक चिंता को प्रतिबिंबित करता है। • अमेरिकियों ने बचपन के टीकाकरण निर्णयों के सरकारी प्रबंधन में भी बढ़ा हुआ विश्वास दिखाया है, जो health policy interventions में व्यापक सार्वजनिक विश्वास का संकेत देता है।

• निजी ऑपरेटर Healthscope से NSW Health को अस्पताल का संक्रमण और कानूनी हस्तांतरण बुधवार सुबह 7 बजे होगा • नवीनतम अपडेट के लिए हमारे ऑस्ट्रेलिया समाचार लाइव ब्लॉग को फॉलो करें • हमारा ब्रेकिंग न्यूज़ ईमेल, मुफ्त ऐप या दैनिक समाचार पॉडकास्ट प्राप्त करें

• बैंक के मुख्य कार्यकारी अधिकारी ने धोखाधड़ी के बढ़ते मामलों की ओर इशारा किया है, क्योंकि बैंक ने मोटर फाइनेंस मुआवजे के लिए और £105m अलग रखे हैं। • Barclays जोखिम भरे उधारकर्ताओं को ऋण देने से पीछे हट रहा है, क्योंकि इसके मुख्य कार्यकारी अधिकारी ने धोखाधड़ी के बढ़ते मामलों की चेतावनी दी है और एक मॉर्टगेज ऋणदाता की विफलता के कारण बैंक को £228m का नुकसान हुआ है। • मॉर्टगेज ऋणदाता Market Financial Solutions (MFS) फरवरी में धोखाधड़ी के आरोपों के बीच ढह गया था और तब से UK के वित्तीय नियामक ने इस घोटाले की जांच शुरू कर दी है।

Home secretary indicates Whitehall talks about returns programme, a move that would shock humanitarian groupsShabana Mahmood has refused to rule out sending rejected Afghan asylum seekers back to the Taliban-controlled country.The home secretary said she is “monitoring very closely” talks between Kabul and EU countries about a returns programme for refused claimants. She also indicated that “additional conversations” about Afghan returns were happening inside Whitehall. Continue reading...

Minister tells Guardian Australia despite substantial changes to disability scheme, it will remain one of best support services ‘anywhere in the world’Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastMark Butler has defended the government’s decision to trim the NDIS just days after announcing $53bn in new defence spending, with the health minister conceding Australians may be “uneasy” but insisting it would remain one of the best support services “anywhere in the world”.The Coalition looks likely to back the proposed changes, despite alarm from the Greens and some in the disability sector about the 160,000 participants expected to be removed by 2030 and changes to who can access the scheme. Continue reading...

Shell Australia says campaign needed to ‘counter-balance’ claims by levy advocates – but Ed Husic urges industry ‘do not spend millions defending the indefensible’The gas giants are mounting a multi-million dollar advertising campaign to fight against a new export tax, prompting Labor MP Ed Husic to accuse the industry of “defending the indefensible”.Shell Australia is among half-a-dozen oil and gas companies contributing around $1m to an Australian Energy Producers (AEP) campaign that attempts to justify the amount of tax the industry pays, a parliamentary inquiry heard on Wednesday. Continue reading...

The trend has been accelerated by the US-Israel war on Iran, leaving households – and cafe owners – glum, surveys suggestFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastFor many coffee drinkers, takeaway orders are changing from a habitual purchase to an occasional treat, as elevated petrol prices and other living costs leave households feeling glum.This rapid shift in behaviour has disappointed cafe owners and surprised economists, raising an uneasy question: if takeaway coffee sales are falling, is the economy next? Continue reading...

Discussions reportedly come after Trump’s decision to stop initiative that allowed group to apply to resettle in the USThe Trump administration is in discussions to potentially send up to 1,100 Afghans who helped US forces during the war in Afghanistan to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a non-profit confirmed on Tuesday.The resettlement talks, first reported by the New York Times, come after Donald Trump’s decision to stop an initiative that allowed Afghans who assisted US war efforts to apply to resettle in the US. Continue reading...

Health minister faces backlash from states as he announces major changes to scheme ahead of May budgetGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastNational disability insurance scheme service providers will be required to undergo mandatory character checks and eligibility rules will be tightened further for children under 18, as Labor moves to curb growth in the $50bn program.But the health minister, Mark Butler, faces a backlash from state counterparts as he announces major changes on Wednesday, with Queensland accusing federal Labor of walking away from responsibilities to families dependent on long-term care. Continue reading...

Head of UN’s humanitarian agency frustrated $2bn a week cost of conflict comes amid dramtic cuts to aid budgetThe $2bn (£1.5bn) a week that Donald Trump was spending on his reckless war in Iran could have funded saving more than 87 million lives, the head of the UN’s humanitarian agency, Tom Fletcher, said on Monday.He also warned the normalisation of violent language, such as threatening to bomb Iran back to the stone ages, was very dangerous since it encourages every wannabe autocrat to use similar threats and tactics, including the destruction of civilians and civilian infrastructure. Continue reading...

• AI integration is delivering measurable spending momentum for Google Cloud, with enterprise technology research data confirming AI as a primary driver of cloud adoption. • The ML/AI segment is pulling Google's broader cloud business forward, explaining significant improvements in Google Cloud's performance over the past two years. • This trend indicates that AI is not merely a marketing narrative for Google but a concrete factor influencing enterprise purchasing decisions and cloud strategy prioritization.

Aviation fuel costs remain significantly elevated amid the US and Israel’s ongoing war with IranSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxAir Canada has announced a temporary suspension of flights from Toronto and Montreal to New York’s John F Kennedy airport, citing rising fuel prices.The move comes amid growing concerns that airlines worldwide may scale back services as aviation fuel costs climb in the wake of the US and Israel’s ongoing war with Iran, which entered a fragile ceasefire earlier in April. Although Iran announced on Friday that the strait of Hormuz had reopened, helping ease oil prices, fuel costs remain significantly elevated after weeks of disruption. Continue reading...

The defence minister insists that increases in spending did not happen because of thinktanks, retired generals ‘or washed-up bureaucrats’Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastIf there’s anyone who knows just how much pressure Donald Trump is heaping on allies to lift defence spending, it’s Richard Marles.The message was received loud and clear when he met his US counterpart, Pete Hegseth, in Singapore nearly a year ago. Continue reading...

MPs and peers say pitting defence and welfare against each other risks losing public support for increased spending on the militarySenior Labour figures have warned that Rachel Reeves must find alternative ways to increase military spending rather than slashing welfare, saying it risks public support for investment in defence.Pressure has been mounting from Labour backbenchers for the Treasury to urgently agree the defence investment plan (Dip) after George Robertson, a former Nato secretary general, said there was a “corrosive complacency” on defence funding. Continue reading...

The new strategy to be unveiled by Richard Marles will see defence spending rise to about 2.4% of GDP – but US president has urged allies to spend 3.5%Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastLabor will spend an extra $53bn on defence over the next decade, using the nation’s latest military blueprint to create new special investment programs to fund increases in capability using private capital.The defence minister, Richard Marles, will unveil the new national defence strategy on Thursday, as well as detailing a new integrated investment program for military capability, boosting the current budget by $14bn over the next four years, forward estimates period. Continue reading...

Treasury minister James Murray hits back at George Robertson’s criticism over military budgetUK politics live – latest updatesA Treasury minister has said balancing welfare and defence spending “is not a zero-sum game”, amid stark warnings that the UK will have to increase its military budget to ensure national security during global volatility.James Murray, the chancellor’s deputy, said the government was pushing ahead with the biggest sustained increase in defence investments since the cold war, but he would not say when it would publish its delayed defence investment plan. Continue reading...

Data from 22 police forces shows spending has more than tripled since the ban came into force in 2024Police spending on kennels and veterinary bills in England and Wales has more than tripled since the XL bully ban came into force, with some forces recording an almost 500% spending increase since the new law was enacted in 2024.Data from 22 police forces obtained via freedom of information requests showed police spending had soared from an average of £137,400 per force in 2022-23 to £423,136 in 2024-25. Continue reading...

Deal for resident doctors was in sight when sudden change by ministers forced latest action, says Jack FletcherMinisters killed the chance to end strikes by resident doctors when they suddenly reduced the amount of money they were offering to secure the peace deal, the doctors’ leader claims.Dr Jack Fletcher accused the government of “playing games” and forcing resident doctors to embark on their 15th strike over pay and jobs, which is disrupting the NHS this week. Continue reading...

Rhun ap Iorwerth launches party’s manifesto and says he is unconcerned by Reform UK threat in Welsh electionsUK politics live – latest updatesPlaid Cymru’s leader has promised “no more bending to Westminster’s will” as the nationalist party stands on the brink of taking office for the first time in next month’s Senedd elections.Speaking at Plaid Cymru’s manifesto launch in Wrexham on Thursday – chosen because of its football team, which has showcased Wales’s potential to the world – Rhun ap Iorwerth told a packed room of supporters there would be “no more toeing the London party line, no more defending the status quo and no more saying no to Wales”. Continue reading...

Government allocated 0.43% of national income to aid in 2025, with total spend down £1bn on previous yearThe UK government’s spending on foreign aid has hit its lowest level in nearly two decades, figures show, as humanitarian experts warn the cuts are costing lives.Provisional data shows the government allocated 0.43% of national income to official development assistance (ODA) in 2025, a decrease from 0.5% in 2024 and matching the level in 2008. Continue reading...

Report by the prime minister’s office says a total ban would have a ‘higher net benefit’ but would hit sporting codes very hardFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Albanese government’s plans to restrict gambling advertising will reduce Australia’s annual gambling spending by $62.7m a year – or just 0.8% – according to a government report which said a full ad ban would have had “a higher net benefit” but a large burden on media and sporting codes.The report from Anthony Albanese’s Office of Impact Analysis (OIA) also revealed podcasts, app stores and even the NRL and AFL websites will be subject to Labor’s gambling reforms, which ban online wagering ads unless those platforms build an opt-out feature for adults. Continue reading...

Republican Tony Gonzales ended re-election bid in March after admitting to having affair with a different aideSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxA second former female staffer for Tony Gonzales, a Republican congressman from Texas, has come forward claiming Gonzales sent her sexually explicit messages.The San Antonio Express-News first reported the text messages on Monday and NBC News later confirmed the report. Continue reading...

Aria Fani of University of Washington’s Middle East Center is latest critic of Israel to lose position at US universitySign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxA University of Washington professor was removed as head of the school’s Middle East Center after reportedly using newsletters from the center to criticize the US and Israel’s war on Iran and describe Zionism as “cancerous”.His case is one of at least three incidents in the past month in which higher education faculty members have faced suspension or dismissal after voicing opposition to US-Israeli actions in the Middle East. Continue reading...