Tim Walz accuses Trump of withholding $259m in Medicaid funds ‘to punish blue states’ – live
Democratic governor of Minnesota says administration’s federal withholding of $259m ‘has nothing to do with fraud’Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxA newly revealed diplomatic cable calls on US diplomats to work against attempts by foreign nations to regulate how US tech companies handle their citizens’ data, as “data sovereignty initiatives” gather steam in Europe over security concerns.More from Reuters:President Donald Trump’s administration has ordered U.S. diplomats to lobby against attempts to regulate U.S. tech companies’ handling of foreigners’ data, saying in an internal diplomatic cable seen by Reuters that such efforts could interfere with artificial intelligence-related services.Experts say the move signals the Trump administration is reverting to a more confrontational approach as some foreign countries seek limits around how Silicon Valley firms process and store their citizens’ personal information - initiatives often described as “data sovereignty” or “data localization.“ Continue reading...
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Australia news live: Grace Tame says PM’s ‘difficult’ remark is ‘misogynist’s code for a woman who won’t comply’; Qantas makes major change to frequent flyer program
Meanwhile diplomats have been recalled as embassies in Tel Aviv and Beirut remain open but Dfat warns situation is ‘unpredictable’. Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAdvocate for gambling reform reiterates calls for regulator and ban on adsReverend Tim Costello, the chief advocate for the Alliance for Gambling Reform, spoke to RN Breakfast this morning about efforts to combat gambling, including the rollout of BetStop, a self-exclusion register.We are literally saturated. You know, sadly, gambling companies now even own our kids …Right at the moment, you have the farcical situation that under 16, you can’t be on social media, which I support. But they’re inundated with gambling ads online, on TV. 900,000 of young Australians gambled last year, even though it’s illegal now. Continue reading...
Jacinda Ardern living and working in Australia after move from US
Exclusive: Former New Zealand PM ‘based out of Australia’, according to spokesperson, after rumours she was looking for houses in SydneyFormer New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern is living in Australia with her family, a spokesperson has confirmed. “The family has been travelling for a few years now,” her office told the Guardian.“For the moment they’re basing themselves out of Australia – they have work there, and it brings the added bonus of more time back home in New Zealand.” Continue reading...
Vance says Minnesota’s Medicaid funds halted as part of Trump’s ‘war on fraud’
Vice-president makes announcement with Mehmet Oz, who says other states will be next after MinnesotaJD Vance announced on Wednesday that the Trump administration would “temporarily halt” more than a quarter-billion dollars in Medicaid reimbursements to the state of Minnesota, escalating Donald Trump’s newly announced “war on fraud”.Vance said the action was to ensure Minnesota was “a good steward of the American people’s tax money”, part of its crackdown on the state following a fraud scandal linked to residents of the Somali community in Minneapolis, which prompted the administration to send thousands of federal immigration agents into Minneapolis and that resulted in the deaths of two US citizens and widespread protests. Continue reading...
CPS issues new guidance on ‘honour’-based and dowry abuse
Updated guidance from Crown Prosecution Service covers forms of spiritual and immigration abuse for first timeThe Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has published new guidance for its lawyers to help tackle “honour”-based abuse, with spiritual and immigration abuse included for the first time.The guidance was updated to reflect growing concerns around evolving forms of abuse and to tackle what the CPS described as “emerging harmful practices”. Continue reading...
What is the national maternity and neonatal investigation and why was it launched?
From racism to staff shortages, the interim report found a host of deep-rooted issues affecting women and babiesNHS maternity units often cover up harmful errors in childbirth, report findsCruel comments, racism and cover-ups: key findings from England’s maternity care reportOn Thursday, a damning interim report published after a national investigation into England’s maternity services found deep-rooted issues affecting women and their babies, including insensitivity from maternity staff, racism and discrimination, and chronic staff shortages. Below is an exploration of what led to the report and what happens next. Continue reading...
NHS maternity units often cover up harmful errors in childbirth, report finds
Damning inquiry into services in England reveals falsification of medical records after ‘negligent’ careWhat is the national maternity and neonatal investigation and why was it launched?Cruel comments, racism and cover-ups: key findings from England’s maternity care reportHospitals that cause harm and injury to women and babies during childbirth often resort to a “cover-up” of their mistakes, falsify medical records and deny bereaved parents answers, a damning report has found.“Negligent” care has devastating emotional and psychological consequences for families, disputes between maternity staff have a “disastrous” impact on mothers, and ethnic minority and poorer women have worse outcomes because of racism and discrimination, Lady Amos said.Banning families from being involved in investigations into the mistakes they encountered.Conducting inquiries into errors which families think are poor quality and do not properly reflect what occurred.Driving distressed families to instigate legal action as a way of getting at the truth after they were “denied openness and honesty in the aftermath of harm and bereavement”.Failing to treat families who have lost a baby with compassion. Continue reading...
UK anti-slavery watchdog calls for overhaul of adult sexual services sites
Independent commissioner’s report finds websites can act as ‘accelerators’ of exploitation for sex workers using themThe anti-slavery watchdog has called for a complete overhaul of websites advertising sexual services after an investigation revealed they can act as “accelerators” of exploitation for sex workers using them.While working online can provide enhanced protections for some, a new report from the independent anti-slavery commissioner, Eleanor Lyons, investigated the experiences of women who said they were exploited on the adult services sites, which typically allow users to browse through images and videos of women selling sex in their local area. Continue reading...
US judge rules Trump policy of ‘third country’ deportations unlawful
US judge says that rapid deportation of migrants to countries other than their own violates due process.
Judge orders Greenpeace to pay $345m over Dakota Access pipeline protest
Group says case far from over after being found liable for defamation and other claims brought by energy firmA North Dakota judge has said he will order Greenpeace to pay damages expected to total $345m in connection with protests against the Dakota Access oil pipeline from nearly a decade ago, a figure the environmental group contends it cannot pay.In court papers filed Tuesday, Judge James Gion said he would sign an order requiring several Greenpeace entities to pay the judgment to pipeline company Energy Transfer. He set that amount at $345m last year in a decision that reduced a jury’s damages by about half, but his latest filing did not specify a final amount. Continue reading...