Bosses should be banned from the “improper” use of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) for low-paid workers in the service, retail or hospitality sectors, a former cabinet minister has warned, as she called for an end of the two-tier system that exists for victims. Louise Haigh, the former UK transport secretary, has urged MPs to look beyond … Read more
Europe scrambles for unified response as it braces for Trump tariffs Europe is braced for US president Donald Trump to impose sweeping tariffs on global trading partners on Wednesday, threatening cost increases and likely drawing retaliation from all sides. Details of Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ tariff plans are due to be announced in the White House … Read more
Donald Trump is preparing to consider a final proposal to decide the future of TikTok before a deadline for the app to find a non-Chinese buyer or face a US ban. The US vice-president, JD Vance, the commerce secretary, Howard Lutnick, the national security adviser, Mike Waltz, and the director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, … Read more
Hundreds of emergency workers have been deployed in northern New South Wales as the impact of heavy rain and flooding in Queensland moves south. The mid north coast, northern rivers and northern tablelands regions were bracing for moderate to heavy rain, with forecasters on Wednesday warning of swollen rivers flooding. NSW State Emergency Services (SES) … Read more
Australia will consider taking its ally America to the World Trade Organization (WTO) if it is targeted in the Trump administration’s “liberation day” tariff regime, to be imposed from Thursday. The US president was expected to announce a new round of global reciprocal tariffs at 4pm on Wednesday Washington DC time (7am Thursday AEDT), but … Read more
The Australian state of Victoria has passed laws to crack down on hate speech, which include a so-called “Sam Kerr clause” to prevent the harsh new penalties from being used to punish the people they are intended to protect. Those found guilty of serious vilification offences, such as inciting hatred or making physical threats, will … Read more
The Queensland police commissioner sought to access the confidential domestic and family violence records of a female officer – who was allegedly the victim of “significant” acts of violence by her husband – in order to investigate her. The state’s chief magistrate denied police access to those documents this week, ruling that victims of violence … Read more
Good morning. According to Donald Trump, it’s “liberation day”: the advent of a new trade order in which Americans reap the benefit of massive tariffs on imports, and the rest of the world picks up the tab. Unsurprisingly, the United States’ trading partners tend to take a very different view. And they are doing everything … Read more
The agency that would become MI5, originally known as the Secret Service Bureau, employed just 17 staff in 1914; by the end of the first world war, the number working for Britain’s domestic counter-intelligence agency had swelled to 850, including a number of female administrators. While valuable for managing the card index records, noted Edith … Read more
The US has accused China of putting the region’s security at risk after it launched a second day of military drills targeting Taiwan with a rehearsal blockade and attack. China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) began the joint drills without notice on Tuesday morning, sending 76 aircraft and more than 20 Navy and Coast Guard ships, … Read more