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Helmeted honeyeaters return to Cardinia in Victoria for first time since 1983’s Ash Wednesday bushfires
May 9, 2025 - World
Healesville sanctuary releases 21 critically endangered birds in hopes a new wild population will thriveSign up for climate and environment editor Adam Morton’s free Clear Air newsletter hereFor the first time in 42 years, critically endangered helmeted honeyeaters have returned to Cardinia in south-east Victoria, where they were found until the Ash Wednesday bushfires in 1983.Helmeted honeyeaters are charismatic, energetic and curious, according to Dr Kim Miller, the manager of threatened species at Healesville sanctuary.Sign up to get climate and environment editor Adam Morton’s Clear Air column as a free newsletter Continue reading...

Trump names Fox News host and former judge Jeanine Pirro as top federal prosecutor in DC – as it happened
May 9, 2025 - World
This blog is now closed. You can read our latest story hereThe winners and losers of Trump’s first tariff war strongly suggest that bankruptcies and farm consolidation could surge during his second term, with major corporations best placed to benefit from his polices at the expense of independent farmers.New analysis by the non-profit research advocacy group Food and Water Watch (FWW), shared exclusively with the Guardian, shows that Trump’s first-term tariffs were particularly devastating for farmers in the Maga rural heartlands. Continue reading...
US to begin immediate removal of up to 1,000 trans military members
May 9, 2025 - World
Pentagon will give other trans service members 30 days to self-identify while it enforces recently approved banThe Pentagon is removing the 1,000 members of the military who openly identify as trans, and giving those who have yet to openly-identify as transgender 30 days to remove themselves, according to a new directive issued Thursday.The memo is fueled by Tuesday’s supreme court decision allowing the Trump administration to enforce a ban on trans military members. The defense department has said it will follow up by going through medical records to identify others who haven’t come forward. Continue reading...

JD Vance says Russia asked for territory it 'hasn't even conquered yet'
May 9, 2025 - World
Vice President JD Vance said Thursday that Russia’s initial demands in the ongoing peace talks over its invasion of Ukraine include territory it hasn’t even seized, in another sign that the White House is growing frustrated with Moscow, according to Politico. Vance offered a peek inside the negotiations between the two countries during a Fox News interview, where he described Russian demands as overreaching.“Russia can’t expect to be given territory that they haven’t even conquered yet,” the vice president told Fox News’ Martha MacCallum. “And that’s one of the things that they’ve put down in that initial peace plan.”EXCLUSIVE: Breastfeeding mom of US citizen sues Kristi Noem after being grabbed by ICE“We knew that the Russians’ first offer would be too much, we knew that they would ask for more than was reasonable to give, that’s how negotiations often work,” he added. “I’m not bothered by that. What would bother me is if we conclude that the Russians are not engaging in the negotiation in good faith.”In that case, he added, the White House would be prepared to walk away from the mediator role.The new comments came just a day after Vance spoke at the Munich Leaders Meeting in Washington, where he warned that Russia was “asking for too much” and would likely need to make concessions if any deal is to be struck, according to Politico.
Trump and Starmer confirm ‘breakthrough’ US-UK trade deal
May 8, 2025 - World
Announcement makes UK the first country to agree deal with US since Trump imposed sweeping tariffs in AprilAston Martin and Rolls-Royce share prices soar as manufacturers welcome US tariff cutsAnalysis: new UK/US trade deal is a relief for Starmer but doubts, and tariffs, remainUS politics live – latest updatesThe UK and US have agreed a “breakthrough” trade deal slashing some of Donald Trump’s tariffs on cars, aluminium and steel and that the prime minister said would save thousands of British jobs.Keir Starmer said it was a “fantastic, historic day” as he announced the agreement, the first by the White House since Trump announced sweeping global tariffs last month. Continue reading...