General news

• A $19 strawberry has caused a stir online. And of course, it's sold at Erewhon.

  26-02-2025 23:48 via nbcnews.com
  
  A $19 strawberry has caused a stir online. And of course, it's sold at Erewhon.
  
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• Gov. Gavin Newsom tells parole board to investigate Menendez brothers for clemency

  26-02-2025 22:47 via nbcnews.com
  
  California Gov. Gavin Newsom has directed the state's parole board to investigate whether Erik and Lyle Menendez pose an "unreasonable" public safety risk if released from prison, where the siblings have spent decades for the 1989 shotgun murders of their parents, the governor said in a teaser Wednesday for his new podcast.
  
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• New York governor orders removal of Palestinian studies job posting at Cuny

  26-02-2025 22:25 via theguardian.com
  
  Hunter College faculty and staff union condemns Kathy Hochul’s order to take down listing, calling it ‘overreach of authority’The New York governor, Kathy Hochul ordered the City University of New York (Cuny) to immediately remove a job posting advertising a Palestinian studies professor role at the state university system’s Hunter College.In the job listing, Hunter College wrote that the institution is seeking “a historically grounded scholar who takes a critical l
  
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• Iran can manufacture 6 nuclear weapons with newly enriched uranium, UN Atomic agency report says

  26-02-2025 22:09 via foxnews.com
  
  JERUSALEM: The U.N.’s International Atomic Energy Agency announced on Wednesday that Iran has produced dramatically more uranium that can be used in six atomic bombs and stressed that Tehran has made no progress on resolving outstanding issues."The significantly increased production and accumulation of high enriched uranium by Iran, the only non-nuclear weapon state to produce such nuclear material, is of serious concern," the IAEA noted in a report according to Reuters.Last week, Fox News
  
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• For director Brady Corbet, bringing 'The Brutalist' to life was a family affair

  26-02-2025 22:00 via nbcnews.com
  
  For director Brady Corbet, bringing "The Brutalist" to life was a family affair. He and his life partner, Mona Fastvold, who co-wrote the screenplay, are both up for Oscars.
  
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• Michelle Trachtenberg, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Gossip Girl actor, dies aged 39

  26-02-2025 20:51 via theguardian.com
  
  The actor was reportedly found at a New York apartment with the cause of death as yet unknownThe actor Michelle Trachtenberg, known for Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Harriet the Spy, has died at the age of 39.Police sources confirmed her death to both ABC News and the New York Post. There is no cause of death yet known and it has been reported that it is not being investigated as suspicious. She had recently undergone a liver transplant, according to sources. Continue reading...
  
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• Australia news live: health insurance premiums to rise 4%; half of aged care providers fall short

  26-02-2025 20:51 via theguardian.com
  Federal government agrees to rise of 3.73% but some could face even higher increases. Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThere’s more from last night’s estimates from Cait Kelly.Wait times for home-care packages have grown to an average of 6 months, with medium priority applications blowing out to 11 months, the Department of Health and Aged Care revealed last night in senate estimates.The important thing to note is that if a pers
  
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• Zelenskyy insists on guarantees ahead of Trump meeting after US president says Ukraine can ‘forget about’ joining Nato – live

  26-02-2025 20:47 via theguardian.com
  
  Ukrainian president says ‘guarantees of peace and security’ were vital ahead of expected talks in Washington on FridayThe Kremlin said on Wednesday that expert level talks between the US and Russia were being prepared. In his daily media briefing Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said there were no current plans for Vladimir Putin and US president Donald Trump to speak directly on the phone.The Kremlin said it declined to comment on any aspect of a proposed US-Ukraine deal allowing
  
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• Texas probes medical school's use of bodies without consent following NBC News investigation

  26-02-2025 20:45 via nbcnews.com
  
  The University of North Texas Health Science Center's failure to obtain permission before using corpses for research may have violated state law, authorities said.
  
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• Outcry as White House starts dictating which journalists can access Trump

  26-02-2025 20:41 via theguardian.com
  Fox News correspondent among those to decry move that journalists say will ‘tear at independence of a free press’ The Trump administration announced it will take control of the White House press pool, stripping the independent White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) of its longstanding role in deciding which journalists have access to the president in intimate settings.The move has immediately triggered an impassioned response from members of the media – including
  
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• Washington Post opinion editor departs as Bezos pushes to promote ‘personal liberties and free markets’

  26-02-2025 20:38 via theguardian.com
  
  Opinion editor leaves as Amazon executive and newspaper owner says ‘viewpoints opposing those pillars will be left to be published by others’Don’t let a billionaire’s algorithm control what you read. Download our free app to get trusted reportingJeff Bezos, the self-proclaimed “hands-off” owner of the Washington Post, emailed staffers this morning about a change he is applying to the paper’s opinion section that appears to align the newspaper more closel
  
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• Labour donor claims libel victory over false pro-Hamas claim

  26-02-2025 20:36 via theguardian.com
  Dale Vince to receive damages from Guido Fawkes blogger and says he will take Reform UK’s Richard Tice to full trialThe Labour donor Dale Vince has claimed victory in a libel case against the political blogger Paul Staines, who has agreed to pay damages and costs over false claims that Vince supported Hamas.However, Vince vowed to go “all the way” to a full libel trial against Richard Tice, the Reform UK deputy leader, over his claims on X that the businessman was “pro th
  
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• White House gives federal agency heads deadline to produce plan for layoffs

  26-02-2025 20:12 via theguardian.com
  Trump’s budget chief and head of personnel management direct bosses to provide detailed plans by 13 MarchUS government agency heads have been given a 13 March deadline to produce a plan for drastically slashing the federal workforce as Donald Trump reinforced warnings that workers who failed to account for what they do could be fired.A White House memo issued on Wednesday directed bosses to provide details of their workforce reduction plans in the most specific instruction yet to managers
  
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• Dozens of DOGE 'receipts' saved no money and killed contracts meant to boost efficiency

  26-02-2025 19:55 via nbcnews.com
  
  Take a quick look at the Department of Government Efficiency’s list of canceled contracts and you’d think the Agriculture Department spent $25 million on diversity trainings four separate times, while the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau spent $600 million on management consultants.
  
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• Trump threatens fines and prison time for undocumented immigrants who don’t join registry

  26-02-2025 19:51 via theguardian.com
  US immigrants aged 14 and older who fail to provide fingerprints could face $5,000 fine and six months in prisonThe Trump administration will require undocumented immigrants aged 14 and older to register with the federal government or face possible fines or prosecution.The US Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that under the “Protecting the American People Against Invasion” executive order signed by Donald Trump last month undocumented immigrants must also provide th
  
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• Police find remains in search for woman murdered in Salford in 2013

  26-02-2025 19:50 via theguardian.com
  Rania Alayed was 25 when she was killed by her ex-husband, Ahmed al-Khatib, in what police called an ‘honour killing’Police searching near to a main road in North Yorkshire believe they have found the remains of a woman murdered by her husband more than a decade ago.Rania Alayed was 25 when she was murdered by Ahmed al-Khatib in a Salford flat in June 2013 in what police at the time described as an “honour” killing. Continue reading...
  
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• Shein found two cases of child labour at suppliers in 2024, firm tells UK MPs

  26-02-2025 19:45 via theguardian.com
  Online fashion retailer, which is planning an IPO in London, responds to questions from parliamentary committeeShein found two cases of child labour at its suppliers last year after audits of its mostly China-based third-party manufacturers, the company has told British MPs.The disclosure by the online fast-fashion retailer, which is planning an initial public offering in London, was in response to questions from a parliamentary committee. Continue reading...
  
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• Trump says no significant security guarantees in Ukraine minerals deal

  26-02-2025 19:41 via theguardian.com
  
  President says Volodymyr Zelenskyy will visit White House to sign ‘very big agreement’, but details remain unclearRussia-Ukraine war – latest news updatesDonald Trump has announced that Volodymyr Zelenskyy will visit the White House on Friday to sign a rare earth minerals deal, but the US will not provide significant security guarantees to Ukraine as part of the agreement.The conclusion of a deal, which Trump has claimed would allow the US to recoup hundreds of billions of doll
  
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• Trump’s first full cabinet meeting celebrates government-shrinking effort led by Musk

  26-02-2025 19:38 via theguardian.com
  
  Tech billionaire, who is not a member of the cabinet and described himself as ‘humble tech support’, warns without evidence that US could ‘go bankrupt’US politics live – latest updatesDonald Trump used his first full cabinet meeting of his second term to emphasize his administration’s focus on drastically reducing the size of the federal government, with tech billionaire Elon Musk warning without evidence that “America will go bankrupt” without sig
  
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• Trump admin tells federal agencies to make plans for large-scale layoffs of workers

  26-02-2025 19:37 via nbcnews.com
  
  Trump administration tells federal agencies to make plans for large-scale layoffs of workers
  
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• Girl listed in state records as 'Unakite Thirteen Hotel' finally gets a Social Security number

  26-02-2025 19:30 via nbcnews.com
  
  A Nebraska father struggling to get a Social Security number and valid birth certificate for his toddler with the computer-generated name Unakite Thirteen Hotel gets a reprieve.
  
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• BP blames ‘misplaced’ faith in green transition for its renewed focus on fossil fuels

  26-02-2025 19:12 via theguardian.com
  
  CEO Murray Auchincloss says ‘fundamental reset’ will mean cut of more than £4bn to low-carbon investment planBP has abandoned its green ambitions in favour of ramping up fossil fuel production as its boss claimed that optimism over the pace of the green transition had been “misplaced”.In a major strategy shift, the energy company will increase its investment in oil and gas to $10bn (£7.9bn) a year while slashing more than $5bn from its previous green investmen
  
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• University of Edinburgh warns of staff cuts as it faces £140m financial deficit

  26-02-2025 19:09 via theguardian.com
  
  Vice-chancellor says large-scale savings are needed but union says university should instead use its wealthThe University of Edinburgh is facing a £140m black hole that demands radical actions including job cuts, according to its vice-chancellor, as it becomes the latest higher education institution to reveal its financial turmoil.Prof Peter Mathieson, the university’s leader, told staff that “the magnitude of the financial gap that we need to close” amounted to 10% of it
  
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• It’s Jekyll and Hyde, says son of French surgeon accused of abusing 299 patients

  26-02-2025 19:09 via theguardian.com
  
  Relatives of Joël Le Scouarnec, who allegedly sexually assaulted young patients, tell court of split personalityMembers of a French surgeon’s family have described discovering the “Jekyll and Hyde” character of the man accused of raping or sexually assaulting 299 young patients while they were sedated or recovering from operations.As the alleged victims waited for Joël Le Scouarnec’s former wife to give evidence at his trial in the French city of Vannes in Britt
  
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• ‘Madcap adventures’: Paul McCartney co-authors book about his time in Wings

  26-02-2025 19:02 via theguardian.com
  
  An oral history of the musician’s post-Beatles work in the 70s, Wings: The Story of a Band on the Run, will be published in NovemberAn account of Paul McCartney’s post-Beatles career at the helm of Wings is to be published later this year.Wings: The Story of a Band on the Run, by McCartney and historian Ted Widmer, will hit UK and US bookshops on 4 November. Continue reading...
  
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• Viral photo makes ‘Puppy Mountain’ in China an instant sensation

  26-02-2025 18:53 via theguardian.com
  
  Guo Qingshan’s image of a cliff on the edge of the Yangtze River in Hubei province has been viewed millions of timesA cliff on the edge of the Yangtze River has become an overnight sensation in China after a Shanghai-based designer posted a photo of it earlier this month likening it to a dog.Guo Qingshan took the photo, which he captioned “Puppy Mountain”, while on a hike near his home town of Yichang, in Hubei province, in late January. Continue reading...
  
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• Budapest Pride should be held in closed venue for ‘child protection’, says Orbán official

  26-02-2025 18:24 via theguardian.com
  
  Prime minister’s chief of staff says event this year should be taken off streetsHungary’s Budapest Pride should be held in a “closed venue” this year rather than on a city centre avenue as in previous years, the prime minister, Viktor Orbán’s, chief of staff has said, citing child protection.The plan, announced on Wednesday, appeared to be part of Orbán’s restrictions on the activities of the LGBTQ+ community as the nationalist leader prepares fo
  
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• Stonehenge-like circle unearthed in Denmark may have links to UK

  26-02-2025 18:19 via theguardian.com
  
  Archaeologists suggest ‘woodhenge’ was built between 2600 and 1600BC on similar axis to English stone circleAn “extraordinary” timber circle believed to be thousands of years old and connected to Stonehenge in England has been discovered in the ground in Denmark.The circle of at least 45 wooden posts in Aars, North Jutland, has a diameter of about 30 metres and is believed to have been constructed between 2600 and 1600BC. Continue reading...
  
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• Anti-Trump sentiment drives dramatic upturn in fortunes for Canada’s Liberals

  26-02-2025 18:03 via theguardian.com
  
  Ruling party was deeply unpopular but threat of US tariffs combined with prospect of new leader spurs rise in pollsCanada’s ruling Liberals, who a few weeks ago looked certain to lose an election this year, are mounting a major comeback amid the threat of US tariffs and are tied with their rival Conservatives, according to three new polls.An Ipsos survey released late on Tuesday showed the left-leaning Liberals have 38% public support and the official opposition right-of-center Conservativ
  
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• EU reveals plans to hit climate goals by helping dirty industries clean up

  26-02-2025 17:36 via theguardian.com
  
  European Commission recommits to 90% emissions cut by 2040, and will support steel and cement in transitionThe EU executive has insisted it will stay the course on its climate goals, while setting out plans to help Europe’s most polluting industries reach the green transition and watering down environmental reporting demands on companies.Publishing its “clean industrial deal” on Wednesday, the European Commission said it had a plan to help polluting industries, such as steel an
  
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• U.S. will spend up to $1 billion to combat bird flu, USDA secretary says

  26-02-2025 17:02 via nbcnews.com
  
  The U.S. will invest up to $1 billion to combat the spread of bird flu, including increasing imports of eggs, agriculture secretary Brooke Rollins said.
  
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• Social media influencers are ‘fearmongering’ to promote health tests with limited evidence, study finds

  26-02-2025 17:00 via theguardian.com
  Researchers warn of harms of overdiagnosis for generally healthy people as well as the cost of tests themselvesFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastInfluencers are appealing to emotional narratives around health and often “fearmongering” to promote controversial medical tests on social media, a new study has found, in ways that are overwhelmingly misleading and fail to mention potential harms.The research, le
  
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• New lunar lander set to launch to the Moon’s south pole

  26-02-2025 15:50 via nbcnews.com
  A robotic moon lander known as Athena is scheduled to launch atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center with a mission to explore the moon’s south pole. The same rocket will also launch a moon-mapping satellite developed by NASA, known as the Lunar Trailblazer.
  
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• We all live in a nuclear submarine: Aukus future on show as USS Minnesota docks in Perth

  26-02-2025 15:00 via theguardian.com
  
  With long voyages and tight living quarters, American sailors give a glimpse of what’s in store for Australian counterparts in $368bn dealFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThere was a lot of sound and fury about China’s recent live-fire exercises off Australia’s coast. But in the backwash of that diplomatic incident, a US nuclear submarine has slid silently into port on the other side of the country
  
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• Family mourns grandfather’s death as Israel brings Gaza tactics to West Bank

  26-02-2025 15:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Major military operation causes largest displacement of Palestinians in West Bank since Israel seized it in 1967Waleed Lahlouh was 73, with a shock of white hair that marked his age, when Israeli soldiers shot him dead on a sunny February morning outside his home in Jenin refugee camp. Relatives said he was killed while trying to collect some winter clothes for his family.He had fled with his children and grandchildren a week earlier when Israeli troops moved into the camp and ordered residents
  
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• A murky picture has emerged over China’s live-fire drills. Who knew what when?

  26-02-2025 15:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Here’s what we know about how Australia learned about Chinese navy exercises held in the Tasman Sea over two daysGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastIn the five days since Chinese navy ships held live-fire drills in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand, an unclear picture has emerged of who knew what – and when.Australian Senate estimates heard the first knowledge Australian authorities had of the potentially dangerous live-fire activity was through
  
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• ‘It wasn’t nice’: Australian couple sat next to corpse on long-haul flight

  26-02-2025 14:54 via theguardian.com
  Mitchell Ring and Jennifer Colin say woman who died en route to Doha was left next to them by Qatar Airways staffFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAn Australian couple have criticised Qatar Airways after a blanket-draped corpse was seated next to them during a long-haul flight.Mitchell Ring said a passenger died part-way through the 14-hour flight from Melbourne to Doha last week. Continue reading...
  
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• Mother of Egypt detainee ready to end hunger strike if UK makes progress

  26-02-2025 14:32 via theguardian.com
  
  Laila Soueif was hospitalised with low blood sugar this week as she tries to secure release of son Alaa Abd el-FattahA mother declared at risk of sudden death due to her 150-day hunger strike to free her jailed son has been persuaded to end her fast if UK ministers show any sign of progress in efforts to seek his release.Laila Soueif, 68, is seeking the release of her son, the British-Egyptian prize-winning writer Alaa Abd el-Fattah, from a jail in Cairo. She has attempted to protest outside Dow
  
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• Thousands of Israelis line streets for funeral of Bibas family killed in Gaza

  26-02-2025 13:51 via theguardian.com
  
  National outpouring of grief comes amid reports that deal reached to resume ceasefire with HamasThousands of Israelis have lined the route of a funeral procession for two small children and their mother who were held hostage and died in captivity in Gaza.The national outpouring of grief for Ariel, Kfir and Shiri Bibas came amid reports that a deal had been reached to resume the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, with the handover of more bodies of hostages in return for the release of
  
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• Trump faces Truth Social backlash over AI video of Gaza with topless Netanyahu and bearded bellydancers

  26-02-2025 13:15 via theguardian.com
  
  Users of president’s own social media site criticise video showing reimagined Gaza featuring Trump and Israeli PM sipping cocktailsDonald Trump is facing a backlash on his Truth Social platform after sharing an AI-created video of him sipping cocktails with a topless Benjamin Netanyahu in Gaza, in a future imagining of the Palestinian territory devastated by Israel’s war.The video presented a computer-generated vision of Trump’s property development plan for Gaza, under which h
  
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• Doug Ford: rightwing populist becomes Canada’s anti-Trump figurehead

  26-02-2025 12:55 via theguardian.com
  
  The Ontario premier says he’s ready to stand up to Trump over tariffs – will that yield a third straight election win?The day Donald Trump won the United States presidential election was a happy one for Doug Ford.The conservative politician who oversees Canada’s most populous province – and its largest economy – made the admission to caucus and supporters, in off-the-cuff remarks accidentally caught by a nearby microphone. Continue reading...
  
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• Tropical Cyclone Alfred forecast: system yet to intensify as it lingers off Queensland coast

  26-02-2025 12:47 via theguardian.com
  
  BoM says category 2 tropical cyclone is about 930km north-east of Mackay and path is tracking slowly south through Coral SeaGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA slow-moving tropical cyclone off north-east Australia is expected to linger in the Coral Sea for at least the next few days, but forecasters say there remains a risk the system could eventually turn towards the Queensland coast.The Bureau of Meteorology says category 2 Tropical Cyclone Alfred is about 930km north-
  
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• Two clusters of unknown illness cases kill 50 in Democratic Republic of Congo

  26-02-2025 12:32 via nbcnews.com
  
  More than 50 people have died in recent weeks in two clusters of illness cases with the unknown cause being investigated in northwest Democratic Republic of Congo, the World Health Organization said Tuesday.
  
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• Colombia risks return to violent past, says architect of landmark peace deal

  26-02-2025 12:30 via theguardian.com
  Exclusive: The bloody foundering of President Gustavo Petro’s ‘Total Peace’ strategy is a ‘national failure’, says Juan Manuel Santos, who ended war with Farc guerrillas in 2016Colombia risks sliding back into its violent past as armed groups exploit the stumbling peace strategy of President Gustavo Petro, the architect of its landmark 2016 peace deal has told the Guardian.In a rare interview, former president Juan Manuel Santos warned that gains from the peace agre
  
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• Australia host loses job over offensive women's football remarks

  26-02-2025 09:31 via bbc.com
  
  Marty Sheargold said that the Matildas players reminded him of "year 10 girls".
  
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• Harsher bans needed to stop dangerous tackles - Warburton

  26-02-2025 09:05 via bbc.com
  
  Former Wales captain Sam Warburton says "harsher" bans are needed to stop dangerous tackles after Garry Ringrose received a 20-minute red card during Ireland's Six Nations win over Wales.
  
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• Tesla shares slump after European sales fall

  26-02-2025 08:53 via bbc.com
  
  Shares in the US electric carmaker dropped after European sales halved in January.
  
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• Gov. Glenn Youngkin offers support to federal workers fired by DOGE: 'We care about you'

  26-02-2025 08:26 via foxnews.com
  
  Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin appears to be following through with a promise to help federal workers find new employment after their jobs were cut by the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. The Republican governor has announced a new website to assist them find employment in the Virginia government on virginiahasjobs.com. "We care about you," Youngkin said at the Capital One Center in McLean. "And we have a support system in order to help you find that next great opportuni
  
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• BP to slash green investment and ramp up gas and oil

  26-02-2025 08:20 via bbc.com
  
  The energy giant will announce its strategy later after rivals also rowed back on green energy plans.
  
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• I can't accept Nunez's work-rate - Slot

  26-02-2025 08:04 via bbc.com
  
  Liverpool manager Arne Slot says he "can't accept" striker Darwin Nunez's work-rate in his past two games.
  
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