General news

• Trump signs executive order to dismantle Education Department

  20-03-2025 23:50 via nbcnews.com
  President Trump signed an executive order Thursday aimed at dismantling the Department of Education, arguing that shifting money back to the states will improve student test scores.However, fully closing the department requires an act of Congress. NBC’s Garrett Haake reports.
  
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• Maryland officials failed to assess vulnerability of Francis Scott Key Bridge before collapse, NTSB says

  20-03-2025 23:49 via nbcnews.com
  
  Federal officials are urging risk assessments for dozens of bridges across 19 states, saying the Maryland Transportation Authority failed to perform such an evaluation before the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed nearly a year ago.
  
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• Judge bars Trump administration from deporting Indian academic over political views

  20-03-2025 23:20 via theguardian.com
  
  Badar Khan Suri, who teaches at Georgetown University, being held incommunicado in Louisiana ‘staging center’A US district judge has barred Donald Trump’s administration from deporting an Indian academic from Georgetown University after the Department of Homeland Security accused him of having ties to Hamas.On Thursday, US district judge Patricia Giles in Alexandria, Virginia, prohibited federal officials from deporting Badar Khan Suri, a postdoctoral fellow at the university,
  
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• Ways to spend — and save — as interest rates stay high and tariffs mount

  20-03-2025 23:15 via nbcnews.com
  
  Consumers should brace for borrowing costs to stay elevated, prices to rise and stock markets to remain on edge for at least a little longer, analysts say.
  
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• Dismantling of education department casts US student loans into uncertainty

  20-03-2025 23:09 via theguardian.com
  
  Doubts that whatever remains of department can govern student debt as one in four US adults under 40 has loansDonald Trump ordered the dismantling of the US Department of Education on Thursday, prompting uncertainty for those holding student debt and questions about what happens next.Trump’s press secretary told reporters earlier on Thursday what remained of the department would continue to govern student debt. Continue reading...
  
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• What to expect after Trump's Department of Education executive order

  20-03-2025 23:00 via nbcnews.com
  
  With questions about the Department of Education's future still unanswered, learn more about could happen if the agency is dismantled.
  
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• It's a dirty job, but Ukraine's women are doing it for the war effort

  20-03-2025 23:00 via nbcnews.com
  
  The miners are creating power for Ukrainian electricity and heating stations, key energy infrastructure that has come under frequent Russian attacks.
  
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• Democrats feel the heat at town halls, too: From the Politics Desk

  20-03-2025 22:59 via nbcnews.com
  
  Democrats are responding to calls at town halls to more forcefully push back against President Donald Trump — and how one lawmaker is stepping into the party’s leadership void.
  
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• New political spending signals Elon Musk's huge role in the GOP is still growing

  20-03-2025 22:51 via nbcnews.com
  
  After having sunk more than a quarter-billion dollars into the 2024 election and then taken a central role in President Donald Trump’s administration, billionaire Elon Musk is demonstrating that he’s not done with his efforts to reshape American politics.
  
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• Two men convicted of murder-for-hire plot against Iranian American journalist in New York

  20-03-2025 22:34 via theguardian.com
  
  Masih Alinejad had incurred the wrath of Tehran by campaigning for Iranian women to reject strict dress codesTwo men have been found guilty of plotting to assassinate the Iranian American journalist Masih Alinejad at her home in New York City in a murder-for-hire scheme that prosecutors said was financed by the Iranian government.The verdict was returned at a federal court in New York on Thursday, ending a two-week trial that featured dramatic testimony from a hired gunman and Alinejad, an autho
  
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• US women’s justice group launches campaign to get Andrew Tate extradited

  20-03-2025 22:27 via theguardian.com
  
  UltraViolet attacks Trump administration for reportedly influencing Romanian officials to allow him to fly to FloridaA prominent women’s justice organization launched a campaign on Thursday to have the accused rapist and human trafficker Andrew Tate extradited from the US.The group, UltraViolet, also attacked the Trump administration for reportedly influencing Romanian officials to allow Tate to fly to Florida last month.This story was updated on 20 March 2025 to correct that the women&rsq
  
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• ‘We will never recover’, Lilie James’ parents tell murder inquest as experts describe ex-boyfriend’s coercive control

  20-03-2025 22:24 via theguardian.com
  Paul Thijssen stalked 21-year-old water polo coach as she ‘attempted to push back’ against his manipulation, court hearsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe parents of murdered water polo coach Lilie James have described their devastation in an emotional statement to the coronial inquest into her death.Peta and Jamie James also stressed the importance of teaching young boys to “respect and value a woman’s opinion and choices” and warned not
  
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• X sues Modi's government over content removal in new India censorship fight

  20-03-2025 22:12 via theguardian.com
  
  Elon Musk’s company is arguing against the government’s expanded powers to allow easier removal of online contentIndia’s IT ministry has unlawfully expanded censorship powers to allow the easier removal of online content and empowered “countless” government officials to execute such orders, Elon Musk’s X has alleged in a new lawsuit against New Delhi.The lawsuit and the allegations mark an escalation in an ongoing legal dispute between X and the government of
  
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• Judge rips DOJ's 'woefully insufficient' response to questions about Alien Enemies Act case

  20-03-2025 21:55 via nbcnews.com
  
  A federal judge on Thursday blasted the Justice Department’s latest response to his demand for more information about deportation flights that were carried out under a wartime law known as the Alien Enemies Act, calling it “woefully insufficient.”
  
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• US rejects Mexico’s request for water as Trump opens new battle front

  20-03-2025 21:17 via theguardian.com
  
  State department turns down special request to supply city of Tijuana in drought-affected north for first time everThe United States has refused a request by Mexico for water, alleging shortfalls in sharing by its southern neighbor, as Donald Trump ramps up a battle on another front.The state department said on Thursday it was the first time that the United States had rejected a request by Mexico for special delivery of water, which would have gone to the border city of Tijuana. Continue reading
  
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• Chlamydia detected in Sydney’s only disease-free koala population

  20-03-2025 21:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Two animals tested positive after being rescued in Appin, prompting biosecurity measures to stop the disease spreadingFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastChlamydia has spread to Sydney’s only disease-free koala population with two koalas testing positive after they were rescued late last year.The koalas were tested after they were found in Appin in south-western Sydney in September with injuries suggesting they ha
  
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• Schumer says America is in a constitutional crisis: ‘Our democracy is at risk’

  20-03-2025 20:45 via nbcnews.com
  In an exclusive interview with Meet the Press, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer tells Kristen Welker he believes America is in a constitutional crisis amid President Trump’s calls to impeach a judge who ruled against him over his deportation efforts.
  
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• Trump’s demand that US could take over Ukraine’s reactors is not credible

  20-03-2025 20:35 via theguardian.com
  
  US president’s plan for American firms to run power plants is unrealistic and is opposed by Putin and ZelenskyyAs a demand, it is Donald Trump at his most confusing. The American president appears, at least according to Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, to have told Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday that “American ownership” of Ukraine’s four nuclear power plants would be their best protection in future – although the Ukrainian president said on Thursday that &
  
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• Ukraine and Russia delegations due in Riyadh on Monday for separate US talks

  20-03-2025 20:33 via theguardian.com
  
  US may shuttle between sides in drive to achieve quick deal Trump wants, as Moscow sends ex-spy to lead negotiationsUkraine will have a delegation in Riyadh on the same day the US is holding ceasefire talks there with a Russian negotiating team led by a secretive former FSB chief who played a key role in planning Vladimir Putin’s 2022 full-scale invasion.Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said the delegation would meet with US representatives on Monday and supply a list of ene
  
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• 30 years after deadly Tokyo subway gassing, survivors and victims’ families still seeking closure

  20-03-2025 20:18 via foxnews.com
  
  Thirty years on from the fatal sarin nerve gas attack in Tokyo's subway network, survivors and families who lost loved ones are still seeking justice.Thirteen people were killed and thousands were sickened when cult members released sarin nerve gas in the capital's subway trains on March 20, 1995. The attack remains one of the most shocking atrocities in Japan, a country known for its low crime rates.20 YEARS LATER, A SURVIVOR RECOUNTS JAPAN'S SARIN GAS ATTACK AND HOW IT AFFECTED HIS LIFEThe cul
  
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• Israel begins ground operation in Hamas stronghold of Rafah, expands activities in Gaza

  20-03-2025 20:12 via foxnews.com
  
  Israeli forces began military ground operations in Gaza, particularly the Hamas stronghold of Rafah in an effort to degrade the terror group's infrastructure, authorities said Thursday. The Israel Defense Forces said a ground operation was taking place in the "Shavura" neighborhood, as well as parts of central and northern Gaza. ISRAEL SHOOTS DOWN HOUTHI BALLISTIC MISSILE AFTER CEASEFIRE COLLAPSES"In recent hours, IDF forces began a ground operation in the area of ​​the &ls
  
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• Karla Sofía Gascón says she is ‘less racist than Gandhi’ on return to public eye

  20-03-2025 19:57 via theguardian.com
  
  Actor suggests she may have been intentionally smeared and says ‘no one has to forgive me’ after recent controversyKarla Sofía Gascón has described herself as “less racist than Gandhi” and insisted “no one has to forgive me for anything” as she returns to the public eye after the emergence of offensive social media posts widely thought to have torpedoed the Oscar hopes of her film Emilia Pérez.The Spanish performer, who became the first tr
  
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• Spanish parliament vote on cutting food waste will end ban on wolf hunting

  20-03-2025 19:46 via theguardian.com
  
  Amendment brought by coalition of parties says wolves add to food waste due to remains of livestock they killThe Spanish parliament has voted through a measure that will in effect lift the hunting ban on wolves that was imposed in 2021.A coalition led by the conservative People’s party, with the support of the far-right Vox party and Basque and Catalan nationalists, added an amendment to a law aimed at reducing Spain’s estimated 1.2bn kilograms of food waste. Continue reading...
  
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• Israeli strikes on Gaza add to soaring child death toll

  20-03-2025 19:41 via theguardian.com
  
  Hospitals say high proportion of women and children among dead in latest strikesIsrael–Gaza war – latest updatesAt least 91 Palestinians have been killed and many more injured in a third day of Israeli strikes across Gaza, according to medical officials in the strip, who said a high proportion of the dead were women and children.The timing of the strikes in the new Israeli offensive appears to have increased the proportion of women and children among the victims, with many sleeping w
  
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• Starmer warns Putin of ‘severe consequences’ if he breaches peace deal

  20-03-2025 19:30 via theguardian.com
  
  UK leader says Russia cannot veto how Ukraine defends itself as western military officials meet to draft security plansAnalysis: UK turns to the EU for defensive tiesVladimir Putin will face “severe consequences” if he breaches a peace deal with Ukraine, Keir Starmer has warned as western military planners begin drawing up plans to enforce any agreement between the two countries.The British prime minister issued his warning to the Russian president after meeting officials from 31 cou
  
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• Ignored by Trump and menaced by Putin, the UK turns to the EU for defensive ties

  20-03-2025 19:30 via theguardian.com
  
  As Trump seeks to withdraw the US from European defence, Keir Starmer is trying to develop closer ties with the UK’s neighboursDonald Trump’s isolationism and Vladimir Putin’s menace leaves post-Brexit Britain in a delicate position. While the combination of US disengagement from Europe and the reality of Russian aggression has forced a reappraisal of security across the continent, Britain’s half-in, half-out status makes for complications.The prime minister, Keir Starmer
  
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• West Papuan Indigenous people call for KitKat boycott over alleged ecocide

  20-03-2025 19:14 via theguardian.com
  
  Thousands of acres of rainforest is being cleared to produce palm oil, used in popular Nestlé and Mondelēz brandsWest Papua’s Indigenous people have called for a boycott of KitKat, Smarties and Aero chocolate, Oreo biscuits and Ritz crackers, and the cosmetics brands Pantene and Herbal Essences, over alleged ecocide in their territory.All are products that contain palm oil and are made, say the campaigners, by companies that source the ingredient directly from West Papua, which
  
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• Canada says China executed 4 Canadians this year amid rising tensions between the countries

  20-03-2025 17:41 via foxnews.com
  
  China executed four Canadians in recent months, Canada's foreign affairs minister said Wednesday. Such executions of Westerners are relatively rare.Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly said she and former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau asked for clemency in the drug-related accusations involving the dual citizens.Beijing’s embassy in Ottawa said the executions were due to drug crimes and noted that China does not recognize dual citizenship.CHINA'S US INFLUENCE COULD FACE CRACKDOWN UNDER SLA
  
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• Kirsty Coventry elected first female president of IOC as Coe routed in vote

  20-03-2025 17:09 via theguardian.com
  
  Zimbabwean former swimmer won majority in first roundSebastian Coe is third; Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr secondThe Zimbabwean swimmer Kirsty Coventry has become the first woman to lead the International Olympic Committee in its 131-year history after a stunning first-round knockout over a seven-strong field that included Britain’s Sebastian Coe.In a contest that had been expected to go through multiple rounds of voting, the 41-year-old won 49 of the 97 votes in the first round, giving her an
  
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• Israel-Gaza war: Israeli military says it is conducting ground activity in northern Gaza as dozens reported dead after Israeli strike – as it happened

  20-03-2025 16:59 via theguardian.com
  
  Israeli military says it is conducting ground activities in northern Gaza Strip as health ministry reports 85 people killed by Israeli attacks overnightThe resumption of airstrikes has sent Palestinian residents again fleeing for their lives from homes they had begun to reinhabit among the ruins of the devastated territory.Some Palestinians who tried to use the Salahuddin road said they saw cars come under fire from Israeli troops advancing towards Netzarim, reports Reuters. The fate of the pass
  
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• Thousands protest in Israel over ‘attack on democracy’ by Netanyahu

  20-03-2025 15:32 via theguardian.com
  
  Protesters accuse PM of continuing Gaza war for political reasons and ignoring plight of hostages still held by HamasIsrael–Gaza war – latest updatesTens of thousands of Israelis have taken to the streets to call for a new ceasefire in Gaza and to protest against what they say is an attack on the country’s democracy by the rightwing governing coalition of Benjamin Netanyahu.Key highways have been blocked and police have made at least 12 arrests amid heated scenes in Jerusalem a
  
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• Taliban frees American hostage George Glezmann following negotiations with US, Qatar

  20-03-2025 15:21 via foxnews.com
  
  FIRST ON FOX: The Taliban on Thursday released American hostage George Glezmann after holding him for more than two years in Afghanistan following negotiations between the Trump administration and Qatari officials, a diplomatic source with knowledge of the release told Fox News Digital.Glezmann departed the Kabul airport Wednesday evening local time on his way to Doha where he will then be met by U.S. hostage envoy Adam Boehler along with a team from the Qatari Foreign Ministry.The release of th
  
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• Australian government agencies could be customers of Israeli spyware, research suggests

  20-03-2025 15:00 via theguardian.com
  
  While it is unknown if any Australians have been targeted, the military-grade program from Paragon Solutions provides full access to encrypted messaging appsFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralian government agencies could be customers of military-grade spyware from Israeli firm Paragon Solutions, a new report suggests.In January, Meta revealed more than 90 people, including journalists, had their WhatsApp compro
  
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• ACCC urges reform as Coles and Woolworths named among ‘most profitable’ supermarkets in world

  20-03-2025 15:00 via theguardian.com
  
  A 441-page report calls for 20 recommendations, including greater transparency around prices, special offers and ‘shrinkflation’Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastColes and Woolworths increased prices during a cost-of-living crisis to boost profits and used promotions that made it hard to judge a good shopping deal, the competition regulator concluded in a major report investigating the sector.The Australia
  
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• Steve Kornacki previews 2025 March Madness, teams to watch

  20-03-2025 14:33 via today.com
  NBC’s Steve Kornacki joins TODAY to break down all things March Madness, including some of the most exciting storylines to watch out for and the very low odds of filling out a perfect bracket.
  
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• M23 rebels capture strategic mining hub of Walikale in eastern DRC

  20-03-2025 14:12 via theguardian.com
  
  Town in North Kivu province is the farthest west the group has reached since the start of its advance in JanuaryM23 rebels have captured a strategic mining hub in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, defying calls from the presidents of Rwanda and the DRC for an immediate ceasefire.A Congolese army spokesperson said M23 was in control of the town of Walikale. An officer separately told Agence France-Presse its forces were about 20 miles (30km) away in the town of Mubi. Continue reading...
  
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• Israel reimposes blockade of northern Gaza, including capital Gaza City

  20-03-2025 14:12 via foxnews.com
  
  Israeli troops re-imposed a blockade of the northern capital of Gaza City on Thursday, less than a day after once again deploying troops into the Gaza Strip.Israel continued with its bombardment of Gaza as well, killing 85 Palestinians from Wednesday into Thursday, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry. Israel maintained the blockade of Gaza City for much of the war prior to the January ceasefire, which collapsed earlier this week.The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) warned residents not t
  
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• Military leaders to meet on UK-France 'coalition of the willing' plan for Ukraine

  20-03-2025 12:47 via foxnews.com
  
  A U.K.-France-led "coalition of the willing" is bringing together senior military officers from across the globe to devise a plan for a peacekeeping force in Ukraine. France and the U.K. are the only two countries in the coalition that have said they would be willing to send troops, but Canada, Australia, Finland and other European nations are said to be open to being involved, according to the Associated Press (AP). However, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said this week that the coalitio
  
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• World leader agrees with Vance that mass migration is threat to 'daily life'

  20-03-2025 12:36 via foxnews.com
  
  Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen says she agrees with recent comments from Vice President JD Vance that mass migration into Europe is a major problem.Frederiksen made the comment during an interview with Politico published Thursday, saying it is critical that Europe begin stemming the flow of foreign migrants."I consider this mass migration into Europe as a threat to the daily life in Europe," Frederiksen said in a throwback to Vance's Feb. 14 speech at the Munich Security Conference in G
  
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• New search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 approved more than a decade after disappearance

  20-03-2025 12:34 via foxnews.com
  
  Malaysia’s government gave final approval for a Texas-based company to resume the search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 more than a decade after the airplane’s disappearance. Terms and conditions of a "no-find, no fee" contract have been agreed upon with Ocean Infinity to launch a seabed search operation at a new 5,800-square-mile site, according to Transport Minister Anthony Loke. The company will be paid $70 million only if wreckage is discovered. "The governm
  
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• WATCH: Sheriff’s deputy vehicle hit by truck while responding to call in Florida

  20-03-2025 12:15 via abcnews.go.com
  
  No citizens were injured, while the deputy suffered minor injuries and was taken to the hospital for evaluation, authorities said.
  
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• Hamas launches first attack on Israel since ceasefire collapse

  20-03-2025 11:21 via foxnews.com
  
  Hamas has claimed responsibility for rockets fired at Israel on Thursday."This launch is the resistance's first response to the zionist entity's violation of the ceasefire, which resulted over 710 martyrs in the last three days. It also comes after the IOF's renewed ground invasion into Beit Lahia this morning, and the failure of the mediators and the world to curb the IOF's aggression," according to reports.Strikes launched by Israel killed at least 58 Palestinians throughout the Gaza Strip ove
  
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• Ten years on, can China still meet grand football plans?

  20-03-2025 11:04 via bbc.com
  
  In 2015, Xi Jinping posed for a selfie with Sergio Aguero and David Cameron, but are China still on track to meet his footballing goals?
  
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• Trump vindicated as explosive report confirms Iran supervises Houthi 'political and military affairs'

  20-03-2025 09:00 via foxnews.com
  
  FIRST ON FOX: Following a year of significant setbacks in the Middle East for Iran with its proxy forces flagging in the Gaza Strip, Lebanon and Syria, Tehran is leaning on its influence over the Houthi terrorist group in Yemen to carry out its offensive aims. According to findings obtained by sources embedded in Tehran who are affiliated with the Iranian resistance group called the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran, not only are some of Iran’s most senior military officia
  
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• Sales of Vietnamese doll plunge over face marking like China’s ‘nine-dash line’

  20-03-2025 07:30 via theguardian.com
  
  One version of Baby Three doll appears to bear a mark resembling the shape of the ocean border on which China bases its illegitimate claim to most of the South China SeaRegional tensions over the South China Sea have tanked the sales of a popular children’s doll in Vietnam after it was put under investigation and accused of being unpatriotic because a design marking appeared to resemble China’s “nine-dash line”.The Baby Three doll is Chinese-made and had reportedly been h
  
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• How two friends found £3m treasure and ended up in jail

  20-03-2025 07:11 via bbc.com
  
  How recklessness and greed led the finders of one of Britain's rarest treasure troves to jail.
  
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• Indonesia passes controversial law allowing greater military role in government

  20-03-2025 06:45 via theguardian.com
  
  Activists in world’s third-largest democracy warn the legal changes signal a return to military dominance in civilian affairs that characterised Suharto yearsIndonesia has ratified controversial changes to its military law allowing armed forces personnel to hold more civilian posts, a move that analysts fear could usher in a resurgence of the military in government affairs.Activists in the world’s third-largest democracy have criticised the revisions, warning they signal a return to
  
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• Women in business held back by mobile data’s cost in developing world – report

  20-03-2025 06:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Nearly half of female entrepreneurs surveyed by Cherie Blair Foundation for Women do not have regular internet access The cost of a mobile data package is all that is holding back many female entrepreneurs in developing countries, according to recent research.While social media marketing is reported to be crucial by female business owners who have access to it, 45% of women in business in low- and middle-income countries said they did not have regular internet access because of the expense and c
  
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• Australia in discussions to avoid ‘devastating consequences’ of US aid cuts for Pacific nations

  20-03-2025 05:51 via theguardian.com
  
  Exclusive: Penny Wong says diplomats are consulting US government and ‘engaging with countries in our region’ to determine need for additional supportFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Australian government is consulting Pacific nations to assess the “devastating consequences” of the Trump administration’s freeze on foreign aid and considering what additional support it can provide ahe
  
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• Carrie Underwood's tribute to Randy Travis moves Grand Ole Opry audience to tears

  20-03-2025 03:49 via foxnews.com
  
  Carrie Underwood moved the crowd at the 100th anniversary of the Grand Ole Opry on Wednesday night. Underwood took the stage at the event, titled Opry 100: A Live Celebration, to honor Randy Travis, who welcomed her to be a member of the Grand Ole Opry 17 years ago in 2008.Underwood kicked off her tribute to Travis by sharing a story about her childhood. She said that her sister had a cassette tape of Travis' and once she got her hands on it, she "never" gave it back to her.Five years after
  
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