Australia news live: Labor’s hate speech bill on path to defeat after Greens say they will not back it in current form
Follow updates liveStunned Albanese says Coalition ‘playing politics’ as Ley calls hate speech reforms ‘pretty unsalvageable’Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastIranian Australians left distraught with no confirmation their family is safeAlmost a week into Iran’s communication blackout, Iranian Australian activist Mohammad Hashemi received a call from his home country.When I heard the stories, what happened to people, I was crying about the situation and what’s going on in our country.We continue to advise do not travel to Iran. If you choose to remain in Iran, you’re responsible for your own safety. Be prepared to shelter in place for an extended period. Make sure you have supplies of water, food and medication. Continue reading...
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Trump says he’s been assured Tehran has stopped killing protesters as Iran reopens its airspace – live
US president says ‘important sources’ also told him executions not going ahead as Iranian airspace reopens to flights after near-five-hour closureFull report: Iran protest killings have halted, Trump claims, as Tehran says executions are ‘out of the question’Iran crisis explained: what we know so farAnalysis: why western diplomats are wary of predicting regime’s end daysPodcast: Massacres and executions: what are we hearing from inside Iran?Moving for a moment to Australia, protesters have staged a rally outside the Iranian embassy in Canberra to demand regime change in Iran.About 100 demonstrators chanted “democracy for Iran” and “King Reza Pahlavi”, a reference to the last Iranian shah’s exiled son – a key figure in the anti-government protests.I don’t want Iran to be indentured to any foreign nation the moment anybody interferes. But if it means saving one life for it, we want a measured response that we can have this bloodshed ended. Continue reading...
Ugandans to vote in election expected to extend Museveni’s four-decade rule
Campaign beset by violence with supporters of rival candidate Bobi Wine teargassed and detainedUgandans are preparing to vote in an election that is expected to result in Yoweri Museveni extending his nearly four-decade grip on power in the east African country, after a campaign beset by violence.Security forces have frequently clamped down on supporters of Museveni’s main opponent, Bobi Wine, by teargassing and shooting bullets at events and detaining people. Authorities have also arrested civil society members and suspended rights groups. On Tuesday, they shut down internet access and limited mobile phone services countrywide. Continue reading...
Iran protest killings have halted, Trump claims, as Tehran says executions are ‘out of the question’
US president adopts more measured tone and suggests a pause in decision on threatened US military action in IranIran protests – live updatesIran crisis explained: what we know so farAnalysis: why western diplomats are wary of predicting regime’s end daysDonald Trump has said he has been assured the killing of protesters in Iran has been halted, adding that he would “watch it and see” about threatened US military action, as tensions appeared to ease on Wednesday night.Trump had repeatedly talked in recent days about coming to the aid of the Iranian people over the crackdown on protests that Iran Human Rights, a group based in Norway, said had now killed at least 3,428 people and led to the arrest of more than 10,000. Continue reading...
Trump says Iran has 'no plan' to execute protesters
The US president does not rule out military action in Iran, as Tehran temporarily shuts its airspace to nearly all flights.
Adelaide festival apologises to Randa Abdel-Fattah and invites her to participate in 2027 writers’ week
Apology comes as former Adelaide festival board member accuses Louise Adler of hypocrisy after she resigned citing free speech concernsFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe new Adelaide festival board has issued a public apology to Palestinian Australian academic Randa Abdel-Fattah, and has promised she will be invited to Adelaide writers’ week in 2027.Abdel-Fattah immediately accepted the apology, posting on Instagram that it was a vindication “of our collective solidarity and mobilisation against anti-Palestinian racism, bullying and censorship”. Continue reading...
Federal agent shoots man in Minneapolis as tensions in city run high
Minnesota city says it’s aware of a shooting as residents continue to reel in aftermath of Renee Nicole Good’s killingA federal officer has shot a man in the leg during an enforcement operation in north Minneapolis, sparking protests in a city still on edge after the killing of Renee Nicole Good by a federal agent last week.The shooting occurred about 7pm local time, according to witnesses. Several hundred protesters gathered at the scene on Wednesday night faced off with agents who blocked off the area and deployed smoke and other crowd control weapons. Continue reading...
Russian attacks cause energy emergency in freezing Ukraine, says Zelenskyy
Ukraine struggles to restore heat, electricity as temperatures plummet to -19 degrees Celsius.
Iranian airspace reopens – as it happened
US president says ‘important sources’ told him executions are not going ahead. This live blog is now closed – our new blog is hereFor the first time in days, Iranians were able to make calls abroad from their mobiles on Tuesday, according to reporting by Associated Press. Texting services have not been restored, however, and nor has the internet.Although Iranians were able to call abroad, they could not receive calls from outside the country, several people in the capital told Associated Press. The internet remained blocked, they said, though it is possible to access some government-approved websites. Cloudfare - an internet infrastructure provider, and one of several companies and monitors tracking the status of internet traffic in Iran – said traffic volumes have remained “at a fraction of a percent of previous levels”. Its latest update as of 01:00 UTC (which is about three hours and 30 minutes ago), shows a continued widespread blackout. Iran has been under an internet shutdown since Thursday night. Brief windows of connectivity were observed on Friday, but these did not last, according to Cloudfare.Netblocks, an independent global internet monitor, also notes that while some phone calls from Iran are connecting, there is “no secure way to communicate” and the general public remain cut off from the outside world. Continue reading...
Zelensky declares emergency in Ukraine's energy sector as biting cold persists
The move comes as US President Donald Trump said Ukraine is "less ready" than the Russian president to make a peace deal.