Australia politics live: Chalmers says Ley targeting treasury secretary over RBA rate hike ‘reflects a level of desperation’; Tim Wilson ejected from question time
Follow today’s news liveRBA interest rates decision: Reserve Bank increases cash rate to 3.85% in blow to mortgage holdersGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastLiberal politicians have joked they need “divine intervention” at a church service before parliament resumes today.Federal parliamentarians are attending the ecumenical service, before sitting begins later. Media doorstopped most of the MPs on their way in, with reporters asking what they were praying for, whether they needed “forgiveness”, and whether they prayed for a Coalition reunion.We know that inflation’s higher than we would like. People are under more pressure than anybody wants. And that’s why the responsibility that we have … is to continue to manage the budget in a responsible way, continue to roll out this cost of living relief. Continue reading...
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Music and dancing signify defiance at celebratory funerals of Iran’s protesters
Euphoric scenes are a snub to theocracy’s culture of piety, say analysts, and carry message of rebellion Iranians killed in recent protests that rocked the country have been laid to rest in boisterous funerals featuring loud pop music and dancing, apparently intended to convey defiance to the ruling Islamic regime.Instead of holding sombre traditional mourning ceremonies presided over by a Shia cleric, bereaved relatives are turning the burials into exultant celebrations of the lives of their loved ones in what analysts say is an intentional snub to the culture of piety demanded by Iran’s theocracy. Continue reading...
Riverford sales rise 6% as UK organics market enjoys biggest boom in two decades
Sector bounces back as consumers focus on provenance and healthy eating, but is still well behind EuropeConsumers searching for healthy food from trusted sources have fuelled the UK organic market’s biggest boom in two decades, according to vegetable box seller Riverford.The delivery business, which sells meat, cheese, cookbooks and recipe boxes alongside vegetables, recorded a 6% increase in sales to £117m in the year to May 2025, as the UK organic food and drink market grew by almost 9% in that year, according to new figures from the Soil Association. The strong growth, significantly outpacing the wider food market, helped the employee-owned business give a £1.1m bonus to workers. Continue reading...
Good luck Dua Leaper: scientists return frogs wiped out by fungal disease to wild
Researchers dig ‘spas’ and install ‘saunas’ in ACT wetlands to give green and golden bell frogs the best chance of survivalFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastScientists have reintroduced green and golden bell frogs to the Australian Capital Territory for the first time since the species became locally extinct four decades ago.The first cohort of 25 frogs was released on Tuesday morning, a milestone for conservation of the animals, whose numbers have been devastated by the chytrid fungal disease that has wiped out 90 amphibian species in 50 years. Continue reading...
Melania: Amazon’s $106m documentary takes $982 per screen in Australian opening weekend
Documentary about the US first lady debuted at No 31 at Australian box office, making $32,399 from 33 screensMelania, Amazon’s $106m (US$75m) documentary about the US first lady, has bombed at the Australian box office on its opening weekend, debuting at No 31 on the charts and taking just $982 (£503, US$688) per screen.The documentary, directed by Brett Ratner, was screened in 33 cinemas across Australia and made $32,399 overall. Continue reading...
Musk merges SpaceX and xAI firms, plans for space-based AI data centres
Musk says solar powered and space-based data centres are the only way to meet AI's burgeoning energy demands.
Epstein files reveal Peter Mandelson supported campaign to undermine then-Australian PM Kevin Rudd’s mining super profits tax
Former UK Labour minister wrote ‘pressure needs to be maintained’ against Australian Labor’s proposed tax in email sent two weeks before Rudd was replaced as PMFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA former UK Labour minister supported a campaign to undermine the Rudd Labor government’s proposed mining super profits tax in Australia, a document published in the latest tranche of the Epstein files reveals.Lord Peter Mandelson, once one of British Labour’s most powerful figures, was sacked last year as the UK’s ambassador to the US over his links with the disgraced financier, rapist and human trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. Continue reading...
Moscow confirms Russian forces helped repel ISIL attack on Niger airport
Moscow 'strongly condemns' attack on airport in the capital, Niamey, where 20 rebels were killed and 4 soldiers wounded.
US judge temporarily blocks lifting of deportation protections for Haiti migrants
The judge said the Department of Homeland Security Secretary did not have facts or law on her side.
Lake Cargelligo alleged killer Julian Ingram previously convicted for grabbing family member by throat
Broader investigation under way into police handling of allegations against 37-year-old, who has still not been foundFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastWarning: This article contains references to Indigenous Australians who have diedJulian Ingram was convicted of grabbing a family member by the throat after she made a comment about his children four years before he allegedly murdered three people and went on the run.Ingram, also known as Julian Pierpoint, is suspected of shooting dead his pregnant former partner Sophie Quinn, her new boyfriend and her aunt last month in Lake Cargelligo, about 450km west of Sydney. The 37-year-old was later seen leaving the town in a white single-cab Ford Ranger. Continue reading...