Albanese calls Taylor ‘Temu Abbott’ as bitter fight rages over budget tax changes

• International NGOs are warning of a collapsing humanitarian situation in Yemen four years after the United Nations truce. • Geopolitical friction and tactical exploitation by disruptive actors are currently hindering regional stability and economic growth initiatives.

• The Albanese government is facing increasing pushback over proposed reforms to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), with critics warning that cuts could cause significant harm to participants. • In the Middle East, Israel continued its overnight offensive, while Tehran announced it is halting peace talks and intends to fully close the strait of Hormuz.

Energy and military sites targeted as guests gather for economic forum where Putin is due to speak on FridayUkrainian drones hit energy and military sites in St Petersburg early on Wednesday hours before international guests gathered for the city’s flagship economic forum, in a blow to Vladimir Putin.Several long-range drones crashed into oil storage facilities after Russian air defences tried unsuccessfully to shoot them down. There were loud explosions and black smoke rose high above the city from the blazing oil terminal. Continue reading...

Son of deposed shah forced to distance himself from once-dreaded Savak as some of his ‘fascistic’ supporters glorify it For decades, the Savak was seen as the most hated symbol of repression that kept Iran’s last shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, in power – and a main driving force behind the revolutionary fervor that toppled him in 1979.Now the deposed monarch’s son, Reza Pahlavi, has been forced to distance himself from the once-dreaded security agency after some of his most vociferous supporters glorified it as the defining emblem in their drive to install him on the throne in a royal restoration. Continue reading...

Democrats seek to oust Republicans in New Jersey and Iowa, while other major races remain up in the airVoters in Tuesday’s primary elections across the US chose candidates who could flip critical districts in the US House and Senate in November, setting up a series of high-stakes general election contests in a midterm year expected to favor Democrats.Among the most watched races are: a New Jersey Democrat who could oust a Republican incumbent absent with a mystery medical issue for months; several Iowa Democrats hoping to flip their red-leaning state; and California’s redrawn maps that have given Democrats an advantage in the heavily blue state. Continue reading...

Johnson tells BBC documentary he played tennis in early 2016 with then prime minister to discuss EU referendumUK politics live – latest updatesDavid Cameron offered Boris Johnson a senior Cabinet position in return for campaigning for the UK to remain in the EU during the 2016 referendum, it has been revealedIn the event, and with four months to go before the vote, Johnson transformed the terms of the debate by announcing in February 2016 that “after a huge amount of heartache” he was throwing his weight behind the campaign to take Britain out of the EU. Continue reading...

Emergency services at scene of incident at Sourton Down, near OkehamptonA Royal Navy helicopter has crashed into a field in Devon, police have confirmed.Emergency services are at the scene of the incident at Sourton Down, near Okehampton. Continue reading...

Sarah Jones says guidance that black and white suspects should be treated differently gives ‘wrong impression’Anti-discrimination guidance to police that black and white suspects should be treated differently “gives the wrong impression”, according to the policing minister, who said protesters involved in overnight violence in Southampton should not be allowed to shape the reaction to the murder of Henry Nowak.Two people were arrested after unrest in Southampton after the sentencing of the 18-year-old’s killer, Vickrum Digwa, who told police attending the scene of the stabbing in the city on 3 December 2025 that he had been the victim of a racist attack. Continue reading...

Sarah Jones appeals for calm after rioting over the death of Nowak, who was handcuffed while dying from stab woundGood morning. Keir Starmer spoke for many people yesterday when he said that he felt “sick” watching the video of Henry Nowak being handcuffed as he lay dying, while a police officer who had been told Nowak had committed a racist assault ignored Nowak saying he had been stabbed. Starmer’s was a good faith response to the tragedy, which saw Nowak’s killer jailed for life on Monday.But there have been plenty of bad faith responses to the murder too, which culminated in rioting in Southampton last night. Here is our overnight story about yesterday’s events. Continue reading...

OECD forecast sets out economic risks from conflict, pointing to potential shortfalls to key energy productsOECD predicts spate of recessions globally if Iran conflict drags into 2027Rural areas in the UK would be particularly at risk of diesel shortages if the conflict in Iran continues to squeeze supplies, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development has warned.The OECD predicted economic growth of 0.9% in the UK this year – a modest upgrade from the 0.7% it feared in March when it last updated its forecasts. It said government spending will help to support the economy in the short term. Continue reading...

The economy was slowing even before the Middle East conflict and interest rate hikes started to bite, while the boom in datacentres was a rare bright spotGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe economy slowed sharply in early 2026 and Australians’ living standards are once again going backwards.At the risk of upsetting the treasurer by “talking down the economy”, as he put it, there wasn’t all that much to love in the latest national accounts. Continue reading...