Chalmers says global economic turmoil will drive budget cuts, but Australia should avoid recession

• Ethiopia severed its diplomatic ties with Egypt and Eritrea following a collapse of relations across the Horn of Africa. • This breakdown follows the 2022 Pretoria Cessation of Hostilities Agreement, which had previously halted a conflict that killed hundreds of thousands of people.

• Regional instability is growing as conflicts in Ethiopia, Yemen, and Sudan converge with tensions in the Red Sea. • Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman recently stated that Saudi Arabia prefers diplomacy but will respond to threats against the kingdom's security.

• Aram Safaryan, director of the Russian Studies Centre at Yerevan State University, proposed restoring the railway link through Abkhazia to create a unified transport system for the South Caucasus. • Safaryan stated that the project is back on the agenda due to a "significantly changed" political and geopolitical situation.

• Egypt and Ethiopia expelled each other's diplomats this week as part of a tit-for-tat diplomatic row. • These expulsions occurred one day after Ethiopia closed its embassy in Eritrea.

• Federal troops and a rebel alliance led by Tigrayan forces began fighting in northern Ethiopia on October 2 after months of tension. • The conflict occurs while Ethiopia is at odds with neighboring countries over the development of a giant hydroelectric dam that could threaten regional water access.

• Ethiopia and Eritrea severed diplomatic ties as Ethiopian forces continued battling rebel fighters across the northern Tigray region. • UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric reported that drone activity and air strikes are endangering civilians, vital infrastructure, and aid operations.

• Interlocking proxy disputes and tensions in the Red Sea are increasing the risk of Ethiopia being drawn into a regional war. • Sudan has been destabilized by a three-year power struggle between its military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.

Police confirm investigation into period the man reportedly spent in Australia before alleged attempted terrorist attackGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralian security agencies have launched an investigation after it emerged that the flydubai co-pilot who allegedly tried to hijack an Israel-bound flight spent about two years in the country as a student.Disaster was narrowly averted on Wednesday when passengers and crew intervened to stop the co-pilot’s attempt to take control of the flydubai flight to Tel Aviv, which had 182 people onboard and plunged 16,625 feet (5,067 metres) in just over 30 seconds. Continue reading...

Forty-year-old victim declared dead at the scene in East Acton in a ‘senseless act of violence’A murder investigation has been launched after a 40-year-old man was shot dead in a “senseless act of violence” during a memorial service in west London, police have said.Police were called on Friday at 7.47pm after multiple shots were heard in East Acton. Continue reading...

Kemi Badenoch says those earning more than £100,000 should not be discouraged from working moreThe Conservatives have unveiled a proposed £700m childcare giveaway for high earners ahead of their annual conference, saying they would end the “cliff edge” where free entitlement ends at salaries above £100,000.The plan, set out the day before the event begins in Birmingham, follows the earlier proposal by Kemi Badenoch’s party to abolish most stamp duty, another change to taxation that would disproportionately benefit wealthier people. Continue reading...

President appeared to share phone number of Tom Cotton for people to call to push him to support measureDonald Trump on Saturday put pressure on the US senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas to support a bill to make daylight saving time permanent, urging Americans to call what appeared to be the personal cellphone number of his fellow Republican and the chair of the Senate intelligence committee.The Sunshine Protection Act passed the House in July, but it faces roadblocks in the Senate, where some Republicans are strongly opposed to it. Proponents, including the president and his administration, argue that the change would provide more daylight during the times that Americans are most active. Detractors said permanent daylight saving time would lead to darker and potentially more hazardous winter mornings when children will be waiting for school buses and parents will be driving to work in darkness. Continue reading...