US and Israel’s strategy to kill Iran’s top figures may prove counterproductive

Prime minister launches impassioned argument in favour of much-maligned reforms announced in last week’s federal budget A visibly emotional Anthony Albanese has launched an impassioned defence of Labor’s proposed changes to negative gearing, the capital gains tax discount and family trusts, saying he will “not allow Australia to become a country where aspiration is only for some”.The prime minister has faced sustained criticism to the reforms, which include limiting negative gearing to new-builds while grandfathering existing properties, changing how CGT is calculated and imposing a new 30% minimum tax on discretionary trusts. Continue reading...

Lebanon’s health ministry condemns attacks as violations of international law; Israel says it struck Hezbollah infrastructure sites and militantsIsraeli strikes in Lebanon killed 10 people, including six paramedics and a child, in the space of 24 hours, Lebanon’s health ministry said on Friday, placing further strain on a US-brokered ceasefire. The ministry condemned the attacks as violations of international law.Further airstrikes were reported on Friday night into Saturday. An AFP correspondent in the southern city of Tyre reported hearing two blasts as one building on the outskirts was struck, then another inside the city, sending plumes of smoke into the air. Earlier, officials worked to evacuate people from the neighbourhood, using loudspeakers urging them to leave. Continue reading...

Phone company launched by Donald Trump’s family says names and contact details appear to be affected, but not credit card or banking informationA phone company launched by Donald Trump’s family business is investigating a potential security flaw on its website that appears to have exposed the personal details of an estimated 27,000 people who sought to buy a gold-coloured smartphone.Trump Mobile said in a statement that it was investigating the issue – “with the assistance of independent cybersecurity professionals” – in which the full names, addresses and phone numbers of people who filled out preorder forms appeared to be exposed. Continue reading...

A 42-year-old fled from police before being involved in a two-vehicle crash in Sans Souci, police sayGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThree people have died in a crash in Sydney after a man fled police who had been attempting to carry out a welfare check.A 42-year-old man fled in a white Audi after officers were called to a welfare check at a property in Gymea Bay, southern Sydney, at 12.25am on Saturday. Continue reading...

Authorities in Orange county say tank holding methyl methacrylate ‘actively in crisis’ and urge residents to leaveAuthorities in Orange county, California have ordered the evacuation of 40,000 people Friday over concerns about a chemical leak that threatened to spill or explode.The problem arose on Thursday at a facility owned by GKN Aerospace in the town of Garden Grove, where a storage tank holding methyl methacrylate began off-gassing and threatened to fail. The chemical, which is highly flammable, is used to fabricate resins and plastics. Continue reading...

Michael Agzarian was charged despite internal legal advice that the images were ‘political satire’, court hearsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastPolice charged an artist who depicted prominent Australians in military uniforms emblazoned with Nazi symbols despite internal legal advice the images were “political satire”, a court has heard.Police dropped the case against Michael Agzarian before the Downing Centre local court on Friday, almost a year after he had been charged with one count of displaying Nazi symbols by a public act without lawful excuse. Continue reading...

The launch is the 12th test flight of the mega-rocket that CEO Elon Musk is building to get people to Mars one daySpaceX launched its biggest, most powerful Starship yet on a test flight Friday, an upgraded version that Nasa is counting on to land astronauts on the moon.The redesigned mega-rocket made its debut two days after SpaceX CEO Elon Musk announced he’s taking the company public. It blasted off from the southern tip of Texas, carrying 20 mock Starlink satellites for release halfway around the world. Continue reading...

Change criticized by advocates marks the latest significant move by the Trump administration on immigration policyForeigners seeking to adjust their immigration status in the United States to secure green cards will have to do so from outside the country via the state department, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said on Friday, in a move criticized by aid groups, policy analysts and immigration attorneys.USCIS announced the move in a policy memo, which directed officers to consider relevant factors and information on a case-by-case basis when determining whether extraordinary relief is warranted. Continue reading...

Over 15 months, the ex-Democrat with no notable relevant background took actions seemingly meant to flatter TrumpTulsi Gabbard’s tumultuous 15-month tenure as the US’s top intelligence official ended Friday, when Gabbard submitted her resignation as director of national intelligence.Gabbard was an unconventional choice for the role, given she was a former Democrat with no notable intelligence background. Her political views, particularly on foreign intervention, have at times diverged from Donald Trump’s. But she also undertook norm-breaking actions as the country’s top intelligence chief that appeared designed to flatter Trump and his agenda of election denial. Continue reading...

Judge said Trump administration would not have prosecuted Ábrego García had he not challenged his high-profile deportationSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter emailA US judge dismissed a criminal indictment against Kilmar Ábrego García on Friday, finding that the Trump administration would not have prosecuted him had he not challenged his high-profile deportation.Ábrego García, who had entered the United States without authorization in the past, became a symbol of the Trump administration’s drive for mass deportations when he was sent to the notorious anti-terrorism mega-prison in El Salvador known as Cecot last March. This was despite a prior court order barring him from being returned there because of a risk of persecution. Continue reading...

Former general Petr Pavel says Moscow’s testing of alliance’s eastern flank should be met with firm lineThe Czech president, Petr Pavel, has urged Nato to “show its teeth” in response to Russia’s repeated testing of the alliance’s resolve on its eastern flank, suggesting a range of options including switching off its internet, cutting its banks off Russian from global financial systems and shooting down jets that violate allied airspace.Speaking to the Guardian in Prague, Pavel called for “decisive enough, potentially even asymmetric” responses to counter Moscow’s provocative behaviour against the alliance or risk the Kremlin intensifying its actions. Continue reading...

Jacinta Allan will announce a plan to offer 2,000 apprenticeships at the revived State Electricity Commission, as part of a pre-election pushGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastJacinta Allan will use Labor’s final state conference before the election to announce a plan for a government-owned electricity body to hire electrical apprentices to address significant workforce shortages. It will be the first time since the State Electricity Commission was privatised 30 years ago that the government has employed such apprentices.The Victorian premier will announce the plan in a speech that will draw on her father, Peter Allan’s experience as a linesman at the SEC, which was revived by Daniel Andrews in 2023 after being privatised by former premier Jeff Kennett in the 1990s. Continue reading...