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As his defense secretary testified before House committee, Trump posted AI-generated image of himself with a weapon and a caption saying ‘NO MORE MR. NICE GUY’Pete Hegseth has denied that the US-Israel war on Iran is “a quagmire” and claimed critics of the operation posed a greater threat to the US than Iran itself, as he came under pressure to set out Washington’s strategy for the conflict.Appearing before the House armed services committee alongside Gen Dan Caine, chair of the joint chiefs of staff, the US defense secretary asked lawmakers to approve a $1.5tn budget in military spending – and then described some of them as “the biggest challenge” to the war effort. Continue reading...

CSIRO researcher says there are reports of up to 4,000 mouse burrows per hectare in parts of Western AustraliaGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastGrain growers are on high alert as mouse numbers in Western Australia reach plague proportions and numbers surge in South Australia.Steve Henry, who researches mice and their impact on the grain industry at CSIRO, says more than 800 mice per hectare is considered a plague. Continue reading...

While path and strength of storm remain uncertain, BoM warns Cape York could again take direct hit if cyclone makes landfallGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAnother cyclone may hit the Queensland coast less than three weeks after the same area was smashed by Severe Tropical Cyclone Narelle, the Bureau of Meteorology says.But a meteorologist warned forecasts predicting the path and strength of Severe Tropical Cyclone Maila remained uncertain, with the storm likely to make landfall over the weekend. Continue reading...