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World politics
Slovakia’s prime minister Robert Fico wounded in shooting
Slovakian media said that Fico, 59, was hit in the stomach after four shots were fired in the town of Handlova. A suspect has been detained.
Updated
World politics
A rare changing of the guard in Singapore as the ‘miracle’ hits turbulence
Lawrence Wong inherits an overachieving middle power famed for its prosperity; a beacon of stability and open trade. But the nation has problems too.
- by Zach Hope
Three dead in New Caledonia as riots rage after Paris approves voting change
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the federal government was closely monitoring the situation and urged Australians to stay safe.
- by Kirsty Needham
Analysis
Federal budget
Australia’s $22.7 billion bet on the $US1.4 trillion fight with China
A Future Made in Australia is really about a global battle, led by the United States, against a rising China and a destabilising Russia.
- by Shane Wright
Exclusive
Victorian Parliament
New digital driver’s licences don’t work at some pubs and clubs
More than 100,000 Victorians have downloaded the new licences, but they can’t be used everywhere.
- by Kieran Rooney
Analysis
Federal budget
Five things Jim Chalmers didn’t tell you in his budget speech
We pick apart an abridged version of Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ third budget speech – and explain five key points.
- by Shane Wright and Natassia Chrysanthos
Everything you need to know about the $300 energy rebate
Here’s how the government will deliver the money, and what it could mean for inflation.
- by Rachel Clun
Exclusive
NRL 2024
Police arrest former Tigers and Bulldogs halfback
Former Canterbury and Wests Tigers playmaker Brandon Wakeham has been arrested after he was picked up by police on Wednesday.
- by Adrian Proszenko
Santos slashes Perth office: 200 positions to go
Oil and gas producer Santos will cut positions at its Perth office by more than a third, from 550 to 350, due to old assets nearing the end of production and delays to new projects.
- by Peter Milne
Opinion
City life
I’m returning to the game of my youth and I’m hoping not to break a leg. Or maybe I am
I love my team and, good news, I don’t have to play centre or wear one of those short pleated skirts. But I am a bit scared of players who try to gain an advantage by slapping their opponents.
- by Carolyn Webb
Australia news as it happened: Treasurer’s $3.5b energy subsidy to fight inflation revealed in federal budget; Defence whistleblower sentenced to almost six years jail
Treasurer Jim Chalmers handed down his budget which included a $3.5 billion energy subsidy and defence whistleblower David McBride was jailed.
- by Josefine Ganko and Caroline Schelle
Exclusive
Federal budget
Mothballing Nauru’s detention centre could save $250 million in a year
Home Affairs expects the centre to move from an “active state” to “enduring capability” – empty but operated by a skeleton staff.
- by Olivia Ireland, James Massola and Angus Thompson
Solar panel owners slugged by Ausgrid for generating too much power
Hundreds of thousands of Sydney households with solar panels but no home batteries will be penalised for exporting electricity to the network during the day.
- by Caitlin Fitzsimmons
‘This is a genocide’: Labor senator breaks with government over Israel war
Labor senator Fatima Payman also used the slogan “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”, which Anthony Albanese has criticised as provocative.
- by Matthew Knott
Sumo slammed by data breach, as energy and internet customers have details leaked
Thousands of customers have had their credit scores and other personal information posted online as the flood of national data breaches grows.
- by David Swan
Starfish cousin caught in the act of cloning itself
A recently discovered fossil in Germany pushes the origin of cloning sea stars back more than 150 million years in first-ever evidence for the phenomenon.
- by Jack Tamisiea
WA news LIVE: Santos sacks nearly 200 workers; Machete hold-up goes wrong for crooks; Minister takes live export fight to Canberra
Follow our live coverage here.
- by Heather McNeill
Growing numbers of students with disability to cost $1.1 billion more in school funding
As more students need help, budget figures raise the stakes in tense government negotiations over spending on schools and the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
- by Natassia Chrysanthos
Influx of Trump vice presidential hopefuls fly into New York
Michael Cohen testified that after his home was raided in 2018, he received a call from Trump, who told him: “Don’t worry, I’m president ... you’re gonna be OK.”
- by Farrah Tomazin
Resources tax breaks opens rift between WA and federal Liberals
Shadow treasurer Angus Taylor lashed $14 billion worth of incentives for green hydrogen and critical minerals companies, claiming it amounted to “handing out billions to billionaires”.
- by Hamish Hastie
The portrait Gina Rinehart doesn’t want you to see: mogul demands National Gallery remove her image
Australia’s richest person wants the gallery to remove a portrait of her from an exhibition by Archibald Prize-winning Indigenous artist Vincent Namatjira.
- by Linda Morris and Eryk Bagshaw
Rugby Australia refuse early release request from Waratahs skipper
In the midst of another disappointing Waratahs season, captain Jake Gordon has been linked with an early move to France.
- by Tom Decent
Aaron staged a protest in Australia, then Chinese police paid his parents a visit
Aaron, an international student studying in Sydney, knows all too well that the industrial-scale surveillance deployed by the Chinese government doesn’t stop at the border.
- by Lisa Visentin
Halfway through Fashion Week, two front rows couldn’t have been more different
Two vastly different labels stood out at Australian Fashion Week by getting personal with their customers.
- by Damien Woolnough
Opinion
Pension
Want to help the housing crisis? Bring back the pensioner savings account
Part of solving the current housing crisis needs to be removing financial barriers for people who want to downsize. Pensioners are a good place to start.
- by Rachel Lane
This remarkable documentary is filmed on a barge for psychiatric patients
Nicolas Philibert, the director of On the Adamant, rewrites the conventions of the documentary in the Berlin Film Festival-winning On The Adamant.
- by Tom Ryan
Endangered greater glider found dead next to department’s felling site
Conservationists are furious after they warned the government about the presence of greater gliders and Leadbeater’s possums in trees identified for removal.
- by Bianca Hall
Chris Dawson’s alleged ‘odd behaviour’ over children’s portraits
A top prosecutor has told Chris Dawson’s murder appeal the convicted wife killer appeared to show a “complete lack of sentiment towards his own children”.
- by Michaela Whitbourn
‘We’re giving far more than we’re getting’: WA fires warning shot over GST blowout
WA Treasurer Rita Saffioti reckons critics of the current GST should “read the other parts of the budget where WA revenues are propping up” much of the federal government’s revenue.
- by Hamish Hastie
Opinion
Federal budget
Coalition slams the billionaires’ budget as miners cheer
The likes of Andrew Forrest and Gina Rinehart’s companies will receive an indirect boost to mine and process critical minerals or develop green hydrogen.
- by Elizabeth Knight
Watch: The unremarkable Sandown race that was referred to betting investigators
This is the footage of the last 150 metres of a low-profile race at an unremarkable, barely attended Sandown meeting in the winter of 2022 that caught the stewards’ eye – and, after questioning the jockey and trainer, was referred to racing’s betting intelligence unit.
- by Danny Russell
Australian Winter Olympics flag bearer banned for sexual misconduct with a minor
Brendan Kerry, who was an Australian flag bearer at the Beijing Winter Olympics, has been barred from US figure skating after an investigation led by the country’s peak sports abuse authority.
- by Carla Jaeger
Opinion
Ask an expert
If I drop to part-time, can I use super to top up my income?
Managing an income while drawing down from your super can be a delicate balance, but there are plenty of ways to make it work.
- by Noel Whittaker
Boycott threat by cricket’s biggest states forces women’s T20 change
Australia’s two most populous cricket states, Victoria and New South Wales, considered boycotting a new women’s Twenty20 tournament and playing matches among themselves before reaching a compromise with Cricket Australia on the competition format for this season.
- by Daniel Brettig
BHP says Anglo American shareholders must decide merger fate
BHP boss Mike Henry has thrown down the gauntlet to Anglo American’s shareholders, after the London-based miner rejected the Australian giant’s latest takeover offer.
- by Simon Johanson
Struggling past players must receive more help: Longmuir
“We can always do more,” Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir said. “The Cam [McCarthy] situation should bring it to the forefront, and more discussions should be had to see if we can improve.”
- by Justin Chadwick
Opinion
Mergers & acquisitions
Diamonds for sale: Inside the plan to crash BHP’s $64 billion party
Anglo American chief Duncan Wanblad has shown his hand as the company tries to fight off BHP. His Plan B looks a lot like BHP’s Plan A.
- by Stephen Bartholomeusz
Carol Clay reunited with her first boyfriend. They died together, killed on a camping trip
When Russell Hill and Carol Clay went missing in the remote alpine region it raised an unusual problem for her family.
- by Erin Pearson
Have you heard the one about the scientist who does stand-up?
Scientists are increasingly crossing over into comedy.
- by Daniel Herborn
‘Korean classical girl band’ now impressing the string quartet world
No longer exclusively female or Korean, the Esme Quartet completed their first Musica Viva tour with feeling and crystalline clarity.
- by Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen, Barney Zwartz, Cameron Woodhead, Jessica Nicholas and Tony Way
We asked these Australians what they thought of the budget. This is what they told us
We spoke to people about their thoughts and concerns ahead of, and immediately after, the budget. Here’s what they had to say.
- by Olivia Ireland, Josefine Ganko, Jessica McSweeney, Jim Malo, Alex Crowe, Megan Gorrey and Cara Waters
Updated
World markets
Miners lead ASX higher as market absorbs budget, wages data
The Australian sharemarket stepped up to post a sold gain following Tuesday’s federal budget, with miners, healthcare and consumer discretionary stocks leading the way.
- by Millie Muroi
King Charles’ first portrait since coronation reveals ‘deep humanity’
The portrait by artist Jonathan Yeo depicts Charles against a background of vivid red hues, with a butterfly just above his shoulder.
The deadly price of a perfect strawberry
We’re running out of medicines that can treat deadly fungal infections. A new agricultural chemical could make things even worse.
- by Angus Dalton
Analysis
EPL
The Premier League has exposed Postecoglou as a purist in an impure world
The Australian is running Tottenham with principle. But English football is not always good and nourishing, and Postecoglou is not always patient with deviation.
- by Emma Kemp
Opinion
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Students have a right to protest. Peacefully. On campus. Universities must be defended
Calls for “intifada” are antisemitic, but it is not clear that police should end an entire protest in response to isolated criminal offences.
- by Alan Finkel
Updated
NRL 2024
Crichton becomes NRL’s hottest property after Fifita rejects Roosters
A raft of clubs, including those who missed out on the signature of David Fifita, are expected to jockey for the services of form forward Angus Crichton.
- by Adrian Proszenko, Adam Pengilly, Michael Chammas and Billie Eder
Analysis
NRL 2024
Why the Roosters won’t lose any more sleep over Fifita flip
“No” is a word the Roosters have heard with unusual regularity in recent times. However, the club isn’t overly concerned about the David Fifita knockback.
- by Adrian Proszenko
Tony Armstrong reveals the ‘thing’ he’ll never give up
The popular ABC News Breakfast presenter criss-crossed the country on a bike in search of people’s most precious possessions for his new show.
- by Bridget McManus
Updated
Protests
Fury in Georgia as ‘Russian law’ bill passes parliament
Moscow uses similar legislation to crack down on independent news media, nonprofits and activists critical of the Kremlin, opposition says.
- by Sophiko Megrelidze
Alice Munro, Nobel winner, revered short story master dies, 92
Often ranked with Anton Chekhov, John Cheever and a handful of others, Munro achieved stature rare for an art form traditionally placed beneath the novel.
- by Hillel Italie
City in box seat for fourth straight EPL crown after win over Spurs
Tottenham are out of the Champions League race in Ange Postecoglou’s first season in north London and Arsenal are all but out of the title race after City’s 2-0 win.
- by Emma Kemp
Demon on verge of top 10 but Rome thrashing a French Open warning for Australia’s No.1
Alex de Minaur’s final match before this month’s claycourt grand slam ended in a humbling defeat as he bids to improve his underwhelming record in Paris.
- by Marc McGowan
Tensions rise between UK and China after three charged with ‘spying for Hong Kong’
China’s ambassador has been summoned by the UK Foreign Office amid rapidly deteriorating diplomatic relations between the two nations after the arrests.
- by Rob Harris
Gunmen stage deadly ambush to free drug dealer ‘The Fly’, manhunt under way in France
The brazen morning attack at a toll booth in northern France underlines the growing threat of drug crime across Europe, the world’s No.1 cocaine market.
- by Gabriel Stargardter and Dominique Vidalon
The code-breaking maths whiz who built a $48 billion fortune
Jim Simons was working for the US government cracking codes and ciphers used by the Soviet Union when he had a brainwave.
- by Patrick Oster and Katherine Burton
Money Talks
AFL 2024
The list-demographics sweet spot fuelling the high-flying Bombers in 2024
We should have seen Essendon’s uprising coming – and the reason why helps explain two other fringe Melbourne-based finals contenders not meeting external expectations.
- by Marc McGowan
‘Red light and speed camera ahead’: The ambiguity of Google Maps
Are there two cameras, one for speeding and one for lights? Or just one camera? Voiced messages lack the punctuation to eliminate the doubt.
- by David Astle
New and old, local and global: inside the next chapter at Wines of While
A familiar face returns to the influential William Street wine bar while a special guest is coming to Perth to launch the new Sunday lunch.
- by Max Veenhuyzen
Exclusive
Courts
‘It’s shameful’: Judge demands companies front court in WA waste-to-energy plant ‘lock out’ row
A Federal Court judge has lashed the companies embroiled in a long-running stoush over East Rockingham’s trouble-plagued waste-to-energy plant, claiming they are wasting the court’s resources.
- by Jesinta Burton
What it costs to live in the Perth suburbs where wellbeing is highest
A suburb’s wellbeing was measured on several indicators including health, environment, jobs and income – but it comes at a price.
- by Sarah Brookes and Elizabeth Redman
Opinion
Air travel
The battle for carry-on bag space on planes has become a joke
I’m guilty of taking a bit more than is strictly allowed in my carry-on but some people – there’s no polite way to say this – are absolute piss-takers.
- by Ben Groundwater
A lonely campsite, deadly chaos and competing narratives
A Supreme Court jury heard for the first time what Gregory Lynn told police about the death of two campers.
- by Chip Le Grand
Tom once sat at the back of his classroom and cried. He has a message for Australian teachers
If teachers are to win back control of classrooms, they will need more than a well-planned lesson.
- by Christopher Harris and Lucy Carroll
‘Capital raising is dead’: Failed fintech Sargon has its finances put under microscope
Liquidators are questioning witnesses in the Federal Court about the finances of failed fintech venture Sargon, over allegations the company potentially traded while insolvent.
- by Sumeyya Ilanbey
WA’s government promised to deliver 5000 infill homes. Six years on, how many have been built?
One parcel of land earmarked for development had been sitting idle for so long it has revegetated itself, according to an MP and urban development expert.
- by Sarah Brookes
Supreme Court throws out WAtoday-Andrew Hastie conspiracy claim
A Perth property developer claimed the federal MP was part of a conspiracy with WAtoday reporters to damage his reputation.
- by Hamish Hastie
On the road with the Blues Brothers and a mission from God
Journalist Daniel de Visé tells the story of the classic comedy starring Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi.
- by Nathan Smith
Fears Elon Musk’s ‘tantrum’ sackings could hit Australian EV drivers
Mercurial chief executive Elon Musk’s decision to fire the team responsible for Superchargers, widely considered to be the gold-star model of charging stations, has left the industry reeling.
- by Bianca Hall
The cossie lives, but knits are overtaking bikinis at fashion week
Once dominated by swimwear brands, Australian Fashion Week is broadening the definition of ‘resort’ wear – one sweater at a time.
- by Melissa Singer
Despite my complaint, the person who sexually harassed me was made permanent. How do I cope?
Regardless of what you decide to do next, you need to know that this is unacceptable, writes Dr Kirstin Ferguson.
- by Kirstin Ferguson
Exclusive
Investigations
Australian drug smuggling suspects right at home as Dubai makes world’s worst welcome
A mega-leak of property records reveals how suspected drug traffickers and other criminals call the United Arab Emirates a safe haven as the Gulf state looks the other way.
- by Nick McKenzie and Amelia Ballinger