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Apr 30, 2026 - World

Meanwhile Penny Wong says China has agreed to facilitate exports of jet fuel to ease supply disruptions. Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastChalmers understands calls for gas export tax, but says government focused on getting fuel for AustraliansChalmers said he understands calls to tax gas exports, but maintained the government was set on securing international supply arrangements during the ongoing fuel crisis. He told ABC News:I understand that there is a constituency in the Australian community to go further … But there are also, as the prime minister said, really good reasons to prioritise these international supply arrangements particularly during this oil shock.All of us have been prioritising getting fuel for Australia and for Australians to keep the economy ticking over and that’s why there are good reasons for the comments that the prime minister made yesterday.We’ve been very upfront with people and said when we think about the intergenerational unfairness in the budget, in our economy, in our society more broadly, a couple of the drivers of that are in housing, are in the tax system. Continue reading...

Apr 29, 2026 - World

Human rights commissioner says alleged jailing highlights the ‘growing risks of transnational repression’ in AustraliaGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralia’s human rights commissioner has said the Chinese student who was allegedly jailed for six years by Chinese authorities for joining protests in Sydney underscores the “very real and growing risks of transnational repression affecting people in Australia – including international students”.Commissioner Lorraine Finlay told Guardian Australia that while she couldn’t comment on the circumstances of individual cases, “no one should fear punishment abroad for exercising their lawful rights to free expression and peaceful protest here”. Continue reading...

Apr 29, 2026 - World

NAACP, ACLU and Democratic politicians decry 6-3 supreme court decision as ‘a profound betrayal of the civil rights movement’Sign up for the Breaking News US emailUS supreme court ‘demolishes’ key Voting Rights Act provision that prevented racial discriminationThe US Federal Reserve is widely expected to hold interest rates steady on Wednesday after a key policy meeting, likely the last chaired by central bank chief Jerome Powell, a frequent target of president Donald Trump’s ire.Policymakers will weigh the risks of surging energy prices and snarled supply chains due to the US-Israel war on Iran, with analysts widely expecting a third pause in a row as the effects of the conflict ripple through the world’s largest economy. Continue reading...

Apr 29, 2026 - World

USS Gerald R Ford to sail home after 10-month spell including role in Maduro capture and Middle East warThe world’s largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R Ford, will be heading home following a record-setting deployment of more than 300 days that included participating in the war against Iran and capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, two US officials said Wednesday.The Ford will be leaving the Middle East in the coming days and returning to its home port in Virginia in mid-May, according to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to detail sensitive military movements. The Washington Post reported the development earlier. Continue reading...

Apr 29, 2026 - World

Ukraine and Israel traded accusations on Tuesday, with Ukraine saying it had repeatedly urged Israel via diplomatic channels to take measures.