business 
Liberation days signal the end of a war, not the start of one. So it is with rich irony that the US president, Donald Trump, has declared victory even as he massively escalates his attack on the global trading system. As Trump attempted to recast the world’s richest nation as a victim of “perfidious” foreigners … Read more
The chair of Australia’s public broadcaster says he has “no doubt” a Coalition government would initiate a review of the ABC, but that the organisation has nothing to apologise for in its quest for “excellence” and “efficiency”. “I don’t think there’s any doubt within the event of Mr [Peter] Dutton acceding to office that there … Read more
The Australian Electoral Commission has cleared host Abbie Chatfield of any wrongdoing after she interviewed Anthony Albanese on her podcast, finding her content “does not require an authorisation statement”. Liberal senators questioned whether some of Chatfield’s social media content should have been classed as electoral material – which would require an official authorisation statement. Anthony … Read more
Key events Show key events only Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature Morning opening: A broken stick Jakub Krupa European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen warned this morning that the global economy “will massively suffer” as a result of tariffs imposed by US president Donald Trump last night, as she said the … Read more
Church of England vicars are demanding an increase in pensions amid claims that many face an impoverished old age, with some forced to rely on food banks or move in with adult children. Almost 2,000 C of E clergy have joined an action group on Facebook in the past few weeks and 700 signed a … Read more
Good morning. On Tuesday, Israeli defence minister, Israel Katz, announced a major expansion of attacks on Gaza and the “capture of large areas that will be added to the security zones of the state of Israel”. The announcement followed a night of airstrikes on Khan Younis and Rafah in southern Gaza, which officials said had … Read more
The Coalition will not repeal Labor’s landmark “same job, same pay” reforms, with Peter Dutton staring down calls from mining companies to overturn the wage protections even as he conceded they meant “difficulties” for some firms. Big mining companies have campaigned strongly against the Labor legislation, which had been passed as part of their “closing … Read more
Labor will provide $1bn in zero interest loans to help export-focused companies tap alternative markets, as Australia seeks to loosen trade ties with the US in response to Donald Trump’s new tariffs. The lending facility would complement a separate initiative by the government to fund representative bodies of affected sectors “to secure and grow new … Read more
Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to begin a four-day official visit to Hungary on Thursday, marking the first time the Israeli prime minister has stepped foot on European soil since the international criminal court issued an arrest warrant for him over allegations of war crimes in Gaza. Hours after the ICC announced the warrants in November, … Read more
The share of mortgage holders spending more than they earn has fallen to its lowest level since 2022, but the Reserve Bank of Australia has urged banks to keep lending cautiously to protect the housing market from vulnerabilities. One in 20 owner-occupiers on variable-rate mortgages spent more than they earned in mid-2024 but that figure … Read more