BUSINESS

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

Stocks dived and investors scrambled to the safety of bonds, gold and the yen on Thursday as Donald Trump unveiled a bigger-than-expected wall of tariffs around the world’s largest economy, upending trade and supply chains. The technology sector was pummelled as manufacturing hubs in China and Taiwan faced new tariffs above 30%. In total, China … Read more

Australia has experienced its hottest 12-month period on record, ending with its hottest March on record, with last month seeing temperatures 2.41C above average, the Bureau of Meteorology has confirmed. The bureau said its data going back to 1910 showed the 12 months ending in March 2025 averaged 1.61C above average – the hottest of … Read more