US-UK airstrikes have not seriously hurt Houthis’ capability, says Yemeni leader

Yemen government vice-chair fears strikes intended to end shipping chaos are instead helping Houthis rally support

US-UK airstrikes in Yemen designed to end the Houthi disruption of commercial shipping have not seriously degraded the group’s military capability, the vice-chair of the UN-recognised government in Yemen has said.

Aidarous al-Zubaidi told the Guardian in an interview he feared the Houthis were using the strikes to rally support behind their cause by portraying the west as the aggressor in Yemen.

Continue reading...

Tanya Plibersek approves three coalmine expansions in move criticised as ‘the opposite of climate action’

Decision angers environment groups with Australian Conservation Foundation saying Albanese government ‘continues to disappoint’

The environment minister, Tanya Plibersek, approved three coalmine expansions on Tuesday in a step described by conservationists as reckless and “the opposite of climate action”.

The Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) said the three projects, all in New South Wales, would generate more than 1.3bn tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions in their lifetime.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email

Continue reading...

Suspected poisoning of 30 magpies in Cootamundra under investigation

Local vet says nine birds have died and the rest are being treated, with many unable to stand or walk

The New South Wales environmental watchdog is investigating a suspected poisoning that has left nine magpies dead and more than a dozen others needing treatment.

Karlie Johnston, the practice manager at Cooper Street veterinary hospital in Cootamundra, said 30 magpies had been brought into the vet in recent days. Many were unable to stand or walk, and some had completely lost the use of their legs.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email

Continue reading...

No talk of hikes, no cut on the horizon: why RBA thinks it’s in the ‘right spot’ with interest rates

There was good news and bad news as Australia’s central bank held the interest rate steady for the seventh time in a row

The good news is the Reserve Bank is all but done lifting interest rates. Less good news is that the central bank is also not about to cut them.

Those were probably the key takeaways from the RBA’s sixth board meeting of 2024 and the seventh since it last slugged borrowers with it’s last cash rate hike.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email

Peter Hannam is Guardian Australia’s economics correspondent

Continue reading...

Israeli strikes kill 492 in Lebanon’s deadliest day of conflict since 2006 – The Associated Press

  1. Israeli strikes kill 492 in Lebanon’s deadliest day of conflict since 2006  The Associated Press
  2. Israel strikes Hezbollah targets as conflict intensifies  CNN
  3. IDF attacks south Lebanon, residents asked to evacuate  The Jerusalem Post
  4. Israeli airstrikes kill hundreds in Lebanon: Maps show escalation of Hezbollah conflict  USA TODAY
  5. Israel and Hezbollah launch new attacks after deadly day in Lebanon  CNBC
Posted in Uncategorized

What’s the UN’s new ‘Pact for the Future’, and why did Russia oppose it? – Al Jazeera English

  1. What’s the UN’s new ‘Pact for the Future’, and why did Russia oppose it?  Al Jazeera English
  2. At the UN, world leaders try to lay out a vision for the future — and actually make it happen  The Associated Press
  3. UN adopts pact that aims to save global cooperation  Reuters
  4. Russia isolated at UN summit after surprise bid to derail pact  The Guardian
  5. In U.N. vote, countries show willingness to move away from fossil fuels  NPR
Posted in Uncategorized

Teenager killed in Woodgrove shopping centre stabbing attack

The alleged altercation took place at Woodgrove shopping centre in Melton West

A teenage boy has been stabbed to death after an altercation at an outdoor food court area at a Melbourne shopping centre.

Emergency services were called to Woodgrove shopping centre in Melton West just before midday on Tuesday. First responders attempted to provide CPR to the teenage boy, but he died at the scene.

Continue reading...

As it meets against backdrop of Israel’s bombing of Lebanon, is UN too broken to be fixed?

Supporters say UN mediation has prevented even worse outcomes, but security council is stuck in vicious circle

As diplomats from nearly 200 member states gather in New York this week for the United Nations general assembly against the backdrop of a massive Israeli bombing campaign in southern Lebanon, a nagging question to be addressed is whether the UN is too broken to be fixed.

UN officials are facing three intractable conflicts, in the Middle East, Ukraine and Sudan. While it remains one of the most important humanitarian organisations on Earth, organising relief efforts for refugees, natural disaster victims and others in dire need, the UN’s principal security body appears to be powerless to intervene in some of the world’s most grinding conflicts.

Continue reading...

Middle East crisis: Hezbollah confirms death of senior commander – as it happened

This blog is now closing. You can read our full report on Israel’s attack on Lebanon here. We’ll be back soon with the latest live updates.

Charbel Massaad, an independent Maronite MP in Lebanon, has described Israel’s airstrikes as “an attack not only on geography, but also on dignity, on rights and on the future of our generations.”

In a message to the Lebanese people carried by the state National News Agency, Massaad said:

In these difficult times that our beloved country Lebanon is going through, and with the continued brutal Israeli aggression on our land, I find myself compelled to address you. The Israeli aggression that brutally targets our people, our homes, our villages and our cities is an attack not only on geography, but also on dignity, on rights and on the future of our generations.

But we, as a people accustomed to steadfastness and we will steadfastly face all challenges. This critical moment requires all of us, regardless of any political or sectarian affiliation, to stand as one. Our unity is our strength. Israel seeks to sow fear and division among us, but we know very well how to confront such conspiracies. Just as we were victorious in the past, we will be victorious today, because we are right, and right always triumphs, and the will to live among the Lebanese is stronger than any aggression or conspiracy.

Continue reading...

EU plant exporters turning backs on UK over ‘painful’ border checks, says trade group

Trading relationships at ‘breaking point’ because of delays and costs, garden centres and nurseries warn

Exporters of plants and flowers from mainland Europe are turning their backs on supplying Britain as “painful” new Brexit border checks are putting some trading relationships at “breaking point”, garden centres and nurseries have warned.

The Horticultural Trades Association (HTA), which represents garden retailers and growers, said long-held links between British nurseries and EU suppliers were now being put under strain because of the delays and costs associated with the new border processes.

Continue reading...

Australia news live: RBA ‘didn’t explicitly consider’ hiking interest rates, governor says

Reserve Bank leaves interest rate on hold for seventh meeting in a row. Follow all the days’s headlines live

Tony Armstrong is leaving ABC News Breakfast for a new show screening in 2025. He told viewers this morning:

I just want to thank Brekky and the broader ABC News team for welcoming me in with open arms and helping me grow over the past few years. I love live TV and those moments that are unplanned and unpredictable where anything can happen. I’ve been so lucky to be surrounded by an incredible team and it’s those friendships that I’m going to cherish the most.

How blessed we’ve been to have Tone on our screens every morning, bringing the sparkle, joy and heart that only Tony can! Tony is a wonderful friend and everyone at News Breakfast is going to miss his infectious and caring nature. I know it’s meant so much to me and to thousands upon thousands of First Nations viewers waking up to see Tony representing us on the daily. Can’t wait to see what you do next, Tone! Maybe sleep?!

Continue reading...

Plunging temperatures and rain forecast for Sydney in end to ‘walk-on-the-beach weather’

‘Significant’ change will lead to rain, BoM says, with temperatures tumbling in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane

After a warm start to spring, temperatures are forecast to plummet across Australia’s eastern and south-eastern states in the coming days.

“We are expecting a significant change to come for much of the east and south-east of the country,” the Bureau of Meteorology’s Jonathan How said, with New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and Brisbane forecast to experience cooler weather in the coming days.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email

Continue reading...

In Ukraine’s Pokrovsk, some quietly waiting for Russian troops – Yahoo! Voices

  1. In Ukraine's Pokrovsk, some quietly waiting for Russian troops  Yahoo! Voices
  2. Residents flee as Russian troops close in on Ukrainian village of Pokrovsk  FRANCE 24 English
  3. Ukraine will fight street to street to keep Russia out of key eastern city  The Independent
  4. ‘Everything is left behind’: as Russians close in on Ukrainian city, families agonise whether to flee  The Guardian
  5. UK Defence Intelligence confirms that Russians have slowed down on Pokrovsk front  Ukrainska Pravda
Posted in Uncategorized

Victorian Liberal leader ‘surprised’ deputy secretly recorded meeting with Moira Deeming, defamation trial hears

Opposition leader John Pesutto cross-examined in federal court case brought against him by ousted Liberal MP

Victoria’s opposition leader, John Pesutto, says he was “surprised” his deputy had secretly recorded a meeting held between the Liberal party’s leadership team and MP Moira Deeming a day after she spoke at a Melbourne rally in 2023, the federal court has heard.

Pesutto began giving evidence in the defamation trial brought against him in the federal court on Tuesday afternoon.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email

Continue reading...

Hurricane John slams into Mexico’s southern coast after rapidly intensifying – CNN

  1. Hurricane John slams into Mexico’s southern coast after rapidly intensifying  CNN
  2. Storm tracker: See path of Hurricane John as it heads toward southern Mexico coast  USA TODAY
  3. Map: Tracking Hurricane John  The New York Times
  4. Hurricane John's rapid intensification catches Mexico tourist hubs of Acapulco and Puerto Escondido off guard  CBS News
  5. John strengthens to a Category 3 hurricane before landfall in southern Mexico tonight  ABC News
Posted in Uncategorized

No cuts in ‘near term’ as RBA leaves Australia’s official interest rate unchanged at 4.35%

RBA decision was in line with economists’ forecasts as economy endures persistent inflationary pressures

The governor of the Reserve Bank, Michele Bullock, says she does not see interest rate cuts “in the near term” as the central bank waits for clearer evidence inflation is in retreat before it begins cutting borrowing costs.

The RBA ended its latest two-day board meeting on Tuesday by keeping its cash rate at 4.35%, the level its remained since November. The decision was as economists had expected.

Continue reading...

UK weather: commuters face travel disruption after heavy rainfall

Thirty-five flood warnings in place across England after some areas get more than 100mm of rain in 48 hours

Commuters in parts of England are still facing travel issues despite a respite from heavy rain.

Parts of Bedfordshire, Oxfordshire, Warwickshire and Northamptonshire have had more than 100mm of rain in the past 48 hours, with Woburn in Bedfordshire recording 132mm, more than twice its September average rainfall, according to the Met Office.

Continue reading...