Trump mulls plan to attack Iran
US President Donald Trump has reportedly approved, but not enacted plans, to attack Iran, with US officials preparing for a military strike in the coming days. Global leaders are urging Iran and Israel to de-escalate the conflict as both countries continue to trade missile strikes for a sixth day.
The latest official data shows it's becoming harder for those out of work to land a job despite Australia's unemployment rate remaining steady in May.
And in outback Queensland where vet practices are overwhelmed with animals and short of vets, there's a move to the use of telehealth and web-vet services for non-emergency appointments.
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ABC News
25 minutes ago
- ABC News
Former Victorian Liberal leader John Pesutto to avoid bankruptcy after party agrees to loan him $1.55m
Former Victorian Liberal leader John Pesutto will avoid bankruptcy after the party agreed to provide him a $1.55 million loan. Mr Pesutto was ordered to pay fellow Liberal MP Moira Deeming $2.3 million in legal costs after she successfully sued him for defamation. He was unable to pay the debt but has been seeking donations to avoid bankruptcy and be kicked out of parliament. On Thursday night, the party agreed to pay $1.55 million to Ms Deeming directly, with Mr Pesutto to repay the party under a commercial arrangement. The decision, made by the party's administrative committee, means Mr Pesutto no longer faces expulsion from state parliament for bankruptcy and therefore avoids the need for a by-election in Mr Pesutto's seat of Hawthorn. Mr Pesutto had been under a three-week deadline to come up with the money since Ms Deeming filed bankruptcy proceedings against him on June 2. The legal dispute between the two, resulting in her successfully suing him through the Federal Court, began in March 2023 after she attended an anti-trans rights rally in Melbourne. The event, titled Let Women Speak and described by supporters as a women's rights event, was gatecrashed by neo-Nazis. Mr Pesutto tried to expel Ms Deeming from the Liberal Party because of her attendance at the rally; however, this ultimately backfired when she successfully sued him for defamation in the Federal Court. The Federal Court ruled Mr Pesutto had defamed Ms Deeming on multiple occasions, including in media interviews, by implying that she associated with neo-Nazis. Last month, the court ordered Mr Pesutto to pay Ms Deeming's legal costs, totalling $2.3 million. After Mr Pesutto failed to pay, her lawyers earlier this month launched bankruptcy proceedings against the Hawthorn MP, giving him three weeks to stump up the money or face expulsion from state parliament. Mr Pesutto has been raising funds via other means, including a public fundraising effort that has raised about $213,000. As part of his efforts to avoid bankruptcy, Mr Pesutto and his backers approached the Liberal Party to provide a loan. Last week, Ms Deeming offered to delay bankruptcy proceedings against Mr Pesutto in exchange for a guarantee from the party that she would be preselected for next year's state election. Mr Pesutto rejected the offer. Ahead of Thursday night's meeting, Mr Pesutto expressed optimism that his party would come to his aid by loaning him the money he needed to pay out Ms Deeming. "I'm hoping that we get an outcome tonight," he said. On her way into parliament on Thursday morning, Ms Deeming expressed frustration about how the ordeal between her and Mr Pesutto was perceived inside the party. "Some of them are very nice, but I really do get treated as though it is my fault and that I'm the aggressor, and that's ridiculous," she said. Asked about her future in the Victorian Liberal Party, she said: "I assume that they will continue with their quest to annihilate me."
The Advertiser
26 minutes ago
- The Advertiser
Stocks tumble, safe havens gain as Mideast war flares
Global stocks have fallen and the dollar has risen as investors, concerned over the United States' possible entry into the Israel-Iran air war, seek safe-haven assets and ditch riskier ones. President Donald Trump kept the world guessing about whether the United States would join Israel's bombardment of Iranian nuclear sites, telling reporters outside the White House on Thursday, "I may do it. I may not do it." The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump had told senior aides he approved attack plans on Iran but was holding off on giving the final order to see if Tehran would abandon its nuclear programme. In Europe, stocks fell for a third day on Thursday, leaving the STOXX 600 down nearly 2.5 per cent on the week, set for its biggest week-on-week decline since the tariff-induced turmoil of April. US S&P 500 futures fell 0.6 per cent, although most US markets - including Wall Street and the Treasury market - will be closed on Thursday for a public holiday. "Market participants remain edgy and uncertain," said Kyle Rodda, senior financial markets analyst at Speculation was rife "that the US will intervene, something that would mark a material escalation and could invite direct retaliation against the US by Iran", he said. "Such a scenario would raise the risk of a greater regional conflict, with implications for global energy supply and probably economic growth." Much of the recent nervousness in markets has been centred around crude supply shocks from the Middle East, which has driven the price of crude oil up by 11 per cent in a week. Brent crude rose nearly one per cent to $US77.40 a barrel, close to its highest since January. Gold, which tends to struggle when the dollar gains, pared earlier losses to trade at $US3,366 an ounce. The dollar itself rose broadly, leaving the euro down 0.1 per cent at $US1.1466 and the Australian and New Zealand dollars - both risk-linked currencies - down 0.7 per cent and one per cent, respectively. Overnight, the Federal Reserve delivered some mixed signals to markets. Much to Trump's displeasure, policymakers held rates steady as expected and retained projections for two quarter-point rate cuts this year. However, Fed chair Jerome Powell struck a cautious note about further easing ahead, saying at his media conference later that he expected "meaningful" inflation ahead as a result of Trump's aggressive trade tariffs. Markets will now look to a string of central bank policy decisions out of Europe for any possible catalysts. The Swiss National Bank cut interest rates to zero, as expected, leaving the franc to drift as markets had priced in a roughly-20 per cent chance of a half-point cut. The franc, which has been a major beneficiary of safe-haven buying this year, was last steady against both the dollar, at 0.819 francs, and the euro at 0.9395 francs. The Bank of England is up next and is expected to keep UK rates unchanged. Data on Wednesday showed inflation cooled as expected in May, although food prices shot up and policymakers will be considering the potential impact from higher energy prices in light of the Israel-Iran war. Sterling edged 0.1 per cent lower to $US1.341. Global stocks have fallen and the dollar has risen as investors, concerned over the United States' possible entry into the Israel-Iran air war, seek safe-haven assets and ditch riskier ones. President Donald Trump kept the world guessing about whether the United States would join Israel's bombardment of Iranian nuclear sites, telling reporters outside the White House on Thursday, "I may do it. I may not do it." The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump had told senior aides he approved attack plans on Iran but was holding off on giving the final order to see if Tehran would abandon its nuclear programme. In Europe, stocks fell for a third day on Thursday, leaving the STOXX 600 down nearly 2.5 per cent on the week, set for its biggest week-on-week decline since the tariff-induced turmoil of April. US S&P 500 futures fell 0.6 per cent, although most US markets - including Wall Street and the Treasury market - will be closed on Thursday for a public holiday. "Market participants remain edgy and uncertain," said Kyle Rodda, senior financial markets analyst at Speculation was rife "that the US will intervene, something that would mark a material escalation and could invite direct retaliation against the US by Iran", he said. "Such a scenario would raise the risk of a greater regional conflict, with implications for global energy supply and probably economic growth." Much of the recent nervousness in markets has been centred around crude supply shocks from the Middle East, which has driven the price of crude oil up by 11 per cent in a week. Brent crude rose nearly one per cent to $US77.40 a barrel, close to its highest since January. Gold, which tends to struggle when the dollar gains, pared earlier losses to trade at $US3,366 an ounce. The dollar itself rose broadly, leaving the euro down 0.1 per cent at $US1.1466 and the Australian and New Zealand dollars - both risk-linked currencies - down 0.7 per cent and one per cent, respectively. Overnight, the Federal Reserve delivered some mixed signals to markets. Much to Trump's displeasure, policymakers held rates steady as expected and retained projections for two quarter-point rate cuts this year. However, Fed chair Jerome Powell struck a cautious note about further easing ahead, saying at his media conference later that he expected "meaningful" inflation ahead as a result of Trump's aggressive trade tariffs. Markets will now look to a string of central bank policy decisions out of Europe for any possible catalysts. The Swiss National Bank cut interest rates to zero, as expected, leaving the franc to drift as markets had priced in a roughly-20 per cent chance of a half-point cut. The franc, which has been a major beneficiary of safe-haven buying this year, was last steady against both the dollar, at 0.819 francs, and the euro at 0.9395 francs. The Bank of England is up next and is expected to keep UK rates unchanged. Data on Wednesday showed inflation cooled as expected in May, although food prices shot up and policymakers will be considering the potential impact from higher energy prices in light of the Israel-Iran war. Sterling edged 0.1 per cent lower to $US1.341. Global stocks have fallen and the dollar has risen as investors, concerned over the United States' possible entry into the Israel-Iran air war, seek safe-haven assets and ditch riskier ones. President Donald Trump kept the world guessing about whether the United States would join Israel's bombardment of Iranian nuclear sites, telling reporters outside the White House on Thursday, "I may do it. I may not do it." The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump had told senior aides he approved attack plans on Iran but was holding off on giving the final order to see if Tehran would abandon its nuclear programme. In Europe, stocks fell for a third day on Thursday, leaving the STOXX 600 down nearly 2.5 per cent on the week, set for its biggest week-on-week decline since the tariff-induced turmoil of April. US S&P 500 futures fell 0.6 per cent, although most US markets - including Wall Street and the Treasury market - will be closed on Thursday for a public holiday. "Market participants remain edgy and uncertain," said Kyle Rodda, senior financial markets analyst at Speculation was rife "that the US will intervene, something that would mark a material escalation and could invite direct retaliation against the US by Iran", he said. "Such a scenario would raise the risk of a greater regional conflict, with implications for global energy supply and probably economic growth." Much of the recent nervousness in markets has been centred around crude supply shocks from the Middle East, which has driven the price of crude oil up by 11 per cent in a week. Brent crude rose nearly one per cent to $US77.40 a barrel, close to its highest since January. Gold, which tends to struggle when the dollar gains, pared earlier losses to trade at $US3,366 an ounce. The dollar itself rose broadly, leaving the euro down 0.1 per cent at $US1.1466 and the Australian and New Zealand dollars - both risk-linked currencies - down 0.7 per cent and one per cent, respectively. Overnight, the Federal Reserve delivered some mixed signals to markets. Much to Trump's displeasure, policymakers held rates steady as expected and retained projections for two quarter-point rate cuts this year. However, Fed chair Jerome Powell struck a cautious note about further easing ahead, saying at his media conference later that he expected "meaningful" inflation ahead as a result of Trump's aggressive trade tariffs. Markets will now look to a string of central bank policy decisions out of Europe for any possible catalysts. The Swiss National Bank cut interest rates to zero, as expected, leaving the franc to drift as markets had priced in a roughly-20 per cent chance of a half-point cut. The franc, which has been a major beneficiary of safe-haven buying this year, was last steady against both the dollar, at 0.819 francs, and the euro at 0.9395 francs. The Bank of England is up next and is expected to keep UK rates unchanged. Data on Wednesday showed inflation cooled as expected in May, although food prices shot up and policymakers will be considering the potential impact from higher energy prices in light of the Israel-Iran war. Sterling edged 0.1 per cent lower to $US1.341. Global stocks have fallen and the dollar has risen as investors, concerned over the United States' possible entry into the Israel-Iran air war, seek safe-haven assets and ditch riskier ones. President Donald Trump kept the world guessing about whether the United States would join Israel's bombardment of Iranian nuclear sites, telling reporters outside the White House on Thursday, "I may do it. I may not do it." The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump had told senior aides he approved attack plans on Iran but was holding off on giving the final order to see if Tehran would abandon its nuclear programme. In Europe, stocks fell for a third day on Thursday, leaving the STOXX 600 down nearly 2.5 per cent on the week, set for its biggest week-on-week decline since the tariff-induced turmoil of April. US S&P 500 futures fell 0.6 per cent, although most US markets - including Wall Street and the Treasury market - will be closed on Thursday for a public holiday. "Market participants remain edgy and uncertain," said Kyle Rodda, senior financial markets analyst at Speculation was rife "that the US will intervene, something that would mark a material escalation and could invite direct retaliation against the US by Iran", he said. "Such a scenario would raise the risk of a greater regional conflict, with implications for global energy supply and probably economic growth." Much of the recent nervousness in markets has been centred around crude supply shocks from the Middle East, which has driven the price of crude oil up by 11 per cent in a week. Brent crude rose nearly one per cent to $US77.40 a barrel, close to its highest since January. Gold, which tends to struggle when the dollar gains, pared earlier losses to trade at $US3,366 an ounce. The dollar itself rose broadly, leaving the euro down 0.1 per cent at $US1.1466 and the Australian and New Zealand dollars - both risk-linked currencies - down 0.7 per cent and one per cent, respectively. Overnight, the Federal Reserve delivered some mixed signals to markets. Much to Trump's displeasure, policymakers held rates steady as expected and retained projections for two quarter-point rate cuts this year. However, Fed chair Jerome Powell struck a cautious note about further easing ahead, saying at his media conference later that he expected "meaningful" inflation ahead as a result of Trump's aggressive trade tariffs. Markets will now look to a string of central bank policy decisions out of Europe for any possible catalysts. The Swiss National Bank cut interest rates to zero, as expected, leaving the franc to drift as markets had priced in a roughly-20 per cent chance of a half-point cut. The franc, which has been a major beneficiary of safe-haven buying this year, was last steady against both the dollar, at 0.819 francs, and the euro at 0.9395 francs. The Bank of England is up next and is expected to keep UK rates unchanged. Data on Wednesday showed inflation cooled as expected in May, although food prices shot up and policymakers will be considering the potential impact from higher energy prices in light of the Israel-Iran war. Sterling edged 0.1 per cent lower to $US1.341.
Sky News AU
31 minutes ago
- Sky News AU
Sharri Markson rips into Tucker Carlson for ‘hysterical protest' against Trump
Sky News host Sharri Markson says Donald Trump is 'likely' to order the B2 bombers with the bunker buster bombs to hit the Fordow nuclear site in Iran. This comes as Soroka Hospital in southern Israel has been smashed by an Iranian missile as both countries continue to exchange fire. 'He'll do this despite the hysterical public protests from anti-Americans who claim to be American first – the most prominent of these is Tucker Carson,' Ms Markson said. 'Tucker is dressing up his anti-Western views as die-hard MAGA, when it's the exact opposite. 'In intelligence circles, he is considered a pawn and propaganda tool of Russia's.'
