NZ shuns ‘sugar hits’ in budget, cuts growth forecast
New Zealand has unveiled a budget with few voter incentives ahead of what is shaping up to be a tightly contested election, as policymakers focus on preserving fiscal firepower amid…
‘Atrocious incidents’ known to detention centre bosses
A private overseas prison company has been fined for a series of catastrophic security and safety failures at an Australian detention centre, but the government will not reveal details. The…
‘Huge mistake’: how Howard spurred Boomer investors
A controversial tax reform package will correct a “huge mistake” that locked a generation of people out of home ownership, Labor says. Reserve Bank research has found the proportion of…
Shares drop and oil surges as US, Iran trade strikes
Australian shares have had their worst day since mid-March after a re-escalation in the US-Iran conflict dimmed peace deal hopes and boosted oil prices. The S&P/ASX200 fell 124.8 points on…
Inside Australia’s Political Influencer Lobby Machine | The West Report
Political influencers and online commentators are one of the major forces shaping public opinion in Australia. But unlike political parties, there are very few transparency rules around who funds online…
Crystal Palace win Conference League after Mateta strike sinks Rayo Vallecano
After being denied their rightful place in this season’s Europa League, Crystal Palace finally have their revenge. In Oliver Glasner’s final match in charge, it was fitting that Jean-Philippe Mateta…
Ribbit is the new Wordle, and I’m here to share it with you
A gentle daily puzzle is quietly becoming the most joyful part of my morning routine and reminds me that not every win needs to be epic There’s been some pretty…
The Guardian view on Lebanon’s suffering: the ‘ceasefire’ didn’t stop Israeli attacks. Now they’re intensifying again | Editorial
Civilians including children are among the thousands to have died in this war, yet the world is paying remarkably little attention Lebanon was an afterthought when Israel and the US…
AI ‘art’ is boring, soulless theft – and when I see it as an artist I see red | Jess Harwood
I draw the old way – with my hand. Doing it with AI would not make me more creative, it would drain the colour out of my existence Last week…
Trump’s corruption leaves us cynical – and complacent | Judith Levine
Impunity breeds popular cynicism, and cynicism undergirds autocracy As his mentor Roy Cohn counseled, Donald Trump never admits wrongdoing or apologizes. But he occasionally evinces something resembling a qualm. In…