Politics

Politics · 22 October 2026

Rising rates turn Sydney lunches into a game of hide‑and‑seek, with the missing steak the most elusive player

Mabel Crowe, Sydney desk

The Reserve Bank’s interest‑rate climb is nudging food prices above oil, leaving many households to swap dinner plates for dust‑bins of optimism. It’s a fiscal diet no one signed up for, but the city’s queues a…

Politics · 22 October 2026

Trump Turns Up the Heat: Administration Releases 315,000 Barrels of Oil in Unprecedented Power Play Ahead of Midterms

June Harrow, Washington desk

Less than two weeks before the midterms, the Trump administration tapped 315,000 barrels of heating oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in a move that critics say is an unprecedented exercise of executive power, but…

Politics · 21 October 2026

AFP warns of AI-fuelled youth crime tsunami as children as young as 12 targeted

Mabel Crowe, Sydney desk

Federal police have warned a parliamentary inquiry that artificial intelligence is accelerating a 'tsunami' of youth crime and radicalisation. Officials stated that children as young as 12 are among dozens subject to ope…

Politics · 21 October 2026

Power protests spark $2bn data‑centre ‘fizzle’, NextDC shares go into free‑fall

Tariq Bell, World desk

Protesters over a power shortfall at NextDC’s $2 billion M3 data centre in West Footscray caused the firm to slash profit forecasts and construction spend, sending its shares tumbling.

Politics · 21 October 2026

Witkoff’s ‘Very Productive’ Zelenskyy Chat Precedes Moscow Meet with Putin

June Harrow, Washington desk

Steve Witkoff held 'very productive' talks with Zelenskyy before flying to Moscow to meet Putin. European officials worry Trump’s personal preference for Putin may hinder a fair peace, while the US offers a three-way f…

Politics · 20 October 2026

Britain’s Typhoons Take a Desert Detour, Guarding Saudi Sunsets from Houthi Shadows

Celia Marsh, London desk

The UK has announced the deployment of RAF Typhoon fighters to conduct defensive missions over Saudi Arabian cities and infrastructure in response to rising Houthi attacks.

Politics · 20 October 2026

Chancellor heals the budget by refusing to tax the rich, citing fear of a capital gains exodus

Tariq Bell, World desk

John Healey rebuffed Labour colleagues’ push to equalise capital gains tax with income tax, warning it could drive high‑net‑worth individuals out of the UK.

Politics · 20 October 2026

Market Participants Rattle Over Wangaratta Activist’s Threat to MP

Vera Chen, Sydney desk

When a local activist in Wangaratta threatened a sitting MP, market participants seized the moment, causing property rates in the town to tumble as investors worried about political risk.

Politics · 20 October 2026

Ed Husic urges Treasury Minister Chalmers to 'unshackle the economy' and muses on PM retirement

Tariq Bell, World desk

Labor MP Ed Husic pressed Treasury Minister Chalmers for a growth boost, urging him to 'unshackle the economy', and added a speculative comment that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese might consider retirement, joining a gr…