Australian consumer confidence plunges to worst level since 1990s after RBA rate rise pred 6 urami in 35 minutami Key indicator dropped about 20% after the Reserve Bank last month announced the highest interest rates since 2011Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralian households are the most persistently pessimistic they have been since the early-1990s recession, after a fourth rate rise this year.Confidence among Australian consumers has plunged about 20% since the Reserve Bank of Australia lifted interest rates to the highest levels since 2011, according to the Westpac–Melbourne Institute consumer sentiment index. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Agreement to transition away from fossil fuels ‘not open for renegotiation’, Pacific leader tells pre-Cop pred 7 urami in 28 minutami International leaders visit Tuvalu as part of climate talks co-hosted by Australia ahead of Cop31 conferencePacific island leaders have urged a promised global transition away from fossil fuels must not be left open to renegotiation as they gather in tiny Tuvalu in a bid to build momentum before a major climate summit.About 50 dignitaries – 14 national heads including Australia’s prime minister, Anthony Albanese, a list of climate change ministers and the heads of global agencies – flew to the low-lying atoll nation in a bid to bring attention to the plight of the countries most at risk from the climate crisis. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Tigray rebel groups ‘forcibly recruiting boys as young as 15’ as fighting spreads pred 7 urami in 29 minutami Civilians try to flee as men and boys rounded up on streets by new alliance as Ethiopia conflict erupts againAs renewed fighting has threatened a fresh humanitarian crisis in the northern region of Ethiopia, reports are emerging that a new alliance of armed groups in Tigray has been forcibly recruiting men and boys to its ranks.Renewed conflict erupted on 23 September between Ethiopia’s federal government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), which rules the region, shattering the fragile Pretoria peace agreement signed between the two sides in November 2022. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
RSPCA NSW director quits over welfare standards for RSPCA-branded chicken pred 8 urami in 2 minutama Mark Steele says he is ‘ashamed to be associated’ with the RSPCA Certified scheme, which badges 97% of chicken sold in AustraliaGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe vice-president of RSPCA New South Wales has left the animal welfare group, saying he is “sincerely ashamed” of the standards for RSPCA-certified chicken.Mark Steele, a senior counsel who was a volunteer member of the board from 2021 and also served as a non-executive director of RSPCA Australia until March, issued a statement on LinkedIn outlining his decision to leave the group’s NSW branch for good at the end of September. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Alan Jones corresponded with 13-year-old who asked for financial help, court hears pred 8 urami in 32 minutami Radio host took teenager to lunch, had him visit his apartment, and told him to keep some conversations secret, court hearsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAlan Jones corresponded extensively with a 13-year-old who had written to him asking for financial help, showering the teenager with praise and asking him to keep some secrets from his mother.The teenager, known as complainant A, posted a letter to Jones after his father left and his single mother was struggling financially, the court heard on the first day of evidence given by complainant A in a closed court. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Judith Lucy announces breast cancer diagnosis: ‘I’m in shock, but I’m OK’ pred 9 urami in 25 minutami Comedian reveals cancer in a joke-packed video, saying she will undergo a double mastectomy and ‘I’ll be keeping you abreast of everything, Australia’Get our weekend culture and lifestyle emailComedian and actor Judith Lucy has revealed she has been diagnosed with breast cancer.In a video shared to Instagram on Tuesday afternoon, the 58-year-old said she had “a little, not-so-fun update” to share.Sign up for our rundown of must-reads, pop culture and tips for the weekend, every Sunday morning Continue reading...(The Guardian)
