Good afternoon.
Chris Bowen has announced Labor will temporarily relax fuel standard rules for 60 days to put an extra 100m litres a month into the system, with supply to be prioritised for towns outside the major cities.
The climate change and energy minister made the announcement during question time, when the opposition repeatedly asked Anthony Albanese to guarantee Australia would not run out of petrol.
It comes after the International Energy Agency recommended 400m barrels of oil be released in an effort to restrain soaring prices amid the US-Israel war on Iran. Senior Iranian officials have warned of a long “war of attrition” that would threaten global economic chaos as energy supplies from the region were throttled.
The ramifications are already being felt across Asia, and for people considering travel between Australia and Europe.
Top news
Israel bombards Beirut suburbs and southern Lebanon as conflict with Hezbollah escalates
Queensland floods: police believe bodies found are those of missing backpackers
The scale of northern Australia’s record-breaking floods revealed in data and maps
New satirical statue depicts Trump and Epstein as doomed lovers from Titanic
In video
The Iran-US-Israeli war has plunged the Middle East into chaos, but defining the system of alliances in this war is a complex question. The Guardian’s Beirut-based reporter, Will Christou, explains who is supporting Iran, who is supporting the US and Israel, and what their support actually equates to.
What they said …
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“Our approach is not ‘AI replaces people’. But it would be disingenuous to pretend AI doesn’t change the mix of skills we need or the number of roles required in certain areas.” – Mike Cannon-Brookes
The Atlassian co-founder released a statement to employees after the software giant announced it was laying off about 10% of its workforce, or roughly 1,600 positions, as it restructures to invest further in artificial intelligence.
Full Story
‘More Australian babies!’ where will Matt Canavan take the Nationals now?
The National party has a new federal leader after senator Matt Canavan emerged as the winner of a tight party-room ballot on Wednesday.
Senior political correspondent, Dan Jervis-Bardy, speaks to Nour Haydar about how the Queensland rightwinger won the vote and whether this now means he will pull the Nationals, and the Coalition, further to the right.
Before bed read
Personal style comes in many forms, from cottagecore to whimsigoth to my personal favourite, “this smells clean”. If you’re trying to work out how to dress as you, Madeleine Aggeler asked the experts on your behalf. Key takeaway: it’s not about chasing trends.
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: LEAN. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
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