What we learned today, Thursday 23 May
We are wrapping up the blog for tonight. Here’s what made the news:
The industry and science minister, Ed Husic, said recognising a Palestinian state would come as part of a “longer-term process”, as he labelled the Coalition’s position on the ICC “staggering”.
The Greens called for Australia to follow Norway, Ireland and Spain in recognising a Palestinian state.
The NSW government secured an agreement with Origin Energy to continue to operate Eraring power station until August 2027.
Bird flu was detected at a second farm in western Victoria, 130km west of where the outbreak was first detected.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (Acma) launched a legal case against Optus over the 2022 cyber-attack that compromised the personal information of 10 million customers.
Another group of 103 Australians stranded in New Caledonia after deadly riots were repatriated overnight, with no further flights today, meaning more than half the people who want to leave the French territory had returned home.
Mining giant BHP had a third takeover bid for Anglo American rejected as it continued to be frustrated in its attempt to swallow up a rival with strong copper assets.
The Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) called for urgent action to address medicine shortages that can put lives at risk and leave patients without effective substitutes.
A 3.9 magnitude earthquake hit the town of Taralga in New South Wales near Goulburn.
Dozens of organisations recommit to representative voices for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
A super tax on coal profits will be enshrined in Queensland law, making it harder for future governments to change the divisive royalty hike.
Updated
Australia assigns Houthi group Ansar Allah as a terrorist organisation
The Australian government has assigned Ansar Allah, the group representing the Houthi movement in northern Yemen, a terrorist organisation.
In a statement issued from the Attorney General’s Department, the decision is explained as being rooted in concerns that the group “is directly or indirectly engaged in the preparing, planning, assisting in, or fostering of terrorist attacks”.
Ansar Allah’s violent attacks in the Gulf of Aden and surrounding region have killed civilians, taken hostages and severely disrupted navigational rights and freedoms in the waters around the Arabian Peninsula, undermining maritime security and global prosperity.
The Government’s decision to list Ansar Allah follows advice from Australia’s security agencies that Ansar Allah is directly or indirectly engaged in the preparing, planning, assisting in, or fostering of terrorist attacks.
The assignment means it becomes an offence to support the organisation in any way. The addition of Ansar Allah brings the number of listed terrorist organisations under the Criminal Code to 30.
Updated
