Region

Oceania

The latest published reporting from this region.

International

‘Sharper, longer slowdown’ predicted for Australian economy as fifth interest rate hike looms

Australia’s central bank expected to hit mortgage holders again on Tuesday, as war in Middle East combines with collapsing house prices Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Australia’s economy is set for a “sharper, longer slowdown”, major bank economists say, as the Reserve Bank is forced to keep interest rates higher to rid the nation of persistent inflationary pressures. The RBA is widely expected to hit mortgage holders with a fifth rate hike on Tuesday, in a move that will push the cash rate to its highest since 2008 amid rising worries the economy could even be tip

The Guardian
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Military

Police use facial recognition to scan one million faces in WA trial leading to 122 arrests

Deployments of surveillance vans over five months resulted in nine false alerts and led officers to engage with 146 registered sex offenders Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast More than a million people have had their faces scanned in a trial of real-time facial recognition technology in Western Australia, resulting in 122 arrests and nine incorrect alerts. WA police said under the five-month trial, which concluded on Saturday, the technology scanned 1,380,882 faces after 100 deployments across 43 regional and metropolitan locations. Continue reading...

The Guardian
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International

Minns warns expected RBA rate rise will see ‘shops close that don’t reopen’ as pressure mounts on PM

Frustration grows over the economy with one Labor MP saying voter anger is already high ahead of Reserve Bank of Australia decision Get our daily political email, free app or daily news podcast The NSW premier, Chris Minns, has warned an expected interest rate increase will force job losses and cause businesses to close, insisting the federal government and states should rein in spending to take pressure off the economy. The intervention from the leader of the country’s biggest state will heap yet more pressure on the Albanese government ahead of the Reserve Bank of Australia’s cash rate decis

The Guardian
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International

‘I want to slap you around a bit, too’: Victorian magistrate reprimanded over language in court

Judicial commission finds against Vicky Prapas over a series of comments, including one made when school children were present Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast A magistrate who told a court user “I want to slap you around a bit, too” has come under fire for her offensive and inappropriate language. The remark was one of several made by Victorian magistrate Vicky Prapas that the state’s judicial watchdog has found to be inappropriate. Continue reading...

The Guardian
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