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US military says strikes in the first 24 hours was nearly double the scale of the 2003 ‘shock-and-awe’ operation in Iraq; US president orders insurance to be provided for shipping in crucial waterwayTrump administration has still not settled on reasons for warMiddle East attacks intensify as Trump rejects Iran’s attempt to talkExplosions sounded in Iran’s capital city on Wednesday as its war with the US and Israel entered a fifth day after earlier strikes on an Iranian nuclear site and retaliatory strikes by the Islamic Republic across the Gulf region.Iranian state television reported explosions around Tehran as dawn broke. Meanwhile,

Party worries a victory by Maga darling Ken Paxton over John Cornyn would open door to Democrats in red stateFour-term Republican US senator John Cornyn is fighting for his political life against Texas attorney general Ken Paxton, in a bitter primary contest that will likely end in a runoff.As polls began to close across the Lone Star state on Tuesday evening, national Republicans were openly fretting that a victory by Paxton, a scandal-plagued conservative culture warrior who is a darling of Donald Trump’s Maga movement, would give Democrats a rare opening in a solidly red state. Continue reading... Source link

Push to give English same status as Māori and NZ sign languages sparks backlash from opposition parties and linguistic expertsA bill to recognise English as an official language of New Zealand has cleared its first hurdle in parliament amid ridicule from opposition parties and linguists who say it is “unnecessary” and “cynical”.The bill seeks to give English, which is spoken by 95% of the country, the same official status as te reo Māori (Māori language) and New Zealand sign language. The bill said the status and use of the existing official languages would not be affected. Continue reading... Source link

The prime minister has discussed stranded Australians with the Emirati president. Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastLidia Thorpe says the parliamentary watchdog is powerless to make a real difference against racism and the treatment of women after it released its first public statement last week.The Independent Parliamentary Standards Commission named Victorian senator Ralph Babet as having made “offensive, disrespectful and harmful” remarks in a social media post published in November 2024. The watchdog said it had sanctioned him to attend one-on-one behaviour training and agree to refrain from further similar comments but