Latest news with #PenryBuckley
Sydney Morning Herald
26-06-2025
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
Israel-Iran ceasefire LIVE updates: Trump officials to give classified briefing to US Congress; Iran's supreme leader says strikes on US base a ‘slap to America's face'
Go to latest What you need to know this morning By Penry Buckley Good morning, and welcome to our live coverage of the conflict in the Middle East. Here's everything you need to know this morning: A fragile ceasefire between Israel and Iran appears to be holding, with American and Iranian officials set to meet next week to discuss Iran's nuclear program. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei made a rare TV appearance since the escalation of the conflict to say his country had delivered a 'slap to America's face' by striking a US air base in Qatar before the ceasefire, and he warned against further attacks. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed victory in the war with Iran, saying the outcome created the opportunity for a 'dramatic widening of peace agreements for peace'. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has clashed with reporters over their coverage of the bombing of Iran's nuclear sites, providing new details on the strikes but shedding little light on the damage inflicted. Trump officials will give their first classified briefing to US Congress about the president's decision to bomb three Iranian nuclear sites at Fordow, Isfahan and Natanz. The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, told French radio the agency can no longer assess the degree of damage, but uranium enrichment centrifuges at Fordow are 'no longer operational' because of the power of US strikes. Stay with us throughout the day as we bring you the latest updates on the region. with Reuters, AP Latest posts 5.55am Penny Wong to meet with US counterpart Marco Rubio next week By Michael Koziol Foreign Minister Penny Wong will meet with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and their Indian and Japanese counterparts at a Quad foreign ministers' meeting on July 1 in Washington. The meeting, part of regular dialogue between the four Quad allies, comes as the US pressures its Asia-Pacific allies to increase defence spending to 3.5 per cent of GDP. That is the same figure the US's NATO allies agreed to spend at this week's summit in the Netherlands, plus another 1.5 per cent on infrastructure described as defence adjacent. The high-level meeting will be the second time Wong has met Rubio since the Trump administration came to power in January, the first being at a Quad meeting the day after the inauguration. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is yet to have a face-to-face meeting with President Donald Trump, however, after the president left the G7 summit early to attend to matters in the Middle East. Bilateral talks between the ministers are also on the agenda for the July 1 meeting. 5.46am Ayatollah: Iranian attacks delivered a 'slap to America's face' By Penry Buckley Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Thursday that his country had delivered a 'slap to America's face' by striking a US air base in Qatar and warned against further attacks in his first public comments since a ceasefire agreement with Israel. Khamenei's prerecorded speech that aired on Iranian state television, his first appearance since June 19, was filled with warnings and threats directed toward the US and Israel, the Islamic Republic's longtime adversaries. The 86-year-old, a skilled orator known for his forceful addresses to the country's more than 90 million people, appeared more tired than he had just a week ago, speaking in a hoarse voice and occasionally stumbling over his words. The supreme leader downplayed US strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites Sunday using bunker-buster bombs and cruise missiles, saying that US President Donald Trump — who said the attack 'completely and fully obliterated' Iran's nuclear program — had exaggerated its impact.
The Age
26-06-2025
- Business
- The Age
Israel-Iran ceasefire LIVE updates: Trump officials to give classified briefing to US Congress; Iran's supreme leader says strikes on US base a ‘slap to America's face'
Go to latest What you need to know this morning By Penry Buckley Good morning, and welcome to our live coverage of the conflict in the Middle East. Here's everything you need to know this morning: A fragile ceasefire between Israel and Iran appears to be holding, with American and Iranian officials set to meet next week to discuss Iran's nuclear program. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei made a rare TV appearance since the escalation of the conflict to say his country had delivered a 'slap to America's face' by striking a US air base in Qatar before the ceasefire, warning against further attacks. Israeli Prime Minsiter Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed 'victory' in the war with Iran, saying the outcome created the opportunity for a 'dramatic widening of peace agreements for peace'. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has clashed with reporters over their coverage of the bombing of Iran's nuclear sites, providing new details on the strikes but shedding little light on the damage inflicted. Trump officials will give their first classified briefing to US Congress about the president's decision to bomb three Iranian nuclear sites at Fordow, Isfahan and Natanz. The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, told French radio the agency can no longer assess the degree of damage, but uranium enrichment centrifuges at Fordow are 'no longer operational' because of the power of US strikes. Stay with us throughout the day as we bring you the latest updates on the region. with Reuters, AP Latest posts 5.55am Penny Wong to meet with US counterpart Marco Rubio next week By Michael Koziol Foreign Minister Penny Wong will meet with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and their Indian and Japanese counterparts at a Quad foreign ministers' meeting on July 1 in Washington. The meeting, part of regular dialogue between the four Quad allies, comes as the US pressures its Asia-Pacific allies to increase defence spending to 3.5 per cent of GDP. That is the same figure the US's NATO allies agreed to spend at this week's summit in the Netherlands, plus another 1.5 per cent on infrastructure described as defence adjacent. The high-level meeting will be the second time Wong has met Rubio since the Trump administration came to power in January, the first being at a Quad meeting the day after the inauguration. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is yet to have a face-to-face meeting with President Donald Trump, however, after the president left the G7 summit early to attend to matters in the Middle East. Bilateral talks between the ministers are also on the agenda for the July 1 meeting. 5.46am Ayatollah: Iranian attacks delivered a 'slap to America's face' By Penry Buckley Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Thursday that his country had delivered a 'slap to America's face' by striking a US air base in Qatar and warned against further attacks in his first public comments since a ceasefire agreement with Israel. Khamenei's prerecorded speech that aired on Iranian state television, his first appearance since June 19, was filled with warnings and threats directed toward the US and Israel, the Islamic Republic's longtime adversaries. The 86-year-old, a skilled orator known for his forceful addresses to the country's more than 90 million people, appeared more tired than he had just a week ago, speaking in a hoarse voice and occasionally stumbling over his words. The supreme leader downplayed US strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites Sunday using bunker-buster bombs and cruise missiles, saying that US President Donald Trump — who said the attack 'completely and fully obliterated' Iran's nuclear program — had exaggerated its impact.
The Age
24-06-2025
- Business
- The Age
NSW budget 2025 LIVE updates: Treasurer Daniel Mookhey set to hand down third state budget
Go to latest Welcome to our rolling NSW budget coverage Penry Buckley Hello, and welcome to The Sydney Morning Herald 's live coverage of the 2025-26 NSW budget. I'm Penry Buckley and I'll be with you all day as NSW Treasurer Daniel Mookhey prepares to hand down his third state budget at 12pm. Don't know your revenue from your expenditure? Unfazed by the federal budget? Here's why you should get excited about the state offering. For a start, NSW has the biggest economy of any state in Australia, significantly larger than the ACT or Queensland, which also have their budget days this week. If it were its own country, NSW would be one of the 40 largest economies worldwide, so how the $120 billion annual budget is spent is of some consequence. It also contains key promises that directly impact lives in NSW, across the portfolios of housing, health and education. We've already had some sense of what's in store, but stay with us as we reveal the full breakdown. 10.55am Will this year's budget deliver a surplus? By Penry Buckley As with the federal budget, the ultimate kudos for any sitting government is to deliver a surplus, although NSW hasn't had one since the Berejiklian government's 2018-19 budget. This year will likely be no different, not helped by the government's failure to push through controversial workers' compensation reforms. Mookhey delivered a $9.7 billion deficit in his first budget. His hopes of a slim surplus last year were thwarted by the GST carve-up in which NSW received $1.9 billion less, and an unfortunate accounting error that resulted in Sydney Metro property sales being counted twice, a miscalculation of $1 billion. Originally forecast at $3.6 billion, a cost blow-out of $1.4 billion brought the total deficit from last year to just under $5 billion, according to the government's mid-year review. However, the state economy is showing signs of improvement – this morning the Herald reported this year's budget will deliver a gross debt improvement of $9.4 billion on the former Coalition government's 2023 projections, reducing interest payments by $400 million by June 2026. Mookhey has also told the Financial Review he expects a small cash surplus this year, meaning daily spending is no longer creating debt, but capital expenditure may still result in an overall deficit, predicted in December to be about $2.2 billion. 10.45am What we know about the budget so far By Penry Buckley The Minns government's third budget is likely to follow the fiscal restraint of the first two. That's not least because the government failed to push through its controversial workers' compensation reforms this month, which Mookhey has claimed would save billions of dollars. As our state political editor, Alexandra Smith, reported this morning, there's also a heavy burden from relief payments, which have been hit by a 10-fold increase from worsening natural disasters since the Black Summer bushfires. Essential services and housing will be front and centre this year. At his budget preview speech last month, the treasurer spoke of the 'need to build, build, build'. The government has already released one of this budget's flagship housing policies, to indefinitely extend a 50 per cent tax break for eligible build-to-rent developments. There's also a record $9 billion investment in school infrastructure over four years, $492 million for a state-of-the-art pathology service in western Sydney, and $452 million to increase bus services, including 50 new 'bendy' buses. You can read the rest of the promises the government has already made public over the past few weeks in this handy list here.
Sydney Morning Herald
24-06-2025
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
NSW budget 2025 LIVE updates: Treasurer Daniel Mookhey set to hand down third state budget
Go to latest Welcome to our rolling NSW budget coverage Penry Buckley Hello, and welcome to The Sydney Morning Herald 's live coverage of the 2025-26 NSW budget. I'm Penry Buckley and I'll be with you all day as NSW Treasurer Daniel Mookhey prepares to hand down his third state budget at 12pm. Don't know your revenue from your expenditure? Unfazed by the federal budget? Here's why you should get excited about the state offering. For a start, NSW has the biggest economy of any state in Australia, significantly larger than the ACT or Queensland, which also have their budget days this week. If it were its own country, NSW would be one of the 40 largest economies worldwide, so how the $120 billion annual budget is spent is of some consequence. It also contains key promises that directly impact lives in NSW, across the portfolios of housing, health and education. We've already had some sense of what's in store, but stay with us as we reveal the full breakdown. 10.55am Will this year's budget deliver a surplus? By Penry Buckley As with the federal budget, the ultimate kudos for any sitting government is to deliver a surplus, although NSW hasn't had one since the Berejiklian government's 2018-19 budget. This year will likely be no different, not helped by the government's failure to push through controversial workers' compensation reforms. Mookhey delivered a $9.7 billion deficit in his first budget. His hopes of a slim surplus last year were thwarted by the GST carve-up in which NSW received $1.9 billion less, and an unfortunate accounting error that resulted in Sydney Metro property sales being counted twice, a miscalculation of $1 billion. Originally forecast at $3.6 billion, a cost blow-out of $1.4 billion brought the total deficit from last year to just under $5 billion, according to the government's mid-year review. However, the state economy is showing signs of improvement – this morning the Herald reported this year's budget will deliver a gross debt improvement of $9.4 billion on the former Coalition government's 2023 projections, reducing interest payments by $400 million by June 2026. Mookhey has also told the Financial Review he expects a small cash surplus this year, meaning daily spending is no longer creating debt, but capital expenditure may still result in an overall deficit, predicted in December to be about $2.2 billion. 10.45am What we know about the budget so far By Penry Buckley The Minns government's third budget is likely to follow the fiscal restraint of the first two. That's not least because the government failed to push through its controversial workers' compensation reforms this month, which Mookhey has claimed would save billions of dollars. As our state political editor, Alexandra Smith, reported this morning, there's also a heavy burden from relief payments, which have been hit by a 10-fold increase from worsening natural disasters since the Black Summer bushfires. Essential services and housing will be front and centre this year. At his budget preview speech last month, the treasurer spoke of the 'need to build, build, build'. The government has already released one of this budget's flagship housing policies, to indefinitely extend a 50 per cent tax break for eligible build-to-rent developments. There's also a record $9 billion investment in school infrastructure over four years, $492 million for a state-of-the-art pathology service in western Sydney, and $452 million to increase bus services, including 50 new 'bendy' buses. You can read the rest of the promises the government has already made public over the past few weeks in this handy list here.
Sydney Morning Herald
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
Anzac Day 2025 LIVE updates: Albanese, Dutton attend dawn services amid federal election campaign
Latest posts Latest posts 4.22am Two-up: a 'fair dinkum' tradition or a devilish game of skill? Penry Buckley Heads or tails? It's a simple choice, with a fair outcome. But it's only in Australia that it's become a national pastime and, some might argue, a sport. The game of two-up, where punters bet on the outcome of two coins thrown into the air, has a reputation for being 'fair dinkum', a reminder of its 19th-century goldfield beginnings. But its uptake by Australian soldiers in both world wars has seen it enshrined in the national mythology. The game is now played play once a year on Anzac Day with near-religious reverence at pubs and RSLs following dawn services nationwide. So as you enter the ring this Anzac Day, what can you use to your advantage? Is a coin toss ever really fair, and is two-up a fiendish game of skill or one of pure chance? You can read the full story by Penry Buckley here. 4.18am Rinehart calls for enormous increase in defence spending By Paul Sakkal and Shane Wright At last night's Anzac Day eve service in Sydney, Australia's richest person, mining magnate Gina Rinehart, called for a gargantuan rise in defence spending to 5 per cent of GDP, as Peter Dutton and Richard Marles watched on from the audience. Dutton, Marles and former prime ministers Tony Abbott, Scott Morrison and John Howard were guests at the Channel Seven Anzac Day Eve ceremony just outside the Sydney Opera House. It came a day after the Coalition leader said if his party formed government, it would take defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2030 and to 3 per cent by the middle of the next decade. Defence spending under Labor is projected to rise from 2.02 per cent of GDP this year to 2.3 per cent by 2034, making the Coalition's 3 per cent long-term pledge significantly more ambitious. You can read the full story here. 4.13am Welcome By Nick Newling Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of the federal election. Today we bring you a special early edition of the national blog, in which we will be following commemorations of Anzac day across the country. My name is Nick Newling, and I'll be taking you through all the morning's news as it happens. We are expecting to see both Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton attend services this morning.
