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Additional petrol supply to be prioritised for regional areas. Follow updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastDennis Richardson says his decision to resign from the royal commission into antisemitism had nothing to do with the government, but says he came to the decision that he was “surplus” to the needs of the body.He spoke to RN Breakfast this morning, saying:I think probably there wasn’t enough discussion right at the beginning about the precise way things would work, and ultimately I came to the [decision] that I was surplus to requirements. Continue reading...

Iraq officials say at least one person was killed in the attack on the tankers; US to release 172m barrels of oil from strategic reserveIran escalates attacks on infrastructure and transport across the GulfIsrael bombards Beirut suburbs and southern LebanonHow have you been affected by the latest Middle East events?Over in Senate question time, the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, has confirmed embassies in Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv and the consulate in Dubai all physically closed in the last week. Wong said the government’s number one priority is to “keep Australians safe at home and abroad”. She continued: “The dangerous and destabilising attacks by Iran put civilian lives at risk, including Australian lives.” More than 3,200 Australians over 23 commercial flights have returned to Australia since the US and Israel attacked Iran, setting off a regional conflict and grounding thousands of international flights.Wong criticised Nationals senators for “winding up people and stoking fear” to panic buy fuel. The senator said:“Petrol companies are telling us that fuel stock continues to arrive as expected and on time but there has been a large change in the pattern of demand and that is having an effect on the supply, particularly in regional communities. We have seen jerry cans coming off the shelves at Bunnings and lines at the pump.”One of the two members of the Iranian women’s football teams provided with a humanitarian visa to stay in Australia has changed her mind and contacted the Iranian embassy, according to the country’s home affairs minister.In Australia, people are able to change their mind, people are able to travel. So, we respect the context in which she has made that decision.Unfortunately, in making that decision, she had been advised by her teammates and coach to contact the Iranian embassy and get collected … As a result of that, it meant that the Iranian embassy now knew the location of where everybody was. Continue reading...

From fuel caps to four-day work weeks, the Middle East conflict has left the world’s top crude oil importing region desperate to shore up suppliesDonald Trump has scrambled in recent days to reassure the world that the economic impact of his war on Iran can be contained.Sure, one of the most important waterways in global trade has, in effect, been shut for almost two weeks – but it might reopen before long. In the meantime, US oil-related sanctions on “some countries” will be lifted. And besides, the entire conflict could be over soon. Continue reading...

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the United States must "finish the job" in Iran -- hours after suggesting the war could be over soon because Washington had run out of targets.

Iran's military vowed on Wednesday to launch strikes against US and Israeli economic targets in the region, including banks, after overnight attacks hit an Iranian bank.

Some river levels are still increasing after parts of Queensland recorded their highest three-day rainfall totalsFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastDozens of sites across northern Australia have been subjected to major flooding over the past couple of days, with some river levels still increasing after parts of Queensland recorded their highest three-day rainfall totals between Sunday and Tuesday.The map below shows the status for the more than 90 monitoring stations (many of them at different points along the same rivers) across New South Wales, the Northern Territory and Queensland showing either a minor, moderate or major flood as of Thursday morning. Continue reading...

The envoy said the situation became particularly difficult when tensions escalated on February 28 as Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in a joint US and Israeli air strikes.

According to a stinging barb from Donald Trump, Britons are being led by a Prime Minister who is no Winston Churchill. Soon they will have to cope without the popular wartime leader on their banknotes too.