Live Updates: After Global Economy Shudders, Trump Zigzags on Whether War Is Nearing End

Politics live: Labor moves to block some people on temporary visas from travelling to Australia; total value of Australian homes passes $12tn

Tony Burke would be able to block people from Iran who are travelling to Australia on tourist and other temporary visas under the bill. Follow updates liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastBurke confirms Trump has called AlbaneseBurke has confirmed the US president, Donald Trump, has spoken with Anthony Albanese (who will be up to speak in Canberra shortly).I do know that the president called the prime minister and the views of the president put on this, I think, reflected what all good people have been thinking. Everybody’s been looking at this situation and saying, surely, is there something we can do?We’ve been making sure that we had the options, that the women had the opportunity to come forward, and there’s been a good police presence at different points … But can I say the first conversation didn’t have an immediate case of the women saying that they decided. This was a difficult decision for them, and I think we all understand exactly why.I don’t want to begin to imagine how difficult that decision is for each of the individual women, but certainly last night, it was joy, it was relief, and people were very excited about embarking on your life in Australia.They were moved from the hotel to a safe location by the Australian Federal Police … I made final confirmation with the director general of Asio Mike Burgess to make sure that he was completely comfortable in terms of security clearances for the people who I was about to make the offer to. Continue reading...

Here’s the latest.

Middle East crisis live: oil prices fall back sharply as Trump claims Iran war will be over ‘very soon’

Trump calls Operation Epic Fury ‘one of the most complex and stunning operations ever conducted’ and touts ‘very good’ call with Putin about IranTell us: how have you been affected by the latest events in the Middle East?Donald Trump has said a decision on when to end the war with Iran will be a “mutual” one he’ll make together with Benjamin Netanyahu, the Times of Israel has reported.It said Trump also claimed in a brief telephone interview on Sunday that Iran would have destroyed Israel if he and Netanyahu had not been around. The US president said:Iran was going to destroy Israel and everything else around it … We’ve worked together. We’ve destroyed a country that wanted to destroy Israel.I think it’s mutual … a little bit. We’ve been talking. I’ll make a decision at the right time, but everything’s going to be taken into account. Continue reading...

Vague and contradictory Trump says Iran war ‘won’, but not ‘won enough’

After oil prices surged on Monday the US president sought – and failed - to offer a clear vision for when the largest US intervention in the Middle East in years will endAt one of the most consequential moments of his two terms in office, wartime president Donald Trump on Monday delivered a vague and contradictory forecast for how long the United States will continue to fight in Iran and what the ultimate goal of the US military campaign there will be.With oil hovering above $100 a barrel for much of Monday and Middle Eastern allies fearing a further tumble into regional conflict, Trump appeared in Doral, Florida with the mission of calming global markets and reassuring skittish allies that he has a clear vision for how to end the largest US intervention in the Middle East since the Iraq war. Continue reading...

Trump’s Iran war will reinforce North Korea’s view that nuclear weapons are the only path to security

As speculation mounts that Kim Jong-un and Trump could meet this month, analysts say Pyongyang will continue to see nuclear weapons as a matter of survivalNorth Korea’s launch last week of a missile from a naval destroyer elicited an uncharacteristically prosaic analysis from the country’s leader, Kim Jong-un. The launch was proof, he said, that arming ships with nuclear weapons was “making satisfactory progress”.But the test, and Kim’s mildly upbeat appraisal, were designed to reverberate well beyond the deck of the 5,000-tonne destroyer-class vessel the Choe Hyon – the biggest warship in the North Korean fleet. Continue reading...

Kia Carnival escape one of 12 since US firm took control of Australian immigration detention, damning report finds

Staffing levels at centres ‘critical’ under Management and Training Corporation, prisons watchdog says Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAt least 12 escapes have occurred since a US private prison operator began running Australia’s immigration detention network, including by a high-risk detainee who was mistakenly placed in an unsecured Kia Carnival with a makeshift weapon, a scathing report has found.The prisons watchdog, the National Preventive Mechanism (NPM), on Tuesday released a damning report about the running of the onshore immigration detention centres during their transition to Management and Training Corporation (MTC). Continue reading...

U.S. Reaches Tentative Deal Ending Prosecution of Turkish Bank

Court papers submitted as part of the agreement with Halkbank, which was accused of doing business with Iranian entities, said Turkey’s assistance “was instrumental” in the Israel-Hamas cease-fire.

Trump claims Democrats ‘probably won’t win an election for 50 years’ if strict voter ID bill passes – as it happened

This live blog is now closed.Trump news at a glance: president issues an ultimatum to Congress to get voter ID bill passedSign up for Breaking US News email alertsDonald Trump has urged the Australian government to grant asylum to five members of the Iranian women’s football team, amid reports that they refused to return home following the team’s elimination from the Women’s Asian Cup and were taken into the protection of Australian police.As my colleague Martin Farrer reports, speculation had mounted for days that some of the players would try to seek asylum in Australia they had been called “traitors” for refusing to sing their national anthem before their opening game of the tournament last week. Continue reading...

Labor moves to block some temporary visa holders travelling to Australia amid Middle East war

Proposed legislation would allow home affairs minister to prevent people from certain places – such as Iran – entering the country Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastLabor is toughening immigration laws to stop people from some countries travelling to Australia on some temporary visas and seeking to stay permanently because of the Middle East war.The assistant citizenship minister, Julian Hill, introduced urgent amendments on Tuesday, hours after home affairs minister, Tony Burke, facilitated asylum applications from members of the Iranian women’s football team. Continue reading...