From 2h ago 02.59 BST Trump says US will ‘sell so much’ beef to Australia – but some disagree The US president, Donald Trump, has posted on his Truth Social account that the US will “sell so much” beef to Australia following the federal government lifting biosecurity trade restrictions on the import of the meat from the US and Canada. While the move has led to criticism from the Coalition in the past day over its “suspicious” timing, Trump praised the decision. He said: After many years Australia has agreed to accept American Beef! For a long time, and even though we are great friends, they actually banned our Beef. Now, we are going to sell so much to Australia because this is undeniable and irrefutable Proof that U.S. Beef is the Safest and Best in the entire World. The other Countries that refuse our magnificent Beef are ON NOTICE. All of our Nation’s Ranchers, who are some of the hardest working and most wonderful people, are smiling today, which means I am smiling too. Let’s keep the Hot Streak going. IT’S THE GOLDEN AGE OF AMERICA! Whether this happens in practice is another thing. As we have reported, Australia produced 2.5m tonnes of beef last year, of which just over one-fifth was consumed onshore. In addition to that, the US beef industry has not currently been meeting its own internal demand. The US cattle herd is at a 74-year low due to prolonged drought conditions. In 2024 the US imported 525,980 tonnes of Australian beef to fill the gap. Meat & Livestock Australia yesterday assessed the impact of the lifting of the restrictions to be minimal. The potential for US beef to be imported into Australia in large volumes is minimal, given the high demand for beef in the US, the low US cattle herd, the strength of the Australian dollar, our competitive domestic supply, and most importantly Australians’ strong preference for high-quality, tasty and nutritious Australian beef. US-Australia beef: what you need to know about tariffs and the meat trade war Read more It is expected the concession will help pave the way for the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, to argue Australia should be given exemptions from the US’s 50% tariff on steel and aluminium, and a potential 200% tariff planned for pharmaceuticals. Share Updated at 03.48 BST

3m ago 05.13 BST Aussie shares fall as volatility set to continue The Australian bourse has moved lower despite tech industries spurring the US market to modest overnight gains, AAP reports. Near noon on Friday the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index was down 0.52%, while the broader All Ordinaries had dipped by 0.5%. Overseas, the US market lifted after Google’s parent company, Alphabet, spurred the technology sector, securing a $1.5bn deal with software firm ServiceNow. View image in fullscreen Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAP In Australia, nine of the ASX’s 11 sectors were down near midday, lifted only by energy climbing 1.17% and with health care almost flat. With a few hours of trading left, the ASX200 was on track to fall 1.1% for the week after breaking records multiple times the previous week. Volatility in the local market looks set to persist as traders eye upcoming inflation data and the local earnings season, experts say. Share Updated at 05.14 BST

15m ago 05.02 BST Graham Readfearn Fortescue axes two green hydrogen projects after Trump administration’s shift on renewables The iron ore magnate Andrew Forrest’s Fortescue company has cancelled two major green hydrogen projects, laying some of the blame on the Trump administration’s shift away from renewable energy. Fortescue’s decision to cancel the two ventures in Queensland and Arizona are the latest in a run of canned hydrogen projects in Australia and elsewhere that will raise further questions about the future of the clean fuel. View image in fullscreen Andrew Forrest. Photograph: Lukas Coch/EPA Gus Pichot, the chief executive of growth and energy at Fortescue, said a “shift in policy priorities away from green energy” in the US had “changed the situation” for its reported US$550m green hydrogen production plans in Arizona. Pichot said: The lack of certainty and a step back in green ambition has stopped the emerging green energy markets making it hard for previously feasible projects to proceed. Read more here: Fortescue axes two green hydrogen projects after Trump administration’s shift on renewables Read more Share Updated at 05.04 BST

36m ago 04.41 BST Opposition echos Albanese’s concerns on Gaza, but places blame on Hamas Michaelia Cash, the shadow foreign affairs minister, said the Coalition shared the prime minister’s strong concerns about the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza. But Cash said the opposition was disappointed Anthony Albanese hadn’t directed his outrage at Hamas. Cash said in a statement: Any moral outrage about the situation in Gaza should be directed at Hamas. Hamas and its allies have tried to disrupt the flow of aid into Gaza and have stolen humanitarian aid for their own purposes. This war began because of Hamas’s abhorrent attack on Israeli civilians, where over 1200 were murdered in cold blood, and they bear responsibility for the continuation of this conflict. … Hamas could end the suffering of the people of Gaza by freeing the remaining Israeli hostages and laying down their weapons. View image in fullscreen Michaelia Cash: ‘Hamas could end the suffering of the people of Gaza by freeing the remaining Israeli hostages.’ Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP Cash went on to say the Coalition “acknowledges” the delay in aid entering Gaza is “unacceptable and that the Israeli government needs to urgently work with international bodies to allow aid to flow freely to those that need it”. However, the right system must be in place so that it can be distributed without Hamas intervening in the process. Share Updated at 04.43 BST

1h ago 04.17 BST Jordyn Beazley Protesters who occupied the PM’s office have left A pro-Palestine protest at Anthony Albanese’s Sydney office has dispersed after police issued a move-on direction. More than a dozen people had occupied the prime minister’s electorate office and were banging pots and pans to draw attention to their demands for the government to sanction Israel in response to the starvation of civilians in Gaza. A protester who was part of the demonstration, which began at 10am, told Guardian Australia that around 30 protesters had also gathered outside the office. NSW police said in a statement that the group was issued a move-on direction to exit the office. The order was complied with and no arrests were made. View image in fullscreen Protesters at the electorate office of Anthony Albanese in Marrickville, Sydney. Photograph: Bianca de Marchi/AAP Share Updated at 04.24 BST

1h ago 03.50 BST Albanese’s statement follows French pledge to recognise Palestinian state Overnight, French president Emmanuel Macron said his country would recognise a Palestinian state in September at the UN general assembly, a major move by a world power. The French president announced the decision on X on Thursday evening, saying he hoped it would bring peace to the region. Macron published a letter sent to the Palestinian Authority president, Mahmoud Abbas, confirming France’s intention to become the first major western power to recognise a Palestinian state. The French president said: True to its historic commitment to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East, I have decided that France will recognise the state of Palestine. View image in fullscreen The French president, Emmanuel Macron: ‘France will recognise the state of Palestine.’ Photograph: Ludovic Marin/AFP/Getty Images Read more: France to recognise Palestinian state at UN general assembly, Macron says Read more Share Updated at 03.53 BST

2h ago 03.42 BST PM says ‘every effort’ must be made to safeguard innocent life Albanese also condemned Hamas and said Australia would continue to call for the immediate release of all remaining hostages. He went on: We continue to support all international efforts to facilitate a ceasefire, recognising that an immediate and permanent ceasefire gives the best hope of bringing hostages home and easing the agony of their loved ones. Australia is proud to have strongly supported the creation of the modern state of Israel. Then, as now, the global community envisioned two states: the state of Israel and the state of Palestine … Australia is committed to a future where both the Israeli and Palestinian peoples can live in peace and safety, within secure and internationally recognised borders. Until that day, every effort must be made here and now to safeguard innocent life and end the suffering and starvation of the people of Gaza. You can read his statement in full below: pic.twitter.com/kpc8OuBEcG — Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) July 25, 2025 Share Updated at 04.15 BST

2h ago 03.38 BST Albanese calls on Israel to heed international law The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, just released a strong statement on the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, calling on Israel to end its blockade of aid and immediately comply with its obligations under international law. He said: The situation in Gaza has gone beyond the world’s worst fears. The position of the Australian Government is clear: every innocent life matters. Every Israeli. Every Palestinian. This conflict has stolen far too many innocent lives. Tens of thousands of civilians are dead, children are starving. Gaza is in the grip of a humanitarian catastrophe. Israel’s denial of aid and the killing of civilians, including children, seeking access to water and food cannot be defended or ignored. We call on Israel to comply immediately with its obligations under international law. View image in fullscreen The prime minister, Anthony Albanese: ‘We call on Israel to comply immediately with its obligations under international law.’ Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP The number of people dying of starvation in Gaza continues to rise, with the UN and aid groups blaming Israel’s blockage of almost all aid into the territory for a widespread lack of food. The head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency said yesterday his frontline staff are fainting from hunger while trying to help Palestinians in Gaza. ‘Hungry aid staff fainting’ as starvation spreads in Gaza and truce hopes fade Read more Share Updated at 04.33 BST

2h ago 03.27 BST More on the Thailand-Cambodia border dispute: 100,000 Thai civilians evacuated Thailand evacuated more than 100,000 people along the Cambodian border, it said on Friday, as the two countries fight their bloodiest military clashes in more than a decade. The interior ministry said 100,672 people from four border provinces had been moved to shelters, while the health ministry announced the death toll had risen to 14. View image in fullscreen People flee their homes near the Cambodia-Thailand border in Oddar Meanchey province, Cambodia during fighting with Thai forces over a disputed border zone. Photograph: Kith Serey/EPA Both blamed each other for starting a morning clash at a disputed area of the border, which quickly escalated from small arms fire to heavy shelling in at least six locations 209km (130 miles) apart along a frontier where sovereignty has been disputed for more than a century. Read more here: Thailand-Cambodia border dispute: 100,000 Thai civilians evacuated amid clashes Read more Share Updated at 03.32 BST

2h ago 02.59 BST Trump says US will ‘sell so much’ beef to Australia – but some disagree The US president, Donald Trump, has posted on his Truth Social account that the US will “sell so much” beef to Australia following the federal government lifting biosecurity trade restrictions on the import of the meat from the US and Canada. While the move has led to criticism from the Coalition in the past day over its “suspicious” timing, Trump praised the decision. He said: After many years Australia has agreed to accept American Beef! For a long time, and even though we are great friends, they actually banned our Beef. Now, we are going to sell so much to Australia because this is undeniable and irrefutable Proof that U.S. Beef is the Safest and Best in the entire World. The other Countries that refuse our magnificent Beef are ON NOTICE. All of our Nation’s Ranchers, who are some of the hardest working and most wonderful people, are smiling today, which means I am smiling too. Let’s keep the Hot Streak going. IT’S THE GOLDEN AGE OF AMERICA! Whether this happens in practice is another thing. As we have reported, Australia produced 2.5m tonnes of beef last year, of which just over one-fifth was consumed onshore. In addition to that, the US beef industry has not currently been meeting its own internal demand. The US cattle herd is at a 74-year low due to prolonged drought conditions. In 2024 the US imported 525,980 tonnes of Australian beef to fill the gap. Meat & Livestock Australia yesterday assessed the impact of the lifting of the restrictions to be minimal. The potential for US beef to be imported into Australia in large volumes is minimal, given the high demand for beef in the US, the low US cattle herd, the strength of the Australian dollar, our competitive domestic supply, and most importantly Australians’ strong preference for high-quality, tasty and nutritious Australian beef. US-Australia beef: what you need to know about tariffs and the meat trade war Read more It is expected the concession will help pave the way for the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, to argue Australia should be given exemptions from the US’s 50% tariff on steel and aluminium, and a potential 200% tariff planned for pharmaceuticals. Share Updated at 03.48 BST

3h ago 02.45 BST Pro-Palestine protesters occupy prime minister’s office Jordyn Beazley Over a dozen people are occupying Anthony Albanese’s Sydney office and banging pots and pans to draw attention to their demands for the government to sanction Israel, according to a protester taking part. The protester said: The protest is calling for sanctions on Israel in response to the starvation of civilians in Gaza. He said about 30 protesters had also gathered outside the prime minister’s electorate office in Marrickville since the demonstration began at 10am.

The protester said NSW police, who have been approached for comment, have officers at the scene. Albanese’s electorate office was picketed 24/7 by protesters for several months last year. View image in fullscreen Protesters seen at Albanese’s electorate office in Marrickville in June 2024. Photograph: Bianca de Marchi/AAP 43 people died from hunger in Gaza over just three days this week. There had been 68 in total before that.

On Tuesday, Greens senator Mahreen Faruqi was sanctioned by the upper house after she held up a sign urging sanctions against Israel while the governor general, Sam Mostyn, addressed parliament.

Australia has joined with 27 other nations, including the UK and France, to condemn Israel for the “drip feeding of aid” and the “inhumane killing” of Palestinians.

The prime minister’s office has been approached for comment. Share Updated at 02.46 BST

Thailand and Cambodia exchanged heavy artillery fire as their worstfighting in more than a decade stretched for a second day,despite calls from the region and beyond for an immediateceasefire in an escalating border conflict that has killed at least 16 people.

Thailand’s military reported clashes from before dawn in the Ubon Ratchathani and Surin provinces and said Cambodia had used artillery and Russian-made BM-21 rocket systems.

Authorities said 100,000 people had been evacuated from conflict areas on the Thai side.

“Cambodian forces have conducted sustained bombardment utilising heavy weapons, field artillery, and BM-21 rocketsystems,” the Thai military said in a statement.

“Thai forces have responded with appropriate supporting fire in accordance with the tactical situation.”

Both sides blamed each other for starting the conflict at a disputed border area, which quickly escalated from small arms fire to heavy shelling in at least six locations 209km apart along a frontier where sovereignty has been disputed for more than a century.

A number of people were killed when a Cambodian rocket hit a Thai petrol station (Credit: Royal Thai Army)

Reuters journalists in Surin province reported hearing intermittent bursts of explosions, amid a heavy presence of armed Thai soldiers along roads and gas stations in the largely agrarian area.

A Thai military convoy, including around a dozen trucks,armoured vehicles and tanks, cut across provincial roads ringed by paddy fields and moved toward the border.

The fighting erupted yesterday just hours after Thailand recalled its ambassador to Phnom Penh the previous night and expelled Cambodia’s envoy, in response to a second Thai soldier losing a limb to a landmine that Bangkok alleged had been laid recently by rival troops.

Cambodia has dismissed that as baseless.

Death toll rises

The Thai death toll rose to 15, 14 of them civilians, according to the health ministry. It said 46 people were wounded, including 15 soldiers.

Cambodia’s national government has not provided details of any casualties or evacuations of civilians.

A government spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the latest clashes.

Meth Meas Pheakdey, spokesperson for the provincial administration of Cambodia’s Oddar Meanchey province, said one civilian had been killed and five were wounded, with 1,500 families evacuated.

Thailand had positioned six F-16 fighter jets in a rare combat deployment, one of which was mobilised to strike Cambodian military targets, among measures Cambodia called “reckless and brutal military aggression”.

People flee their homes near the Cambodia-Thailand border

The United States, a long-time treaty ally of Thailand, called for an “immediate cessation of hostilities, protection of civilians and a peaceful resolution.”

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, the chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, of which Thailand and Cambodia are members, said he had spoken to leaders of both countries and urged them to find a peaceful way out.

“I welcome the positive signals and willingness shown by both Bangkok and Phnom Penh to consider this path forward. Malaysia stands ready to assist and facilitate this process in the spirit of ASEAN unity and shared responsibility,” he said in a social media post.

Don’t travel to border zone, Irish citizens told

The Department of Foreign Affairs has advised Irish citizens “against all travel to the entirety of the border region between Thailand and Cambodia”.

It said that “border crossings are subject to restrictions and closures and there may be a possibility of disruption to air travel between the two countries.

“We strongly advise citizens against any attempt to approach or cross the border.

“The situation remains very fluid and Irish citizens in Thailand – or intending to visit the country – should pay close attention to authoritative sources of information and advice, and remain vigilant at all times.”

Thailand evacuated more than 100,000 people along the Cambodian border, it said on Friday, as the two countries fought for a second day in the bloodiest military clashes between the neighbours in over a decade.

The interior ministry said 100,672 people from four border provinces had been moved to shelters, while the health ministry announced the death toll had risen to 15, of which 14 were civilians.

Cambodia’s national government has not provided details of any casualties or evacuations of civilians but a local official in Oddar Meanchey province told Reuters one civilian had been killed and five were wounded, with 1,500 families evacuated.

Thailand’s military reported clashes from before dawn on Friday in the Ubon Ratchathani and Surin provinces and said Cambodia had used artillery and Russian-made rocket systems.

“Cambodian forces have conducted sustained bombardment utilising heavy weapons, field artillery and BM-21 rocket systems,” the Thai military said in a statement.

“Thai forces have responded with appropriate supporting fire in accordance with the tactical situation.”

Both blamed each other for starting the clash on Thursday at a disputed area of the border, which quickly escalated from small arms fire to heavy shelling in at least six locations 209km (130 miles) apart along a frontier where sovereignty has been disputed for more than a century.

The worst fighting between the countries in 13 years came after Thailand on Wednesday recalled its ambassador to Phnom Penh and expelled Cambodia’s envoy in response to a second Thai soldier losing a limb to a landmine that Bangkok alleged had been laid recently by rival troops, an accusation Cambodia called baseless.

Thailand said the fatalities included an eight-year-old boy. Authorities said 31 people were hurt on Thursday.

“We condemn this – using heavy weapons without a clear target, outside of conflict zones … the use of force and did not adhere to international law,” Thailand’s acting prime minister, Phumtham Wechayachai, told reporters.

“We remain committed to peaceful means and there should be discussions, but what happened was a provocation and we had to defend ourselves.”

Thailand’s health minister, Somsak Thepsuthin, said a hospital was hit by shelling in Surin province, an attack he said should be considered “a war crime”.

The UN security council was due to meet on Friday over the conflict. The US, a longtime treaty ally of Thailand, called for an immediate end to hostilities.

“We are … gravely concerned by the escalating violence along the Thailand-Cambodia border and deeply saddened by reports of harm to civilians,” the state department’s deputy spokesperson, Tommy Pigott, told a regular news briefing.

“The United States urges an immediate cessation of hostilities, protection of civilians and a peaceful resolution of the conflict.”

Britain’s foreign ministry on Thursday advised against all but essential travel to parts of Cambodia and Thailand.

With Agence France-Presse and Reuters

The fighting marks a dramatic escalation in a long-running dispute between the two Southeast Asian neighbors. Thailand said over 100,000 people have so far been displaced.

The United Nations Security Council is due to hold an emergency meeting on Friday to discuss the ongoing border clashes between Thailand and Cambodia.

A long-running border dispute erupted into intense fighting on Thursday, with violence flaring near two temples on the border between Thailand’s Surin province and Cambodia’s Oddar Meanchey.

Both countries blame the other for triggering the latest clashes.

While Cambodia fired rockets and shells into Thailand, the Thai military scrambled F-16 jets to hit military targets across the border.

Clashes continue for a second day

The fighting continued for a second day early on Friday, Thai authorities said.

They also claimed that Cambodia was using heavy weapons, including artillery and rockets.

“Cambodian forces have conducted sustained bombardment utilizing heavy weapons, field artillery, and BM-21 rocket systems,” the Thai military said in a statement. “Thai forces have responded with appropriate supporting fire in accordance with the tactical situation.”

The Thai Interior Ministry said the death toll on their side had risen to 14. It added that over 100,000 people from four border provinces had been moved to nearly 300 temporary shelters.

Thai-Cambodia border dispute turns deadly To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video

The exact number of casualties in Cambodia remains unclear.

A Cambodian provincial official said on Friday that at least one Cambodian civilian was killed and five others injured.

Around 1,500 Cambodian families from Banteay Ampil district in the Oddar Meanchey province near the conflict zone have been evacuated to safety, Meth Meas Pheakdey, a spokesperson for the provincial administration, said on Facebook.

What is the conflict about?

The two nations are locked in disagreement over the Emerald Triangle — an area where the borders of both countries and Laos meet, and home to several ancient temples.

Thailand and Cambodia, which share an 800-kilometer (500-mile) frontier, have been arguing over where the border should be drawn for years.

Dozens of kilometers in several areas are contested.

Fighting broke out between 2008 and 2011, but a UN court ruling in 2013 settled the matter for over a decade.

The international community has urged both sides to exercise restraint and halt the fighting Image: STR/AFP

The current crisis erupted in May after both countries’ militaries briefly fired at each other in a relatively small, contested border area that each nation claims as its own.

Both sides said they acted in self-defense. One Cambodian soldier was killed.

While Bangkok and Phnom Penh said afterwards they agreed to de-escalate the situation, tensions have remained high as Cambodian and Thai authorities continued to implement or threaten measures short of armed force.

Thailand-Cambodia border spat revives old fears for locals To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video

How did the international community react?

China’s Foreign Ministry said it was deeply concerned about the ongoing clashes and would play a constructive role in promoting de-escalation.

The United States and France, Cambodia’s former colonial ruler, urged an immediate end to the conflict.

The EU said it was deeply concerned about the clashes and called for dialogue to end the fighting.

Edited by: Sean Sinico

A sharp escalation in fighting between Thai and Cambodian forces has killed at least 14 people and displaced over 100,000 civilians, according to Thai authorities.

The violence- involving small arms, rockets, artillery, and airstrikes- erupted Thursday and has been escalating along the long-disputed border and continued into Friday, marking the most serious confrontation between the two Southeast Asian neighbours in over a decade, as reported by AP.

Tired of too many ads? go ad free now

Mass displacement and casualties amid cross-border bombardment

The Thai Interior Ministry said the fighting had affected four provinces and ordered evacuations of civilians living within 50 kilometres of the border. The interior ministry said that one lakh six hundred seventy-two people from four border provinces were moved to shelters, while the health ministry announced that the death toll rose to fourteen.

In Oddar Meanchey province, Cambodian families streamed away from the border, many transporting their belongings on homemade tractors before settling in makeshift camps. “Suddenly I heard a loud noise,” said 45-year-old mother of four, Tep Savouen as quoted by AP. “My son told me it might be thunder and I thought ‘Is it thunder or is it loud, more like a gun?’ At that time I was very scared.”

In Bangkok, Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsuthin confirmed 14 deaths, including 13 civilians and one soldier, along with 46 injuries.

He condemned what he described as Cambodian attacks on civilians and a hospital: “We urge the Cambodian government to immediately halt these war criminal actions, and return to respecting the principles of peaceful coexistence.”

Read more:

Blame game and diplomatic breakdown

The violence followed a landmine blast Wednesday that wounded five Thai soldiers — an incident that triggered the expulsion of ambassadors by both sides and a sharp diplomatic fallout.

Tired of too many ads? go ad free now

Thai officials accused Cambodia of laying new Russian-made mines, while Cambodia dismissed the claims as “baseless accusations”, blaming leftover ordnance from past conflicts.

On Thursday, clashes flared in at least six areas along the border, including near the ancient Ta Muen Thom temple. Thai F-16 fighter jets conducted airstrikes in response to what the government said were Cambodian truck-mounted rockets.

“It was an act of self-defense,” Thai Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nikorndej Balankura stated.

Cambodia’s Defense Ministry claimed the airstrikes hit a road near Preah Vihear, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and vowed legal action. “The temple was declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO… and is a ‘historical legacy of the Cambodian people,’” Cambodia’s Culture Ministry said.

Defense Ministry spokesperson Lt.

Gen. Maly Socheata said Cambodia had “no choice but to defend its territory against Thai threats,” insisting the attacks were “focused on the military places, not on any other place.”

International alarm and domestic fallout

The conflict drew swift international concern.

Secretary-General António Guterres urged both sides “to exercise maximum restraint and address any issues through dialogue,” according to deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet requested an emergency

session, which was held behind closed doors in New York on Friday.

Thailand sealed all land border crossings and advised its citizens to leave Cambodia. All seven Thai airlines offered to help repatriate Thai nationals.

Meanwhile, the conflict has added pressure to Thailand’s domestic politics. Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra was suspended on July 1 amid an ethics probe linked to her handling of a phone call with Cambodia’s former leader Hun Sen. Thailand’s acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai is now leading the response, warning Cambodia against further aggression.