The Tasmanian Government says its new short stay levy will help ensure more tourism revenue remains in the state, while supporting housing initiatives and protecting local jobs and businesses. The Government argues the levy reflects major changes in Tasmania's accommodation sector, where international booking platforms now hold significant influence and collect substantial commissions from local operators.
The Tasmanian Government will invest almost $600 million in housing and homelessness initiatives over the next four years as part of the 2026-27 Budget. The funding package aims to strengthen frontline support services while continuing investment in new housing and infrastructure projects across the state.
Tasmanian food and beverage producers are being showcased on a dedicated state stand for the first time at one of Australia's largest supplier-to-retailer trade events. Around 10 Tasmanian businesses are taking part in the Co-operative Supermarkets Australia Direct2Store Expo, being held in Sydney from today until Friday, 8 May 2026.
WASHINGTON (AP) – New Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh said Wednesday that the central bank would remain independent and seek to bring down inflation, likely foreclosing the rate cuts President Donald Trump has sought.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – The Trump administration has lifted restrictions on artificial intelligence company Anthropic’s latest versions of its Claude chatbot, ending a weekslong ban tied to cybersecurity concerns.
TOKYO (AP) – Business sentiment among major Japanese manufacturers has improved for a fifth straight quarter, the Bank of Japan said in its quarterly “tankan” survey released Wednesday.
LA GUAIRA, Venezuela (AP) – Angélica Mundrain wants the bodies of her son, niece and nephew to be pulled from the rubble of her flattened beachfront apartment. She has spent every minute of the past six days waiting for the heavy machinery needed to remove the slabs of concrete and twisted metal that trapped them.
President Donald Trump took in nearly $1.2 billion from his crypto businesses last year, a federal filing released Tuesday shows, locking in profits while his investors were socked with losses. Mere startups when he took the oath of office, the new ventures have now eclipsed in revenue much of his vast property portfolio that took him decades to accumulate.
BEIJING (AP) – China’s leader held up his country’s rapid industrialization as a new pathway for developing nations in a speech Wednesday that projected a growing confidence both at home and on the world stage.
The 250th anniversary of America’s liberation from a king kicked off with a campaign-style rally on the National Mall by President Donald Trump, whose face already stares down from banners fluttering from federal buildings across the nation’s capital.























































































































































