## Many Australians can get three free hours of power from today. Here’s how

Authored by theguardian.com

Households in three states can choose an electricity plan with three free hours of power a day, as Solar Sharer switches on from Wednesday.

Solar Sharer is a regulated energy offer with free electricity in the middle of the day, which energy companies will offer in Queensland, New South Wales and South Australia from 1 July.

Households in Victoria will have access to a similar scheme, called the Midday Power Saver, from 1 October.

The energy minister, Chris Bowen, says more households will benefit from Australia’s cheap and plentiful solar energy via the scheme – regardless of whether they have solar panels on their roofs.

The free power period is from 11am to 2pm in NSW, Queensland and Victoria, and from noon to 3pm in South Australia.

Homes without a smart meter can usually request one from their energy retailer and most will install them for free.

For households that take up the Solar Sharer offer, the key will be to shift as much electricity use as possible into the free-power window. »

### Ken Paxton caught on video jetting off to European vacation with alleged mistress

Authored by sacurrent.com

Although separated for two years, Texas AG Ken Paxton and his wife, State Sen. Angela Paxton, are still legally married.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton was caught on video boarding a flight to Iceland for a getaway with his alleged mistress, British tabloid The Daily Mail reports.

However, Angela Paxton filed for divorce in July 2025 on “biblical grounds” following reports about her husband’s alleged relationship with Duhon. »

### “Putin Ordered Russian General Staff to Prepare Plans for Capturing Kyiv,” Syrskyi Says

Authored by united24media.com

Russian leader Vladimir Putin has directed the military to assess options for new offensive operations, including potential strikes on Kyiv.

According to Ukraine’s Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi, a strike from the Bryansk region toward the Chernihiv region remains the most probable scenario.

The Commander-in-Chief noted that current data instead points to a high likelihood of operations initiating from Russia's Bryansk region directly into the Chernihiv region. »

### Rockstar Games could strike before GTA 6 launches over unionization

Authored by dexerto.com

In late October, Rockstar Games fired over 30 members of staff across studios in the United Kingdom and Canada.

The firings led to protests outside of Rockstar North’s studio in Edinburgh, Scotland, as well as at Take-Two’s offices in London.

Since then, the fired developers have launched legal action against Rockstar, as well as starting a Rockstar Game Workers Union. »

### ‘Enjoy hell’: freed hostage’s Gaza captor killed

Authored by ynetnews.com

According to the military and Shin Bet, Abd al-Aal was struck Sunday in southern Gaza after holding several positions in Islamic Jihad.

For freed hostage Rom Braslavski , the announcement was deeply personal.

“This is the man who, by his orders and with his own hands, abused me and almost killed me several times.” »

## In pictures

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#### Pennsylvania Just Voted to Pull the Plug on Big Tech’s $517M Tax Break