News without the noise
World news from every region: conflicts, elections, diplomacy, disasters and the people at the centre of them.
7624 articles · page 109 of 159 · The World front page
The Australian Gas Infrastructure Group (AGIG) has been accused of running a 'scare campaign' ahead of the Victorian election, after leaked documents revealed a lobbying paper warning that reversing the state's ban on gas in new homes would save households $100 annually on gas bills — a claim experts have disputed as unsupported.
Russian attacks across Ukraine have killed at least 14 people in recent days, even as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with former US President Donald Trump to discuss a potential bilateral ceasefire on energy-related targets, and US and Russian officials held urgent talks at the United Nations General Assembly aimed at limiting the conflict's impact on global energy supplies.
The decades-old US policy of ‘strategic ambiguity’ toward Taiwan is under unprecedented strain as a growing chorus of analysts argue that President Donald Trump’s repeated statements have shattered the credibility of possible American military intervention. Polling suggests Taiwanese confidence in a US defence guarantee has fallen since 2025. Yet proponents insist the policy is not dead—only evolving.
The average price of a basket of essential groceries rose 7 per cent at Australia's four major supermarket chains between March and June, according to new government-funded research from consumer group Choice.
There has been a sharp rise in reports of violence against women and girls in the Gaza Strip, including early and forced marriage, according to a series of recent reports from the UN Population Fund (UNFPA). One report warns of a 'severe escalation' in early and forced marriage incidents in the second quarter of this year, citing data collected by 10 organisations.
US President Donald Trump will personally greet Chinese leader Xi Jinping at Andrews Air Force Base this week for a three-day state visit featuring a White House state dinner and military flyover — an unusually lavish welcome for a nation Washington regards as a strategic rival — even as pre-visit trade talks failed to make meaningful progress.
Iran has reiterated that the Strait of Hormuz will not be used to 'impose insecurity on us,' a statement that coincided with a US envoy walking out of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian's UN speech in protest over its 'war on Iran' rhetoric.
Counter-terrorism officers have arrested a 65-year-old Carlton man following a years-long covert investigation, alleging he is a key propagandist for the Islamic State terror group.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has delivered an unyielding address to the UN General Assembly, declaring Iran will never "bend the knee" to US and Israeli pressure, a day after President Donald Trump threatened to "annihilate" the Islamic Republic. In what reports describe as the first time in UN history a leader at war with the host country has addressed the body, the US delegation walked out as Pezeshkian spoke.
Poland said a Russian military Mi-8 helicopter violated its airspace on Wednesday morning, crossing from the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad to a depth of about 300 metres and remaining inside Polish territory for 42 seconds north of Braniewo. Warsaw scrambled fighter jets and kept ground forces on alert, with the military stating the incident indicates Russia is "once again testing the readiness of our air defence."
Harvey Weinstein was sentenced to 15 years in prison on Wednesday in a Manhattan court, more than a year after a jury convicted him of a criminal sexual act against former television production assistant Miriam Haley. The sentence caps years of legal battles that saw his original 2020 conviction overturned and a retrial end in a fresh guilty verdict.
Moroccans head to the polls on Wednesday for parliamentary elections that will decide the next government, with young voters deeply disillusioned by a political scene they view as disconnected from reality, weeks after 60,000 people crossed into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in a sign of widespread lack of opportunity.
More than half of Australians aged 18 to 29 were living with their parents in 2024, up from 39 per cent in 2001, according to the latest Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey, which paints a mixed picture of rising housing stress, high employment and widespread over-qualification in the workforce.
Ashleigh Ann Seeney, a 28-year-old physical education teacher, has been arrested and charged as an accessory over an alleged conspiracy to murder a man involved in a conflict within an organised crime network in Sydney.
A federal judge on Wednesday ordered President Donald Trump to temporarily restore White House press access to CNN, MS Now and Politico, saying the ban on the three outlets was likely unconstitutional and rejecting the administration's national security justification.
Syrian leader Ahmad al-Sharaa has declared that the occupied Golan Heights will remain Syrian territory, responding to questions about Israeli violations in Syria in a video newsfeed published by Al Jazeera.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has pardoned French national Martin Ryan, jailed on spying charges, hours after the European Union agreed to lift sanctions on two Russian billionaires — a move France is understood to have supported and that Ukraine has condemned as a blow to European unity.
Angry Anderson, the iconic Australian rock singer and frontman of Rose Tattoo, has died at the age of 79. His family and bandmates announced the death on Monday, saying he passed away surrounded by loved ones in Australia, weeks after suffering a cardiac arrest while on tour in Germany in August.
Hurricane Polo has been downgraded to a Category 4 storm but remains 'very powerful' as it drifts slowly toward the coast of southwestern Mexico, the US National Hurricane Center said Wednesday. The storm, one of the strongest of the Pacific season, is not expected to make landfall but is forecast to bring torrential rainfall that may trigger life-threatening flooding and mudslides, particularly in areas of steep terrain.
The eviction of Maricarmen, an 87-year-old woman who had lived in the same Madrid apartment for seven decades, was carried out on Wednesday despite protests from hundreds of supporters and failed court challenges, drawing fresh attention to Spain's housing affordability crisis.
Local forces in Ethiopia's Tigray region have seized control of Mekelle's airport from federal police, residents have told the BBC, prompting Ethiopian Airlines to suspend flights to the city and to Shire and Axum amid escalating tensions that threaten a return to civil war.
President Trump addressed the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, highlighting his administration's economic record and U.S. policy toward Iran, according to reports. The speech kicks off a jam-packed day of diplomatic meetings.
A 22-year-old technician died after falling 10 metres while installing a lighting system at Rome's Colosseum, prompting the closure of the ancient amphitheatre and drawing expressions of shock from Italy's prime minister and culture minister.
As the United Nations General Assembly convenes in New York, world leaders have reportedly voiced frustration over the UN Security Council's perceived failure to function effectively, according to Al Jazeera video reports. The assembly has also seen sharp criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by a US senator, protests against Venezuela's interim leader Delcy Rodriguez, and a pledge by the UK prime minister not to stand by while Palestinians suffer.
President Donald Trump has held talks with Venezuela's interim President Delcy Rodríguez on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly—their first meeting since the White House backed her government following the seizure of Nicolás Maduro by US forces. The discussion focused on strategic cooperation in energy, mining and security, according to Rodríguez.
Firearms dealers have tearfully described losing retirement savings and being forced to sell their homes, as the Minns government's post-Bondi gun laws take effect. Families who rallied at NSW Parliament on Wednesday say the state's buyback scheme – offering grants of up to $25,000 – does nothing to compensate for losses that in one case exceeded $800,000. Six crossbenchers are working to block the buyback regulations and repeal new ownership limits.
New reporting reveals a hidden culture of youth gambling in the private school system, with students sneaking off to place bets and openly discussing what they are gambling on, while researchers warn it remains far too easy for underage teenagers to set up betting accounts.
A Coalition proposal to allow Australians to use their superannuation as mortgage collateral is facing sharp criticism as a threat to retirement savings, even as some voices argue the idea should be explored to address contemporary economic problems.
A damning report from Victoria's Auditor-General has found no evidence that the state government's $40 million Youth Crime Prevention Program reduces youth offending, with about two-thirds of participants reoffending within six months of joining the initiative.
President Trump is scheduled to meet separately with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in New York and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the White House this week, according to announcements from both foreign leaders.
South African police have revealed that some of the 11 victims killed in a mass shooting at a house in the KwaMakhutha township near Durban were under police watch in connection with illegal activities. Three gunmen armed with pistols and rifles stormed the building late Tuesday, opening fire on a party of 14 people. Ten died at the scene, and a fourth died in hospital. A pregnant woman is believed to be among the casualties.
The parents of missing toddler Gus Lamont have issued a desperate plea for any information about their son's disappearance, marking one year since he vanished.
A six-year-old has set a Rubik's Cube world record on two occasions within three days, according to a video report flagged by Al Jazeera. Details of the solve times, location and the specific category of the record were not provided in the available report.
The United Kingdom is set to create a National Centre for Information Defence to detect, attribute and disrupt disinformation and deepfakes from hostile states such as Russia, Security Minister Andy Burnham announced at the United Nations, as the government seeks to counter the growing threat of AI-enabled information warfare.
With federal government debt surpassing $1 trillion, former treasurer Joe Hockey has warned that meaningful economic reform will not occur until a financial crisis forces the nation to take 'the medicine', while current treasurer Jim Chalmers acknowledged that political power today is more effective at blocking change than building it.
Australian basketball prospect Dash Daniels enters a high-stakes NBL season with NBA draft aspirations, beginning against the team he played for last season — now his club's fiercest rival.
Opposition Leader Angus Taylor has vowed to repeal a raft of emissions reduction and renewable energy policies within a month of being elected prime minister, including scrapping vehicle emissions standards, removing the legislated net zero by 2050 target, and revoking several offshore wind zones. The announcement has prompted Labor to accuse the Coalition of intending to 'let climate change rip'.
Top Iranian and US officials have held their first direct talks since June at the United Nations in New York, mediated by Qatar, as President Donald Trump threatened to 'annihilate' Iran if no deal is reached. No breakthrough has been reported, but both sides described the discussions as constructive.
The New South Wales government is facing renewed calls to introduce mandatory life sentences for people convicted of domestic violence murders, particularly when an apprehended domestic violence order is in place or the perpetrator is on bail for domestic violence charges. Independent MP Phil Donato has tabled a motion in state parliament to bring the Crimes Amendment (Mandatory Life Sentences) Bill 2026, citing community outrage over sentences that he says fail to reflect the gravity of these crimes.
A sweeping review of Fiji's constitution has recommended abolishing the legal immunity that protects those involved in the country's four military coups, including current Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, and restoring a bicameral parliament with a Senate, in what analysts describe as a significant shake-up of the nation's political landscape.
The Tasmanian public sector union has accused the state government of mishandling a restructure that will cut about 250 jobs, saying staff were given as little as 20 minutes' notice before being told their roles were being axed. The Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) described Tuesday as a 'brutal day' and said workers were left in tears.
A police officer has told an inquest that the scene at Hillcrest Primary School after a freak wind gust tossed a jumping castle during end-of-year celebrations was 'like nothing I'd seen' in almost three decades on the force. First Class Constable Dean Wotherspoon gave evidence on Wednesday before Coroner Olivia McTaggart, describing the response as 'organised chaos' as emergency personnel and school staff fought to save the children.
A lawyer for fugitive property developer Jean Nassif offered a Liberal operative $1,000 to get media to write about an unsubstantiated affair and an alleged breach of Covid-19 restrictions by former New South Wales minister David Elliott, the state's anti-corruption watchdog has heard.
The federal opposition has pledged to abolish most of Australia's offshore wind zones, repeal the nation's net zero emissions target and dismantle key climate regulations if it wins government, in what it calls an eight-point plan to prioritise energy affordability over the pace of the renewables transition.
A Queensland man has been charged with bribing foreign police in Bangladesh to scrub his name from the investigation into the death of his estranged wife, dual national Rehana Parvin, whose body was found by Bangladeshi authorities in 2024.
Australian news publishers have been urged to review their advertising practices after advertisements for faux-bloodstained shirts reading 'problem solved' appeared alongside articles about domestic violence, coinciding with a recent surge in family violence incidents that left three women allegedly murdered and three children allegedly stabbed by their mother.
US President Donald Trump has rejected Iran's proposal for a seven-day end to the conflict, declaring the war will end 'soon', according to reports. The rejection comes days after the two sides met at the United Nations General Assembly in what Trump called a 'very good' meeting.
The Federal Communications Commission under the Trump administration is facing backlash from cities and counties across the United States over a proposal that would preempt state and local permitting rules for wired broadband deployment, with local governments arguing the plan is illegal and threatens public safety.