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7562 articles · page 15 of 158 · The World front page
Australian students could face national exams in years 6, 10 and 12 under a proposal from a Nationals-backed think tank to overhaul the nation's school assessment system, a plan the federal opposition says warrants serious consideration.
· 3 sourcesThe Trump administration has asked Washington state to set aside any ballots received from more than 400 people it alleges are registered to vote without US citizenship, one week before the midterm election. Acting US Attorney Neil Floyd claimed at a press conference Monday that the 405 voters identified so far represent 'the tip of the iceberg' and have cast over 1,500 illegal ballots in prior elections. Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs said he is 'carefully reviewing' the request but argued the timing is 'no doubt intended to cast unfounded suspicion on the results.'
· 9 sourcesA month before the November 28 Victorian state election, a Newspoll published by The Conversation shows the Coalition with a 55–45 two-party preferred lead over Labor, a three-point gain since July. The Coalition's primary vote stands at 33 per cent, Labor at 24 per cent, One Nation at 20 per cent and the Greens at 14 per cent. If replicated on election day, the Coalition would win a majority of lower house seats.
Defence ministers from France, Germany, Italy, Poland and Britain said on Monday that Europe must assume greater responsibility for its own security within NATO, while reaffirming the United States as an 'indispensable Ally'. The five, meeting in Paris, also committed to supporting Ukraine 'for as long as it takes'.
Ukrainian forces struck an ammunition depot in occupied Luhansk Oblast overnight on Oct. 27, using drones in an attack that took several hours near the city of Khrustalnyi, according to Ukrainian monitoring channels. The attack set off explosions at the site.
The federal government is considering redirecting a planned border wall off a levee adjacent to the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge and onto the refuge itself, a move aimed at resolving a trespass lawsuit filed by the Hidalgo County Irrigation District No. 2. The potential change was disclosed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lance Duke during a federal court hearing on Oct. 14.
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on October 23 that President Donald Trump’s June 2025 federalization of the California National Guard in Los Angeles was likely illegal, marking a significant limit on presidential emergency powers. The decision, which defines “rebellion” narrowly, has little immediate effect because the deployment ended after a Supreme Court ruling in a related Illinois case, but it establishes that executive claims of emergency authority are subject to judicial review.
Harry Kane's first club, Ridgeway Rovers FC in Walthamstow, has hailed the England captain's Ballon d'Or win, with chairman Ian Marshall saying the whole club was proud of his achievement. The ceremony at the London Palladium, the first time the event has been held outside France, meanwhile drew criticism for its chaotic organisation and tone.
· 19 sourcesA report released today by Tax Ombudsman Ruth Owen shows complaints to the tax watchdog soared 74 per cent over the past year, with many taxpayers and small businesses struggling because of the Australian Taxation Office's debt collection and interest charges.
· 3 sourcesDowning Street has appeared to backtrack after Prime Minister Andy Burnham suggested another referendum could decide whether the UK rejoins the EU's freedom of movement. His deputy spokesperson said he is not proposing a return to free movement. Asked by broadcasters whether he could introduce freedom of movement without a referendum, Mr Burnham said “no”.
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Flávio Bolsonaro, in his first statement since leaving Brazil for the United States, has repeated unsubstantiated claims of electoral fraud and claimed to be Brazil's “elected president,” drawing criticism from President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who called the departure “shameful.”
· 25 sourcesIndependent senator Fatima Payman has apologised to Helen Haines for her “clumsy wording” after suggesting the prime minister would only grant her additional staff following a hypothetical attack, but she continues to demand that Anthony Albanese allocate more resources to her office. Payman told a Senate estimates hearing on Tuesday she had contacted the injured MP and her staff directly to apologise, but repeated claims that her team is burning out while she remains the only federal independent without an adviser-level staffer.
· 12 sourcesSam Wright has announced he will step down as Collingwood's AFLW senior coach after a disastrous season, with only one win heading into the final round.
· 4 sourcesDonald Trump has announced a $1m reward for reports of voter fraud in past and upcoming elections, with payment depending on the arrest and conviction of those responsible, as his administration continues legal efforts to challenge state voting procedures ahead of the November midterm elections.
· 4 sourcesJordan has acknowledged civilian casualties from its airstrikes in southern Syria, while families of the victims, according to Al Jazeera, have denied any links to last week's church attack. The strikes, which Jordan says killed more than 20 Islamic State fighters, were carried out in retaliation for the October 23 shooting at a Greek Orthodox church in Karak.
· 10 sourcesWomen and girls made up one in four of the more than 37,000 civilians killed in armed conflict last year, double their share in 2021, according to the UN Secretary-General's annual report on Women, Peace and Security, released on Monday. At least 25 women and girls are now killed every day in conflict settings.
Russian ballistic missiles again targeted the Ukrainian capital late on Oct. 26, killing one person and injuring ten, Kyiv authorities reported. The strike hit a university campus, a park, residential buildings, and damaged two medical facilities, according to Mayor Vitali Klitschko and President Volodymyr Zelensky. Most of the injured were university students, and a paramedic and a medical technician were among the casualties.
· 2 sourcesPrime Minister Anthony Albanese has called the attack on independent MP Helen Haines a "turning point", announcing the government will expedite a security review originally due next year. Finance Minister Katy Gallagher confirmed at least nine MPs will receive immediate security upgrades for their electorate offices, with Parliament House public areas also set for improved security measures.
· 9 sourcesThe head of India’s Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Shatrujeet Kapur, confirmed last week that face-offs between Indian and Chinese forces are continuing “at several locations” in the northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, directly contradicting months of government denials and following Chinese President Xi Jinping’s meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on September 12. Kapur said the confrontations “still continue,” but five days later the Indian government has yet to issue its own confirmation, offering only standard criticisms of China instead.
· 2 sourcesMayor Zohran Mamdani has been using the NYPD Police Academy gymnasium in Queens for late-night pickup basketball games, sources familiar with the sessions told POLITICO, while Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman faces questions over campaign finance filings that show bank balances far exceeding what he reported.
Exit polls from Israel's general election on Tuesday show Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing coalition has fallen to about 50 seats, well short of the 61 needed for a majority, while Arab parties surged to around 18 seats. The deadlocked result leaves neither Netanyahu nor his main rival, former military chief Gadi Eisenkot with a clear path to government.
· 66 sourcesTwo British MPs and a Scottish MSP say they were detained by Israeli authorities for eight hours on Monday while attempting to enter the occupied West Bank, where they had planned to join Palestinian olive farmers and attend a congress. The delegation of 23 politicians and activists from several countries was held at the Allenby Bridge crossing from Jordan, interrogated and ultimately turned away, with the Israeli military having announced the closure of all West Bank land crossings as part of security measures for Tuesday's national elections.
· 7 sourcesMore than 86 percent of families with children at Silver Rail Elementary want them to return to the school when it reopens, according to a survey released by Bend-La Pine Schools. The results come two weeks after the Oct. 15 shooting that killed three students and a teacher. Governor Tina Kotek has declared a state of emergency for the district and directed state agencies to provide assistance. Superintendent Steven Cook said the district has not ruled out security upgrades but noted significant resource and funding challenges.
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The Pentagon is developing a requirement for every major US military base to sustain essential operations independently for at least 90 days, just days after the British government launched a campaign urging families to stockpile three days of supplies. While neither government has signaled an imminent war, both efforts point to deepening anxiety about disruptions to power grids and supply chains from cyberattacks, sabotage and other hybrid warfare linked to Russia, China and Iran.
Metropolitan Police have named a 35-year-old man they want to trace over the fatal shooting of a man outside a pub in Enfield, north London, releasing "before" and "after" images they say show he has "significantly altered his appearance."
· 3 sourcesThe future Royal Air Force will be built around “autonomy, not flesh”, Britain’s most senior air officer said on Monday, outlining plans for four AI-enabled drones to fly alongside every Typhoon fighter as the UK prepares to be ready for conflict with Russia by 2030.
UN-mandated investigators have found that Israel has continued to commit genocide in Gaza since the October 2025 ceasefire, and that Israeli forces committed the crime against humanity of extermination in the West Bank, in a report released on the eve of Israel's general election as an Israeli military operation in Hebron displaced more than 3,000 people.
· 4 sourcesA federal judge has ruled that the Trump administration illegally fired Maurene Comey, the daughter of former FBI director James Comey, from her role as a federal prosecutor in New York, ordering her reinstatement and back pay. The ruling was handed down the same day the Justice Department unsealed a third set of charges against James Comey, accusing him of leaking national defence information to a reporter in 2016.
· 23 sourcesBrazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has won a fourth term with 51.8 percent of the vote, defeating right-wing Senator Flávio Bolsonaro in a historic comeback that makes him the first Brazilian presidential candidate to overturn a first-round deficit. US President Donald Trump offered a contradictory response, telling reporters 'I like Lula, we get along well' while also calling the election 'terrible' and 'rigged'. In his victory speech, Lula thanked young Brazilians for taking to the streets to defend democracy.
· 21 sourcesSyria's transitional government has introduced admissions rules that exclude women from almost all courses at one newly created security university and from certain courses at a defense university, drawing criticism from students, activists and Human Rights Watch over the direction of women's rights in the country.
Australian musician G Flip and Selling Sunset star Chrishell Stause have ended their four-year relationship, Stause announced on Instagram on Tuesday morning. The couple, who married in Las Vegas in 2023, had been open about their efforts to start a family through IVF.
· 2 sourcesUS officials have indicated that a trade deal with Canada is close, but a person close to the talks and Canadian officials have described the situation as less certain, highlighting a gap between the two sides.
A group of private citizens has filed a lawsuit against US President Donald Trump's administration over its restrictions on news outlets covering the White House, arguing that the limits on press access deprive them of critical information needed for their work.
· 3 sourcesSouth Australia's Ombudsman has found that child protection workers acted in error when they 'informally' placed three children in the care of family members against their mothers' wishes, without exercising formal statutory powers.
The USS Colorado has been named as the first Virginia-class submarine to deploy to Western Australia under the AUKUS pact, with rotations expected to begin in late 2027. Separately, Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek was asked in question time how she would reassure young women that public life is safe for them following the attack on independent MP Helen Haines.
· 3 sourcesGovernment insiders have told the Guardian that the giant Rosebank oilfield can be approved without breaching the UK's emission targets, in a development that sharpens the internal Labour battle over the project. The disclosure comes as Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh, who is said to be leaning against approval, faces pressure from Chancellor John Healey and Scottish Labour leader Michael Marra to give the development the green light.
· 7 sourcesEngland's under-15 team walked off the pitch during a World Cup match in Azerbaijan on Monday after alleging a racist slur was directed at one of their players by a Republic of Ireland opponent, leading the referee to abandon the game. Fifa is investigating the incident, which occurred in the final minute of the Group C fixture in Baku with Ireland leading 4-1.
· 3 sourcesThe NSW Liberals have abandoned the party's year-old pro-development stance, with MPs preparing to campaign against parts of the Minns government's planning reforms at the March state election, arguing infrastructure has not kept pace with housing supply.
· 3 sourcesHome secretary Shabana Mahmood has launched a review into whether opportunities were missed to prevent the murder of the student Henry Nowak, who was fatally stabbed in Southampton last December.
· 3 sourcesMassachusetts has agreed to pay $10 million to settle claims over the Department of Children and Families’ alleged role in the death of 14-year-old David Almond, who died of starvation and neglect in a Fall River apartment in October 2020. The settlement was announced Wednesday, six years to the day after his death.
Rangers and Celtic have had their appeals against the Scottish FA’s order to play their next home Scottish Cup ties behind closed doors dismissed, with the clubs also required to pay the visiting team £100,000 in each tie. The Scottish FA appellate tribunal upheld the sanctions imposed after disorder at last season’s quarter-final at Ibrox, but set aside a suspended ban on fans in the case of further infractions.
· 4 sourcesShops and homes in Renfrew were flooded on Saturday when water from the River Clyde burst through after Renfrewshire Council did not activate flood barriers despite an amber weather warning for Storm Boelo. The council said forecast data did not meet the threshold for using the barriers, but water levels rose far higher than predicted.
The United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine has concluded that Russia's systematic attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity, particularly as winter approaches. The report, submitted to the UN General Assembly on October 26, details how since 2022, waves of drone and missile strikes have targeted power plants and heating facilities, leaving millions without heat in temperatures as low as -21°C.
· 3 sourcesA 41-year-old man has been convicted of raping three young boys in West Lothian over a seven-year period, following a trial at the High Court in Livingston. David Smith was found guilty on Monday of serious child sexual offences against victims aged seven, ten and 11 between 2013 and 2020.
The Environmental Protection Agency has launched a new strategy to accelerate technologies aimed at limiting the harms from per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), often called 'forever chemicals.' EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced the PFAS Technology Evaluation, Coordination, Innovation, and Harmonization (T.E.C.H.) strategy Monday in Colorado.
The United Kingdom has imposed sanctions on 15 senior military commanders from Sudan's Rapid Support Forces and Sudanese Armed Forces, accusing them of involvement in sexual violence during the 18-month siege of El Fasher. The measures, announced on the first anniversary of the city's fall, include travel bans and asset freezes.
· 3 sourcesTennessee authorities were still searching on Tuesday for a convicted murderer who escaped a state prison over the weekend, offering a reward of up to $2,500 for information leading to his arrest. Jacob Morley, 28, slipped through a fence at the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville on Sunday evening and later stole a truck, surveillance video showed.
· 2 sourcesWalter Koenig, who played navigator Pavel Chekov in the original Star Trek series, has died at the age of 90, his agent confirmed on Monday. Koenig died of "old age" at his North Hollywood home, surrounded by his daughter and niece. His death leaves William Shatner and George Takei as the only surviving members of the original main cast.
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