World

World news from every region: conflicts, elections, diplomacy, disasters and the people at the centre of them.

7597 articles · page 27 of 159 · The World front page

US Politics

Trump invokes Defense Production Act for oil capacity, citing national security

President Donald Trump on October 22 invoked the Cold War-era Defense Production Act, formally determining that domestic petroleum production, refining and logistics capacity are essential to national defense. The move allows the federal government to provide financial support for fossil fuel projects, including loans, purchase commitments and direct investment, to address what the administration calls a threat to economic and national security. The determination comes as global energy prices surge following joint U.S.-Israeli military action against Iran and ongoing Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries, and with President Trump facing low approval ratings on the economy just days before the November 3 elections.

· 3 sources
US Politics

Trump administration drops appeal of ruling that struck down Public Service Loan Forgiveness overhaul

The Trump administration has dropped its appeal of a federal court ruling that struck down its overhaul of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, ending an effort that would have barred some public servants from loan forgiveness. In a filing on Wednesday, the administration withdrew its appeal of the June 30 ruling that found the overhaul unlawful, without providing an explanation.

Geopolitics

Ukraine says Starlink cap remains as Trump vows to fix it, Blumenthal opens probe

Ukraine said on 23 October that Starlink internet speeds for its military remained capped at 161 kilometres per hour, despite US President Donald Trump’s claim that Elon Musk had restored the service. Trump later said he had not spoken to Musk but would “get it straightened out” if a problem persisted. Senator Richard Blumenthal has opened an inquiry into the restrictions, and British Prime Minister Andy Burnham pressed Trump for Ukraine to have full Starlink access.

· 11 sources
Geopolitics

Russia agrees to Ukraine talks but shows little flexibility, Kremlin aide says

A fresh diplomatic push to end the war in Ukraine has resulted in an agreement from Russia to resume talks, but Moscow's foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov has signalled the Kremlin sees little of value in the latest proposals from Kyiv and Europe. Following what Norway's prime minister called 'good and constructive' discussions in Oslo between US President Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European representatives, Witkoff travelled to St Petersburg to meet President Vladimir Putin.

· 3 sources
Geopolitics

UK faces 'glaring gaps' in Arctic defence, MPs warn, leaving country vulnerable to Russian attack

The United Kingdom has significant weaknesses in its ability to defend the Arctic region, leaving critical infrastructure including undersea cables and energy supplies exposed to potential Russian attack, according to a report by the House of Commons Defence Committee. MPs warned that in a conflict Russia could threaten the UK's population, infrastructure and vital supply routes across the Atlantic from the United States.

· 2 sources
Geopolitics

Missiles hit Kyiv after Russia agrees to resume peace talks; Zelensky open to ceasefire

Russia launched a missile attack on Kyiv hours after saying it was "ready in principle" to resume peace talks, wounding six people. The strike came as US President Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff met Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg after meeting Volodymyr Zelensky in Oslo, with Jared Kushner participating via video link and Trump claiming the world is "the closest we've been" to ending the war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he would accept a deal freezing the conflict along the current front line.

· 2 sources
US Politics

Federal judge blocks DHS from sending armed agents to question voters in nine states ahead of midterms

A federal judge on Wednesday night blocked the Department of Homeland Security from conducting election-related field operations and interviews in nine states, ruling that the administration's tactics risk intimidating eligible voters and likely violate the Voting Rights Act. The preliminary injunction, issued by U.S. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín in Oakland, bars operations in California, Connecticut, Georgia, Missouri, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, Washington and Wisconsin until polls close on November 3. The order is paused until Friday to give the Trump administration time to appeal.

· 5 sources
US Politics

Family of toddler killed by Mississippi police views unredacted footage, demands answers

The family of 1-year-old Kohen Wiley, fatally shot by a Senatobia police officer in June, viewed unredacted body and surveillance camera footage on Thursday in a private screening arranged by the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, two days after leaked clips circulated publicly. The viewing came after Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch announced on Monday that her office would not seek criminal charges against Officer Hunter Foster, who fired four shots at a car carrying the toddler and two women accused of shoplifting diapers and baby clothes from a Walmart.

· 3 sources
US Politics

Top MAHA adviser Calley Means quits White House, citing 'dark forces' in Washington

Calley Means, a founding figure of the Make America Healthy Again movement and senior adviser to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., resigned from the Trump administration on Thursday, two weeks before the midterm elections. In a post on X, Means said he was stepping down "with tremendous respect for President Trump and Bobby Kennedy" while citing "entrenched, dark forces in DC."

· 5 sources
Australia

Record $1.46b Super Withdrawn for Medical Costs, Regulators Target 'Predatory' Practitioners

Australians withdrew a record $1.46 billion from their superannuation on compassionate grounds in the 2025-26 financial year, with the vast majority ($1.42 billion) spent on medical and dental treatments. The surge, a 220 per cent increase since 2018-19, has drawn sharp concern from regulators, who are cracking down on health practitioners they accuse of using predatory sales tactics to encourage patients to raid their retirement savings for unnecessary or cosmetic procedures.

· 2 sources
Geopolitics

Ukrainian children subjected to re-education and military training under Russian occupation, survivors say

Survivors and human rights lawyers have described a systematic program of indoctrination and military training of Ukrainian children in Russian-occupied territories, with the United Nations concluding last year that Russia is committing crimes against humanity in the regions it controls. The ABC has obtained accounts from victims who say they were beaten, humiliated and forced to adopt Russian identity documents, while those who resist face persecution.

US Politics

Medical experts decry Tennessee execution team's 'malpractice' in Christa Pike case

Medical experts have strongly condemned the actions of Tennessee's execution team during the failed lethal injection of Christa Pike, describing the attempt as bearing the hallmarks of medical malpractice. A detailed, minute-by-minute chronology of the September 30 procedure, released in a court filing by Pike's attorney Randy Spivey, has drawn sharp criticism from clinicians who say the team's execution of the state's protocol was dangerously incompetent.

· 3 sources
US Politics

Lawsuit accuses Trump of illegally profiting from foreign crypto deals

A federal lawsuit filed Thursday accuses President Donald Trump and his family's crypto company, World Liberty Financial, of illegally profiting from more than $2 billion in digital currency deals with foreign entities, in violation of the Constitution's Foreign Emoluments Clause. The complaint, brought by a shareholder of rival crypto firm Circle Internet Group, centers on transactions with an Abu Dhabi investment fund chaired by Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the United Arab Emirates' national security advisor.

World

Lockerbie bomb suspect loses bid to have US case thrown out over alleged rendition

A Libyan man accused of building the bomb that destroyed Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie has lost his bid to have the case dismissed. Abu Agila Mas'ud al-Marimi had argued he was the victim of an illegal rendition when he was transferred into US custody from Libya in 2022. A US district court judge has ruled that the manner of his removal should not prevent his trial going ahead in Washington in January.

· 4 sources
Geopolitics

Two Killed in Houthi Attack on Saudi Airport as Regional Conflict Worsens

Yemen's Houthi movement has claimed responsibility for an attack on an airport in eastern Saudi Arabia that killed two people and injured eight others, Saudi authorities confirmed on Thursday. The attack on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam adds to a sharp escalation in the conflict between the Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition, which has seen at least 21 people killed in Saudi airports since the start of October.

World

Monster El Nino triggers global havoc from Indonesian fires to Peruvian fishery collapse

The 2026 El Nino, already one of the strongest on record, is causing widespread disasters across the globe, including unprecedented fires in Indonesia, the collapse of the Peruvian anchoveta fishery, drought affecting the Panama Canal, and threats to sugar and rice crops in India and Thailand. The global economic toll could reach nearly $US1 trillion in direct initial losses, according to the Peterson Institute for International Economics, with the United Nations warning that more than 347 million children face extreme floods or droughts between October and December.

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World

Alberta referendum backs restricting migrant workers' access to healthcare and education

Alberta appears to have voted to restrict temporary residents' access to healthcare, education and social support in a referendum that exposed deepening divisions over immigration in the oil-rich province, even as its economy depends on foreign workers to fill labour shortages. Unofficial results indicated that questions on limiting newcomers' access to public services were likely to succeed, while proposals for separation from Canada and constitutional reform were set to fail.

Australia

Worlds of power, union and crime converge at funeral of Bob Setka, West Gate Bridge survivor

On a cold, drizzly August day in 2023, the funeral of Bob Setka, a survivor of the 1970 West Gate Bridge collapse, brought together an unusual convergence of union leaders, state politics and organised crime. Held at St Leopold's Church in Sunshine, the service drew the then-CFMEU leader John Setka, Victorian minister Jacinta Allan, and a published condolence from underworld figure Mick Gatto, revealing the overlapping circles that have defined John Setka's career.

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US Politics

Trump says Google CEO rejected Atlantic Ocean rename request

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Google CEO Sundar Pichai turned down his request to rename the Atlantic Ocean on Google Maps, a rejection that stands in contrast to the company's compliance with previous geographic name changes. Speaking at a rally in Pendleton, South Carolina, Trump recounted calling Pichai to propose renaming the Atlantic the 'Trump Ocean' or 'American Ocean,' only to be told oceans span too many countries for the company to accommodate the change.

· 3 sources