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7652 articles · page 40 of 160 · The World front page

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Australia

Expeditioners challenge 'unnecessary' Macquarie Island evacuation over bird flu risks

All 24 expeditioners were evacuated from Macquarie Island in August after the federal environment department warned of the 'psychosocial' risks of witnessing a prolonged bird flu outbreak. But in a letter later obtained by the ABC, the expeditioners described the decision as 'unnecessary' and warned that leaving the island's aging fuel farm unmanned could cause major environmental damage. H5 bird flu has since been detected in an elephant seal and a kelp gull on the island, confirming the virus's presence.

·3 min·2 sources
Australia

Australia exported millions of litres of biofuels during fuel crisis as industry urges domestic mandate

Australia is exporting tens of millions of litres of biofuels that could otherwise add at least three days of supply to the nation's petrol and diesel stocks, fresh data shows, as the federal government consults on whether to force petroleum companies to buy domestically produced low-carbon fuels. With petrol prices averaging $2.42 per litre and the Iran war dragging on, Australia holds 41 days of petrol and 33 days of diesel, well below the international requirement of 90 days.

·3 min
Geopolitics

Iran’s Economy Buckles Under U.S. Blockade as Troops Go Unpaid and Unrest Rises

U.S. economic pressure on Iran is intensifying, with the U.S. military’s Central Command reporting that a naval blockade has prevented Tehran from exporting at least $25 billion worth of crude oil and frozen nearly $350 million in cryptocurrency assets. The financial strain has forced the Iranian regime to withhold salaries and pensions from workers across key sectors, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), while inflation surges toward 90% and domestic unrest grows.

·2 min
US Politics

New York City adds 10,000 free childcare seats in bid to retain young families

Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced on Monday that New York City will add 10,000 more seats to its free childcare program for two-year-olds, expanding the 2-K initiative to cover all school districts in the Bronx and Staten Island by fall 2027. The move aims to stem an exodus of young families from the city, where the under-five population fell 18% between April 2020 and July 2024, driven by high childcare and housing costs.

·3 min
World

Vigilante Attacks on Anti-Government Protesters in Delhi Spark Outrage

Hindu Raksha Dal (HRD) activists, caught on video assaulting anti-government protesters in New Delhi, have been arrested and released on bail, with outrage mounting over police inaction and state protection for vigilante groups. The violence occurred amid mass demonstrations demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged voter-roll manipulation benefiting the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

·3 min
US Politics

Supreme Court to decide constitutionality of 158-year-old home distilling ban

The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear a case that could decide whether a 158-year-old federal ban on home distilling is constitutional. The 1868 law, enacted as part of a post-Civil War tax reform, makes it a felony punishable by up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine to distill spirits at home. The court will review conflicting rulings from two federal appeals courts that split on whether Congress had the authority to impose the prohibition.

·2 min
US Politics

DOJ charges 28 green card holders in California with voter fraud amid escalating election dispute

The U.S. Department of Justice has filed criminal charges against 28 lawful permanent residents in California for allegedly registering to vote or casting ballots illegally, escalating a pre-election clash with the state. The charges, announced Monday under an operation dubbed "Protect the Vote," come days after the DOJ sued California to block the counting of mail ballots from up to 20,000 people federal authorities suspect may be non-citizens.

·3 min·7 sources
Geopolitics

Japan and US launch major joint military exercise Keen Sword 27 amid rising regional tensions

Japanese and US troops on Monday began one of their largest joint exercises, Keen Sword 27, focusing on the defence of Japan’s southwestern islands as tensions with China, North Korea and Russia continue to escalate. About 45,000 Japanese and 12,000 American service members are taking part in the biennial drills, which run through Oct. 29 and include seven other nations for the first time.

·2 min
World

Two killed, including child, after vehicle drives through Kansas youth soccer game; driver released without charges

A woman drove a pickup truck through a youth soccer game at Wichita's Stryker Sports Complex on Sunday, killing a six-year-old boy and a 35-year-old man and injuring 10 others before being released without charges, police said. The driver, a 34-year-old woman from Garden City, Kansas, was released pending further investigation and toxicology tests. Police said they have interviewed more than 30 witnesses and appealed for video of the incident.

·3 min
US Politics

Trump signs executive order to boost women's health research, creates new NIH division and White House task force

President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order establishing a Women’s Health Division at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and a White House Women’s Health Task Force, aiming to close gaps in research and improve prevention, diagnosis and treatment for women across all stages of life. The order overturns two Biden-era women's health research initiatives and arrives two weeks before the midterm elections, prompting mixed reactions from advocacy groups.

·3 min·13 sources
Geopolitics

Saudi Arabia postpones Future Investment Initiative to 2027 as Houthi attacks escalate

Saudi Arabia has postponed its flagship Future Investment Initiative (FII) conference until 2027, organisers announced on Monday, citing an escalation of missile and drone attacks by Iran-backed Houthi militants in recent weeks. The decision follows a Houthi attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on 10 October that killed at least 12 people and injured more than 300 others.

·2 min·3 sources
World

Rubio denies US is deliberately harming Ukraine as Kyiv reports deadliest period for civilians

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has rejected allegations that Washington is deliberately withholding early warning data or air defense interceptors from Kyiv, calling such claims "outrageous" during a visit to India. His statement follows fresh accusations from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that the Pentagon is delaying delivery of missiles already paid for by allies, and that early warning systems have been failing without explanation. The dispute is unfolding against the heaviest Russian strikes in months, which have made the first weeks of October among the deadliest for civilians in years.

·3 min·2 sources
World

Abyei market drone strike toll revised up to 153 as Sudan attacks top 300

The death toll from Monday's drone strike on a fuel market in the disputed Abyei region has risen to 153, officials say, as the combined toll from a wave of attacks across Sudan since Sunday passed 300, according to sources cited by the BBC. Abyei's caretaker information minister, Yohana Akol Ngor, said fires were still burning and the recovery of bodies was continuing, with some victims burned to ashes.

·4 min·8 sources
World

Drumcree parade ban challenge concludes as judge says he will rule next week

The High Court challenge to the government's ban on the Drumcree parade has concluded, with Mr Justice Scoffield saying he will rule next week. The two day hearing ended with arguments that the secretary of state's intervention was lawful and that Garvaghy Road residents must not be held responsible for the potential conduct of "bad actors", after the court was told dissident republicans may have used firearms against police had the route been cleared.

·3 min·4 sources
Geopolitics

Yemen camp strike kills 53 recruits in deadliest attack since war reignited

At least 53 recruits were killed and more than 200 wounded when Houthi ballistic missiles struck a training camp in Yemen's Shabwa province on Monday, making it the largest single loss of life since the country's civil war exploded back into open conflict in September. The attack, which hit the al-Alam camp while new internal security force members were lining up for training, has drawn condemnation from the internationally recognised government, which branded it a war crime and appealed to the UN to classify the Houthis as a foreign terrorist organisation.

·3 min·6 sources
World

BBC investigation alleges exploitation in UK supported-housing system

A BBC Panorama investigation has alleged that some private companies are profiting from weaknesses in the UK's supported exempt accommodation (SEA) system while failing to provide promised care and supervision. The investigation focuses on Birmingham, where the Department for Work and Pensions paid out £410 million in housing benefit for SEA in the last financial year alone, with over 34,000 people living in such housing.

·3 min
World

US ambassador denounces attack on journalist Heidi Levine as 'despicable act of terror'

The US ambassador to Israel has condemned an attack by masked Israeli settlers that left Washington Post photojournalist Heidi Levine, 63, badly beaten and requiring surgery, calling it a 'despicable act of terror carried out by masked cowards.' The attack occurred last Friday as Palestinians harvested olives, with Levine, an award-winning journalist who lives in Israel, sustaining broken ribs, hand injuries and needing surgery.

·3 min
US Politics

Musk pledges one SpaceX share for every US child, in over $10.5B proposal

Elon Musk has announced he will give one of his SpaceX shares to every child in the United States next year, a gift valued at over $10.5 billion based on the company's current stock price. The pledge was made in a post on X early Monday, with Musk describing it as the "first of many" such donations. The proposal would leverage the Trump Accounts program, a federal framework designed for direct investments to children, which the Trump administration launched earlier this year.

·2 min·3 sources
Australia

Man arrested after Helen Haines struck by car; police probe motive

The man arrested after independent MP Helen Haines was struck by a car has been identified as 43-year-old Brendan Nugent, from the Victorian town of Tarrawingee. Haines remains in a critical condition at a Melbourne hospital after she was struck outside her electorate office on Monday afternoon. Victoria Police are investigating whether the collision was intentional, while counter-terrorism police and ASIO are investigating its motive.

·2 min·15 sources
Australia

NSW Premier introduces special legislation to protect coal mine jobs after High Court ruling

New South Wales Premier Chris Minns has announced special legislation to allow Indonesian-owned MACH Energy to maintain current production levels at its Mount Pleasant coal mine near Muswellbrook, after the High Court ruled the mine's expansion approval invalid on climate change grounds. The government says the move protects 400 jobs while the company resubmits its application, but critics argue it undermines the state's climate targets.

·3 min·3 sources