World

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

7809 articles · page 42 of 163 · The World front page

US Politics

Republican candidates distance themselves from Trump as ad spending on president plummets to 2.4%

Republican candidates in the closing weeks of the US midterm campaign are dramatically reducing their public association with President Donald Trump, with new analysis showing just 2.4% of advertising dollars spent since September 1 have promoted ties to the president, down from 27% in the 2018 midterms. The figures come from an analysis by Cory Alpert, a former Biden-Harris administration staffer now at the University of Melbourne, as the party struggles with an unpopular president whose approval rating has fallen below levels seen after the January 6 insurrection.

· 4 sources
World

El Niño closes Iguazu Falls, starves cattle and threatens reefs as record event persists

The record-breaking El Niño event has forced the closure of tourist trails at Iguazu Falls after heavy downpours caused the Iguazu River to flow at six times its normal rate, while in El Salvador drought has left livestock starving and scientists warn of a 'terrifying level of additional risk' to the world's coral reefs. The World Meteorological Agency says the El Niño will strengthen further and persist until at least 2027, with impacts already felt across Indonesia, India, the Pacific and the Americas.

· 4 sources
Australia

Spelling mistakes and sincerity: How a rogue email won AFL prospect a scholarship

Wil Malady, a top AFL draft prospect from Bairnsdale, secured a scholarship at Caulfield Grammar after sending an email to several private schools with spelling mistakes that admissions staff found charming and sincere. The 18-year-old, expected to be selected inside the first 15 picks of next month's AFL draft, said he wrote the email after realising scholarship deadlines had passed, telling this masthead he included spelling mistakes because he rushed to send it.

Australia

Social media vitriol intensifies as Helen Haines attack highlights safety concerns

In the hours before federal independent MP Helen Haines was allegedly deliberately run down outside her Wangaratta office on Monday, a meme reading 'Not enough politicians are afraid for their lives right now & I think that’s a problem' was posted on the Facebook page of NSW Nationals MP Nichole Overall, prompting renewed scrutiny of online hate speech and political violence in Australia.

· 25 sources
US Politics

Scalise Defies Gloom as GOP Faces House Wipeout Fears

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise is publicly refusing to entertain the possibility of losing the House majority, despite polling that shows Democrats leading the generic ballot by eight points and President Trump's approval at a record low. Scalise argues that his presence in competitive districts is evidence Republicans are still on offense, even as outside GOP allies pull nearly $1 million in advertising from one such race.

Geopolitics

Qatar Offers to Build Two Power Plants in Lebanon, Supply LNG for 20 Years via Syria

Qatar has proposed a comprehensive energy program for Lebanon, offering to build two gas-fired power plants within three years and supply liquefied natural gas (LNG) for 20 years through a pipeline crossing Syria, according to a draft program seen by Reuters. The plan, which also includes solar, wind and battery storage components, comes as Lebanon's state utility delivers only a few hours of electricity per day and private diesel generators cover roughly half of demand. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said Qatar would finance, run and operate the project, with QatarEnergy and TotalEnergies jointly developing a solar plant as the first stage.

World

Stormont inquiry urges ban on websites advertising prostitution

A Stormont inquiry has formally released its report on Tuesday, concluding that websites advertising prostitution in Northern Ireland facilitate human trafficking and should be banned outright. The All-Party Group on Human Trafficking and Commercial Sexual Exploitation called for new criminal offences targeting those who operate the platforms, saying criminal gangs use them to manage multiple profiles and conceal abuse behind the pretence that the women are independent.

· 5 sources
Geopolitics

Hegseth met Netanyahu at air base hosting US warplanes, sources say, as Trump endorses Israeli PM

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Ovda Air Base in southern Israel, where American refueling planes and fighter jets are deployed, two sources with knowledge of the visit told Axios. The unannounced meeting came eight days before Israel's parliamentary election and as Washington and Jerusalem discuss a possible resumption of major combat operations against Iran.

· 3 sources
World

Ukraine's drone medevac hailed as milestone as US tensions cloud battlefield innovation

Ukrainian forces have carried out what they describe as the world's first aerial evacuation of a wounded soldier by drone, lifting a severely injured infantryman from a mined, drone-infested 'grey zone' to safety in a 74-minute flight. The operation, confirmed by the 92nd Separate Assault Brigade and drone manufacturer Gurzuf Defence on October 19, comes as Kyiv faces mounting pressure from Washington over its strikes on Russian oil infrastructure and reports of restricted access to Starlink communications critical to its drone operations.

· 15 sources
US Politics

US extends deportation reprieve for Ukrainian and Sudanese migrants

The US Department of Homeland Security has granted a temporary reprieve from deportation to more than 100,000 migrants from Ukraine and Sudan, allowing them to remain in the country after their temporary protected status was set to expire on Monday. The department said in a statement that Ukrainians and Sudanese covered by the measures retain protection but did not specify how long the reprieve will last or when a final decision will be made.

· 2 sources
Geopolitics

UN reports deadly Gaza strikes and West Bank settler violence despite ceasefire

Israeli attacks over the weekend killed at least six Palestinians in Gaza, including children, despite a year-old ceasefire agreement, while settler violence in the occupied West Bank has left five dead and over 240 injured in the past two weeks, according to UN reports. Independent human rights experts have called on Israel to protect Palestinian farmers during the olive harvest and to halt what they describe as a rapidly expanding policy of annexation.

Geopolitics

US sends 600 troops to Latin America for anti-drug training, sparking debate over Monroe Doctrine revival

The United States has deployed hundreds of soldiers to Panama for jungle training, with plans to expand operations to Honduras and Colombia, as part of a broader push to reassert the Monroe Doctrine in Latin America, according to a report by The New York Times. The Pentagon has described the move as a sensible restoration of American power, but the U.S. embassy in Panama has called the account categorically false, saying only 120 personnel are attending a two-week course.

World

UN food agency cuts aid to half a million in Gaza as funding dries up

The World Food Programme will stop monthly assistance to 500,000 people in Gaza due to a funding shortfall, the UN agency announced Monday, leaving 1.1 million Palestinians, about half the territory's population, still receiving food or cash each month. The cuts come even as two-thirds of Gaza's population remains acutely food insecure, with the WFP citing reduced contributions from major donors including the United States.

World

Ultra-endurance athlete completes 900-mile swim along entire California coast in 111 days

Catherine Breed, a 33-year-old American ultra-endurance swimmer, has become the first person to swim the entire 900-mile California coast, finishing at San Diego's Coronado beach on Monday after 111 days in the water. Breed set off on July 1 from the state's northern border, swimming roughly 10 miles per day accompanied by a support vessel, and used the journey to highlight ocean pollution and encourage more women to take to the sea.