The Guardian

‘No transparency’: Labor to scrap levy secretly placed on Victorian public transport fares

Premier confirms levy, which was intended to help pay for the multibillion-dollar Suburban Rail Loop and other Big Build projects, will be abolishedFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA levy secretly slapped on Victorian public transport users – designed to help pay for the Suburban Loop and other Big Build projects – will be scrapped, the state premier has announced.Ben Carroll announced on Thursday that he would move

general  Aug 27, 2026

The Guardian

Police investigate death of teenage girl two days after alleged ‘sexual choking’ act in Sydney

Officers called to northern beaches home on Sunday evening before 16-year-old dies in hospital on Tuesday night after what source says was sexual strangulation actFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastNew South Wales police are investigating the death of a 16-year-old girl after a suspected sexual strangulation act.Police said emergency services were called to a home in Elanora Heights in Sydney’s northern beaches on Sund

general  Aug 27, 2026

The Guardian

Cyborg cockroaches with tiny syringes could soon join search and rescue teams in major disasters

Giant burrowing cockroaches with added cameras and medical injectors are being tested as potential ‘first responders’ in earthquakesFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastFor people trapped under rubble in an earthquake or similar disaster, the arrival of a fleet of cockroaches could one day be the difference between life and death.Biorobotics engineers have been working on the design of six-legged cyborg insects with came

general  Aug 27, 2026

The Guardian

Australia’s refugee intake to be slashed as Labor works to reduce migration amid One Nation pressure

Quota to fall by a third to Coalition-era levels in move that the Greens say makes Australia ‘meaner and weaker’Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralia’s annual refugee intake will fall by a third next financial year, as Labor works to drive down migration levels over increasing political pressure from One Nation.Currently set at 20,000 arrivals per year, the annual refugee quota will drop back to Coalition-era le

general  Aug 27, 2026

The Guardian

Qantas profits dip to lowest in four years as jet fuel costs climb after Iran conflict

Airline declines to predict impact of new carry-on luggage charge on Jetstar revenue or ticket sales, saying it is offering customers ‘choice’Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastQantas has recorded its lowest pre-tax profits in four years, at $2.06bn, after the US war on Iran pushed up its fuel costs by $610m.Australia’s national airline also announced it would phase out its Airbus A380 models as it prepares to add new

general  Aug 27, 2026

WSJ World News

Runaway Drug Violence Sets Off a Political Earthquake in Costa Rica

A bastion of democratic stability grapples with the fallout of a surge in narcotics trafficking.

general  Aug 27, 2026

WSJ World News

The Russia-Ukraine Air War Has Entered a New, Deadlier Phase

Both countries are inflicting mounting destruction with long-range drones and missiles, yet neither side appears to be close to breaking.

general  Aug 27, 2026

The Guardian

Nepal flash flood live updates: search on for hundreds missing near Tibet border as officials warn death toll could rise higher

At least 160 people have died, while officials believe 340 foreign nationals from India, the US, UK, Australia, Malaysia and Ukraine among those missing. Follow the latest newsFlash floods on Nepal-Tibet border leave scores dead and hundreds missingTell us: have you been affected by the flash floods?Authorities in Nepal and Tibet have said they fear the death toll from catastrophic flooding could be much higher than 160 people already killed, as search and rescue efforts to locate the hundreds m

general  Aug 27, 2026

The Guardian

Key witness in Meta trial says terms of settlement insufficient to halt apps’ harms to teenagers

Exclusive: Arturo Béjar, an ex-Facebook employee and whistleblower, said outcome ‘is not an all clear to say the product is safe’Meta agrees to major changes to Facebook and Instagram in settlementThe star witness in the US government’s landmark trial against Meta believes that a multibillion-dollar settlement reached on Wednesday does not go far enough to stop the social media giant’s harms to young users.“The limitations that are in the agreement are the equivalent of saying: ‘Well you can smo

general  Aug 27, 2026

The Guardian

Queensland woman gave birth to twins with different parents after surrogacy coincides with natural pregnancy

Both children were born on same day in November 2025 in situation so rare it had not been contemplated by state surrogacy lawsFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA Queensland woman gave birth to twin children with separate sets of biological parents last year, in what is believed to be an Australian first situation so rare it had not been contemplated by state surrogacy laws.The woman, anonymised in a court judgment, co

general  Aug 27, 2026

BBC World

At least one dead after car crashes into crowd in northern France

One suspect was arrested after the incident in Caen, police said, following a reported fight at a nearby bar.

general  Aug 27, 2026

Washington Post World

Canada, pressured by Trump, wants new trade partners. Here’s why it’s hard.

The country needs infrastructure and deals to expand exports beyond the United States.

general  Aug 26, 2026

BBC World

'If you started running, they shot you' - inside Nigeria's growing kidnapping crisis

Many communities are living in fear of being kidnapped for ransom as the crisis spreads further south.

general  Aug 26, 2026

WSJ World News

U.S. and Canada Are Bracing for Prolonged Trade Dispute

Few are seeing an offramp as Trump faces political pressures in advance of the midterm elections.

general  Aug 26, 2026

BBC World

Iceland holds knife-edge referendum on EU - and it could be decided on fish

On Saturday, Iceland will vote on EU membership talks, amid economic and geopolitical tensions.

general  Aug 26, 2026

BBC World

The question dominating Indian politics: Is it worse when women swear?

Rahul Gandhi's comments renew the debate over gender disparity in reactions to insults hurled at PM Narendra Modi.

general  Aug 26, 2026

NY Times World

A Deadly Flood Tears Through Nepal and Tibet

An ice avalanche that started high in the Himalayas tumbled thousands of feet, releasing vast amounts of energy that pulverized the ice into a significant volume of flood water.

general  Aug 26, 2026

NY Times World

After Wasp Attack, a Canadian Rock Climber Is Rescued by Helicopter

A 33-year-old woman was rescued along with her climbing partner on Tuesday after she was stung more than 100 times while hiking in the British Columbia backcountry north of Vancouver.

general  Aug 26, 2026

The Guardian

Man in prison in New York advances in primary for Alaska’s US House seat

Democrat Eric Hafner, to be released in 2036, also ran for seat in 2024, securing spot on that general election ballotA man who is serving time in a federal prison in New York advanced on Wednesday from the primary for Alaska’s lone US House seat.Eric Hafner, a registered Democrat, also ran for the seat in 2024 and secured a spot on the general election ballot that November despite a challenge brought by the Alaska Democratic party. Continue reading...

general  Aug 26, 2026

The Guardian

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez rejoins DSA after membership lapse of seven years

Then House candidate joined Democratic Socialists of America in 2018 but didn’t renew membership after a yearAlexandria Ocasio-Cortez has rejoined the Democratic Socialists of America after not renewing her membership for seven years, amid speculation that she might run for president in 2028.The 36-year-old New York representative and one of the country’s most prominent democratic socialists renewed her membership in the group’s national organization after reports emerged earlier this month that

general  Aug 26, 2026