Top World News

May 6, 2026 - World

The third day of hearings of the royal commission on antisemitism and social cohesion heard further evidence from Jewish AustraliansFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastViolent antisemitic abuse was allowed to proliferate across a Jewish political candidate’s social media as part of a broader trend designed to intimidate Jewish Australians from public life, a royal commission has heard.Joshua Kirsh launched a campaign as an independent candidate for the New South Wales upper house in late 2025 but found his advertisements online bombarded by antisemitic tropes, abuse and threats. Continue reading...

May 6, 2026 - World

Home affairs minister Tony Burke says government continues to refuse to help the group of 13Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastSome of the Australian women linked to Islamic State fighters may face arrest and possible criminal charges on their return from Syria this week, with the government and federal police promising a hardline response when the group touches down.The home affairs minister, Tony Burke, confirmed that the government was aware that four Australian women and nine of their children had begun the journey home, after more than a decade of planning by a joint Asio and Australian federal police counter-terrorism taskforce. Continue reading...

May 6, 2026 - World

In today’s newsletter: ​The brief US effort to ​s​teer trapped vessels through the ​waterway ​put the fragile ceasefire under strainGood morning. Uncertainty once again reigns in the Middle East. The uneasy ceasefire between the US and Iran threatened to disintegrate after Donald Trump launched an initiative – dubbed “Project Freedom” – to help thousands of sailors stranded in the Gulf by the war to pass through the strait of Hormuz.To Iran, the announcement was a cynical provocation. Flurries of fighting restarted as Iran sought to maintain its grip on the critical passageway out of the region.UK politics | Zack Polanski falsely claimed to be a spokesperson for the British Red Cross while campaigning for the Green party leadership, the charity has said.Fuel shortages| Two million airline seats have been cut from this month’s schedules as airlines redraw their operations because of soaring jet fuel prices amid the Middle East conflict.UK news| A British crew member who became ill after a suspected outbreak of hantavirus on luxury cruise ship the MV Hondius is to be medically evacuated, officials have said.Tax | An increased windfall tax should be imposed on the UK’s largest banks, say trade union leaders, after the big four lenders reported almost £14bn in first-quarter profits, partly fuelled by market turbulence amid the Iran war.Society | People from black backgrounds in England are twice as likely to experience strokes as their white counterparts, while also being less likely to receive timely care, according to the largest study of its kind. Continue reading...

May 6, 2026 - World

Under new guidelines caning will only be used in schools for male students aged nine and aboveMale school students who bully others, including through cyberbullying, will face caning as a “last resort” under new guidelines introduced in Singapore.Male students can face up to three strokes of the cane under the new rules, which were discussed in parliament on Tuesday. Continue reading...

May 6, 2026 - World

Tent where twins were born up to a 15-minute walk away from nearest public toilets or running waterFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe tent where a newborn baby was found dead at Wagga beach at the weekend was part of a homeless encampment up to a 15-minute walk away from the nearest public toilets or running water, with residents in a nearby apartment block saying conditions were “worse than a Syrian war camp”.The tragedy has prompted fury in the community, with residents of Wagga Wagga calling on authorities to take urgent action to make the encampments safe and sanitary. Continue reading...