Top World News

May 31, 2026 - World

Wind gusts up to 125km/h forecast to hit city as residents urged to stay away from windowsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastTens of thousands of residents have been left without power in Perth as an intense storm lashed Australia’s west coast, with authorities warning on Sunday morning the worst was still to come.The powerful weather event was forecast to bring wind gusts of up to 125km/h to Perth and communities along Western Australia’s coast. Continue reading...

May 31, 2026 - World

There is hope that a change to building regulations could resurrect music clubs, which have been hit by rising rents, social shifts and noise disputesA move by the German government to reclassify nightclubs to distinguish them from amusement and adult entertainment facilities could give a much-needed boost to the country’s struggling nightlife, industry advocates say.Under a fundamental change to building regulations approved by Friedrich Merz’s cabinet last week, nightclubs will be formally recognised as providing cultural and artistic value, making it more difficult for developers to evict venue operators in favour of new construction. Continue reading...

May 31, 2026 - World

This blog is now closedGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastExtra negative gearing limits could hurt market and family budgets, Labor saysClare O’Neil has rejected calls from the Greens and others to put further limits on negative gearing access, saying the government should not interrupt “immediate arrangements”.There’s people in the debate who want to see the government go further. I really understand that but I just think we need to step back.Negative gearing is a very immediate impact on a household and family budget and it’s not something that governments, when they’re making tax changes, should do, to interrupt people’s immediate arrangements.We need to land this. We’ll do that in the appropriate time given the need … This is not a political timeline. It is a policy timeline … It’s important this gets resolved speedily and that’s what the government is working towards.I think there’s a range of things that are on the table in those conversations and I won’t speak about them in detail …The government wants to get the right outcome here and we are not going to be driven by the politics of the moment. It’s really important we reach the right landing point for this and I think I have spoken in previous interviews this week about some of the issues we see. Continue reading...

May 31, 2026 - World

Nawaf Salam says Israel collectively punishing southern Lebanon and forcing people ‘into exile’ but defends security talks with Tel AvivLebanon’s prime minister accused Israel on Saturday of pursuing a “scorched-earth policy” in his country’s south, urging a halt to the fighting as Israel carried out fresh airstrikes and issued evacuation warnings for more than a dozen locations.A day after the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said his forces had advanced deeper into Lebanon, his counterpart Nawaf Salam warned the country was facing a “dangerous” escalation, and called for “a swift and real ceasefire”. Continue reading...

May 31, 2026 - World

Flamingos are flocking to the Venetian Lagoon in record numbers as ecological efforts restore damaged wetlands