Top World News

Sep 24, 2026 - World

Five desalination plants shut down for days, while Gaza remains in grip of severe water and sanitation crisisIsrael is facing weeks of water shortages after an exceptional algae bloom crippled much of its desalination capacity, in a crisis scientists say was triggered when Israeli attacks destroyed much of Gaza’s wastewater infrastructure, causing a massive discharge of untreated sewage.“Pollution does not recognise political borders,” said the Zalul Environmental Association, an Israeli NGO dedicated to protecting the country’s seas and shores. “The discharge of untreated sewage from the Gaza Strip into the sea is contributing to the worsening crisis affecting the Israeli desalination facilities. The wastewater contains nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus, which feed microalgae and cyanobacteria and may intensify their blooms.” Continue reading...

Sep 24, 2026 - World

Acting president says Venezuela returning strongly after ‘setbacks’. This blog is now closed – see our full reports:Trump greets Xi Jinping on arrival in rare move as US-China trade truce extendedIran’s president hits out at ‘bully’ Trump in UN speech but signals willingness to talkThese latest attacks come just hours before Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s address to the UN general assembly, so he is likely to reflect on them during his UN speech later.So far, we have had no public comment from Zelenskyy or Ukraine’s foreign minister Andrii Sybiha. Continue reading...

Sep 24, 2026 - World

Follow the day’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastMore than 600 Qantas ground crew workers have begun a 24-hour strike this morning across the country over an escalating industrial dispute.Qantas said that it has contingency plans in place and any impacts would be felt primarily by the airline’s freight and regional QantasLink services.We remain focused on reaching an agreement through the bargaining process and continue to engage constructively with the union.Australia and the Netherlands remain resolute in their commitment to pursuing truth, justice and accountability on behalf of the victims of the downing of MH17 and their next of kin. Continue reading...

Sep 24, 2026 - World

‘Pubs have been pet friendly for years’ in other countries, premier says, as Labor moves to overturn ban on dogs in venuesFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our new political email, free app or daily news podcastFor Steph and her partner Paul, there’s something special about a pub in the British winter.“It’s really lovely – in wintertime, you go with your dog, there’s a fire, it’s really cozy,” she said. Continue reading...

Sep 24, 2026 - World

Anthropic said Claude analyzed large DNA databases and found an unusual system built around a reverse transcriptase (RT), an enzyme that copies RNA into DNA.