Top World News

Aug 4, 2026 - World

Justice secretary says blocking more would have caused prison system to ‘break’ but admits impact on grieving relatives such as those of PC Andrew HarperUK politics live – latest updatesAbout 1,000 fewer prisoners will be released early after Andy Burnham’s intervention to exclude those convicted of rape, serious child sexual offences and grooming from the scheme.The justice secretary, Alex Norris, said 5,000 prisoners would be released over 10 months from October in England and Wales, down from the government’s original plan for 6,000 from September. Continue reading...

Aug 4, 2026 - World

Myanmar's detained ex-leader Aung San Suu Kyi met with an ICRC official Monday, in her first known contact with the outside world since the 2021 coup

Aug 4, 2026 - World

This blog is now closed.Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastMurray Watt, the federal environment minister, was asked earlier about former rugby league star Luke Bateman’s testimony before a parliamentary inquiry on gambling reform.Bateman alleged betting company promoters supplied him with cocaine and alcohol, also alleging he attended private Gold Coast events hosted by gambling firms where senior figures took illegal drugs with clients.We all feel for him and the circumstances that he went through. And for anyone to be offering illegal drugs as an inducement or for any other reason is obviously a crime. Should not be committed and people should pay a price if they’re engaging in that kind of criminal behavior. Continue reading...

Aug 4, 2026 - World

NSW shadow attorney general, Damien Tudehope, tells inquiry Jean-Claude Perrottet had a talent for recruitingThe leader of the opposition in the New South Wales upper house has admitted to leaking a confidential draft report from a 2023 parliamentary inquiry to a member of a group of young conservative Liberal powerbrokers now under investigation by the corruption watchdog, an inquiry has heard.On Tuesday, Damien Tudehope, the NSW shadow attorney general and Liberal leader in the upper house, gave evidence as part of the Independent Commission Against Corruption’s (Icac) Operation Rosny. Continue reading...

Aug 4, 2026 - World

National Foreign Trade Council ‘disappointed’ at move to expand News Bargaining Incentive but Australian experts say government is not going far enoughFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA major US trade body has rubbished the Albanese government’s plan to make more big tech platforms pay for Australian journalism, issuing a veiled warning about how Donald Trump may respond to the “deteriorating trend”.The National Foreign Trade Council said it was “disappointed” at the Australian government’s move to expand its News Bargaining Incentive (NBI) to take in Microsoft’s LinkedIn, amid trade tensions between Washington and Canberra including newly increased tariffs on Australian goods. Continue reading...