Top World News

Feb 25, 2026 - World

Embassies in Tel Aviv and Beirut remain open but Dfat warns situation is ‘unpredictable’. Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastNSW premier Chris Minns is examining changes to the law to deal with hate crimes against gay and bisexual people in the wake of shocking reports of Islamic State-inspred violence.After an ABC report detailed several attacks in Sydney, Minns said last night he had spoken to cabinet office officials and the attorney general’s department about “looking at changes to the law to put in massive new penalties specifically to target this abhorrent behaviour”.We will not allow a situation in New South Wales where people are being targeted because of their sexuality by somebody else.I want to make sure that we’re in a situation where police have got the resources, the DPP has the resources, so that if someone is convicted of a crime like that, they can throw the book at them and they are subject to a significant jail penalty.The security situation in the Middle East is unpredictable. Regional tensions remain high and there continues to be a risk of military conflict.The situation could deteriorate with no warning. Continue reading...

Feb 25, 2026 - World

Democratic representative says Aliya Rahman was ‘forcibly removed’ because she stood for a ‘short period of time, part of which other guests were also standing’ during Trump’s State of the Union speechIlhan Omar guest arrested for standing at State of the Union addressSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxA newly revealed diplomatic cable calls on US diplomats to work against attempts by foreign nations to regulate how US tech companies handle their citizens’ data, as “data sovereignty initiatives” gather steam in Europe over security concerns.More from Reuters:President Donald Trump’s administration has ordered U.S. diplomats to lobby against attempts to regulate U.S. tech companies’ handling of foreigners’ data, saying in an internal diplomatic cable seen by Reuters that such efforts could interfere with artificial intelligence-related services.Experts say the move signals the Trump administration is reverting to a more confrontational approach as some foreign countries seek limits around how Silicon Valley firms process and store their citizens’ personal information - initiatives often described as “data sovereignty” or “data localization.“ Continue reading...

Feb 25, 2026 - World

Shabana Mahmood given green light to take case to court of appeal with ban to remain in place pending outcomeThe home secretary has been granted permission to challenge the high court’s ruling that the decision to ban Palestine Action under anti-terrorism laws was unlawful.An order issued by the high court on Wednesday said Shabana Mahmood could take the case to the court of appeal and that the ban would remain in place pending the outcome of the fresh hearing. Continue reading...

Feb 25, 2026 - World

Exclusive: Police meet Lindsay Hoyle to explain error after Hoyle shared tip that Mandelson planned to flee UKThe Metropolitan police has apologised to the Commons speaker, Lindsay Hoyle, for accidentally revealing he was the source of a tipoff that Peter Mandelson supposedly planned to flee the UK, prompting officers to arrest the former ambassador.In yet another twist to the saga of Mandelson’s departure from his post and the Met’s investigation into allegations he fed secret government information to Jeffrey Epstein, Hoyle told MPs on Wednesday that he passed the information to police. Continue reading...

Feb 25, 2026 - World

President Donald Trump's State of the Union address revealed an actuality that MAGA can't ignore ahead of midterms. Salon's Sophia Tesfaye described on Wednesday how the president's "bragging" about destabilizing the nation appealed to some conservative media outlets; however, some right-wing media have seen the noticeable shift underway in the Republican Party."There was no recalibration nor hint of strategic retreat, only chest-thumping and grievance," Tesfaye wrote. "Right-wing media lapped it up.""What they celebrated was a performance engineered to dazzle the president’s base and humiliate everyone else," Tesfaye wrote. "It’s a reminder that for much of conservative media, the bar for greatness is not policy coherence or factual accuracy but emotional catharsis. If MAGA feels seen, if the libs are owned, if Democrats are forced into awkward stillness as Republicans leap to their feet, then the speech is a triumph."But Trump's MAGA base can't ignore the president's diving approval rating, despite the president's attempts to deny that. "If the president dazzled parts of the media and thrilled his base, he also exposed the limits of his vision," Tesfaye explained. "Two hours on the biggest stage in American politics, and the offer was the same as ever: fear them, cheer me. It’s stale to nearly all but his biggest sycophants."And while some right-wing outlets claimed it was Trump's best work, others have questioned the president. "The split screen couldn’t have been more brutal: the man who claims to have delivered an economy 'roaring like never before' was being repudiated at the polls in real time — and by working people in swing districts," Tesfaye wrote. And the GOP can't dismiss what Americans already have on their minds. "It’s a harsh reality too apparent for even Fox News to ignore," Tesfaye added. When Vice President JD Vance took to the network on Wednesday morning for a post-speech victory lap, even network anchor Bill Hemmer threw a wet blanket on the parade. 'It seems like you’re pushing a car uphill and you’ve got nine months to turn it around,' he said. 'You know Democrats are juiced. They are ready to vote tomorrow.'”