Top World News

Feb 3, 2026 - World

US President Donald Trump urged the House of Representatives on Monday to swiftly adopt a spending bill and end the three-day government shutdown.

Feb 3, 2026 - World

Reserve Bank due to announce decision on interest rates this afternoon. Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastLiberal politicians have joked they need “divine intervention” at a church service before parliament resumes today.Federal parliamentarians are attending the ecumenical service, before sitting begins later. Media doorstopped most of the MPs on their way in, with reporters asking what they were praying for, whether they needed “forgiveness”, and whether they prayed for a Coalition reunion.We know that inflation’s higher than we would like. People are under more pressure than anybody wants. And that’s why the responsibility that we have … is to continue to manage the budget in a responsible way, continue to roll out this cost of living relief. Continue reading...

Feb 3, 2026 - World

Josie Scott, who has played in the Australian heavy metal band with her brother Kim for 40 years, writes to fans: ‘I’ve decided to embrace, rather than endure, who I am’Get our weekend culture and lifestyle emailThe guitarist and vocalist in Australian heavy metal band the Mark of Cain has come out as a trans woman, writing that seeing younger trans people live freely had “helped shine a light on the possibility that maybe I can finally be me in my autumn years.”On Monday night, Josie Scott wrote a statement to fans on the band’s social media, announcing that her family know her as Josie or Jo and “given where I identify on the gender spectrum, I fit within the paradigm of being a trans woman”.Sign up for our rundown of must-reads, pop culture and tips for the weekend, every Saturday morning Continue reading...

Feb 3, 2026 - World

This live blog is now closed.Trump news at a glance: Trevor Noah’s Grammys joke hit a sour note for TrumpHouse speaker Mike Johnson is set to swear in Christian Menefee, a Democrat who recently won a runoff election for a reliably blue seat in Texas.Menefee’s victory, however, means the margin in the House is even more slim: 218 Republicans to 214 Democrats. His current term will end at the end of the year, and he’ll have to start campaigning almost immediately for the 2026 midterms. But this time, it will be for a new district, after the GOP-controlled legislature successfully gerrymandered the state’s congressional map. Continue reading...

Feb 3, 2026 - World

The Justice Department said Monday that it had taken down several thousand documents and "media" that may have inadvertently included victim-identifying information since it began releasing the latest batch of documents related Jeffrey Epstein.