Top World News

May 4, 2026 - World

International Energy Agency findings show government must commit to rapid cuts in emissions of greenhouse gas, climate experts saySign up for climate and environment editor Adam Morton’s free Clear Air newsletter hereEmissions of the potent greenhouse gas methane from Australian coalmines are more than double official government estimates reported to the UN, according to a new International Energy Agency report.Climate and energy analysts said the report had again highlighted an “enormous gap” in the country’s reported methane emissions from coalmines and should serve as a wake-up call.Sign up to get climate and environment editor Adam Morton’s Clear Air column as a free newsletter Continue reading...

May 4, 2026 - World

A senior Iranian official warned on Monday that Tehran would consider any US attempt to interfere in the Strait of Hormuz a breach of the ceasefire.

May 4, 2026 - World

Police say ‘no suspicious circumstances’ while local councillor argues ‘tragedy’ shows housing crisis has gotten out of hand in regional AustraliaFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA baby has been found dead in a tent in regional New South Wales, prompting renewed calls to address homelessness across regional Australia.Police were called to a homeless encampment near Wagga beach on the Murrumbidgee River on Saturday, where they found a 37-year-old woman with two infants, one of whom was deceased. Continue reading...

May 4, 2026 - World

Japanese leader Sanae Takaichi has called for discussions to revise the constitution, saying it should ‘reflect the demands of the times’Japan’s prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, has called for “advanced discussions” on revising the pacifist constitution, as large demonstrations were held nationwide to oppose any changes to the country’s supreme law.Speaking during an official visit to Vietnam, Takaichi said the constitution, which was written by US occupation forces after the second world war, “should periodically be updated to reflect the demands of the times”. Continue reading...

May 4, 2026 - World

War has combined with battered economy to leave Tehran wondering how hardline it can afford to beIran may not be choking like a stuffed pig as Donald Trump predicted, but its economy is in serious difficulty as a combination of a massive war-damages bill, inflation, currency devaluation, unemployment and a contraction in oil revenues combine to leave the political elite worrying how hardline they can afford to be with their US negotiators. One estimate circulating in Iran’s media suggests the damage to the economy from the US-Israeli attacks is nine times the value of the Iranian budget last year.The UN Development Programme has estimated that 4.1 million more Iranians could fall into poverty. Continue reading...