Top World News

Feb 17, 2026 - World

Recognised with an honorary Academy Award in 2016, Wiseman directed and produced almost 50 films with a lifelong commitment to curiosity and naturalismFrederick Wiseman, the prolific film-maker whose documentaries primarily explored US public institutions and communities, has died aged 96.His death on Monday was announced in a joint statement from the Wiseman family and his production company, Zipporah Films. Continue reading...

Feb 17, 2026 - World

Unnamed suspect accused of planning to bomb one of singer’s Eras tour shows in ViennaAustrian prosecutors have filed terrorism-related charges against a 21-year-old who they say planned to attack one of Taylor Swift’s concerts in Vienna in August 2024.Three dates in Swift’s record-breaking Eras tour were cancelled after authorities warned of the plot. Continue reading...

Feb 17, 2026 - World

Three people stabbed in attack near Merrylands train station, with NSW police stating accused was known to them for past ‘mental health incidents’Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA man is in custody after three people were stabbed near a train station in western Sydney, leaving one of them dead.Police responded to reports of the stabbing in Merrylands at about 10am on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Feb 17, 2026 - World

Supermarket defends pricing practices after ACCC labels discounts ‘utterly misleading’ in federal court caseFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastColes has defended its promotional prices in a high-profile court case brought by the consumer watchdog, arguing that shoppers would understand the supermarket’s well-known “Down Down” promotion to be “fair dinkum”.The federal court battle between the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and Coles began this week, testing allegations the supermarket breached the law by offering “illusory” discounts on many everyday products. Continue reading...

Feb 17, 2026 - World

Yoon Suk Yeol could face the death penalty when judges rule on the martial law crisis that many in South Korea see as a dark moment they would rather forgetSouth Korea is awaiting one of the most consequential court rulings in decades this week, with judges due to deliver their verdict on insurrection charges against the former president Yoon Suk Yeol and prosecutors demanding the death penalty.When Yoon stands in courtroom 417 of Seoul central district court on Thursday to hear his fate, which will be broadcast live, he will do so in the same room where the military dictator Chun Doo-hwan was sentenced to death three decades ago. The charge is formally the same. Last time, it took almost 17 years and a democratic transition to deliver a verdict. This time, it has taken 14 months. Chun’s death sentence was later reduced to life imprisonment on appeal, and he was eventually pardoned. Continue reading...