Top World News

Feb 15, 2026 - World

The world will witness its first solar eclipse of 2026 on Tuesday, February 17. The astronomical event, which is also known as the Ring Of Fire',has generated significant buzz among astronomers and stargazers.

Feb 15, 2026 - World

The second-term governor and likely 2028 presidential candidate has taken his Donald Trump-bashing tour to the Munich Security Conference, weeks after he was in Davos, Switzerland, at the World Economic Forum.

Feb 15, 2026 - World

Our food environment has been built to put profit over health — Australians can’t overcome that without stronger regulation and accountabilityGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAlmost 13 years ago – and after a decade-long battle between health experts and the food industry – state and federal ministers voted to introduce a health star rating system to help consumers make healthier food choices.It was voluntary, thanks to the food industry being at the bargaining table and the decision-makers being largely food, trade and agriculture ministers (rather than health). Continue reading...

Feb 15, 2026 - World

The tax has climbed by 60% since 2020 and accounts for three-quarters of the legal cost of a packet of cigarettesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastExperts say a freeze on the federal government’s contentious tobacco excise should be considered, after the Treasury revealed it was modelling the impacts of cigarette prices on demand amid a booming black market.Lachlan Vass, a research manager at the e61 Institute, said the Treasury’s examination of “price elasticity” and demand for tobacco would be a necessary step to costing potential reforms to the excise. Continue reading...

Feb 15, 2026 - World

Consular officials told son of unconscious, critically ill man they could not discuss the situation for ‘privacy’ reasonsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAn Australian man died in a Balinese hospital just days after the Australian consulate failed to issue an emergency passport that his son says could have saved his life.Wayne Harvey, an expat who had been living on the island since 2018, was 69 years old when he was admitted to the Puri Raharja hospital in Denpasar with suspected appendicitis on Christmas Eve in 2022. Continue reading...