Top World News
‘The whole country is proud’: Chinese snooker fans hail Zhao Xintong triumph
Crowning of country’s first world champion set to give fresh boost to sport that has boomed in popularity in ChinaChain smoking under the fluorescent lights of a cavernous billiards hall in Beijing, Brother Yuan can’t stop smiling. The previous day, along with 150 million other people across China, he had been at home watching the snooker world championships final. Now he’s with his fellow cue-heads, celebrating the win of China’s first snooker world champion, Zhao Xintong.“He’s a great role model for young people in China,” Yuan, 55, says of the generation Z upstart who on Monday claimed snooker’s top prize. “He’s bringing the excitement back.” Continue reading...
Pope Leo holds first mass as pontiff in Sistine Chapel
New leader says he wants a Catholic church that ‘illuminates the dark nights of this world’Five things to know about Pope Leo XIVPope Leo XIV said he hoped to lead a Roman Catholic church “that illuminates the dark nights of this world” as he held his first mass as pontiff under Michelangelo’s ceiling frescoes in the Sistine Chapel.The surprise election of Robert Francis Prevost, the first US pope, came after a conclave that lasted less than 26 hours, one of the shortest in modern Catholic history. Continue reading...
Danish leader: 'You cannot spy against an ally' amid reports of US Greenland spying
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told The Associated Press “you cannot spy against an ally” after reports that the United States has stepped up intelligence gathering on Greenland, a semi-autonomous Danish territory coveted by U.S. President Don...
2 men convicted of cutting down beloved Sycamore Gap tree in northern England in 2023
Two men have been convicted of cutting down the beloved Sycamore Gap tree in northern England along ancient Hadrian’s Wall
IPL cricket suspended amid growing India-Pakistan tensions
‘It does not look nice playing cricket while country at war’Thursday’s IPL match was abandoned in DharamsalaThe Indian Premier League has been suspended, initially for a week, because of concerns about the security situation in the country amid rising tensions along its border with Pakistan. The news came hours after the decision was taken to relocate the final fixtures in the Pakistan Super League to United Arab Emirates because of safety concerns. Foreign-based players in India and all teams in Pakistan are expected to leave the countries over the next 24 hours.“Further updates regarding the new schedule and venues of the tournament will be announced in due course after a comprehensive assessment of the situation in consultation with relevant authorities and stakeholders,” Devajit Saikia, the secretary of the Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI), said in a statement. “The decision was taken by the IPL governing council after due consultation with all key stakeholders following the representations from most of the franchisees, who conveyed the concern and sentiments of their players, and also the views of the broadcaster, sponsors and fans; while the BCCI reposes full faith in the strength and preparedness of our armed forces, the board considered it prudent to act in the collective interest of all stakeholders.” Continue reading...
Ukraine arrests two Hungarians accused of spying
Two Hungarian nationals were arrested in Ukraine, accused of collecting intelligence on the nation's western air defense network.
May 9, 2025
Trump floats 80% tariff on China
Canavan will challenge Littleproud for Nationals leadership – as it happened
This blog is now closedFull federal election results: live Australian Senate seat countSee our full coverage of the Australian electionListen to the latest episode of our narrative podcast series: GinaGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast‘I want to harness all the talent in my team’“We do need to reflect a modern Liberal party,” Sussan Ley says. She is speaking on Sunrise before the Liberals’ party room meeting on Tuesday, when they will select a new leader:It’s about making sure that I am listening to my colleagues and … demonstrate to them we want a strong approach that includes everyone. I want to harness all of the talent in my team, take it forward under my leadership and meet the Australian people where they are because, clearly we didn’t do that at the last election. But we do need to reflect a modern Liberal party, meeting modern Australians in every single walk of life across the country.On the weekend, we suffered a significant election defeat and since then, I have been having many conversations with my colleagues, members of the community, with members of the party, indeed the Coalition, with everyday Australians. I have listened. We got it wrong. We need to do things differently, going forward, and we do need a fresh approach. So, on Tuesday morning when the Liberal party room meets in Canberra, I will be putting myself forward for the position of leader of the federal party. Continue reading...
Vaccine teams in Mexico scramble over measles outbreak rippling out from Mennonite community
Vaccination teams are part of an effort by health authorities across Mexico to contain the country’s biggest measles outbreak in decades
Indian and Pakistan troops swap intense artillery fire
Indian and Pakistani soldiers exchanged heavy volleys of shells and gunfire across their frontier in Kashmir overnight, killing at least five civilians in a growing military standoff that erupted following an attack on tourists in the India-controlled portion of the disputed region.
Russia holds Victory Day parade marking the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany
Russia marked the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II with a massive military parade on Red Square on Friday attended by President Vladimir Putin and foreign leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
‘Tone deaf’: US tech company responsible for global IT outage to cut jobs and use AI
CrowdStrike CEO announces 5% of workforce to be slashed globally, citing artificial intelligence efficiencies created in the businessThe cybersecurity company that became a household name after causing a massive global IT outage last year has announced it will cut 5% of its workforce in part due to “AI efficiency”.In a note to staff earlier this week, released in stock market filings in the US, CrowdStrike’s chief executive, George Kurtz, announced that 500 positions, or 5% of its workforce, would be cut globally, citing AI efficiencies created in the business. Continue reading...
PKK militant group close to announcing decision to disband, Turkey's pro-Kurdish party says
Kurdish militants are close to disbanding as part of a new peace initiative with Turkey to end a 40-year insurgency, a pro-Kurdish party suggested
