Top World News
All the president’s millions: how the Trumps are turning the presidency into riches
From Vietnam to the Balkans, Donald Trump’s family has launched a global dealmaking blitz since his re-electionA crusading prosecutor in the Balkans comes under pressure to drop a big case. Vietnamese villagers learn they are to be evicted. A convicted crypto kingpin in the Gulf receives a pardon.All have one thing in common: they appear to be connected to the Trump family’s campaign to amass riches around the world. Since Donald Trump’s re-election a year ago, warnings that his use of presidential power to advance personal interests is corroding American democracy have grown ever louder. What is less understood – and perhaps even more dangerous – is the damage this is doing everywhere else. Continue reading...
Death toll in Hong Kong apartment complex blaze rises to 146 as the city mourns
The death toll from a fire in a Hong Kong apartment complex has risen to 146
5 dead in house fire in eastern France
Local authorities report that five people have died in a house fire in eastern France
Can you have a community without craic? Scholars of Ireland’s pubs warn of declining numbers
Two new books analyse what makes the ‘perfect pub’ and both come to a sobering conclusion: Irish pubs are in troubleLike triple-distilled whiskey, Irish pubs appear to have timeless appeal. They are staple setting in films, books and plays, draw tourists to Ireland, replicate themselves around the world and induce social media quests for the perfect snug and the perfect pint.Scholars have now bestowed academic imprimatur on this cultural treasure status by examining – and celebrating – pubs through the lens of history, sociology, architecture, psychology, design, art and literature. Continue reading...
Ley says Coalition’s migration principles will include ‘issues around language and values’ – as it happened
This blog is now closedRising Tide protest: climate activists stop three ships from entering world’s largest coal port in NewcastleGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastLittleproud suggests values test for temporary migrants would stop ‘importing hate’Littleproud says a values test for new migrants – which the Coalition has flagged – wouldn’t hurt.What do you think about this idea of some sort of values test for people who are coming on temporary visas? There is already the citizenship test for those who want to become citizens, but if you are coming temporary visa, on any of these visas you are talking about, do think there should be some sort of values test? Is that a problem the moment?I don’t think it hurts … When you’ve seen the discord on streets, particularly of Sydney and Melbourne over the last two years since October 2023, I think there is a risk that we as Australians can’t import the hate that permeates in some other parts of the world. I think it’s important we make sure that when we do bring people from those challenged parts of the world, that they understand they are coming here with a responsibility to live up to the values and principles that our great country has been built on, with is migration, but how we have come together to be able to achieve a harmonious society for most of it and not allow that hate that permeates in some parts of the world to be imported in.Different individuals and groups have been misrepresenting key cost estimates from the [Net Zero] Australia Project as ‘the cost of Australia reaching net zero’. These misrepresented costs have typically ranged from $1.5 trillion to $9 trillion.” Continue reading...
Turkey condemns Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil tankers off Black Sea coast
The Turkish government has condemned Ukrainian drone attacks on two Russian "shadow fleet" oil tankers in the Black Sea.
Swiss voters consider whether women, like all male citizens, must do national service
Swiss voters are deciding whether women should be required to do national service like men
'Devastating': Internet erupts over conservative outlet's 'damning' report on Trump allies
The conservative Wall Street Journal is causing an internet uproar with its new report on Donald Trump allies who are cashing in on ending the Russia-Ukraine war.The Journal's piece ahead of the weekend, Make Money Not War: Trump’s Real Plan for Peace in Ukraine, claims that, "The Kremlin pitched the White House on peace through business. To Europe’s dismay, the president and his envoy are on board.""For the Kremlin, the Miami talks were the culmination of a strategy, hatched before Trump’s inauguration, to bypass the traditional U.S. national security apparatus and convince the administration to view Russia not as a military threat but as a land of bountiful opportunity, according to Western security officials," the Wall Street Journal reported. "By dangling multibillion-dollar rare-earth and energy deals, Moscow could reshape the economic map of Europe—while driving a wedge between America and its traditional allies."The report made waves immediately.Former speechwriter to President George W. Bush, David Frum, called it a "devastating report on the real Trump-Russia deal: betray Ukraine in exchange for privileged business benefits for Trump insiders."Activist Garry Kasparov said, "As I said in my Halifax speech a few days before this damning WSJ report, this has always been personal business for Trump, not national interest.""It’s how Putin turned Russia into a mafia state and it’s been Trump’s goal from day one of his new unleashed admin," he added Saturday.Going further, he said, "And also as happened with Putin, politicians and pundits spend too much time looking for complicated motivations from ideology or psychology or blackmail. It’s money. It’s always money. They’re crooks. With immense power, but still crooks. Don’t overcomplicate things."Bloomberg Opinion columnist Ronald Brownstein chimed in, "If the betting markets did Pulitzer odds, this remarkably reported [WSJ] piece would be a comet."Read the piece here.
Thousands in Philippines protest corruption and demand return of stolen funds from flood projects
Thousands of demonstrators including from the Roman Catholic church clergy protested in the Philippines on Sunday, calling for the swift prosecution of top legislators and officials implicated in a corruption scandal that has buffeted the Asian democracy.
Pope Leo XIV to pray at Armenian cathedral in Istanbul during Turkish-Armenian reconciliation
Pope Leo XIV plans to pray at an Armenian Apostolic cathedral in Istanbul in a gesture supporting Christian unity and Christian minorities in Turkey
Hondurans to elect new president in close race under the shadow of Trump's surprise intervention
Hondurans are set to elect a new president following U.S. Donald Trump’s unexpected involvement in the race
Couple from Kazakhstan allegedly used hidden camera and earpieces to win $1.18m from Sydney’s Crown casino
Woman, 36, and her husband, 44, arrested at Barangaroo and charged with dishonestly obtaining financial advantageFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA married couple from Kazakhstan has allegedly won more than $1m from Sydney’s Crown casino using a tiny camera hidden in a Mickey Mouse T-shirt and “deep-seated earpieces” that allowed them to communicate.New South Wales police said on Sunday the couple, Dilnoza Israilova and Alisherykhoja Israilov, were charged with dishonestly obtaining financial advantage by deception, after being arrested in the Barangaroo casino. Continue reading...
Nov 30, 2025