World News Hub

US sanctions more Cuban companies and officials

An international socialist institute and Cuba's construction ministry are subject to the latest US sanctions, Marco Rubio announces.

Michael Cohen, ex-fixer for Trump who once testified against him, hosts president on his radio show – as it happened

Despite previously comparing him to a ‘mobster’, Trump’s former personal lawyer showers him with praise. This blog is now closed.Trump administration faces questions over top aide Natalie Harp’s security clearanceSign up for the US Breaking News emailAn FBI team seized electronic devices from former US representative Eric Swalwell at the San Francisco airport on Saturday, then raided his home in W...

55,000 years ago, Neanderthals may have trekked deep into Saudi Arabia

Australia news live: Catholic Schools NSW chief executive Dallas McInerney sacked after Icac appearance; Brethren church denies paying far-right activists

Schools’ governing body says there is a loss of confidence in McInerney’s ability to lead the organisation. Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastWoman behind allegation of sexual assault linked to Sydney Swans reportedly says she wants ‘justice’The woman who alleges she was sexually assaulted in a Melbourne hotel told the Herald Sun “all I care about i...

Brazil launches AI supercomputer push while balancing US and Chinese tech

The government has announced investments of about 2.3 billion reais ($444.2m) to bolster its AI ecosystem.

In the embodied AI race, China can opt to look beyond bigger models

The world has seen tremendous progress in the capabilities of robots in the past year. Robots can now walk, dance, run and perform increasingly sophisticated movements, yet impressive demonstrations do not equal commercial value. Beyond the hype surrounding China’s red-hot embodied robotics sector, one challenge confronts all players: data. Robotics has long faced the challenge of achieving widesp...

Australia news live: Swans coach says respect for women a ‘highest priority’ for club; Brethren church denies paying far-right activists

Dean Cox says Sydney Swans’ culture ‘has taken a hit’. Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastWoman behind allegation of sexual assault linked to Sydney Swans reportedly says she wants ‘justice’The woman who alleges she was sexually assaulted in a Melbourne hotel told the Herald Sun “all I care about is justice”.I don’t want money. All I care about is ju...

Hong Kong's Tiananmen vigil organisers convicted by court

Two organisers of Hong Kong's decades-old vigil commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown have been convicted under a controversial national security law.

First group of US deportees arrive in Liberia after Trump deal

The first group of deportees from the US arrived in Liberia’s capital, Monrovia.

Court ends case against police charged over use of Taser and pepper spray on ‘vulnerable’ First Nations man

Court finds ‘defects’ in investigation of two senior constables charged over 2024 incident at Mareeba watch house in far north QueenslandFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastTwo police officers charged with criminal offences over the use of capsicum spray, Tasers and restraints on a “cognitively and emotionally vulnerable”...

Court ends case against police charged over tasering and pepper spraying ‘vulnerable’ First Nations man

Court finds ‘defects’ in investigation of two senior constables charged over 2024 incident at Mareeba watch house in far north QueenslandTwo police officers charged with criminal offences over the use of capsicum spray, Tasers and restraints on a “cognitively and emotionally vulnerable” First Nations man in police custody have had the case against them permanently stayed, after a court found “defe...

Panama Canal to limit shipping ahead of extreme weather during El Nino

The El Nino weather phenomenon is expected to increase the likelihood of drought and excess heat across the region.

Sycophancy in stereo as former Trump hater Michael Cohen loses his nerve

Fawning, deferential, oleaginous – this was the Untruth and Reconciliation Commission as Trump called in to 77 WABC“Our next guest is a ‘racist’, a ‘conman’ and a ‘cheat’ – someone who behaves more like a ‘mobster’ than a president. Please welcome Donald J Trump!”That is how Michael Cohen could have introduced Trump on his New York radio show on Thursday. After all, Cohen used such terms to descri...

Antigovernment protesters take to Tunisia’s streets for second month

Tunisia has seen an uptick in protests as economic conditions in the country have deteriorated.

Australia news live: Swans coach says respect for women a ‘highest priority’ for club; Brethren church denies paying far-right activists\

Dean Cox says Sydney Swans’ culture ‘has taken a hit’. Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastWoman behind allegation of sexual assault linked to Sydney Swans reportedly says she wants ‘justice’The woman who alleges she was sexually assaulted in a Melbourne hotel told the Herald Sun “all I care about is justice”.I don’t want money. All I care about is ju...

Japan lawmakers to visit China in bid to cool row, but thaw unlikely: experts

A reported trip to China next week by a cross-party group of Japanese lawmakers could carry “pronounced” symbolic weight but is unlikely to herald a thaw in ties between the two neighbours, Chinese experts suggest. For the first time since bilateral relations succumbed to a bitter chill 10 months ago, a delegation of Japan’s parliamentary members will visit Beijing from August 24 to 27, according ...

Hong Kong financiers press for tax breaks after Singapore unveils rival scheme

Hong Kong should press ahead with its proposed tax break on carried interest, the performance fees earned by hedge fund and private equity managers, after Singapore unveiled a rival tax-exemption scheme, according to industry participants. The bill, submitted to lawmakers in June and expected to come to a vote later this year, has sparked debate in the financial industry. Some participants argue t...

US Treasury sanctions Ecuador-to-US cocaine trafficking network

The U.S. Treasury has sanctioned 15 people involved in a network allegedly shipping cocaine from Ecuador through Mexico to the U.S. The operation uses Ecuador-based fishing vessels to transfer cocaine to power boats heading north

USS Lincoln heads home after extended deployment to the Middle East

The USS Abraham Lincoln is on its way back home following an extended nine-month deployment, a U.S. official told NBC News on Thursday.

Russia tests missiles near Japanese-claimed islands after Putin’s visit

Russia’s Pacific Fleet said on Thursday it has conducted a missile test off a group of Russian-held, Japanese-claimed islands amid an intensifying row over the disputed territory following President Vladimir Putin’s first-ever visit there last week. While it was unclear exactly when the test was carried out, the announcement comes after the Russian foreign ministry summoned Japanese Ambassador to ...

Taliban release two detained UN staff members in Afghanistan

The two men, detained in the western city of Herat on August 9, were released on Thursday morning.

TikTok Star Death Probe: French police investigate burned body of Sonia Bellina; suspect remains in custody

Sonia Bellina, a 29-year-old TikTok creator with more than 260,000 followers, was found dead in a French vineyard after going missing on August 10. Her burned body was discovered two days later and identified through DNA. French authorities arrested two men over the death, although one was later released. A murder investigation remains ongoing, while Bellina’s family has urged people to respect th...

Vance says war in "new phase" of economic pressure as Iran dismisses Trump threat

Iran has shrugged off President Trump's threat to hit the Islamic Republic with an "economic D-Day" as a "doubling down on failed policies."

El Niño set to be 'strongest in living memory', says Met Office

Scientists say the growing El Niño weather pattern is an "unprecedented event" and means 2027 is likely to be the world's hottest year on record.

More Hong Kong consumers allege coercive beauty sales in wake of Opatra crackdown

More consumers in Hong Kong have come forward to allege aggressive sales tactics across the beauty sector, including credit card abuse, unwanted physical contact and pressure to buy costly products, on the back of a crackdown on the local operations of a UK-based brand. Legal experts warned that such practices could breach the Trade Descriptions Ordinance, which prohibits harassment, coercion and ...