World News

Lydia Ko; Donald Trump. Photo: AFP Donald Trump has taken a brief break from politics to post a social media message congratulating Lydia Ko on winning gold at the Olympics and calling her a "most impressive" person. The 27-year-old New Zealander won in Paris over the weekend with a two-point lead over silver medallist Esther Henseleit of Germany. Trump, the 78-year-old former US President and famed golf enthusiast, fondly recounted meeting Ko in a message on his Truth Social platform. "Congratulations to Lydia Ko on winning the Olympic gold medal in golf," said Trump. "I met her at Trump Turnberry in Scotland, and she is most impressive, not only with her golf clubs, but also as a person. Way to go Lydia!" Ko won with a 10-under-par performance at Le Golf National on Saturday that als...

This video grab taken from a handout footage released by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Service on August 11, 2024, shows a fire at a cooling tower of the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Energodar, Southern Ukraine. Photo: AFP PHOTO / UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE Moscow and Kyiv accused each other of starting a fire on the grounds of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant on Sunday, as Ukraine urged residents to remain calm and reported no sign of elevated radiation. The UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) nuclear watchdog, which has a presence at the vast six-reactor facility, said its experts had seen strong, dark smoke coming from the northern area of the plant in southern Ukraine following multiple explosions. Ukrainian Pres...

By Jessica Black, ABC News The DoubleTree by Hilton on Cairns Esplanade Photo: Supplied / Queensland Ambulance Service A pilot who died after the helicopter they were in crashed into the roof of a Far North Queensland hotel was on an "unauthorised" flight, according to the company that charters it. Up to 400 people were evacuated from the DoubleTree by Hilton on Cairns Esplanade after the crash, which set the top of the building alight, shortly before 2am on Monday, police said. Two of the helicopter's rotor blades came off and landed on the esplanade and in the hotel pool. There were no injuries on the ground. Charter company Nautilus Aviation said the use of the helicopter was "unauthorised". "Nautilus Aviation are working closely with Queensland Police, the Australian Transport Sa...

By Matthew Doran and Basel Hindeleh in Jerusalem, ABC News Palestinians gather in the yard of the school after an Israeli strike at the Al-Taba'een school where displaced Palestinians took shelter in Gaza City on August 10, 2024. Photo: Abood Abusalama / Middle East Images via AFP In the quiet of early Saturday morning in Gaza City, desperate Palestinians seeking refuge in a school complex awoke to a catastrophic blast. An Israeli air strike hit the Al-Taba'een school in the Daraj neighbourhood in the east of the city, where local authorities said thousands displaced in the 10-month-long Gaza war were sheltering. Photos and video from the site are confronting, with images of devastating destruction broadcast around the world. But there is a dispute as to the severity of the strike, i...

By Jessica Black, ABC News The DoubleTree by Hilton on Cairns Esplanade Photo: Supplied / Queensland Ambulance Service Hundreds of people have been evacuated after a helicopter crashed into the roof of a Far North Queensland hotel on Monday morning. Police have declared an emergency around the DoubleTree by Hilton on Cairns Esplanade and evacuated up to 400 people after the crash which happened shortly before 2am, a Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS) spokeswoman said. Two of the helicopter's propellers came off and landed on the esplanade and in the hotel pool. Breaking: A helicopter crashed into the roof of a hotel in Cairns, Far North Queensland, Australia around 2 am. Emergency services evacuated 400 people from the building. Police are urging the public to avoid the area. #Cai...

People photograph an artwork by street artist Banksy depicting fish swimming around a Police Box in the City of London on August 11, 2024. Photo: HENRY NICHOLLS / AFP By Aurelia Foster of BBC The elusive artist Banksy has confirmed he painted swimming piranhas on to a City of London Police sentry box, which was first spotted on Sunday morning [local time]. The glass-fronted box on Ludgate Hill - near The Old Bailey and St Paul's Cathedral - has been transformed to look like an aquarium. This is his seventh new artwork to be revealed in the capital in as many days, following a goat, monkeys, elephants, a wolf, pelicans and a cat. Crowds gathered to take photos throughout the day until barriers were installed, preventing people from going inside. A person poses with an artwork by stre...

By Matt Murphy, BBC News Ukrainian servicemen sit on a self-propelled artillery 2S7 Pion while being carried by a military truck, in the Sumy region, near the border with Russia, on August 11, 2024, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Photo: AFP / ROMAN PILIPEY Ukrainian troops have advanced up to 30km inside Russia, in what has become the the deepest and most significant incursion since Moscow began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Russia's defence ministry said its forces had engaged Ukrainian troops near the villages of Tolpino and Obshchy Kolodez, as the offensive in the Kursk region entered a sixth day. Foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova accused Kyiv of "intimidating the peaceful population of Russia". President Volodymyr Zelensky, who directly a...

The Olympic torch balloon floats near the Louvre in Paris. Photo: AFP After two-and-a-half weeks of competition, the Olympic Games are coming to an end with the closing ceremony in the heart of Paris. The ceremony will see the Olympic flag handed to the next host city, Los Angeles, as well as a parade of thousands of athletes and an array of artistic performances. Snoop Dogg has been confirmed to appear and there are rumours that Tom Cruise will abseil down a building during the ceremony. The ceremony brings an end to New Zealand's most successful Olympic Games, where athletes nabbed 20 medals - 10 of them gold. Follow our liveblog for updates: Source link

Macaque monkeys climb onto a news photographer at the Phra Prang Sam Yod temple during the annual Monkey Buffet Festival in Lopburi province, north of Bangkok on 28 November 2021. Photo: JACK TAYLOR / AFP A city in Thailand has been caught between rival gangs of monkeys that have terrorised, mugged and assaulted locals, even driving some from their homes and businesses. Lopburi is famous for its long-tailed macaques and even hosts an annual banquet for the animals but in recent years the population has exploded and has started causing trouble. Tensions boiled over earlier this year when a woman dislocated her knee after she was kicked in the back by a monkey that wanted her food. In April, after growing complaints from residents, authorities started rounding up thousands of the monkeys...

Celine Dion says Donald Trump's use of the song 'My Heart Will Go On' was not authorised by her or her team. Photo: Yoshika Horita/supplied Celine Dion's team has criticised former US President Donald Trump for the "unauthorised" use of a clip of one of her hits at a presidential campaign event. The song 'My Heart Will Go On' - which featured in a 1997 film about the doomed ship Titanic - was played to supporters before Trump appeared on stage at a rally in Bozeman, Montana, on Friday. In a statement released on X, Dion's team said she did not "endorse" the use of the song, adding: "And really, that song?" Artists and bands including Neil Young, Queen and the Rolling Stones have previously complained about Trump using their songs at campaign rallies. The statement said: "Today, Celine D...