World News

Britain's King Charles III and Queen Camilla arrive at Sydney International Airport in Sydney on 18 October 2024 for a six-day royal visit to Sydney and Canberra. Photo: AFP / POOL / BROOK MITCHELL King Charles III has become the first reigning king of Australia to visit the country. The monarch, accompanied by his wife Queen Camilla, arrived at Sydney Airport about 8.30pm on Friday, marking the royal couple's first royal tour to Australia since 2018. His mother Queen Elizabeth II became the first reigning monarch to tour the country when she visited in 1954. Among those who greeted Charles and Camilla were Governor-General Sam Mostyn, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and NSW Premier Chris Minns. Queen Camilla was presented with a posy by 12-year-old Ky, who is living with a serious bloo...

By Mubasher Bukhari, Reuters Police officers stand guard outside the closed campus of Punjab College, in Lahore, following the protests. Photo: AFP / Arif Ali Schools, colleges, universities shut in Punjab following protests Students want action over alleged rape on a private campus Police and officials say they know of no such incident They say fake news is being spread through social media Authorities shut schools, colleges and universities in Pakistan's eastern Punjab province following the most violent student protests in the country in recent years over the alleged rape of a student on campus, officials said. The protests have spread since Monday, with participants alleging that a female student was raped by a security guard on the campus of a private college chain in the ...

By Nidal al-Mughrabi, Reuters Israeli forces isolate northern Gaza towns, blocking movement Health officials in northern Gaza appeal for urgent medical supplies Doctors refuse to leave patients despite Israeli evacuation orders A man rides a bike through the Jabalia camp in August. Photo: OMAR AL-QATTAA/AFP The Israeli military said it sent another army unit to support its forces operating in Jabalia, the largest of Gaza's eight historic refugee camps, where residents said tanks blew up roads and houses as they thrust further into the territory. Residents of Jabalia in northern Gaza said Israeli tanks had reached the heart of the camp, using heavy air and ground fire, after pushing through suburbs and residential districts. They added that the Israeli army was destroying dozens o...

By Costas Pitas, Reuters Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is rushed offstage during a rally on 13 July. Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images/AFP The US Secret Service has become bureaucratic and complacent and is in need of reform, an independent review into the first assassination attempt on Donald Trump concluded, saying without change such an incident will happen again. On 13 July, Trump, the Republican candidate in the 5 November presidential election, narrowly escaped being shot in the head in Butler, Pennsylvania, by a bullet that grazed his ear. The near-miss exposed serious security gaps and led to heightened protection measures for Trump's outdoor rallies. US President Joe Biden's administration launched an independent probe that released its findings on Friday ...

Hundreds of black balls mysteriously appeared along the shore of Sydney beaches. Photo: Supplied / Randwick City Council Facebook Sydney beaches that were closed earlier this week when thousands of black balls washed ashore are set to reopen this weekend, with NSW Maritime deeming it safe to do so. On Tuesday, hundreds of tar balls - which occur when oil combines debris, water and other pollutants - washed along Sydney's coastline, first appearing at Coogee Beach. These tar balls have since been confirmed as a mixture of chemicals consistent with those found in cleaning and cosmetic products as well as fuel oil. Those hundreds of tar balls eventually became thousands, as more washed along over the week, appearing at other beaches including Bondi, Bronte, Tamarama, Little Bay and Maroubr...

By Lucia Stein and Rebecca Armitage, ABC News Then Prince and Princess of Wales visit Auckland in 1983. Photo: Getty Images A 21-year-old on one of her first official tours abroad, Princess Diana landed in Alice Springs with one task: Shore up Australia's fealty to the crown. The newly minted Princess of Wales barely had time to adjust to married life before she became a mother - not to mention, the most famous woman in the world. And in 1983, the monarchy decided to use her youthful glamour to its advantage, sending her to Australia, where resentment still simmered over the dismissal of Gough Whitlam, and voters had recently elected an avowed republican as prime minister. Diana arrived in the Northern Territory in March that year with Prince Charles and their nine-month-old son, Pri...

By Eliana Raszewski for Reuters British singer Liam Payne performs at the HUGO label show in a hall in the Wriezener Karree. Photo: JENS KALAENE / dpa Picture-Alliance via AFP Warning: This story contains references to mental health issues and substance abuse One Direction pop star Liam Payne died of multiple traumas and internal bleeding after plunging from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, prosecutors said on Thursday, adding an initial search suggested the fall came after substance abuse. Payne, 31, who shot to global fame with the boy band, was found dead after he fell from a third-floor hotel room balcony in Buenos Aires on Wednesday, triggering an outpouring of fan tributes. In the first official details of the autopsy, the prosecutors office said coroners had found 25 injuries ...

By Clare Duffy of CNN Meta owns Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp among other services. Photo: Victor Okhrimets / 123RF Meta fired around two dozen employees from its Los Angeles office for misusing company meal credits for things like laundry detergent, wine glasses and acne treatment pads, a source familiar with the company confirmed to CNN. Many of the social media giant's corporate offices feature elaborate food services to provide employees with meals as a perk. Meta's two-year-old office near New York City's Penn Station, for example, features a cafeteria that feels like an upscale food court, with various stalls all free for staff. But for employees at smaller offices without food services, the company provides meal vouchers - $20 for breakfast and $25 each for lunch and dinner - ...

By Danielle Broadway, Reuters (From left) Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne and Harry Styles attend the New York premiere of "One Direction: This Is Us" at the Ziegfeld Theater on August 26, 2013 in New York City. Photo: Larry Busacca/Getty Images/AFP Liam Payne's One Direction bandmates say they are "completely devastated" by the news of his death. Payne, who shot to global fame with boy band One Direction, died at the age of 31 after falling from a third-floor hotel room balcony in Buenos Aires, triggering an outpouring of tributes from fans around the world. In a joint statement signed by singers Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik and Niall Horan, they said: "In time, and when everyone is able to, there will be more to say. But for now, we will take some ...

Photo: 123RF By Annabel Bowles, the ABC Australia's Northern Territory has passed new laws that lower the age of criminal responsibility to 10, about two years after the previous government raised the age to 12. It comes a day after the Country Liberal Party government pushed through tougher bail legislation and extra powers for police as part of a suite of law and order changes. Australia's Northern Territory has lowered the age of criminal responsibility to 10 years old, during the new government's first week of parliament sittings. The Country Liberal Party government used its 17-member majority to push through the legislation late Thursday night, while seven from the opposition and crossbench voted against the move. It comes about two years after the previous Labor government raise...