Australian foreign minister rejects ‘monoculture’ call

Half of Australians were born overseas or have a parent who was, census data shows.

Jared Kushner may visit Israel next week for talks on Gaza, source says

By Steve Holland and Kanishka Singh Aug 13 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump's envoy and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, may visit Israel next week for talks on Gaza, a source familiar with the matter said on Thursday. The plans were reported earlier by Axios, which also said

'No substitute': Kuwait's future tied to Hormuz strait fate

Kuwait's once prosperous oil sector has stood largely paralysed for months, with petroleum exports plummeting as fighting raged across the Gulf -- triggering the country's largest crisis in decades. Half a year into the war, Kuwait remains a hostage to its uncompromising need

White House accuses over 40 countries of helping China avoid US tariffs

The White House accused China of routing billions of dollars of goods through other countries to avoid President Trump’s 2018 tariffs, costing the U.S. billions of dollars in lost revenue, according to a new report released Thursday. The report, titled “The Great Transshipment

Record rain in Japan kills four, leaves thousands stranded at Narita airport

Romania shuts its last nuclear reactor as drought-hit Danube river drops to record low

Cernavoda shutdown poses immediate problems for Moldova, which relies on Romanian power ​to cover its own electricity shortages Romania has been forced to shut down the last working ⁠reactor at its only nuclear plant after drought caused the Danube river to fall to record lows

New Zealand immigration edges to 17-month high yet remains weak

Migrant flows have been significantly impacted by an economic slowdown that saw GDP grow just 0.3 per cent in 2025.

Romeo Santos Sues Accounting Firm for $2.3 Million Over Alleged Tax Errors, Mismanagement

The Latin superstar claims the firm filed “incoherent” tax documents, missed deadlines, and failed to invest his money or fund his retirement account

Trump declares 100 percent tariffs on many drones and all aircraft parts

The United States has already banned future foreign drones from entering the United States unless their companies kiss the ring - as well as routers, robots, and Roombas. Now, President Donald Trump is targeting existing drone imports and parts, too. He's going to try to make

Thousands stranded at Japan’s Narita airport after record rain kills four

Soldiers have been dispatched to the Chiba area to help with relief efforts.

Thousands stranded at Japan's Narita airport after record rain kills four

TOKYO, Aug 14 - Record rainfall left thousands of travellers stranded at Tokyo's Narita airport on Friday morning as flooding in the surrounding area disrupted transport, knocked out power to homes and claimed at least four lives.

India Bar Council retreats after ‘cockroach’ protest threat

The Bar Council of India had ordered that no 2026 graduate of NALSAR University of Law be enrolled as an advocate.

Uber partners with China's Pony.ai for 2,000 robotaxis in Europe

The rollout comes as robotaxi fleet sizes become increasingly critical for commercialization.

Trump directs Navy to return to steam catapults on aircraft carriers

President Trump ordered the U.S. Navy on Thursday to remove the electromagnetic catapult system on aircraft carriers to launch fighter planes and revert back to using catapult systems, a move that officials and experts argue would raise costs in the process. The president

Oscar Predictions: Supporting Actress — Is This the Year of Penélope Cruz?

Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony Awards ceremonies, curated by Variety chief awards editor Clayton Davis.

Africa: African Football Keeps Quiet On FIFA

[Namibian] Local football analyst Isack Hamata says the Confederation of African Football (CAF) is maintaining a 'quiet diplomacy' compared to other continental football bodies.

Why has Britain's grass turned yellow? A plant scientist explains what happens next

Fields, parks and lawns across Europe have turned to straw this summer. Landscapes thousands of years old have been revealed as green outlines against yellow backgrounds, where ancient underground walls and ditches retain enough water to sustain pockets of grass above them.

Oscar Predictions: Supporting Actor — How Many Men Can be Nominated From ‘The Odyssey’?

Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony Awards ceremonies, curated by Variety chief awards editor Clayton Davis.

NBA YoungBoy, Now Living in Korea, Reveals Heart Condition and Says He Has One More Tour in Him

The rap star also said that he has “one or two” albums left in his colossal career

Why I love my gaming notebooks

A different kind of pen-and-paper gaming.

Schwartz faces Trump's vaccine test

Click in for more news from The Hill {beacon} Healthcare Healthcare The Big Story New CDC director faces Trump vaccine test Erica Schwartz was officially sworn in as CDC director on Thursday, and she is already facing her first serious test: President Trump's executive order

Chinese tourists pull back on overseas trips amid economic gloom

Geopolitical tensions and safety concerns are also reshaping regional travel.

Oscar Predictions: Best Actress — How Obsessed Will the Academy Become With Inde Navarrette?

Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony Awards ceremonies, curated by Variety chief awards editor Clayton Davis.

Australian PM says he asked Trump for tariff exemption

Australia was slapped with a levy of 12.5 per cent in July over alleged forced labour concerns, alongside other nations.

Homan defends ICE electric shock gloves as alternative to lethal force

White House border czar Tom Homan on Thursday defended plans to give Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers gloves that can deliver painful electric shocks, arguing the devices would prevent agents from needing to resort to deadly force. “It’s another device to help

Australia's Albanese says AUKUS remains 'full steam ahead' after Trump call

SYDNEY, Aug 14 - Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Friday that the AUKUS defence pact remained \"full steam ahead\" after an overnight phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump, and said he had urged him to fully exempt Australia from all tariffs.

Teens are turning to AI chatbots for emotional support—here's how to keep kids safe

It's 2 a.m., and a teenage girl, worrying about an issue with a friend, lies awake. Rather than wake her parents, she picks up her phone, opens an AI app and types, "I'm so stressed out, I can't sleep."

Two oceans, one country—and 20 times more sharks in the prehistoric Pacific

How many sharks should a coral reef have? It sounds like a simple question, but almost nowhere on Earth is there a reef that has not at some time been fished or otherwise affected by humans, so there is no yardstick against which to measure what has been lost or what recovery

NY Film Festival Sets Currents Lineup Led by ‘Bardi’ World Premiere

The section, which features films that expand the possibilities of the medium, includes 15 features and 28 shorts.

Oscar Predictions: Best Actor — The Most Competitive Category Awaits Leading Men Like Tom Cruise, Matt Damon and More

Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony Awards ceremonies, curated by Variety chief awards editor Clayton Davis.

Vance says low oil prices are top US goal in Iran conflict

Vice President JD Vance said Thursday that the top US priority in the Iran war was keeping oil and gasoline prices low for Americans, with preventing Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon ranking second. The remarks constrasted with President Donald Trump's repeated framing

US says Kushner may go to Israel for talks on Gaza plan

The United States is considering sending presidential envoy Jared Kushner to Israel as President Donald Trump pushes a peace plan for Gaza, an official said Thursday. The news outlet Axios reported earlier that Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and go-to mediator for the Middle East

Layered nano-biohybrid uses sunlight, air and water to make hydrogen peroxide

A research team led by the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory has developed a new material that combines inorganic material with biological components to produce hydrogen peroxide more efficiently.

Third detainee dies after medical emergency at New Jersey ICE facility

A third migrant detained at Delaney Hall, New Jersey's largest immigrant detention facility located in Newark, has died following a medical emergency. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told The Hill in a statement Thursday that, on July 19, a nurse was responding to

Apple and Epic argue over how much Apple should get from purchases made outside the App Store

In a new filing in its long-running legal dispute with Epic Games, Apple has proposed a structure that would allow it to collect fees on digital purchases made via external links that don't use the company's in-app purchase system. Epic has already responded, saying that

Senate Democrats call for GAO audit of White House ballroom project

A group of Senate Democrats called on the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to conduct an audit into the White House ballroom project following new reporting on the Trump administration’s multi-million-dollar construction projects. The Washington Post reported Wednesday

Lil Durk Murder-for-Hire Trial: Judge Rules ‘Pissed Me Off’ Video Can Be Used as Evidence

Durk's defense fought the admission, saying it would create “so much risk of prejudice and confusion"

Cook Islands PM's party likely to retain parliament in preliminary results

WELLINGTON, Aug 14 - Preliminary results on Friday showed that Prime Minister Mark Brown's Cook Islands Party would likely retain control of parliament, winning 12 of the Pacific nation's 24 seats, although bad weather delayed voting on the remote island of Nassau.

Fulfilling friendships linked to better health and well-being across 22 countries

Fulfilling friendships and close social relationships are strongly linked to excellent physical and mental health, finds a substantial global study published in the Journal of Mental Health.

I got an £89 refund – how to cancel and avoid unwanted subscriptions

After the PM announced a crackdown on subscription traps, readers share how they got into and out of unwanted plans.

Rami Malek’s $60 Million Spy-Thriller Flop Is Officially a Streaming Hit on Prime Video

Rami Malek’s ‘The Amateur’ is a hit on Prime Video more than a year after the $60 million spy thriller struggled at the box office.

Nigeria to miss Women's World Cup after South Africa and Ghana win play-offs

South Africa and Ghana progress to an inter-confederation qualifier for the 2027 Women's World Cup, but Nigeria will miss the tournament for the first time.

Why Green Day Wanted to Be Background Characters in Their Own Movie

'Nimrods' is a road trip comedy based on the band's music and personal stories, but sees Billie Joe Armstrong, Tré Cool and Mike Dirn taking a backseat.

US says it can keep naval blockade on Iran 'indefinitely,' vows more economic pressure

By Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali PANAMA CITY, Aug 13 (Reuters) - The United States on Thursday said that it could maintain a naval blockade of Iran indefinitely and would ratchet up economic pressure on Tehran as ceasefire talks have floundered, global oil supply is dropping and

US eyes indefinite Iran naval blockade as oil supply shortfall deepens

By Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali PANAMA CITY, Aug 13 (Reuters) - The United States on Thursday threatened to maintain a naval blockade of Iran indefinitely, ratcheting up economic pressure on Tehran as ceasefire talks have floundered, global oil supply is dropping and regional

Tracer exchange reveals ions can speed up or slow down inside battery solids

Understanding how ions diffuse in solid materials is essential for technologies including batteries, electronics and chemical catalysts, but it has been hard for a simple reason: the materials are solids.

Biden-era effort to boost power lines cut by Trump administration

{beacon} Energy & Environment Energy & Environment The Big Story Trump cuts Biden-era effort to boost power lines The Trump administration is canceling a Biden-era effort to speed up power line construction in parts of Pennsylvania, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Nebraska

Top Commerce Committee Democrat presses airlines over AI ‘surveillance pricing’

A top Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee is pressing major U.S. airlines over whether they use artificial intelligence to set ticket prices based on travelers’ personal information, raising concerns that it determines what fares consumers see. Rep. Frank