Latest News Stories
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Today
Monaco parcel bomb injures Ukrainian oligarch and family; ruled not terrorism
A parcel bomb exploded in a Monaco residential building on June 29, 2026, injuring Ukrainian oligarch Vadym Yermolaiev, his wife, and their 13-year-old child. Authorities confirmed the device was deli...
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- A parcel bomb exploded in a residential building in Monaco on June 29, 2026, around 9:00 PM local time, injuring Vadym Yermolaiev (also spelled Iermolaiev), his wife, and their 13-year-old child.
- Vadym Yermolaiev, a Ukrainian-born oligarch and founder of Alef trade and industrial corporation, was one of the victims, with serious injuries (life-threatening for him and his wife).
- The explosion was described as deliberate and caused by a parcel bomb containing bolts and buckshot, left in the building’s lobby by a suspect who fled into neighboring France (Beausoleil).
EU Entry/Exit System (EES) causing six-hour travel delays for Australians and non-EU citizens
The EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES), which requires biometric data collection for non-EU travellers, has caused severe delays at European airports during peak summer travel. Australians and other non-EU ...
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- The EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES) was fully rolled out in April 2026 across all 29 Schengen Zone countries.
- Australians are warned to expect queues of up to six hours to enter Europe due to EES delays, with DFAT advising to bring food and water.
- The EES requires biometric data (facial photographs and fingerprints) for non-EU citizens on first entry into the EU.
Ben Stokes announces retirement from international cricket during England vs New Zealand Test match
Ben Stokes announced his retirement from international cricket during the third Test against New Zealand at Trent Bridge on June 28, 2026, ending a 15-year career and four years as England captain. Th...
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- Ben Stokes announced his retirement from international cricket during the third Test against New Zealand at Trent Bridge on June 28, 2026, after the tea break on day four.
- Stokes took a wicket moments after his retirement announcement, triggering a standing ovation from the crowd and teammates.
- Stokes opened the batting in England’s final innings, scoring 30 runs from 20 balls before being dismissed.
Poor start to 2026 Australian ski season amid warm weather and El Niño
Australian ski resorts in New South Wales and Victoria are facing a challenging start to the 2026 season due to unusually warm temperatures and El Niño conditions, which have limited natural snowfall....
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- Only 14 centimetres of snow was recorded at Spencers Creek since the NSW ski season opened on June 6, 2026, and it melted away.
- The Bureau of Meteorology predicts up to 10 centimetres of snow to fall as low as 1,200 metres elevation on Thursday, June 2026.
- Snow coverage in Australia is in long-term decline due to increasing temperatures caused by climate change, with peak snow depths decreasing by 0.7 cm/year at Spencers Creek (NSW) and 0.6 cm/year at Rocky Valley Dam (Victoria) since the late 1950s.
Queensland government admits children in state care slept in offices due to system strain
Queensland’s government has acknowledged that vulnerable children in state care have slept in public service offices, including at Toowoomba and Ipswich West centres in May and June 2026, due to a lac...
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- Queensland Premier David Crisafulli confirmed children in state care have slept in government offices, including in 2019 (three children on the bayside in January 2019, three in Mackay in October 2019) and 2023 (two children at Mount Gravatt in December 2023).
- The Together union reported children slept overnight on air mattresses at the Toowoomba and Ipswich West child safety service centres in May and June 2026.
- Queensland has 12,500 children in out-of-home care, the largest number in the country.
Neo-Nazi Thomas Sewell convicted for racist protest outside Chinese consulate in Melbourne
Neo-Nazi leader Thomas Sewell, 33, was convicted and sentenced to an 18-month community corrections order with 200 hours of community service for leading a racist protest outside the Chinese consulate...
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- Thomas Sewell, 33, was sentenced to an 18-month community corrections order with 200 hours of unpaid community work for behaving in an offensive manner in public on October 26, 2024.
- Sewell led a group dressed in black with faces covered outside the Chinese consulate in Melbourne, using a megaphone and a large sign with a racist slur against Asian people.
- Magistrate Patrick Southey described the incident as 'unmistakably a neo-Nazi gathering' and compared it to 'Nazi thugs of 1930s Berlin' and the Ku Klux Klan.
EY employees allegedly accessed Australian PM’s bank data; legal charges filed
Two Ernst & Young employees, Paul Issa (21) and Phillip Issa (25), were charged on 6 May 2026 with accessing Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s personal banking data without authorisation wh...
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- Two men, Paul Issa (21) and Phillip Issa (25), were charged with accessing restricted data without authorisation on 6 May 2026
- Both men were granted bail and are due to appear in court on 25 August 2026 (bail continued until then)
- The breach allegedly occurred while the EY graduate (Paul Issa) was on secondment at Commonwealth Bank
Death of Stacey Warnecke linked to unregulated freebirth and Free Birth Society
The death of Stacey Warnecke, a 30-year-old Melbourne wellness influencer, after a freebirth attended by unlicensed birth attendant Emily Lal has sparked scrutiny of the Free Birth Society (FBS), a US...
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- Stacey Warnecke, a 30-year-old Melbourne nutritionist and wellness influencer, died from complications of a massive postpartum haemorrhage after a freebirth on September 2025.
- Emily Lal, an unlicensed birth attendant with no medical qualifications, attended Warnecke’s freebirth and was paid A$6,000 for her services.
- Lal was trained by the Free Birth Society (FBS), a multimillion-dollar organisation founded by Emilee Saldaya and Yolande Norris-Clark, through their Radical Birth Keeper School.
Explosive truck crash on Australia's Hume Highway involving flammable cargo
A multi-truck collision on the Hume Highway near Breadalbane, NSW, just after 5am on June 30, 2026, resulted in explosions and a massive fire after vehicles carrying flammable materials—including eigh...
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- Six trucks were destroyed in a fire after a collision near Breadalbane on the Hume Highway, NSW, just after 5am on June 30, 2026
- One truck was carrying eight tonnes of butane cans, causing multiple small explosions when fire crews arrived
- Other trucks involved were carrying alcohol, resin, and memory foam, which fuelled the fire
Death of Les Mills, NZ Olympian and fitness brand founder, aged 91
Les Mills, a New Zealand Olympian and founder of the global fitness brand Les Mills International, died aged 91 in June 2026. Born in Auckland in 1934, he competed in four Olympic Games and won five C...
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- Les Mills (born Leslie Roy Mills) died aged 91 in 2026
- He was born in Auckland, New Zealand, in 1934
- Competed in four Olympic Games (1960–1972) in shot put and discus
Paraguay defeats Germany in World Cup Round of 32 via penalty shootout after VAR controversy
Paraguay stunned Germany 4-2 on penalties in a Round of 32 World Cup match at Boston Stadium on June 30, 2026, marking Germany’s first World Cup shootout defeat since 1976. The game ended 1-1 after 12...
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- Germany lost to Paraguay 4-2 on penalties in a Round of 32 World Cup match at Boston Stadium on June 30, 2026, marking their first World Cup shootout defeat since 1976.
- The match ended 1-1 after 120 minutes, with Paraguay winning on penalties: Kai Havertz and Nick Woltemade missed for Germany, while José Canale scored the decisive penalty for Paraguay.
- Julio Enciso scored Paraguay’s first goal in the 27th minute, heading in a cross from Matías Galarza after Manuel Neuer’s clearance.
Australia's unseasonably warm winter 2026, heavy rain, and El Niño impacts
Australia is experiencing an unusually warm winter in 2026, with multiple cities breaking June temperature records. Sydney, Melbourne, and Hobart have recorded their warmest starts to winter, driven b...
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- Sydney recorded its warmest June on record, with a mean temperature of 16.3°C (3°C above average).
- Melbourne’s June temperatures were about 3°C above normal, on track for its warmest June since 1957.
- Hobart’s June was the mildest since at least 2002.
Australia's property market correction and government policy impact
Australia’s property market is experiencing a sharp correction in 2026, with Sydney and Melbourne leading declines after May’s 0.9% and 0.8% drops respectively. Government housing policies, introduced...
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- The May 2026 federal budget forecasted government housing policies would lower property price growth by 2% against a 6% annual increase since 2000
- Sydney and Melbourne reported May 2026 price drops of 0.9% and 0.8% respectively, with June expected to mirror similar declines
- In Sydney, 178 of 812 scheduled auctions were withdrawn in the week ending 27 June 2026, per Domain data
Penelope Keith, iconic British actress, dies aged 86 after cancer battle
Penelope Keith, the beloved British actress known for her sharp comic timing and iconic roles in classic sitcoms, died at age 86 on June 29, 2026, after a battle with cancer. Her family confirmed she ...
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- Penelope Keith died at age 86 on June 29, 2026, after battling cancer at her home in Surrey
- She was best known for her roles as Margo Leadbetter in *The Good Life* (1975–1978) and Audrey fforbes-Hamilton in *To the Manor Born* (1979–1981)
- Keith won a BAFTA in 1977 for *The Good Life* and another in 1978 for *The Norman Conquests* and *Saving It For Albie*
Trump threatens 100% tariffs on EU countries imposing digital services taxes
Donald Trump threatened to impose 100% tariffs on European countries that impose digital services taxes on US tech companies, including France, Spain, Italy, and the UK, which have taxes of 3% and 2% ...
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- Donald Trump threatened 100% tariffs on European countries imposing a digital services tax on US companies via a Truth Social post on June 27, 2026.
- France, Spain, and Italy impose a 3% digital services tax on large companies, while the UK imposes a 2% tax on tech firms with global revenues over £500m and UK revenues over £25m.
- The UK raised over £800m (2024-2025) and £944m (2025-2026) from its digital services tax, targeting companies like Apple, Google, and Amazon.
Police seek author of decade-long threatening letters to politicians and leaders
Australian police, including the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and New South Wales Police, are investigating a person known as 'Scorpio' or 'Bullit' for sending over 100 threatening letters to polit...
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- Police are searching for a person known as 'Scorpio' or 'Bullit', believed to be responsible for writing over 100 letters sent between 2015 and 2026
- The letters were sent to federal and NSW parliamentarians, religious organisations, and community leaders
- The author is believed to be a Caucasian man in their 60s
US Supreme Court rejects Trump’s appeal in E. Jean Carroll sexual abuse and defamation case
The US Supreme Court rejected Donald Trump’s appeal of a $5 million verdict against him in the E. Jean Carroll case, affirming a New York jury’s 2023 finding that he sexually abused and defamed the wr...
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- The US Supreme Court declined to hear Donald Trump’s appeal of a $5 million verdict against him in the E. Jean Carroll case, leaving the ruling intact.
- A New York jury found Trump liable for sexually abusing E. Jean Carroll in a Bergdorf Goodman department store dressing room in Manhattan in the mid-1990s and defaming her.
- The jury awarded Carroll $5 million in damages in 2023, and a separate jury awarded her $83.3 million in 2024 for defamation.
Yesterday
Australian musical theatre cancellations due to economic pressures
Australian musical theatre is facing a crisis as two major productions, Waitress and Beetlejuice, cancelled their Sydney runs in late June 2026 due to weak box office sales and soaring costs. Waitress...
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- Waitress the musical will end its Australian run in Melbourne on July 19, 2026, with Sydney shows cancelled
- Beetlejuice the Musical cancelled its Australian tour early, ending in Brisbane on June 20, 2026, with Sydney, Perth, and Adelaide shows scrapped
- John Frost, Crossroads Live Australia CEO, cited cost-of-living pressures, economic uncertainty, and softer box office as reasons for Waitress cancellation
Sam Kerr joins Gotham FC after Chelsea exit, returns to NWSL
Sam Kerr, the NWSL’s all-time top scorer with 77 goals, has joined Gotham FC (formerly Sky Blue FC) after six years at Chelsea, where she became the club’s joint all-time leading scorer with 116 goals...
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- Sam Kerr signed for Gotham FC (formerly Sky Blue FC) in the NWSL, returning after six years at Chelsea
- Kerr signed a deal through the end of the 2030 season
- Kerr is the NWSL's all-time top regular-season scorer with 77 goals
Mass shooting at youth welfare facility in Stade, Germany, with multiple fatalities and arrests
A mass shooting occurred on June 29, 2026, at a youth welfare facility in Stade, Germany, resulting in the deaths of six adults, all employees of the shelter. Two suspects, including the alleged shoot...
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- Six adults (four women and two men) were killed in a shooting at a youth welfare facility in Stade, Germany, on June 29, 2026.
- Five people died at the scene and one died in hospital.
- Two suspects were arrested, including the alleged shooter.