Australia — news through its media
Stories followed in this country, with their framing set against the rest of the world.
338 subjects found
Trump says he will declare the Strait of Hormuz "US territory"; Tehran hits back
Donald Trump said on 14 August that he would "very soon" make the Strait of Hormuz US territory. A White House official later described the remark as a joke, a nuance some countries report and others omit. Iranian deputy minister Kazem Gharibabadi hit back. About a fifth of the world's oil and gas passes through the channel between Iran and Oman, where traffic has collapsed since February.
+11
Nigel Farage wins back the seat he gave up: a by-election he triggered himself, boycotted by all his serious opponents
Nigel Farage won back the Clacton seat on 14 August with 22,239 votes against 9,455 for a satirical candidate wearing a bin on his head. He had resigned that same seat in July, under investigation over an undeclared £5 million donation. The major parties boycotted the vote; the inquiry resumed hours after the result.
+14
Magnitude 7.7 earthquake off Flores: the tsunami alert crosses the Pacific, and the death toll ranges from 1 to 20
A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck off Flores island, Indonesia, on 15 August. The terminal of Maumere port collapsed onto boarding passengers. The tsunami alert, issued then lifted, mobilised the Peruvian and Ecuadorian navies thousands of kilometres away. The death toll ranges from 1 to 20 depending on which level of the Indonesian state is quoted.
+10
Settlers besiege three Palestinian homes in Qusra — and the US ambassador to Israel calls them "terrorists"
Since 9 August, Israeli settlers have besieged three homes in Qusra, in the occupied West Bank, cutting water and electricity and trapping around fifteen people. US Ambassador Mike Huckabee, an avowed supporter of the settlements, called them "Israeli terrorists". France demands prosecutions; the UN calls it criminal.
+5
Eurovision bars countries at war from hosting the contest — without naming anyone
The EBU changed its rules on 13 August: from 2027, the winning country will lose hosting rights if it is engaged in armed conflict or if a "sensitive geopolitical situation" threatens security. The minimum age rises from 16 to 18. No country is named — part of the press writes "Israel", the rest sticks to the text.
+4
Karoline Leavitt leaves the White House: a family decision for some, an electoral calendar for others
Donald Trump announced on 12 August that his press secretary would leave at the end of the month to become an outside adviser. At 28, she was the youngest in history. She cites her family; part of the press notes she is leaving two months before the midterm elections. No successor has been named.
+14
Death of Zhu Rongji, the former premier who took China into the WTO — and whose age Beijing and the West report differently
Xinhua announced the death of Zhu Rongji, premier from 1998 to 2003, on 12 August in Beijing. He engineered China's WTO entry in 2001 and the restructuring of state-owned enterprises, at the cost of tens of millions of layoffs. A rare detail: Chinese agencies say he died at 98, the Western press at 97.
+4
July, the hottest month ever recorded in the United States: Europe under its fifth heatwave, South Korea parched
Copernicus recorded the hottest June-July ever measured in Western Europe (21.62 °C) and NOAA confirmed the hottest July in the contiguous United States. A fifth heatwave hits Europe: rivers at record lows, nuclear reactors under strain, 70% of France under water restrictions. At the same time, South Korea is mobilising its army against drought — with no narrative link to Europe.
+10
Trump Left Turkey in a Catering Truck, on a Secret Plane, Facing an Iranian Threat
The Washington Post revealed that after the NATO summit in Ankara on 8 July, Donald Trump boarded an Air Force One in front of the cameras, then immediately left it via a catering truck to board a military aircraft. The press pool landed in Britain without him. Trump confirmed it on Tuesday evening: "I do what they tell me." Three questions remain: his security, the credibility of the threat, and the White House's communication.
+6
Bashar al-Assad Sentenced to Death in Absentia in Damascus, the First Verdict Against Syria's Former Regime
On Tuesday, Damascus's Fourth Criminal Chamber sentenced Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia for war crimes and crimes against humanity — the killing of children, torture leading to death. His brother Maher and seven other officials were sentenced alongside him; only his cousin Atef Najib appeared in person. The verdict was read live on state television. Assad, living near Moscow since December 2024, has not been extradited.
+14
Infantino Faces Favouritism Allegations from His UEFA Years as FIFA Denounces a 'Concerted Effort' to Weaken Him
The Telegraph reports that UEFA paid a six-figure settlement to a former employee with whom Gianni Infantino is said to have had a relationship while he was its general secretary. UEFA confirms the payment, Infantino denies the claims 'categorically', and FIFA denounces a 'concerted and ongoing effort'. Northern Europe wants him gone; Africa and South America back him.
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