Netanyahu orders Lebanon expansion as ceasefire collapses
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered military expansion into southern Lebanon, marking a sharp escalation four months after a US-brokered ceasefire collapsed.
Mitchell Tan World
International news and global affairs
Mitchell Tan 
Healthcare workers become targets in Lebanon's escalating war
Over 50 healthcare workers have been killed in March alone as attacks on ambulances and clinics collapse Lebanon's already fragile medical system. The World Health Organization warns this represents a devastating assault on essential services.
Daniel Kovac 
Pakistan's diplomatic gambit offers slim hope as Middle East war deepens
Pakistan has emerged as an unlikely peace broker between the US and Iran, though deep mistrust and military posturing threaten to derail negotiations.
Yuki Tamura 
Iranian university hit in escalating academic warfare
A US-Israeli airstrike has damaged Iran's University of Science and Technology in Tehran, intensifying a troubling trend of military strikes on academic institutions across the region.
Grace Okonkwo 
Month into Iran War, Trump Signals Shift as Costs Mount
From Washington: As the US-Israeli conflict with Iran reaches the one-month mark, President Trump is extending deadlines for negotiations even as thousands of fresh troops deploy to the Middle East. Costs are rising across the board.
Sophia Vargas 
Houthis Enter Middle East War, Threatening Global Shipping Routes
Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels have launched their first missile attack on Israel since the US-Israel war began, escalating regional tensions and raising alarms about potential disruptions to crucial global shipping lanes.
Aisha Khoury 
How the Strait of Hormuz closure reshapes global trade and what it means for Australia
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has triggered the largest energy disruption since the 1970s, forcing countries to seek alternatives and exposing Australia's reliance on vulnerable maritime chokepoints.
Yuki Tamura 
Drones Strike, Yet Tourists Keep Coming: Dubai's Fragile Boom
Dubai airport was hit by a drone strike in March 2026, yet tourism is booming with 3% growth and 22 million visitors projected. The paradox exposes a fractured Middle East where the safest havens thrive while the broader region implodes.
Fatima Al-Rashid Dubai's $5 Billion Bet: Why Gulf Tech Keeps Growing Through Conflict
Dubai attracted a record $5 billion in tech startup funding in 2026 despite the Middle East conflict. The boom reveals a region far more complex than headlines suggest, with governments betting on innovation as the foundation of post-oil economies.
Fatima Al-Rashid 
After the Killing Spree: How Iran's Fractured Power Structure Endures
The killing of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and over 40 senior military figures in February 2026 would have collapsed most regimes. Instead, the Islamic Republic has adapted, with power dispersing across institutions and the Revolutionary Guards rising to fill the void.
Zara Mitchell 
Trump's Hormuz gambit backfires as allies refuse naval help and oil prices soar
With global oil prices hitting three-year highs and the Strait of Hormuz effectively closed, President Trump's campaign to build an international naval coalition is unravelling, leaving Australia's energy security exposed.
Mitchell Tan 
Iran Holds Ground as Month of War Reshapes Regional Calculus
As the US-Israel war on Iran enters its fifth week, Iran's survival of the initial assault has challenged assumptions about a swift conflict, reshaping regional power dynamics in unpredictable ways.
Priya Narayanan 
US and UK Search for Underwater Defences as Drone Threat Looms
The US and UK have launched an urgent call for technologies to detect and neutralise underwater attack drones, with companies racing to submit solutions by 4 April.
Yuki Tamura 
From Restaurant Defence to Grandmaster: Henry Sue's Lifetime in Kung Fu
Henry Sue, 83, will become a level 10 kung fu grandmaster this weekend, the highest rank in the martial art. His path began in 1950s Brisbane, defending his family's restaurant from bikie gangs.
Fatima Al-Rashid 
Maduro's Legal Fee Dispute Reaches New York Court
In a Manhattan courtroom, lawyers for detained Venezuelan former president Nicolás Maduro argued Thursday that US sanctions preventing government funding of his defence violate his constitutional rights. The judge has not yet ruled.
Sophia Vargas 
State media weaponises fuel fears with doctored graphics
An Iranian news agency published a falsified graphic claiming Australia had only 18 days of fuel reserves, approximately half the actual figure, as geopolitical tensions drive global oil prices higher.
Priya Narayanan 
Iran's dealmaking window closes as Middle East conflict widens
Iran faces a rapidly shrinking opportunity to negotiate a nuclear agreement with the United States, as military escalation in Lebanon and stalled talks suggest the diplomatic path may have closed entirely.
Zara Mitchell How Middle East Renewables Are Reshaping Oil Markets—and Australia's Fuel Gamble
Saudi Arabia's $8.3 billion renewable energy investment protects oil exports, not the planet. Australia's fuel crisis reflects a deeper problem: structural import dependence in a region pursuing competing interests.
Fatima Al-Rashid 
Israel's Lebanon gambit echoes 1982 occupation, experts warn of costly repeat
As Israeli forces deepen operations in Lebanon, experts worry the nation faces a replay of its 1982-2000 occupation that ultimately strengthened its enemies and drained resources for minimal strategic gain.
Sophia Vargas 
Australian bishop chosen to lead Vatican legal system
Pope Leo XIV has appointed Anthony Randazzo, Bishop of Broken Bay, as the head of the Dicastery for Legislative Texts, making him the first Australian to lead a major Vatican office in seven years.
Priya Narayanan