International news and global affairs
As US-Iran tensions escalate, Taiwan's semiconductor industry faces a convergence of vulnerabilities: shrinking LNG reserves, helium shortages, and heavy reliance on Middle Eastern energy sources that now flow through contested waters.
Nadia Souris 
The Women's Asian Cup has become a flashpoint for geopolitical tensions as Taiwanese Indigenous dance performances are cancelled and spectators face restrictions at matches between Taiwan and China.
James Callahan 
Queen Mary returned to Australia this week as reigning monarch for the first time, combining personal homecoming with a major trade mission focused on renewable energy and sustainable development.
Fatima Al-Rashid 
Australia has not been asked by the United States to deploy warships to secure the Strait of Hormuz, Defence Minister Richard Marles says, joining several other allied nations in rejecting Trump's call for a naval coalition.
Samantha Blake 
Moscow's week-long internet blackout has pushed residents to buy pagers and maps while experts warn the Kremlin is testing a system to isolate Russia from the global web.
Yuki Tamura 
Two Iranian women's soccer players have begun training with Brisbane Roar after most of their teammates withdrew asylum bids. The pair chose to stay despite family pressure.
Patrick Donnelly 
Israel has launched limited ground operations in southern Lebanon targeting Hezbollah strongholds, prompting condemnation from Turkey and warnings from Western allies about devastating humanitarian consequences.
Priya Narayanan 
King Frederik and Queen Mary of Denmark have arrived in Melbourne as part of their first state visit as reigning monarchs, with a focus on strengthening economic ties and green technology collaboration.
Daniel Kovac 
Queen Mary has chosen understated styling for her first official Australian visit as monarch, wearing local touches like an Akubra as she reconnects with her Tasmanian roots.
Zara Mitchell 
Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs has clarified that its 'do not travel' warnings for Middle East countries apply even to transit stops, addressing confusion among travellers planning stopovers.
Rachel Thornbury 
Five members of Iran's women's soccer team have withdrawn asylum applications in Australia, leaving just two remaining. Their reversals raise troubling questions about whether genuine safety in a new country can ever compete with family threats back home.
Patrick Donnelly 
Four Palestinians, including a 10-year-old boy and his pregnant mother, were killed in an Israeli airstrike on Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, marking the latest breach of the ceasefire agreement.
Daniel Kovac 
Denmark's King Frederik and Queen Mary hosted a state dinner in Canberra on Sunday, part of their five-day tour focused on strengthening economic, cultural, and foreign policy ties between the two nations.
Fatima Al-Rashid 
The White House's AI czar has warned that continued escalation in the Iran conflict could devastate global semiconductor supply chains and render the Gulf uninhabitable, calling for the US to find an exit.
Oliver Pemberton 
The Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed to commercial traffic following US and Israeli strikes on Iran. As President Trump calls for allied support, Australia faces mounting pressure on fuel security and strategic resilience.
Priya Narayanan 
The Trump administration is calling on nations including Australia to send warships to secure the Strait of Hormuz amid Iran's blockade, but Australia remains wary of deeper military involvement in the region.
Grace Okonkwo 
Trump has urged China, France, Japan, South Korea and the UK to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz, as Tehran's closure of the vital shipping route threatens global energy markets.
James Callahan 
The Middle East wars have triggered a fundamental reordering of global power dynamics, with the US-led international system showing signs of strain. For Australia, this reshaping carries serious implications for security and economic stability.
Aisha Khoury 
Sudan's nearly three-year conflict has entered a brutal new phase, with drone strikes killing over 200 civilians in the past ten days alone. Markets, schools, and hospitals are now regular targets.
Daniel Kovac 
North Korea fired 10+ ballistic missiles as Washington and Seoul conducted joint drills, complicating Trump's push for dialogue and exposing tensions in the regional balance of power.
Priya Narayanan