Possum found nestled in with plush toys at airport gift shop in Tasmania 19. March 2026 (05:22) A brushtail possum was found peering out among the toy kangaroos and dingoes in a retail store in Hobart’s airport, delighting staff and customersGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA passenger browsing in a gift shop in Hobart airport has stumbled across a remarkable discovery in the plush toy section.A real living and breathing brushtail possum had decided to join its fluffy friends in the shelves of Lagardère AWPL gift shop on Wednesday morning. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
A ‘few scallywags’ gossiping or a premier under threat? Inside Labor’s push to ditch Jacinta Allan 19. March 2026 (05:06) More than a dozen Victorian Labor sources, including ministers and factional powerbrokers, confirm move for leadership changeFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastFor weeks, Labor MPs have been quietly weighing the future of Jacinta Allan.In hushed conversations in the corridors of parliament, MPs have cited her baggage – her time as Daniel Andrews’ deputy, her role in the cancelled Commonwealth Games and as the minister overseeing the Big Build at a time corruption allegedly was allowed to grow unfettered in the construction union. Even more damaging, some argue, has been her hesitation to act once the corruption was made public. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
FBI probing US counter-terrorism chief who resigned over Iran war, reports say 19. March 2026 (04:45) The reported inquiry predates Joe Kent’s departure on Tuesday from his post as director of the national counter-terrorism centerThe resignation of Joe Kent, a senior counter-terrorism official who spoke out against the US war in Iran, took a dramatic turn on Wednesday with a report that he is under investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) over an alleged leak of classified information.The inquiry predates Kent’s departure on Tuesday from his post as director of the national counterterrorism center, where he had overseen the analysis of terrorist threats, according to Semafor and CBS News. The FBI declined to comment on the existence of any such investigation. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Doctors missed Gia’s UTI after childbirth. The Vietnamese Australian woman’s death was preventable, coroner finds 19. March 2026 (04:05) Gia Lam should have been offered interpreter by medical team at Fairfield hospital, coroner’s court findsFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA woman who died of sepsis three days after giving birth in western Sydney could have survived if her urinary tract infection (UTI) had been diagnosed, a coroner’s court has found.It also found the woman, who was born in Vietnam, should have been offered interpreter services so she could communicate better with medical experts. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Tropical Cyclone Narelle to make landfall in far north Qld on Friday as category four storm, bringing 200km/h winds 19. March 2026 (02:56) Massive storm tracking a path to Queensland coast, which intensified offshore Thursday morning to category five, fuelled by warm waters in Coral SeaFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastSevere Tropical Cyclone Narelle is expected to make landfall in far north Queensland on Friday morning as a monster category four storm, bringing destructive wind gusts in excess of 225km/h, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.The severe cyclone rapidly intensified over the past 48 hours and on Thursday morning had built to a category five storm that was barrelling west, sitting about 500km east of the small town of Coen. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Hong Kong apartment fires: hearings to begin into Wang Fuk blaze that killed 168 people 19. March 2026 (02:50) Independent committee to investigate safety standards and whether building practices contributed to worst residential fires in decadesHow the Hong Kong fire unfolded – visual guidePublic hearings in Hong Kong begin on Thursday into a devastating fire that ripped through a housing complex last year, killing 168 people.A judge-led independent committee will investigate whether fire safety standards were inadequate, if construction practices contributed to the fire, and if there were failures on the part of government officers or contractors. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
New York high school student released after 10 months in ICE facility 19. March 2026 (02:32) The detention of Dylan Lopez Contreras, 20, of Venezuela, a freshman in the Bronx, sparked national outrageA New York high school student who was detained at an immigration courthouse in May last year, sparking national outrage, was released on Wednesday.Dylan Lopez Contreras, 20, of Venezuela was a freshman at Ellis Prep academy, a Bronx public school dedicated exclusively to students who have recently arrived in the US. It was the first widely known instance of a public school student being arrested by federal immigration agents. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Democrats walk out in protest over ‘outrageous fake’ Epstein briefing from Pam Bondi 19. March 2026 (02:07) Lawmakers leave closed-door meeting after AG refuses to commit to honoring subpoena to testify under oathDemocrats on the House oversight committee walked out of a closed-door briefing from attorney general Pam Bondi about the Jeffrey Epstein files on Wednesday, leaving what California congressman Robert Garcia called “an outrageous fake hearing” after Bondi refused to commit to honoring a subpoena to testify under oath.The committee voted to subpoena Bondi earlier this month, with five Republicans joining Democrats to demand that the attorney general answer questions about the justice department’s failure to properly release files from the federal investigations into Epstein. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Australia’s major fuel suppliers being investigated over alleged price-gouging amid Iran war 19. March 2026 (01:49) Anthony Albanese also announces new national fuel supply taskforce and reiterates call for motorists to ‘only take what you need’Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralia’s competition watchdog is investigating major fuel suppliers including Ampol, BP, Mobil and Viva Energy for alleged anti-competitive conduct amid growing shortages sparked by the Iran war.The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission chair, Gina Cass-Gottlieb, said on Thursday morning she was investigating reports about diesel availability to independent wholesalers and distributors in regional and rural Australia. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Senate votes down measure aiming to limit Trump’s war powers by 53-47 vote 19. March 2026 (01:37) Republicans block resolution to take up the measure, which Democrats vow to bring up ‘again and again and again’Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxSenate Republicans on Wednesday blocked a measure that aimed to rein in Donald Trump’s power to wage war against Iran without congressional authorization.The 53-47 vote against taking up the measure fell almost completely along party lines, with no movement from earlier this month when Republicans blocked Democrats’ bid to limit Trump’s war-making power in the days after the joint US-Israeli strikes, known as Operation Epic Fury, began across Iran. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
