Top World News

Aug 20, 2026 - World

The 18-year-old’s body was found in Nattai national park on Thursday – but initial police messages indicated she had been found alivePolice have blamed dense bushland and radio confusion for wrongly reporting to 18-year-old Lily Hooper’s parents, the New South Wales premier and the media that the missing bushwalker had been found alive.Hooper had last been seen on 12 August after leaving home for a hike in the rugged bushland of Nattai national park, 90km south-west of Sydney. She was reported missing that night, triggering a multi-agency search involving nearly 1,000 people, including hundreds of volunteers. Continue reading...

Aug 20, 2026 - World

Ukraine faces ‘terror that is only growing’ from Russia, former army chief saysThe death toll from the overnight Russian attack on Kyiv has gone up to 15, Kyiv authorities said.39 people were injured.“Civilians were killed again, dozens were injured. Pain, loss and destruction. Terror that is only growing. Ukraine needs protection. Not words, but concrete help from partners. Continue reading...

Aug 20, 2026 - World

Education secretary says the government is looking at changing the resits policy in EnglandCompulsory GCSE resits in England harm teenagers’ mental wellbeing, study findsMyles McGinley, managing director of the Cambridge OCR exam board, said more pupils are taking GCSE business studies than in previous years, describing this generation of young people as “increasingly entrepreneurial”.He said business studies entries are a third higher than five years ago, adding: “The founders of some of the next great unicorn businesses may well be among those achieving GCSEs in business studies today.” Continue reading...

Aug 20, 2026 - World

Initial report from ‘thick and dense terrain’ where Hooper was located was she had been found alive but within 10 minutes a ‘more accurate account’ was relayed to policeFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe body of missing 18-year-old bushwalker Lily Hooper has been found in a remote New South Wales national park more than a week after she set out on her hike.Police have apologised “unreservedly” for wrongly suggesting Hooper had been alive when she was found by SES search volunteers off the walking trail in the state’s southern highlands on Thursday morning. Continue reading...

Aug 20, 2026 - World

Prolonged detention of children, insufficient staffing and hazardous damage to buildings are among the ombudsman’s concernsFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastDrugs are being openly dealt inside Villawood detention centre; makeshift weapons are being manufactured amid intimidation, standover tactics and a “culture of fear”; people are sleeping outside under CCTV cameras for their own safety; and children are being kept from going to school, a scathing report from the independent monitor has found.The commonwealth’s National Preventive Mechanism issued the report based on a three-day visit in March this year. A total of 428 people were held in Villawood at the time, including children. Some 78 beds were offline because of damage still not repaired from a fire three years ago. Continue reading...