World — 2026-05-17

Tech founders use AI-generated images to poke fun at Anthony Albanese in protest against tax changes

‘He’s having a great time with his new 47% equity,’ one entrepreneur jokes, warning that some startups may leave Australia behindGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastTech entrepreneurs have mocked the government’s capital gains tax changes by posting AI-generated photos of Anthony Albanese as their “new founder” and warning that increased taxes could push people away from working for new businesses or send startups overseas.Startups and entrepreneurs may yet receive a carve-out in the federal government’s planned changes to the CGT discount, with the prime minister saying he wanted to support innovation and the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, revealing that consultation was continuing with the sector.

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Trump says Islamic State ‘second in command’ killed by US and Nigerian forces

US president calls Abu-Bilal al-Minuki ‘most active terrorist in the world’ and says he was eliminated in ‘very complex mission’Donald Trump has said US and Nigerian forces killed the “second in command” global leader of the Islamic State.“Tonight, at my direction, brave American forces and the Armed Forces of Nigeria flawlessly executed a meticulously planned and very complex mission to eliminate the most active terrorist in the world from the battlefield,” the US president said on his Truth Social platform on Friday.

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Mali’s forces target rebel alliance in junta’s fight to keep power

Army supported by Russian mercenaries launches airstrikes after offensive by coalition of Islamist extremists and Tuareg separatistsMali’s armed forces, supported by Russian mercenaries, have launched airstrikes targeting a rebel alliance of Islamist extremists and Tuareg separatists as the ruling junta struggles to maintain its hold on power in the unstable west African country.Earlier this week warplanes targeted the key northern town of Kidal, which was lost when the rebels launched a surprise offensive across much of Mali in late April.

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‘Feels like an illusion’: inside post-Maduro Venezuela’s bewildering new era

Four months after Trump’s surprise raid, a political thaw has descended – but mingled with hope is trepidation for what comes nextWhen Ángel Linares heard a strange buzz followed by an explosion, his first thought was that neighbours were setting off fireworks to celebrate the new year.Then his windows shattered, the building’s walls shook and its facade was ripped off, sending him flying on to the ground of an apartment suddenly reduced to rubble.

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Canada confirms first hantavirus case in isolation in British Columbia

The person was on board the MV Hondius, the center of the outbreak that has claimed three livesCanadian officials said on Saturday that a test for one of the four Canadians currently quarantining in British Columbia after being exposed to the hantavirus while on board the cruise ship where the outbreak occurred indicated a positive result.Speaking at a news conference, Dr Bonnie Henry, British Columbia’s provincial health officer, said the individual developed mild symptoms, including fever and headache, two days ago, and that the individual and their partner, who had also been on board the cruise ship where they had been isolating together, were transferred to a hospital in Victoria for assessment and testing.

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Threatened indictment of Raúl Castro ratchets up US pressure on Cuba

Trump administration move echoes indictment of Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro as fuel crisis racks CubaTensions between Cuba and US seem set to rise further amid reports that Raúl Castro, the country’s 94-year-old former president, may soon face the type of indictment that led to the US abduction of the Venezuelan leader, Nicolás Maduro, in January.Although Raúl is officially retired, he remains the most potent figure in Cuban politics following the death of his brother Fidel in 2016, and by targeting him Washington appears to be heaping pressure on Cuba’s communist leadership at the end of an already extraordinarily intense week.

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‘Tearing down barriers’: North Korean footballers arrive in Seoul for first time in eight years

Naegohyang FC due to play Suwon FC in semi-final of Asian Women’s Champions League on WednesdayA North Korean women’s football club has arrived in South Korea for an AFC Women’s Champions League semi-final, marking the first visit by athletes from the isolated state to the South in eight years.The delegation of 27 players and 12 staff entered the country on Sunday before Wednesday’s match between Naegohyang FC and South Korea’s Suwon FC Women in Suwon.

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At least eight people killed in Bangkok rail crossing collision

Thai authorities say 32 others injured near Makkasan station after freight train strikes bus and fire breaks out At least eight people were killed and 32 others were injured in Thailand after a freight train struck a bus at a rail crossing in Bangkok, rescue officials and a deputy transport minister said.Firefighters and rescue crews were dispatched as flames engulfed the bus and nearby vehicles close to the airport rail link’s Makkasan station, officials said, adding that the collision also involved cars and motorcycles.

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Donald Trump does ‘not feel optimistic’ for Jimmy Lai after speaking with Xi Jinping

Family and supporters had hoped the US president could help free the 78-year-old British citizen during summit talks in BeijingDonald Trump raised the case of jailed Hong Kong democracy campaigner Jimmy Lai in talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping but was told it “is a tough one”.Family and supporters of the 78-year-old British citizen had hoped the US president could help secure his release.

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Trump’s lack of focus on human rights in China is big departure for US diplomacy

Change reflects both transformation of US in Trump era and China’s increasing confidence on world stageAsked before he departed for Beijing if he would raise with the Chinese president the case of Jimmy Lai, the pro-democracy activist jailed in Hong Kong, Donald Trump said: “I’ll bring him up.”But, the US president added: “It’s like saying to me, ‘If Comey ever went to jail, would you let him out?’ It might be a hard one for me.” Trump was referring to James B Comey, a former FBI director and a frequent target of Trump’s ire.

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Big tobacco is exploiting fears of the illicit market to unwind health gains, Australian experts warn

Cigarettes kill 66 Australians every day, coalition says, criticising MPs who heard evidence from Philip Morris in secretGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastBig tobacco is exploiting fears of the illicit market to unwind longstanding health policies, leading health campaigners have warned, amid a parliamentary inquiry which took secret evidence from the cigarette manufacturer Philip Morris.A coalition of 15 health organisations including the Cancer Council and the Heart Foundation, as well as health experts and researchers, have accused the industry of trying to reshape public debate to push for major cuts to government excise.

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‘Fiercely loyal, endlessly generous’ father named as victim of Rottnest Island shark attack

Steven Mattaboni, 38, was a ‘one-of-a-kind gentleman’ and devoted parent to two young daughters, his wife Shirene saysGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA father of two young daughters, husband and avid fisher has been identified as the victim of a fatal shark attack at Rottnest Island in Western Australia.Steven Mattaboni, 38, a surveyor from Perth, was in the water at Horseshoe Reef about 9.55am on Saturday when he was believed to have been bitten by a shark, police said.

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Two high-profile Liberals defect to One Nation – as it happened

This blog is now closed.Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastJim Chalmers says the opposition’s policy to index tax brackets would cost the budget a quarter of a trillion dollars over 10 years, while claiming that the government is returning bracket creep to taxpayers.It’s a slightly tricky position, as Angus Taylor argues that Labor is “betraying” itself because the high figure is actually how much the government is keeping and spending through bracket creep ever year.This is a government that returns bracket creep when it is responsible to do that.That [policy] would cost tens of billions of dollars in extra debt interest, because he’s got these uncosted, unfunded, tax announcements that he [Taylor] made in his budget reply, which was all about trying to stave off One Nation.”What Angus Taylor is proposing to do is to pump the most money into the economy when inflation is already at its highest.“This betrays the fact that the government plans to raise income tax rates to the tune of $35bn.

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Aukus nuclear submarine base would ‘place a massive target on our backs’, NSW labour union warns

Outcry follows release of previously secret documents naming Port Kembla as preferred east coast Aukus baseAs Aukus spending and delays blow out, will Australia’s nuclear submarines ever materialise?Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA labour union has expressed alarm about newly released documents that reveal Port Kembla to be a preferred Australian base for nuclear-powered submarines, saying it would “place a massive target on our backs”.The South Coast Labour Council has warned federal and state politicians of “political fallout” should they proceed with “surrendering Port Kembla to Trump’s Navy” as an Aukus base.

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Sunday, May 17, 2026

Tech founders use AI-generated images to poke fun at Anthony Albanese in protest against tax changes

Trump says Islamic State ‘second in command’ killed by US and Nigerian forces

Mali’s forces target rebel alliance in junta’s fight to keep power

‘Feels like an illusion’: inside post-Maduro Venezuela’s bewildering new era

Canada confirms first hantavirus case in isolation in British Columbia

Threatened indictment of Raúl Castro ratchets up US pressure on Cuba

‘Tearing down barriers’: North Korean footballers arrive in Seoul for first time in eight years

At least eight people killed in Bangkok rail crossing collision

Donald Trump does ‘not feel optimistic’ for Jimmy Lai after speaking with Xi Jinping

Trump’s lack of focus on human rights in China is big departure for US diplomacy

Big tobacco is exploiting fears of the illicit market to unwind health gains, Australian experts warn

‘Fiercely loyal, endlessly generous’ father named as victim of Rottnest Island shark attack

Two high-profile Liberals defect to One Nation – as it happened

Aukus nuclear submarine base would ‘place a massive target on our backs’, NSW labour union warns

The UK is churning through leaders. Is the country becoming harder to govern?

Man drives car into pedestrians in Italy, injuring eight

Large-scale Ukrainian drone attack kills three in Moscow region, says Russia

Forty-three arrests after £4.5m police operation to keep rival London protests apart

Lights, camera, Bangaranga: Highlights from Eurovision

The British White Lotus? A group trip goes wrong in BBC drama Two Weeks in August

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