Australia Foreign

ABC News Australia's Capital Brief editor James Hennessy analyzes the technology sector's massive spending on AI infrastructure and data centers, arguing that current capital deployment may be unsustainable despite AI's long-term revenue potential. According to Hennessy, major technology companies are funding the expansion through heavy...

Australia's federal government ended a temporary fuel excise cut on July 29, 2026, with prices expected to rise gradually as service stations deplete existing fuel supplies, per ABC News Australia. The government advised motorists against panic buying as the discount expired. According to ABC News...

More than 80 dead and sick terns are undergoing H5 bird flu testing off South Australia, with authorities investigating whether the virus caused the first mass mortality event of its kind in the region, according to ABC News Australia. If confirmed, the outbreak would mark...

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong told delegates at the Garma Festival that Indigenous relationships with Pacific neighbors represent a strategic diplomatic advantage for Australia on the world stage. Per ABC News Australia, Wong framed 'First Nations diplomacy' as a unique tool in Australia's international engagement....

US President Donald Trump held a cabinet meeting at Camp David on July 31, 2026, where he discussed Iran policy and the midterm elections. He also blamed Spain's government for what he called an invasion of migrants at Spain's Ceuta enclave. According to France 24...

South Korea's average daily foreign exchange trading volume reached 121.4 billion U.S. dollars in the second quarter of 2026, according to the Bank of Korea, marking the highest quarterly level since the central bank began compiling data in 2008. The figure represents an 18 percent...

Federal Labor MP Luke Gosling faced court in Darwin on July 31, 2026, after being charged with assaulting the Northern Territory administrator—the territory's equivalent of a state governor. The court imposed a bail condition banning Gosling from approaching Government House in Darwin.

Astronomers using NASA's Swift Observatory captured rare imagery of an orphan black hole consuming a star, a galactic phenomenon that astrophysicist Dr. Sara Webb explained in an ABC News Australia segment. NASA used simulation technology to visually recreate the moment of impact, providing insights into...

Ukrainian forces struck commercial and military vessels in the Caspian Sea, prompting Iran to summon a Ukrainian diplomat on July 30, 2026, marking the first direct collision between the Ukraine-Russia conflict and Iran's regional interests. According to ABC News Australia, citing UWA Defence and Security...

France is experiencing severe wildfires driven by an intense heatwave, prompting French Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Éléonore Caroit to advocate for coordinated international climate governance. According to France 24, Caroit distinguished between the immediate demands of emergency response and longer-term structural challenges in climate policy,...

China's state media released an English-language love ballad titled 'I Miss You On the South China Sea' featuring coast guard vessels and personnel patrolling contested waters, according to ABC News Australia. The release comes nearly 10 years after an international tribunal invalidated Beijing's expansive territorial...

According to ABC News (Australia), newly elected Victorian Premier Ben Carroll has promised a new direction and announced a royal commission into alleged corruption in the state's construction sector. ABC News also reports that MP Moira Deeming has announced her resignation from Victoria's parliamentary Liberal...

Ben Carroll was sworn in as Victoria's premier on July 28, 2026, after winning an internal party contest to replace Jacinta Allan, who resigned months before the state election. Carroll, the former education minister, immediately distanced himself from his predecessors and announced plans for a...

Over 200,000 people gathered in Taipei on Saturday for an opposition-led rally demanding accountability from Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party government over a contaminated soybean salad oil scandal that emerged earlier in July, according to ABC News Australia. Protesters called for President Lai to apologize and...

Australia's federal and Western Australian governments invested $4 million into a pre-feasibility study for constructing a new oil refinery, according to ABC News Australia. The initiative comes ahead of the expected expiry of the nation's fuel excise discount, with the source noting warnings that Middle...

Dr. Peter Gillies, chief executive of the Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service in Queensland, Australia, told staff in early July that the 2026-27 state budget was "grim," but walked back those characterizations during a parliamentary estimates hearing, calling them "an unfortunate choice of words."...

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa called on Monday for African countries to establish coordinated approaches to managing migration, as his government faces escalating pressure over xenophobic attacks targeting foreign nationals. The statement comes as documented attacks on migrant communities in South Africa have drawn international...

A collaboration between BLACKPINK's Jennie and Australian psychedelic rock act Tame Impala reached number one on Billboard's Adult Pop Airplay chart this week. The song 'Dracula' marks the second K-pop-related track to top the chart in 2026, following 'Golden' from 'KPop Demon Hunters' in January.

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson lost her appeal on July 27, 2026, against a Federal Court ruling that found she racially discriminated against Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi in a 2024 tweet, ABC News Australia reports. According to ABC News Australia, the appeal court upheld the...

Australia tested its national AusAlert emergency notification system on July 27, 2026, with millions of devices receiving alerts. According to ABC News Australia, many users reported missed notifications and delays, while a government minister declared the test a success.