Liberals to target international students and skilled migrants in proposed cuts to immigration 18. November 2025 (08:45) The Coalition is preparing to thrash out the design of a policy to significantly reduce immigration placesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastLiberal MPs say skilled migration and international student numbers must be cut to reduce overseas arrivals into Australia, but have warned colleagues against demonising multicultural communities ahead of the next election.The Coalition is preparing to thrash out the design of a policy to significantly cut immigration places, as the opposition leader, Sussan Ley, struggles to keep moderates and conservatives united. Ley and shadow ministers Jonathon Duniam and Paul Scarr want the policy debate before the end of the year, and could link places for overseas arrivals to capacity for home construction and health and education funding. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
MoD identifies possible UK sites for making explosives and ammunition 18. November 2025 (08:00) Disused refineries and chemical plants considered as part of a multibillion-pound investment in defenceDefence officials have identified at least a dozen disused oil refineries and chemical plants as possible sites to make explosives and ammunition, including Grangemouth, Southampton and Teesside.The Ministry of Defence has been scouring Britain for places to build at least six new munitions factories as part of a £6bn programme to increase its supplies as part of a Nato-wide rearmament push. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Chinese travellers estimated to have cancelled 500,000 flights to Japan amid rising tensions 18. November 2025 (07:42) Diplomatic dispute over Japan’s stance on Taiwan continues to rumble after Senae Takaichi’s commentsChinese travellers are estimated to have cancelled hundreds of thousands of flights to Japan amid reports of suspended visa processing and cultural exchanges as a diplomatic dispute over Japan’s stance on Taiwan continues.Under pressure from business groups, Japan has sent a senior diplomat to Beijing in an attempt to calm tensions after Japan’s prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, said her country could get militarily involved if China attempted to invade Taiwan. Her comments prompted fury from China’s government, which issued warnings against Chinese travellers and students going to Japan. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Sand play products now ‘high risk’ and need to be tested before coming into Australia, border force says 18. November 2025 (07:41) Suppliers would not have previously been obliged to test the products at any point in the supply chain, ABF confirmedFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastColoured sand products which have been contaminated with asbestos and used widely in Australian schools were not required to undergo any testing for the hazardous material before they were imported, border officials have confirmed.The Australian Border Force (ABF) on Tuesday said it would now consider sand products designed for children’s sensory play to be high risk, meaning they will require proof they are asbestos-free before they are allowed into the country. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
One of the oddest UN resolutions in history seeks to solidify shaky Gaza ceasefire into an enduring peace 18. November 2025 (07:27) The hazy UN resolution dictates that Trump’s ‘board of peace’ will supervise an International Stabilisation Force, whose membership is as yet undeterminedThe resolution passed by the UN security council on Tuesday evening, aimed at turning the precarious Gaza ceasefire into a real peace plan, is one of the oddest in United Nations history.It puts Donald Trump in supreme control of Gaza, perhaps with Tony Blair as his immediate subordinate in a “board of peace”, which will oversee multinational peacekeeping troops, a committee of Palestinian technocrats and a local police force, for a period of two years. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Sad day for publicly funded science’: up to 350 more jobs to go at CSIRO 18. November 2025 (07:09) Australia’s national scientific agency announces more research job losses as it looks for budgetary savingsFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralia’s national scientific agency is expected to cut up to 350 more research roles from next year as it looks for savings and new sources of funding to plug budgetary shortfalls.The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) held its town hall on Tuesday afternoon where the agency’s leaders outlined the troubled times ahead. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
UK consumers warned over AI chatbots giving inaccurate financial advice 18. November 2025 (07:00) Which? study of ChatGPT, Copilot and others uncovers incorrect and misleading tips on investments, tax and insuranceArtificial intelligence chatbots are giving inaccurate money tips, offering British consumers misleading tax advice and suggesting they buy unnecessary travel insurance, research has revealed.Tests on the most popular chatbots found Microsoft’s Copilot and ChatGPT advised breaking HMRC investment limits on Isas; ChatGPT wrongly said it was mandatory to have travel insurance to visit most EU countries; and Meta’s AI gave incorrect information about how to claim compensation for delayed flights. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘They have total impunity’: West Bank settler violence surges after Gaza ceasefire 18. November 2025 (06:00) UN logs 260 attacks in October alone, its highest monthly tally, as settlers attack farmers and burn olive treesViolence has increased across the occupied West Bank as Palestinian farmers try to harvest their olive trees before the end of the season, in the face of a concerted campaign of harassment by groups of armed and aggressive Israeli settlers.Dozens of new incidents have occurred in recent days across much of the occupied territory as settlers step up a broader effort to intimidate and harm Palestinian communities. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘I knew I was starting to have a seizure’: women describe lasting effects of being ‘choked’ during sex 18. November 2025 (06:00) Three women tell of blacking out, feeling dazed and dizzy, and of ongoing memory issues and fatigueUK survey shows ‘choking’ becoming normalised in sexWarning: this article includes graphic contentWhen Sophie* woke up on the floor after having a seizure, it took a while before she could comprehend that it had been caused by a man strangling her during sex.“I blacked out, my legs were kicking, I broke a glass,” she says. At 19, it was the first and only time anything like that had happened to her. “When I came to, I couldn’t work out who he was, where I was, what was going on. And it was utterly terrifying.” Continue reading...(The Guardian)
The real Slim Shady? Eminem sues Australian company Swim Shady for trademark infringement 18. November 2025 (05:30) Eminem claims consumers may mistakenly think he is linked to the Sydney beach brand – but Australia is no stranger to lawsuits from US rappersEminem has launched legal action against the Australian beach brand Swim Shady, alleging its name is too close to that of his trademarked alter ego, Slim Shady.The 53-year-old rapper, real name Marshall B Mathers III, filed a petition to cancel Swim Shady’s US trademark days after it was successfully granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in September. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
