ABC News Top Stories

ABC News
  • 5.0 (1)
  • NEWS
  • UPDATED DAILY

Listen to the latest big and breaking stories across the day.

  1. 19M AGO

    Pauline Hanson says One Nation's overwhelmed with candidates | ABC News Top Stories

    Pauline Hanson, who leads One Nation, says about 80 people have applied to be candidates for a by-election in the rural New South Wales seat of Farrer. One Nation's surged in the polls, roaring past the Coalition, so the by-election will be a test of whether the latest numbers are reflected in reality. Today Pauline Hanson also gave a much qualified apology for saying there's 'no good Muslims' in a recent interview which caused outrage. Controversial author Randa Abdel-Fattah will feature at this year's Sydney Writers' Festival, which says it's not in the business of cancelling writers. It comes after Dr Abdel-Fattah was uninvited from Adelaide Writers' Week, after pressure from the South Australian government. That decision caused authors to pull out in protest, resulting in the event being cancelled. Randa Abdel-Fattah's inflammatory social media posts have been heavily criticised by Jewish leaders and some state premiers. Iran's announced the temporary closure of a key shipping lane, the Strait of Hormuz, for live fire drills, as the US continues to threaten the regime over its nuclear program. It's the first time Iran's announced the closure of the international waterway, where about a fifth of the world's oil passes. It's not clear if the strait's actually shut. U-S president Donald Trump's been amassing firepower in the region and gulf nations warn an attack could spiral into another middle east conflict.

    2 min

  2. 34M AGO

    What to know about the holy month of Ramadan

    For the next few weeks, our Muslim community and two billion Muslims worldwide will be fasting from dawn to sunset for Ramadan... but it's more than fasting.

    4 min

  3. 2H AGO

    Mental health review following Sydney stabbing rampage | ABC News Top Stories

    Health authorities say there will be a formal review into the care and treatment of a man who's been charged with murder over a stabbing in western Sydney. One man died at the scene and two others are in a critical condition after the daylight stabbing rampage in the suburb of Merrylands. Health authorities say the man allegedly involved in the stabbing, escaped care ten days before the incident. A United Nations international law expert says the federal government must allow Australian wives and children of dead or captured Islamic State fighters to come home. The group's been stuck in a camp in Syria and their attempts so far to come back to Australia have failed. Aid organisations say conditions there are dire. The Albanese Government says it won't actively help the wives and children return. But the opposition wants to stop them entering Australia by using special orders to delay their return, while national security checks are carried out. Iran says it temporarily closed a vital international shipping route, the Strait of Hormuz as it entered a new round of talks with the US over its nuclear capabilities. 20 per cent of the world's oil passes through the strait. The move was widely seen as a message to the US, which is continuing to amass firepower in the region, and has threatened to strike Iran if the countries cannot reach a deal. There's also been recent global outrage directed at Iran over a brutal crackdown on anti-government protesters.

    2 min

  4. 4H AGO

    Health insurance rise bites; Roundup payout proposed | ABC News Top Stories

    Private health insurance premiums are set to rise on average 4.41 per cent from April, and that's above inflation at a time the cost of living is hurting many Australians. It's the biggest hike since 2017, and is supposed to cover the rising costs of the private hospital sector, which jumped about five per cent last year. Every year the federal health minister must approve annual premium rises and Mark Butler says he ordered insurers back to the drawing board on multiple occasions before landing on the agreed increase. There's been a big development regarding the weedkiller 'Roundup' which is widely used in Australian agriculture. The German drugs giant Bayer is proposing to pay more than $14 billion to settle claims over the weedkiller, which has been linked to cancer in the US. The plaintiffs say they developed a type of lymphoma and other forms of cancer from using the weedkiller. In 2024, the Federal Court of Australia dismissed a major class action against Bayer regarding Roundup. And some tough news for the cricketing community, Australia's been dumped out of the T-20 Cricket World Cup. After disappointing losses to Zimbabwe and then Sri Lanka, the Australians needed Ireland to beat Zimbabwe to keep their hopes alive. However, that match has been washed out without a ball being bowled, putting an end to Australia's title hopes. It's the first time Australia's been knocked out of a world cup at the group stage, since 2009.

    2 min

  5. 4H AGO

    Jesse Jackson remembered as a 'true giant' of civil rights

    American civil rights activist and former politician, Jesse Jackson has died at the age of 84. The Baptist minister ​a ‌close associate of fellow civil rights icon, Martin Luther ​King Junior and ran for ‌the Democratic ‌presidential nomination twice. In a statement, his family says Jackson was a leader "⁠to the oppressed, the voiceless, and the overlooked around the ⁠world".

    3 min

  6. 5H AGO

    Health insurance rise hits Australians; Jesse Jackson remembered | ABC News Top Stories

    Private health insurance premiums are about to jump by their highest rate in a decade marking another cost of living blow for Australians. Federal Health Minister Mark Butler says the 4.41 per cent average increase reflects the rising costs of medical and hospital services. But for everyday people it's still above inflation. The opposition says the premium increase is another "hit families cannot afford". Dozens of Australians who are the wives and children linked to former Islamic State fighters appear to be stuck in Syria after their recent attempt to come home appears to have failed. They tried to leave a camp where they've been detained for years but their travel was blocked by Syrian authorities and it's not clear whether they'll attempt again. The Australian Government insists it won't help them, but aid agencies say the conditions in the camp are dire and a solution needs to be found. The case has sparked debate as the government tries to balance national security concerns with its obligations to protect its own citizens seeking help. The civil rights advocate who helped transform America, Jesse Jackson, is being remembered by leaders in the US, after his death aged 84. He was a Baptist minister raised in the segregated south who became a close associate of Martin Luther King Jr and twice ran for the Democratic presidential nomination. He advocated for the rights of black Americans and other marginalised communities and was an integral figure in the civil rights movement in the 1960s.

    2 min

  7. 5H AGO

    ISIS families refused repatriation by Australian government

    Thirty-four Australian women and children - linked to former Islamic State fighters - appear to be stuck in north-eastern Syria after their attempt to come home on Monday.

    3 min

  8. 6H AGO

    Australians slugged with health insurance rise; Jesse Jackson dies | ABC News Top Stories

    There's been another cost of living blow for Australian families. Health insurance premiums are due for their largest rise in nearly a decade. The federal government says the 4.41 per cent average increase from the start of April reflects the growing costs of medical and hospital services. Health minister Mark Butler says he ordered insurers to go back to the drawing board multiple times before agreeing to the change, which could affect more than 15-million Australians. A man's expected to face court today charged with murder after an alleged stabbing rampage in Sydney's west yesterday. Two others were critically injured in the fatal attack at Merrylands, which police have described as 'a random act'. Health authorities say the accused escaped from mental health care ten days before the attack. The identity of a man charged over an alleged attack on an Invasion Day rally in Perth has been revealed, after a court suppression order was lifted. Police allege 32-year-old Liam Alexander Hall threw a homemade bomb into a crowd of peaceful protesters last month, but the device didn't explode. Mr Hall's lawyer had argued his client is in a vulnerable mental health condition, and that his identity should remain secret for his safety. The case has angered first nations leaders who say the outrage in general has been muted, compared to other similar incidents. The United States's most senior politicians are remembering the tireless work of prominent civil rights leader Jesse Jackson, who's died aged 84. President Donald Trump has called Jackson a force of nature with lots of personality, grit and street smarts, while former vice president Kamala Harris says he's one of America's greatest patriots. In the 1960s, Jackson fought for civil rights alongside Martin Luther King Junior, whose daughter remembers Jackson as a "gifted negotiator". Australia's men's and women's aerial skiers, and the women's slopestyle athletes, will have to wait at least another day to compete at the Winter Olympics, after extreme weather forced events to be postponed. Four Australians were due to compete in the women's aerials qualification, including four-time Olympian Danielle Scott.

    2 min
See All (30)

Hosts & Guests

About

Listen to the latest big and breaking stories across the day.

Information

  • Channel
    ABC News
  • Creator
    ABC
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    30
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026, Australian Broadcasting Corporation. All right reserved.
  • Show Website
    ABC News Top Stories

More From ABC News

You Might Also Like