The draw has been made for the 2026 FIFA World Cup - and Australia are up against the co-hosts.

An Australian cancer research centre has been awarded a 2.5 million dollar grant to further their research into one of the country 's deadliest brain cancers. Researchers at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute in Melbourne hope to fast-track diagnosis and treatment options.

As the festive shopping rush begins, vendors are bracing for a surge in shoplifting. Australia-wide, theft has hit a 21-year high. Experts say it’s part of a broader trend.

SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves speaks with Harry Morrow from Loftus Peak to find out more about OpenAI's new Australian intitiative including plans for a $7bn hyper data centre with NextDC; plus the day on the sharemarket with Omkar Joshi at Opal Capital Management.

Starting next Wednesday, Australia will become the first country in the world to ban under-16s from having social media accounts, forcing major platforms to comply with the law or face fines of up to $50 million. The Albanese government says the move will protect young people from harmful algorithms and negative mental-health impacts. Many parents support the change, while critics warn that tech-savvy teens are likely to find workarounds to the measures.

Europe’s largest cultural event is once again confronting the tension between entertainment and geopolitics. After the European Broadcasting Union formally confirmed Israel’s eligibility for the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest, four countries - Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland and Slovenia - immediately withdrew. Their walkout has triggered one of the most serious disputes in the contest’s modern history, raising questions about neutrality, artistic expression and how far Eurovision can distance itself from real-world conflicts.

A group of around 900 asylum seekers who came to Australia by boat nearly 13 years ago remain stuck in visa limbo, fighting for permanency. Despite living and working in Australia for nearly a decade, they have no pathway to permanent residency thanks to a hardline 2013 immigration policy on boat arrivals. They're pleading with the Australian government to grant them leniency, as a last hope. And a warning - this story contains descriptions of self harm that some may find distressing.

A boost to the copper price and weaker US jobs data improving rate cut sentiment has helped lift the Australian share market, despite stronger than expected household spending data dampening hopes of future interest rate cuts locally. In fact, markets are increasingly pricing-in rate hikes in 2026. For more on this, Stephanie Youssef spoke with Morningstar chief investment officer Matt Wacher. Plus, ASFA CEO Mary Delahunty on the superannuation peak body’s latest Retirement Standard.

Devastating floods and landslides wreak havoc across much of south-east Asia. No compromise reached after the Russian President and the US try to iron out a revamped peace proposal for Ukraine. Plus, the asylum seekers living in limbo – why they’re pleading with the Australian government to grant them leniency - and the rebel nuns refusing to give up their social media accounts.

A new European Union initiative to store carbon dioxide beneath the North Sea is set to launch its operations next year. But environmental activists are concerned carbon capture technologies dissuade industries from acting to reduce fossil fuel emissions.