Friday, April 24, 2026


Pope Leo XIV arrived by plane in Algeria on Monday, April 13, beginning his apostolic visit to Africa. A senior Vatican official told the BBC the pope wanted to "turn the world's attention to Africa"; the BBC reported the eleven-day visit would address themes of peace, migration, and interfaith dialogue. The trip also includes stops in Cameroon, Angola, and Equatorial Guinea.
The visit marked Leo's second major foreign trip as pope since his election in May last year.
The regions of the continent being visited are among the quickest growing in Catholicism in the world. There were an estimated 288 million Catholics in Africa in 2024, making up more than one-fifth of the world's total.
His first stop in Algeria marked the first papal visit to the country in history. While there, Leo planned to visit several locations including ancient Christian sites in Annaba and the Great Mosque of Algiers in the capital before departing.
The stop was followed by a visit to Cameroon, where Leo addressed about 120,000 people in Douala, encouraging young people to turn away from violence and corruption and advocating for justice and peace. He was expected to make a planned visit to a Catholic hospital in the city before traveling to Yaoundé to meet with students from the Catholic University of Central Africa.
On Sunday, April 19, the pope arrived in Angola, where he met with President João Lourenço and other officials. He later addressed a crowd gathered near the capital, Luanda. He was also expected to visit the town of Muxima, the country's main Christian pilgrimage site.
After Angola, the pope arrived on Tuesday, April 21, in Equatorial Guinea, where, according to the BBC, Catholics make up more than 70% of the central African nation, for the final leg of the visit, before his scheduled return to the Vatican.


== Sister links ==
 Visit by Pope Leo XIV to Algeria, Cameroon, Angola, and Equatorial Guinea


== Sources ==
Nicole Winfield. Pope blasts colonization of minerals in Equatorial Guinea, headed by Africa's longest-serving leader — Associated Press, April 21, 2026
AFP and Reuters. Pope Leo tells Angola during huge Mass to 'build hope' — Al Jazeera, April 19, 2026
Al Jazeera Staff, AP and Reuters. Pope Leo calls on Cameroon to reject violence as 120,000 join Mass — Al Jazeera, April 17, 2026
Lebo Diseko, Paul Njie, and Nomsa Maseko. Pope prioritises world's fastest-growing Catholic region in major Africa tour — BBC, April 14, 2026

Wednesday, April 15, 2026


On Sunday, United States President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that the US is imposing a blockade on the Strait of Hormuz. According to Trump, the blockade was in effect as of 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time (1400 UTC).
The blockade was imposed following the collapse of talks held in Islamabad between the United States and Iran.
"Effective immediately, the United States Navy, the finest in the world, will be BLOCKADING any and all ships trying to enter, or leave, the Strait of Hormuz," Trump declared.
According to The Guardian, oil prices briefly rose above US$100 a barrel following news of the blockade, before easing back to just over US$99; gas prices also increased.
Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf posted on X to "Enjoy the current pump figures. With the so-called 'blockade', soon you'll be nostalgic for $4–$5 gas." He further stated that Iran would respond in kind to both escalation and diplomacy, warning that it would "fight" if confronted militarily but would "deal with logic" if approached constructively.
China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed hope that the ceasefire would remain stable, stating that Beijing is willing to cooperate with all parties to "guarantee the uninterrupted flow of energy supplies," and that stability in the Strait of Hormuz is critically important to China.


== Sources ==
Julia Kollewe. Oil price tops $100 a barrel after peace talks fail and Trump orders blockade — The Guardian, April 13, 2026
Lauren Edmonds, Huileng Tan, and Theron Mohamed. Oil surges past $100 a barrel after US-Iran peace talks fail and Trump threatens to blockade the Strait of Hormuz — Business Insider, April 13, 2026
 'Enjoy it now:' Iran warns of painful oil price surge as Trump escalates blockade threat — The Times of India, April 13, 2026
 China Reacts to Strait of Hormuz Blockade: Global Energy Security at Risk — IranWire, April 13, 2026

Tuesday, March 24, 2026


On Thursday, March 12, 2026, the Tompkins Square Library in New York City hosted a concert by Musique Libre Femmes, in its basement performance space. This performance featured Cheryl Pyle on flute, Ayumi Ishito on saxophones, and Roberta Piket on piano. There were approximately fifteen people in attendance. Wikinews attended the event and took several photos and recordings to transcribe for this news report.
The performance started at 6:00 p.m. New York Time (2200 UTC), and was introduced by director of adult services Jeffrey Katz. After explaining that the series was ongoing, and announcing upcoming performance dates as well, he introduced the performers:
((Jeffrey Katz))  So we are celebrating Women's History Month with Musique Libre Femmes. And this is a group of all women free jazz improvisers who compose, create spontaneous, in-the-moment music. The group consists of some of the most experienced improvisers of the New York Jazz scene. And they have recently played at the Lady Got Chops Festival, the Downtown Music Gallery, and many of the New York City Jazz venues.
After which, the performance began and lasted about forty minutes, after which the audience applauded.
After the event, Pyle had the following comments about the series:
((Cheryl Pyle))  I started the group Musique Libre Femmes, Free Music Women, because I saw a film called Fire Music, and they interviewed Carla Bley and Ingrid Sertso, and they didn't talk about any of their music. And they didn't talk about any other women improvisers, Barbara Donald, you know, anybody. So I wanted to do some concerts with all women.
Pyle added:
((CP))  And today we played with Roberta Piket on piano and Ayumi Ishito on tenor sax and soprano sax and myself, Cheryl Pyle on C-flute, piccolo and alto flute. And we're here at the Tompkins Square Library in the East Village and we just had a wonderful concert.


== Gallery ==

 Category:Music Libre Femmes 2026 Mar at Tompkins Square Library


== Sources ==

 Musique Libre Femmes Plays For Women's History Month 2026 at Tompkins Square Library — Jazz Near you, March 16, 2026 (date of access)
Ruth Ross. 24th Annual Lady Got Chops Women’s History Month Music And Arts Calendar 2026 — NJ Arts Maven, Mar 2, 2026

Sunday, March 22, 2026

On Tuesday, officials for the South Korean Army said at a press conference that they were suspending all scheduled drills involving smaller firearms such as rifles and handguns. The decision was made in response to an incident earlier in the week on Monday that resulted in a young girl at a children playground in Daegu being injured near the neck by an alleged stray bullet from a military drill at nearby military facility. Her injuries were not life-threatening and she was released from the hospital. Her name was not released to the general public.
Investigations into the circumstances leading up the incident were said to be underway. The incident raised questions regarding the military's practice of conducting shooting drills in close proximity to civilian territory. A spokesperson for the army confirmed that a firearms drill had indeed been taking place at the same time the girl reported being struck. The incident came a year after the South Korean Army accidentally bombed a small village near the North Korean border, injuring 30 civilians, while conducting a drill with US forces.


== Sources ==
 South Korea halts army firing drills after stray bullet hits child at playground in Daegu — Malay Mail, March 18, 2026
Lokmat Times Desk. South Korea Halts Military Live-Fire Drills After Child Hit By Suspected Stray Bullet in Degau — Lokmat Times, March 18, 2026
AFP. South Korean army halts drills after stray bullet injures child — The Sun (Malaysia), March 18, 2026

Saturday, March 21, 2026


One Battle After Another was the big winner at the 98th Academy Awards ceremony, held on Sunday, March 15 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California.  The film received six Oscars including Best Picture. Director Paul Thomas Anderson personally won Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay, in addition to being one of the producers who received the Best Picture award.
The other three Oscars which One Battle After Another received were for Best Editing and Best Casting, the first time the latter award has been presented, and for Sean Penn as Best Supporting Actor, the third Oscar of his career.

Sinners, which had set a record by earning sixteen Oscar nominations, won awards in four categories: Best Actor for Michael B. Jordan, Best Original Screenplay for Ryan Coogler, Best Original Score for Ludwig Goransson, and Best Cinematography for Autumn Durald Arkapaw. Arkapaw is the first woman to win an Academy Award for Best Cinematography.
Two other films won multiple Oscars. Frankenstein won Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, and Best Makeup and Hairstyling. KPop Demon Hunters won Best Animated Feature and Best Song for Golden.

Other winners were:

Best Actress: Jessie Buckley for Hamnet
Best Supporting Actress: Amy Madigan for Weapons
Best International Feature: Sentimental Value, from Norway (directed by Joachim Trier)
Best Sound: F1
Best Visual Effects: Avatar: Fire and Ash
Best Documentary Feature: Mr. Nobody Against Putin
Best Documentary Short: All the Empty Rooms
Best Animated Short: The Girl Who Cried Pearls
Best Live Action Short: The Singers and Two People Exchanging Saliva (tie)
The Oscar ceremony was hosted by Conan O'Brien.


== Sister links ==
 98th Academy Awards


== Sources ==
Brent Lang, Jordan Moreau. Oscar Winners 2026: ‘One Battle After Another’ Triumphs With 6 Wins, ‘Sinners’ Follows With 4 — Variety (magazine), March 15, 2026
Rebecca Keegan, Daniel Arkin, Angela Yang, Nicole Acevedo, Rebecca Cohen, Rohan Nadkarni, and Chloe Melas. Oscars 2026 live updates: 'One Battle After Another' wins best picture; Michael B. Jordan wins for 'Sinners' — NBC News, March 15, 2026

Wednesday, March 18, 2026


Caloundra have won their round 3 Football Queensland Premier League 2 game against Pine Hills 5 goals to 2 at Meridan Plains, Queensland, Australia on Sunday.
"Two [wins] from three [games]" said Caloundra captain Kaine Frew. "I think we'll probably be in the top four now. Not a bad start. It's still very early days. Yeah, you can't get too ahead of yourselves. I think you've just got to take it week by week for the moment."
Riley Campbell opened the scoring for Caloundra in the second minute. Aaron Doherty levelled the score two minutes later. Alex Witte took Pine Hills ahead in the eleventh minute. Darryl Barton brought the scores level again in the thirteenth minute. Barton scored his second goal to retake the lead do Caloundra in the twenty seventh minute. Caloundra lead three goals to two at the break.

Jake Debbage added Caloundra's fourth in the fifty first minute before Mackenar Bradfield took the score line to five goals to three in the ninetieth minute.
"It was a pretty even game, first half," said Pine Hills assistant coach Daniel Cunha. "[We] conceded three goals. Lazy goals, in our opinion. But we managed to bounce back with two goals. Managed to stay in the game, but yeah, second half with early, conceded early goals, so that was it for us."
Caloundra host Mitchellton on Saturday, while Pine Hills travel to Samford.


== Related news ==
"Caloundra lose round 2 game in Australian soccer's Football Queensland Premier League 2 competition" — Wikinews, March 11, 2026
"Caloundra wins first game in Australian soccer's Football Queensland Premier League 2 competition" — Wikinews, March 3, 2026
"Caloundra through to next round of 2026 Australia Cup preliminaries" — Wikinews, February 23, 2026


== Sources ==

 FQPL 2 — Squadi, March 17, 2026 (date of access)
 Caloundra versus Pine Hills — Squadi, March 16, 2026

"FQPL 2 Men Round 3 - Caloundra FC vs. Pine Hills Highlights". YouTube, Posted on March 15, 2026 by Queensland Football Queensland
Patrick Gillett. Caloundra back in winners circle in FQPL 2 — Pattman Sport, March 16, 2026

Monday, March 16, 2026


On Monday, two boats carrying 21 people total capsized at Henoko Bay, Nago, a U.S. military base relocation site in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. Officials said all of the passengers went into the water, and the captain of one of the boats and a female passenger perished. Additionally, two others were hurt; their injuries were not life threatening.
Rescuers aided people in the water. The Japanese Coast Guard (JCG) said 18 of those who were on the boats were classmates from a high school in Kyoto. The boats were named the Heiwa Maru and the Fukutsu, carrying ten and eight students onboard, respectively.
The JCG stated that the case is under investigation.


== Sources ==
 2 dead, including teen girl, after boats carrying students capsize near site of new U.S. military base in Japan — CBS News, AFP, March 16, 2026
Mari Yamaguchi. 2 dead after 2 boats carrying students capsize off US base construction site in southern Japan — ABC News, AP, March 16, 2026

Friday, March 13, 2026

Chris Bowen, Australian Minister for Climate Change and Energy, allowed the usage of dirtier fuel with elevated sulfur content for 60 days, he announced on Thursday. As a part of the change, the oil refineries were required to prioritise supply to farmers in rural areas. This decision followed issues with oil exports caused by the ongoing Middle East conflict, as fuel prices rose rapidly to over A$2/L.
The lower quality oil was previously exported to countries with lower fuel standards. With the new temporarily changes in place, it would now be allowed to be used in Australia. One of the two oil refineries, Ampol, noted rural areas supply would be prioritised.
Additionally, Bowen announced Australia would release 100 million liters from its reserve oil supply per month, in response to a request from the International Energy Agency (IEA).

The issue appeared related to the growing demand while supply was essentially unchanged. As people stockpiled fuel, and the demand has doubled, there were concerns over panic buying by Australians. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese commented on longer term impacts of the situation on economics in Australia, talking with ABC Television on Thursday.
President of the National Farmer Federation commented noting the government regulation was direly needed in this situation as farmers and fishers were struggling to access fuel, especially in remote areas. He also noted that government should prepare strategies in case the situation 'deteriorates', mentioning access to diesel was a pre-requisite for the farmers running the agricultural areas, collecting crops, transporting crops, and providing food to the country.
In reserve, Australia had 36 days worth of petrol, 32 days worth of diesel, and 29 days worth of jet fuel, respectively. These fell short of the 90 days requirement under obligations for the IEA, of which Australia is a member. Opposition was calling on the government to ensure fuel security, ABC News reported.


== Sources ==
Aaron Patrick. AARON PATRICK: Is it a fuel crisis or not? Chris Bowen should make up his mind on petrol ‘shortage’ — The Nightly, March 12, 2026
Jake Evans. Fuel standards relaxed to add 100 million litres of fuel to Australian supply — ABC News (Australia), March 12, 2026

Thursday, March 12, 2026


Last Friday, United States President Donald Trump demanded the "unconditional surrender" of Iran via his Truth Social platform. The declaration came as the war in Iran had gone on for a week.
Trump has also demanded more "acceptable" leadership in the country.
Trump wrote that once "acceptable" leadership was selected in Iran, the US and its allies would make Iran "economically bigger, better, and stronger than ever before."
On Saturday, in an address to the nation, Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian said that Trump's demand is a "dream they should send to their grave."
A week ago, the United States and Israel attacked Iran, and killed various government officials, including the supreme leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei, in strikes. In retaliation for the attacks, Iran has bombed Middle Eastern countries including Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Oman, according to SBS News.
In the Saturday address, Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian apologized for attacks on regional countries, Jakarta Globe reported. The Globe also reported that 1,230 people were killed in Iran and that six US troops were killed.
Leavitt has stated that the war would likely last four to six weeks.


== Sister links ==

 2026 Iran War


== Sources ==
Associated Press. Iran Calls US Demand for “Unconditional Surrender” a “Dream to Take to Their Grave” — Jakarta Globe, March 7, 2026
 Trump demands 'unconditional surrender' of Iran as wave of 'broad-scale' strikes hits Tehran — SBS News, March 7, 2026

Thursday, March 12, 2026


The government of New South Wales (NSW), Australia announced plans to rezone the 113-hectare Burwood North precinct this Tuesday. The plan included building 18,300 new homes in the area, and building a new metro station. This would position the area as a residential hub between Sydney CBD and Parramatta, shortening commute times down to ten minutes, the proposal said.
With allowance for up to 42 storey residential buildings, the government proposal involved a requirement that at least 5% of the new homes were "affordable housing", offered at a lower rental price to lower income households.
Burwood North Station, scheduled to open in 2032, would provide easier access to retail outlets and businesses located near Parramatta Road, and reduce load on existing train and bus networks.
The proposal text noted it would create 3,900 new jobs to implement the changes.
The proposal was a part of Parramatta Road Corridor Urban Transformation Strategy.
The NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure was listed as a contact for inquiries and feedback.


== Sources ==
Vivien Topalovic. Sydney suburb ranked among 'world's best' rezoned for 18,000 new homes - realestate.com.au — realestate.com.au, March 10, 2026
 Burwood North Precinct Masterplan — Participate Burwood, March 10, 2026
 Burwood North Station — Sydney Metro, March 10, 2026
 Burwood North Precinct Masterplan — Burwood, March 10, 2026
Blair Wise. Burwood North rezoning around new metro station could see thousands of new homes — ABC News (Australia), March 10, 2026

Thursday, March 12, 2026


Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said that, in response to United Arab Emirates call for help, Australia would deploy E-7A Wedgetail, a long-range reconnaissance plane, to help Gulf Arab states defend against attacks from Iran.
The Australian Defence Force said the plane is able to survey four million square kilometers with a powerful radar. Government officials said the plane would be manned by around 85 Australian defence force (ADF) personnel. Additionally, Australia would supply middle range air to air missiles, at the request of United Arab Emirates, that could down enemy's drones.
Foreign affairs correspondent at ABC News, Stephen Dziedzic, published a piece on Wednesday noting that from a legal perspective, Australia is at war. He stated that not being an attacker, and not entering Iran, did not preclude Australia from joining a war. The correspondent referenced article 51 from United Nations charter about "collective self-defence", which could involve, for example, providing support or intelligence to one of the participants of a war. The correspondent raised concern that move could make Australia a potential target for attacks from, for example, Iran.


== Sources ==
Stephen Dziedzic. The government is not speaking plainly about joining the war effort in the Middle East — ABC News (Australia), March 10, 2026
Erin Hale. Australia to send missiles to UAE, surveillance plane to help Gulf defence — Al Jazeera, March 10, 2026
Tom Lowrey. What is a Wedgetail? And why is Australia sending missiles to the Iran conflict? — ABC News (Australia), March 9, 2026

Wednesday, March 11, 2026


Julio Teherán, a two-time Major League Baseball All-Star, announced his retirement from baseball on Monday, at the age of 35. The decision came two days after he was scratched from a scheduled start for Team Colombia in the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) due to a shoulder injury.
Teherán had helped Team Colombia secure a 3-1 victory over Team Panama in the WBC before announcing his retirement.
Teherán had a thirteen-year MLB career, during which he primarily played for the Atlanta Braves, but also played for the Los Angeles Angels, Detroit Tigers, Milwaukee Brewers, and New York Mets. He made his MLB debut with the Braves in 2011 at the age of 20 and spent his first nine seasons with the team, earning All-Star selections in 2014 and 2016.
Over his MLB career, Teherán compiled a 81-82 record, with a 3.85 ERA, 1.223 WHIP, and 1,260 strikeouts in 1,470.2 innings. He had spent the 2022 and 2025 seasons playing in the Mexican Baseball League.


== Sources ==
Zach Mentz. 2-time MLB All-Star abruptly retires during World Baseball Classic — Cleveland.com, March 10, 2026
Jackson Roberts. Two-Time MLB All-Star Julio Teheran Announces Retirement at WBC — Newsweek, March 9, 2026

Wednesday, March 11, 2026


Moreton City Excelsior have ended Caloundra's winning run across Australian soccer's Australia Cup and Football Queensland Premier League with a 3 goals to 1 win at Wolter Park, Albany Creek, Queensland, last Saturday.
Moreton City opened the scoring through their number 10 Brayden O’Regan in the seventh minute.
Caloundra conceded an own goal in the 24th minute with a misplaced back pass.
O’Regan scored City’s third goal – his second – in the sixtieth minute.
Maxx Demerutis scored Caloundra's only goal in the ninetieth minute.
"I think they're a pretty tough team," player Ethan Galbraith said of Moreton City after Caloundra's round 1 game against Brisbane Knights. "We'll be up against it next week but looking forward to the challenge. They've got a lot of good players in there. [They're a] very good team."


== Related news ==
"Caloundra wins first game in Australian soccer's Football Queensland Premier League 2 competition" — Wikinews, March 3, 2026


== Sources ==

"FQPL 2 Men Round 2 - Moreton City Excelsior vs. Caloundra FC Highlights". YouTube, Posted on March 7, 2026 by Queensland Football Queensland
Football Queensland. FQPL 2 Men Round 2 - Moreton City Excelsior vs. Caloundra FC Highlights — YouTube, March 7, 2026
 Moreton City Excelsior v Caloundra — Squadi, March 9, 2026 (date of access)

Tuesday, March 10, 2026


Early Tuesday morning, Australia government officials issued humanitarian visas to five members of Iran's national women's football team. The players refused to sing the Iranian anthem while at the Women's Asian Cup last week. if the visas had not been granted, the five players potentially faced serious punishment on their return to Iran, as Iranian media has labeled them "traitors".

Tony Burke, Minister for Home Affairs of Australia, sent a message on X on Tuesday stating that the five players were "welcome to stay in Australia, to be safe and have a home here". The players are Zahra Ghanbari (captain), Fatemeh Pasandideh, Zahra Sarbali, Atefeh Ramezanizadeh, and Mona Hamoudi.
Tuesday afternoon, however, the rest of the Iranian national women's soccer team travelled to Gold Coast airport by bus. As of Tuesday morning, authorities said these remaining Iranian women's soccer team members had not requested asylum, though were welcomed to do so. Protesters surrounded the bus and some were lying on the ground to stop the bus, and had to be moved by police. Due to reported threats from Iranian media and officials, in Australia, local police worked with the authorities and provided a safe place for the players to stay, as well as increased presence when the players were traveling.


== Sources ==
Tony Burke. X message — X, March 10, 2026
Simran Pasricha. 'Help Is Here': Tony Burke Confirms 5 Iranian Soccer Players Have Been Offered Asylum In Australia — PEDESTRIAN.TV, March 10, 2026
 Trump says Iranian footballers seeking asylum 'taken care of' — ABC News (Australia), March 10, 2026

Monday, March 9, 2026

This past Friday, Justice Paul Smith of the Supreme Court of Queensland ruled that the City of Moreton Bay Council, immediately north of Brisbane, Australia, acted unlawfully when it removed several homeless people camping in public parks last year. The court concluded the Council breached the law by providing insufficient time for the homeless people to find alternative accommodation and by disposing of their personal belongings without consent.
In the judgement, Justice Smith said the Council made "errors of law" finding that the Council's seizure and disposal of the property of eight homeless people at Eddie Hyland Park — including their tents and other personal belongings — without consent in April and May last year violated human rights. Although the eviction involved eight campers at the park, the legal case was brought by eleven applicants who said they were affected by the Council's enforcement actions. The judgement noted that the Council would still be allowed to remove campers from public parks provided this was done "lawfully".
On Friday, the Council published a statement noting that eight homeless people had taken the Council to court and linking to the Supreme Court judgement. In that statement Council stated it would continue enforcing its ban on camping on public land. Responsibility for providing shelter to homeless people rested with the Queensland state government according to the Council.
The court scheduled the next hearing in three weeks to determine relief and costs.
Basic Rights Queensland and the Queensland Human Rights Commission supported the campers in the legal proceedings.
The Council's actions followed its decision earlier in February last year to ban camping on public land, which made camping illegal on public land within the Council from March 12, 2025.


== Sources ==
 Bobeldyk & Anor v Moreton Bay City Council; Eichin & Ors v Moreton Bay City Council [2026] QSC 27 - Caselaw — www.queenslandjudgments.com.au, March 6, 2026
 Statement on Supreme Court Decision - 6 March 2026 — Moreton Bay Council, March 6, 2026
Kenji Sato. Evicting homeless campers violated human rights, Supreme Court rules — ABC News (Australia), March 6, 2026
 Homeless human rights “breached” — Moreton Daily, December 13, 2016

Monday, March 9, 2026


The Danish firm Monta published a performance ranking of electric vehicle (EV) chargers on Wednesday. The firm analysed 260,000 EV chargers connected to its platform, which were located in Europe. In the publication, the firm showed the chargers ranked by their "performance score". The firm calculated this score metric from two parameters — the charger uptime, and the percent of charge sessions that went successful without hardware or software or user interruptions.
The AC — slower chargers — and DC — fast chargers — ranking was provided in two separate tables. AC chargers performance was topped by a Mennekes EV charger, with performance score 94.65. Among DC chargers, five charger models by Alpitronic took the top spots, with performance score reaching 96.54. The Driven, an Australian news site, noted that '9 out of 10' of the top performing DC chargers from Monta's report were available for sale, and were in use — by Ampol AmpCharge and BP Pulse — in Australia.
The firm noted the published results provided motivation for EV chargers to adopt these benchmarks in marketing, and further develop their products to increase performance and uptime.
A volunteer Wikinews reporter reached out to Monta, and Monta has clarified that they also have some EV chargers on their platform in Asia, Oceania, and North America, however excluded them from the ranking due to small quantities. Monta also noted they were planning to release quarterly EV charger updates in 2026, and yearly EV charger ranking reports with awards.
The Monta's EV charger ranking program was launched in June last year. Monta won the best EV app/software at the E-Mobility Awards 2023.


== Sources ==

Ed Lynch-Bell. What the latest performance rankings tell us about Australia's DC fast chargers — The Driven, March 8, 2026
Kit Million Ross. Monta launches first EV charger ranking system — EV Infrastructure News, June 19, 2025
 Monta EV Chargers Performance Score 2025 - Monta — Monta, March 8, 2025

Saturday, March 7, 2026

On Tuesday, a rash that reporters had observed on US President Donald Trump's neck in photos from a Medal of Honor ceremony at the White House one day earlier appeared to have been covered up. One media source indicated the substance used was cosmetic makeup, although Trump's physician, Dr. Sean Barbabella, told the source the rash had been covered up by a "very common cream."
President Trump has worn makeup in public before. He once wore makeup to obscure bruises on his hands, which White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, stated were inflicted from "shaking hands all day every day." Trump himself has attributed the bruises to his use of aspirin, of which he says he takes excessive amounts. Trump said, "They say aspirin is good for thinning out the blood, and I don’t want thick blood pouring through my heart. I want nice, thin blood pouring through my heart. Does that make sense?"


== Sources ==
Meredith Kile. Trump Appears to Cover Scabbing Neck Rash with Makeup One Day After It Distracted from Medal of Honor Ceremony — People (magazine), March 3, 2026
Isabel Keane. Trump’s hand makeup has found a new home on his neck to cover new rash — The Independent, March 3, 2026

Friday, March 6, 2026

On Wednesday, Randwick City Council, a municipality on the east coast of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, opened a public consultation period focused on introducing parking fees at beaches within the Randwick area. The consultation, affecting up to thousands of beachgoers in peak hours on hot summer weekends, is set to close on April 15.
The council mailed the consultation paper version to all residents and added to Randwick's "Have Your Say" portal with an online form and a note that feedback may also be provided by phone and in person.
The Council noted the beaches received a lot of non-local traffic, allegedly reaching 84% at certain beaches, according to mobile phone data collected by Veitch Lister Consulting (VLC), a United Kingdom and Australian firm. The revenue from paid parking would help towards beaches cleaning, maintenance, and improving the quality of amenities, the Council wrote on the public consultation page. The Council estimated implementing the proposal would require A$3.6 million expenditure and would generate yearly A$6 million revenue.
Randwick includes the Clovelly, Coogee, Maroubra, Malabar, Little Bay (Malabar Beach), La Perouse (Frenchmans Bay) and Yarra Bay areas. The proposal stated that new signage and parking meters would be installed in late 2026 and 2027 if the proposal was approved.
A Wikinews contributor visited the area, noting previously the parking was time-limited but predominantly free, with selected sections designated as paid parking. Parking at Arden St. was free, while parking at Coogee Oval or near Coogee Pavilion required a fee from 2003 to 2016. Meanwhile, parking near Manly and Bondi beaches outside the Randwick area required a fee in many spots and streets immediately adjacent to the beach as of 2026. Near Manly, a multi-level paid car park was available in a nearby shopping center.


== Sources ==

 Information Booklet — Randwick City Council, March 6, 2026 (PDF)
 Beach visitor pay parking — Your Say Randwick, March 6, 2026
Freddy Powle. Free parking at popular Sydney beaches under threat as Randwick City Council proposes paid access — 7NEWS, March 5, 2026

Tuesday, March 3, 2026


Caloundra got their first season in the Football Queensland Premier League 2 (FQPL 2) competition underway with a 4 goals to 2 win over Brisbane Knights FC at their home ground in Meridan Plains, Australia on Saturday night.

"Starting the game that quickly, it just makes life a lot easier," Caloundra player Ethan Galbraith said. "It was surprising but amazing at the same time. I think we started fast like we wanted to. And we got on top. And once you do that to a team, obviously it makes it hard for them to get back into it. But credit to them. Second half with the man down, they really battled and made it difficult for us. It's obviously a tough place to come. Travel up the Coast on a weekend."
It was a tough away trip for the Brisbane Knights. Their first twenty minutes were slow with a bit of ill-discipline, according to their coach, Rob Shaw.
"[It] cost us, I think, in that first half," Shaw said. "[We] changed shape in the second half, showed, the boys settled, started to play football, a little bit better football. It actually worked in some ways, even the man down. The boys worked hard. It was a bit of a mountain to climb, though, after the first half, but can't fault the effort though from the boys."
Caloundra will now travel to play Moreton City Excelsior while Brisbane Knights host the Samford Rangers.
"I think they're a pretty tough team," Galbraith said. "We'll be up against it next week but looking forward to the challenge. They've got a lot of good players in there. [They're a] very good team. So we'll be up against it but ready for it."


== Related news ==
"Caloundra through to next round of 2026 Australia Cup preliminaries" — Wikinews, February 23, 2026


== Sources ==

 Caloundra vs Brisbane Knights — Squadi, March 2, 2026 (date of access)
 Season Fixture — Squadi, March 2 , 2026 (date of access)
Patrick Gillett. Plenty to work on as Caloundra open FQPL 2 campaign with big win — Pattman Sport, March 1, 2026

Monday, March 2, 2026


Major League Baseball pitcher Max Scherzer signed a full contract with the Toronto Blue Jays, with the team confirming the agreement on February 26, 2026.
The agreement, according to USA Today's Bob Nightengale, will be a salary of US$3 million with incentives up to US$10 million.
Scherzer had five wins and five losses and an earned run average of 5.19 for seventeen starts and 85 innings played last year for the Blue Jays. Scherzer is an eight-time All-star pitcher.
His eight-year-old daughter Brooke wrote a letter on December 15 to the Blue Jays hoping they would accept him back. Scherzer had played for the Blue Jays in 2025 on a one-year contract.
Scherzer's wife, Erica May-Scherzer, posted the letter from Brooke on Instagram.


== Sources ==
 Max Scherzer’s 8-year-old daughter sent handwritten note to Blue Jays hoping for Toronto return — AP News, February 27, 2026
Associated Press. Scherzer’s 8-year-old daughter wrote handwritten note to Blue Jays hoping for Toronto return — News Tribune, February 27, 2026
Jayesh Pagar. Blue Jays Officially Reveal Terms of Max Scherzer's Incentive-Based Contract — Sports Illustrated, February 26, 2026
Keegan Matheson. Scherzer reaches agreement on deal to return to Blue Jays — MLB.com, February 26, 2026
 Veteran pitcher Max Scherzer confirms he is returning to the Blue Jays — CBC News, February 25, 2026

Monday, March 2, 2026


The Green Party of England and Wales candidate Hannah Spencer has been declared the winner of Thursday's by-election in Gorton and Denton, a parliamentary constituency in Manchester, which was triggered following the resignation of the previous Labour MP Andrew Gwynne.
The election marks the first parliamentary by-election won by a Green Party candidate, and the first Green Party election win in the North of England. Spencer will become the fifth current Green Party MP, with just under 41% of the vote, a lead of 12% on the second-place candidate, Matt Goodwin of Reform UK, who received just under 29% of the vote.
The election was highly anticipated as a test of confidence for the current Labour government, which has seen numerous high-profile scandals over past months. The Labour candidate received 25% of the vote, dropping 25% from the 50% won at the 2024 general election. The seat was previously regarded as the sixth safest seat for the party in Britain, and had not been lost by a Labour Party candidate since 1931.
Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham had applied to stand as the party's candidate, but was blocked by its National Executive Committee over a worry that Labour would lose the resulting by-election for Mayor, and amid fears he would mount a leadership challenge against Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Former Deputy Leader of the Labour Party and former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said that "This result must be a wake up call" amid the election adding to mounting internal party pressure on Keir Starmer to resign following the election, which would trigger a leadership election within his party. Starmer said in a statement that he was not planning to resign over the election results.
The Reform UK candidate Matt Goodwin's 29% of the vote was up 15% from the party's position in the constituency at the 2024 general election. Talking to BBC News reporters, Goodwin blamed the Green Party win on "a coalition of Islamists and woke progressives that came together to dominate a constituency", and said "many people in this country will look at Gorton and Denton and be appalled by what they see."
The Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties both won just under 2% of the vote, with the Conservatives dropping 6% from the previous election, and the Liberal Democrats dropping 2%. It is just the second time the Conservative Party has lost their deposit (which occurs by receiving under 5% of the vote) since 1962, and is the worst result in a by-election for the party in history.
The election and its campaign period has seen numerous allegations of misconduct. The Reform campaign was alleged to have breached campaign laws by not imprinting statutory material clarifying the publisher on a public letter addressed from pensioner and Reform UK worker Patricia Clegg mailed to households in the constituency and printed to appear handwritten. The Reform candidate Goodwin was acquitted by the High Court in a related case the day before the election.
The Green Party reported the Labour candidate Angeliki Stogia to police on election day after a campaign van not bearing the aforementioned imprint was pictured driving past polling stations, with text alleging the Greens wanted to "legalise all drugs and teach our children to use drugs" and "let our daughters be used for legal prostitution". The Electoral Commission says on its website that campaigners must not drive or park vehicles "heavily branded with campaign material" near polling stations.
Election observer group Democracy Volunteers raised concerns following the closure of polls of family voting, where families enter voting booths in groups to intimidate and collude with each other into voting for a specific candidate. It has been a criminal offence in Britain since the passing of the Ballot Secrecy Act 2023. It claimed to have observed the practice in 68% of polling stations it observed, affecting 12% of those voters seen. Manchester City Council, which oversaw the election, expressed disappointment in that the group did not alert election officials. It emphasised in a statement that "no such issues have been reported" by polling station staff, and said "We have operated a central by-election hub which has been rapidly responding to reported issues during the day, in liaison with the police - who had a presence at every polling station - where necessary."
Reform UK said it had reported the allegations of family voting to Greater Manchester Police, after the Electoral Commission said in a statement that "Electoral offences are a matter for the police", and echoed the statement given by Manchester City Council, saying "The statutory electoral observer Code of Practice says that electoral observers may bring potential irregularities, fraud or significant problems to the attention of elected officials on the spot." Reform leader Nigel Farage said in a post on X that the election was "victory for sectarian voting and cheating" in reference to the family voting.
The by-election precedes other highly anticipated local elections and elections to the devolved parliaments of Scotland and Wales, in which Labour is expected to lose large numbers of seats to Reform UK, the Green Party, and the pro-independence Plaid Cymru and Scottish National Party, all set to take place in May.


== Sources ==
Jennifer McKiernan and Becky Morton. Green Party wins Gorton and Denton by-election, pushing Labour into third place — BBC News, February 27, 2026
Millie Cooke, David Maddox, Athena Stavrou, Nicole Wootton-Cane and Dan Haygarth. Gorton and Denton by-election live: Starmer vows not to quit after Labour humiliated by Green victory — The Independent, February 27, 2026
Alexandra Topping. Five key takeaways from the Gorton and Denton byelection — The Guardian, February 27, 2026
Hamish Morrison. Labour reported to police over Gorton and Denton 'attack ad van' — The National, February 26, 2026
 Starmer accepts 'voters are impatient for change' as Greens celebrate 'seismic' by-election win — BBC News, February 26, 2026
Lynette Horsburgh. No sanctions over Reform's by-election rule breach — BBC News, February 25, 2026
Stewart Whittingham and Annabel Tiffin. MP responds after printers admit leaflet error — BBC News, February 8, 2026

Saturday, February 28, 2026


On the evening of February 16, 2026, an audience gathered at an undisclosed location to see a performance by three experimental musical acts in Long Island City, Queens, New York, as part of the ongoing Striped Light series of events. A volunteer contributor to Wikinews attended the event as a reporter. There were somewhere between forty and a hundred people in attendance. The doors opened for the event at 7:30 p.m. New York time (0030 UTC).
Jennifer Gersten played the first set, as a soloist. She played the violin using a variety of techniques, holding it in a traditional manner as well as on her lap at times.
Jack Langdon played the second set, also as a soloist. He played a Native American flute through amplification, taking advantage of the opportunity to explore extended techniques and unusual sounds with the flute.
John King and Leyya Mona Tawil performed the third set as a duo. King played guitar while using electronics and a laptop positioned on a table in front of him, while Tawil worked with electronics, multiple microphones, and unconventional objects; at one point, she danced on the amplified stage. In contrast to the earlier sets, this was a high-volume set.
Striped Light is an ongoing series curated by David Watson and Ian Douglas-Moore. The location of the performances is only revealed to performers and people who purchase tickets.


== Gallery ==
 Category:2026/02/22 striped light


== Sources ==

 John King & Leyya Mona Tawil, Jack Langdon, Jennifer Gersten — Withfriends Discovery, February 16, 2026
Ben Gambuzza. The Secret of Striped Light — The Brooklyn Rail, March 2024

Monday, February 23, 2026


Caloundra have qualified for the next round of soccer's Australia Cup qualifiers with a 4-1 win over Pacific Pines on Saturday night in Meridan Plains, Queensland.

"[We had a] good second half," said Caloundra captain Kaine Frew. "Obviously first competitive match [of the year] tonight. It was good for the boys to get the cobwebs out. We've played a few easier sort of preseason games and obviously they've come up from the Gold Coast."
Three goals in the space of ten minutes secured Caloundra's advancement after the scores were tied at 1 all at half time.
"We started a bit slow and obviously we got a few new players," Frew said. "So we're all just still gelling. But yeah, no, it was a really good second half. We're happy with that. And we'll take that into training next week and be ready for round one."
Caloundra's next game is scheduled to be against Brisbane Knights as part of the Football Queensland Premier League 2 opening round on February 28.
"[Brisbane Kights are] a big club, but we really don't know [what to expect], to be honest," said Frew. "We're just going to worry about ourselves. Obviously, we think we can be competitive this year there's no doubt about that. As long as we can play 90 minutes. Not like tonight where, you know, first half an hour wasn't great. We need to play like we did in the second half for the whole game."


== Sources ==

 Kappa Queensland Cup — Football Queensland, February 23, 2026 (date of access)
 Caloundra FC v Pacific Pines — Squadi, February 22, 2026
Patrick Gillett. Caloundra on to next round of Cup competition — Pattman Sport, February 22, 2026
