World - Wednesday, April 15, 2026

Follow the latest updates live Full report: Geelong oil refinery fire Geelong oil refinery fire: what we know so far Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Fire officer says officials haven’t detected any contaminants spreading from blaze Earlier this morning, Fire Rescue Victoria assistant chief fire officer, Mick McGuinness , provided an update to ABC Radio Melbourne. Shortly before 7am, he said about 50 firefighting vehicles were continuing to fight the blaze in the Mogas (motor gasoline) plant section of the refinery. This fire has been quite large overnight. It is still burning at the moment, and we would still declare it as not yet under control … And the fire is mainly being fed by various types of hydrocarbon fuels. So predominantly liquid petrol … and also some gas and vapours that are feeding this fire at the moment. We were concerned with the smoke that was coming off this fire, so our initial reactions were to get an alert message out to the community. We’ve since been able to have our specialist hazardous materials teams come in from locally Geelong and also in Melbourne and set up some atmospheric monitoring equipment and do a lot of sensing and sampling of not only the atmosphere but also the fire water runoff that we’re using to contain the fire. We’ve been able to determine … that we haven’t detected any sort of contaminants there. We’re predicting that this still could burn for another three or four hours, if not longer. But we are starting to see a reduction in the intensity of the fire, which is an indication that the depressurising of the systems and the pipe work is occurring and that we will see a lesser amount of fuel being available to feed the fire. And of course, that allows us to continue to cool that area more rapidly and then be able to get crews in there to look at how we can start to isolate pipe work and valve systems. It shows that we have very fragile, very thin energy security platform when it comes to refinery, only the two refineries left. And as mayor, I’ve been calling this out since being elected back in 2024, that Viva is not only a significant employer and corporate citizen for Geelong, but it has a significance for Victoria and Australia. And it just shows that we, as a country, need to invest more in this type of capability. Continue reading...

President Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico is under pressure to end one of her country’s most painful tragedies: the disappearance of more than 133,000 people.

Ukraine's allies pledge massive military aid, including 120,000 U.K. drones, as Russia launches 324 drones and ballistic missiles, officials report.

This live blog is now closed. For the latest on impeachment filings against Trump’s defense secretary, read our full report: Democrats file articles of impeachment against Hegseth for ‘high crimes and misdemeanors’ Sign up for the Breaking News US email At a Turning Point USA event in Georgia on Tuesday, vice-president JD Vance was heckled by a protester who seemed to criticized the conflicts in the Middle East, including the war in Gaza. “Jesus Christ does not support genocide,” the audience member shouted. The vice-president addressed the demonstrator and agreed with their statement, before responding to further comments from the heckler who appeared to say that the administration “supports a genocide in Gaza”. Continue reading...

The BBC's chief international correspondent reports from Iran as diplomatic efforts to avoid a return to war intensify.

The diplomacy came as the White House dismissed reports that President Trump wanted to extend the cease-fire, while still expressing optimism that talks could yield an agreement.

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer faces a crimes against humanity complaint at the U.N. over the alleged forced removal of Chagossian people from the Diego Garcia islands.

This blog is now closed. Our latest full report is here: US and Iran in indirect talks to extend two-week ceasefire Donald Trump said the “special relationship” between the US and UK was in a poor state but that it will not have impact on King Charle’s upcoming state visit to America. In an interview with Sky News, the US president once again criticised Keir Starmer over his policies, particularly on energy and immigration, and reiterated his disappointment that the UK and other Nato allies had not joined his war against Iran when the US “needed them”. Continue reading...

Petrol production hit and full extent of damage unknown after ‘unprecedented’ fire at Viva plant in Corio Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Geelong oil refinery fire: what we know so far Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast An explosive fire at a Geelong oil refinery – which supplies half of Victoria’s fuel and 10% of Australia’s – has been extinguished, with the impact on petrol production and the extent of the damage still unknown. The blaze at the Viva Energy facility in Corio – one of two refineries left in the country – broke out just after 11pm Wednesday, with Fire Rescue Victoria alerted to the blaze by multiple calls to triple zero reporting explosions and flames. Continue reading...

In confirming the precise location of William Shakespeare’s Blackfriars house, a British scholar raises fresh questions about what he intended to do with it.