Cyclist Rhys Newell was just out for a ride in northern New South Wales when he suddenly felt something clawing at his face. Checking his cheek, he felt a small wound — he'd been swooped. "Usually, you hear them click against your helmet. I'm already used to that. But this guy was really upset with me," Rhys recalls. The "swooping" behaviour – which can be either a warning flyby or a direct strike – is seasonal and has earned magpies a fearsome reputation in parts of the population. This is why pedestrians and cyclists have adopted some unusual tactics, such as wearing helmets with spikes or c...

From the hills above this quiet coastal village on the Indonesian island of Lombok, the view is postcard-perfect: Turquoise waters curl against a rocky islet, coconut groves shade clusters of houses and children run barefoot along dusty paths. For generations, life in Buwun Mas has changed little. Now, it may change all at once. On 149 hectares of farmland and coastline, developers are pushing ahead with Marina Bay City, a planned billion-dollar resort billed as the "Miami of Indonesia." The project, led by Australian investors, promises a marina, luxury villas and hotels – the kind of large-s...

Dressed head to toe in vibrant 1960s fashion, Kitty Steiner brings the past to life. Wearing bright accessories and an elaborate hairstyle, Steiner could step straight onto a vintage magazine cover. At 41, she lives immersed in her favourite decades, the 1950s and 1960s. Her Gelsenkirchen home and Dusseldorf hair salon feel like time capsules: retro furnishings, appliances, wallpaper, lamps, and even the toilet with its metal chain are all decades-old originals. In the pastel-coloured kitchen, she cooks on a stove built in 1958–59, swearing by the reliability of "the good old thing" rather tha...

Migrants coming to Germany struggle to get jobs, facing a slew of bureaucratic hurdles, plus a language that is not familiar to many. But public and private employers alike are desperate to find skilled workers and depend heavily on people from abroad to fill vacancies. For applicants, the main problem is the long wait for visas and the inadequate administrative and infrastructure in Germany. The problem is especially aggravating because skilled immigrants are in demand in many countries and some are discouraged from even coming here - or staying - due to the hurdles. Newcomers struggle to nav...

The release of the remaining hostages held by Hamas in Gaza has begun, with Israeli media reporting that seven abductees were handed to the International Committee of the Red Cross on Monday morning. In total, 20 living hostages are expected to be freed on Monday, including Alon Ohel, Rom Braslavski and twins Ziv and Gali Berman, who all hold both Israeli and German citizenship. According to media reports, three of the four German-Israelis were freed in the day's first handover. The hostages will be transferred to the Israeli military base of Re'im for medical checks, showers and clothing chan...