Australia

FORT LAUDERDALE – October 29, 2026 -- Princess Cruises will put its 2029 Grand World Odyssey, a 129-night world cruise and the longest ever offered roundtrip from Australia, on sale on November 10, 2026. It anchors a 2028–29 Australia and New Zealand season that also covers three ships and more than 90 departures.

Grand Princess covers 37,300 nautical miles in 129 nights

The Grand World Odyssey sails aboard Grand Princess and covers approximately 37,300 nautical miles. It visits 61 destinations across 31 countries on five continents and includes 51 UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Ports include New York City, Miami, Reykjavik, Lisbon, Barcelona, Copenhagen, Tahiti and Auckland. The ship makes two full transits of the Panama Canal's new locks, crosses the Equator twice and crosses the International Date Line twice. It also cruises past Easter Island and Pitcairn Island, home to descendants of the HMS Bounty mutineers.

Global – October 27, 2026 -- Fifty-three boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy have now received the investigational gene therapy SGT-003, and a Phase 3 trial is already enrolling patients in Australia and Canada. Solid Biosciences shared the update in a letter to the Duchenne community as the annual Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy (PPMD) conference got under way.

The Phase 1/2 trial spans ages 0 to 10

The count comes from the Phase 1/2 INSPIRE DUCHENNE trial and reflects a June 22, 2026, enrollment cutoff. Participants range from 0 to 10 years old. One of them is a 6-month-old boy who, to the company's knowledge, is the youngest child ever dosed with a microdystrophin gene therapy.

Solid reports no cases of four serious safety conditions

The company describes SGT-003 as generally well tolerated. It reports no observed cases of drug-induced liver injury, myocarditis, thrombotic microangiopathy or atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome.

Australia – October 19, 2026 -- A study published this year found that four in five Australian teens under 16 got onto platforms barred by the country's 2024 social media ban. In an opinion piece, researchers Michal Luria, Aliya Bhatia and Danah Boyd argue that tightening enforcement would make kids and adults less safe online.

Bans are spreading, and so are workarounds

France joined Australia in July by barring under-15s from major platforms, though the country's top court blocked the ban on human rights grounds. The UK aims to bar under-16s in early 2027, and the EU has announced its own plan for under-15s. Teens in Australia have used a sibling's face for ID checks and even drawn fake facial hair.

San Francisco – October 16, 2026 -- Members of Future Golf can now earn Access Points and redeem them for rounds at more than 60 participating Troon-affiliated courses across the United States. Future Golf is the first partner of Access Powered by Troon, an integrated loyalty, tee-time booking and rewards platform created by Troon, the world's largest golf and golf-related hospitality management company.

Points are earned and redeemed inside the Future Golf app

A direct technology integration between Future Golf and Troon's Access platform lets members receive and redeem points through the Future Golf app. Future Golf will award Access Points to eligible members as an additional membership benefit.

Future Golf is one of Australia's largest social golf communities, with more than 60,000 members. Its membership includes 12 rounds a year at participating Future Golf courses, plus exclusive events and community experiences.

Winnipeg – September 15, 2026 -- Activate, the active gaming entertainment brand founded in Canada, is opening its first Australian location in Melbourne in early 2027, marking its entry into the country's out-of-home entertainment market.

The venue lands next to a HOYTS Cinema in Maribyrnong

Activate Melbourne (Highpoint) will open at Highpoint Shopping Centre in Maribyrnong, Victoria, sitting alongside a HOYTS Cinema. The site will be the company's first of several planned locations across Australia.

Twelve game rooms pack in more than 800 levels of challenges

The venue features 12 immersive game rooms with over 800 levels combined. RFID technology tracks each player across rooms, letting them level up, unlock achievements and earn Next Level Rewards. Teams of two to five tackle physical and mental challenges testing speed, coordination and problem-solving together.

Melbourne – September 15, 2026 -- Sandbox VR is opening a new virtual reality venue on Bourke Street in Melbourne's Central Business District, its second Australian location after the Gold Coast site. Guests can get 25% off through September 13 via presale booking on the company's website.

The Melbourne venue includes a bar, a party room and four private rooms where groups of up to six people wear headsets, haptic vests and motion sensors for full-body immersion. The system lets players see and physically interact with each other during sessions, and each group receives a personalized highlight video afterward to share the experience.