Millions of Australians are in for a wet and stormy weekend as showers and thunderstorms rain down across the east coast, while inland parts of Australia are set to swelter through soaring temperatures. A severe thunderstorm warning was issued for parts of southeast inland Queensland, with heavy rain, damaging winds and large hailstones expected to … Read more
A Sydney synagogue has been graffitied with swastikas and anti-Semitic slurs overnight in what’s been described as a “monstrous act”. Police patrolling the area as part of Operation Shelter discovered the Southern Sydney Synagogue on Railway Ave in Allawah had been vandalised about 4.30am on Friday. Southern Sydney Synagogue president George Foster received a call … Read more
Witches, warriors and a feisty Polynesian teenager have contributed to the growth in discretionary spending across the nation. High-profile movie releases, along with Black Friday promotions and discounting, helped drive the 0.4 per cent increase in discretionary spending in November, in the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ monthly household spending indicator. As well as extra spending … Read more
A casino giant may be wishing on a shooting star if it expects to be bailed out of financial trouble, after a state government shut down talk of a lifeline. Shares in Star Entertainment plunged by more than 19 per cent to an all-time low of 10.5 cents on Friday, building on the 20 per … Read more
Network groupings for a state’s 76 public health services have been unveiled but a cloud continues to hang over future funding levels. Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas revealed the final carve-up on Friday after the Victorian government announced its hospital networks plan in August. The 12 geography-based local health service networks will begin operating from July … Read more
Australia “stands ready” to assist the US government amid raging, catastrophic bushfires in California, with Emergency Management Minister Jenny McAllister stating the government will do “everything we responsibly can” to help. Although no requests have been made, Senator McAllister said Australia has reached out through “diplomatic channels”. “We are yet to receive any response for … Read more
A police officer and a man have been shot after a physical altercation at a suburban home. Queensland Police were called to the home in Tamar Street in the Brisbane suburb of Annerley about 9.15am on Friday after reports of a disturbance. When officers arrived, a physical altercation began between the male constable and a … Read more
Australia has been accused of trying to “escape its human rights responsibility” after a UN committee found it was responsible for arbitrary detention of asylum seekers in Nauru. The UN Human Rights Committee monitors how countries fulfil their human rights obligations under international law. It was reviewing two cases involving asylum seekers, including minors, who … Read more
A leading US lawmaker has reassured bipartisan support for the AUKUS partnership in a “powerful signal to naysayers,” less than two weeks out from Donald Trump’s inauguration. Under the agreement, Australia has been promised at least three Virginia-class submarines from the US in the early 2030s, with a new class of nuclear-powered boats to be … Read more
A man charged over the cold case murder of a woman nearly 30 years ago was allegedly helped by religious groups who had no idea who he was or that he was wanted by police. Keith Lees, 72, is charged with murdering his former partner Meaghan Louise Rose in 1997 following a breakthrough by investigators … Read more