NEWS

Syrian state media said Israel struck near a defence research centre in Damascus and hit central Syria on Wednesday, as Israel said it struck "military" capabilities and a monitor reported four dead.

Australia has just sweltered through its hottest 12 months on record, a weather official said Thursday, a period of drenching floods, tropical cyclones and mass coral bleaching.

Among those who expressed regret, 47% said they did not earn enough money. Furthermore, 30% mentioned their interests and passions had changed, 28% found their jobs unfulfilling, and 26% were unhappy with their work-life balance.

The United States said Tuesday it has approved the possible sale of $5.58 billion in F-16 fighter jets to the Philippines, as Washington backs its ally in rising tensions over China.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio heads Wednesday to a NATO meeting in Europe as transatlantic tensions soar, with President Donald Trump slapping tariffs on Europeans and challenging Denmark's sovereignty over Greenland.

Some riders on the driverless train recorded the open door, while a digital sign above one exit displayed a message stating, "This door is out of service."

President Donald Trump has revoked the licenses that allowed several transnational oil and gas companies to operate in Venezuela despite the country being under US sanctions.

Whole herds of cattle have drowned in vast inland floods sweeping across the Australian outback, officials said Tuesday, as the muddy tide drenched an area the size of France.

In Australia, employers are required to contribute 11.5% of an employee's earnings to their superannuation, as long as the worker is over 18 and works at least 30 hours a week.

The United States has revoked several transnational oil and gas companies' licenses to operate in Venezuela, Caracas said on Sunday, which had been granted despite Washington's sanctions against the South American country.

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned Monday of a forceful retaliation if the United States or its allies bomb the Islamic republic, following a threat by President Donald Trump.

US President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday to remove "improper ideology" from the famed Smithsonian Museums -- and the National Zoo -- expanding his conservative clampdown on cultural institutions.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Friday warned of "severe challenges" to global trade, vowing to open the country's door "wider and wider" to foreign firms as Beijing faces down a mounting trade war with the United States.

According to Victoria Police, the pilot, who was the only person on board, suffered serious injuries. The crash happened far from spectators, and no other injuries have been reported.

Even without discounts, Choice found that prices at Coles and Aldi went down, while Woolworths experienced a small increase. Aldi's grocery prices remained mostly the same, from March to December last year, dropping by just 0.3%.

Israeli police released Oscar-winning Palestinian filmmaker Hamdan Ballal on Tuesday, after detaining him a day earlier for "hurling rocks" following what activists described as an attack by settlers in the occupied West Bank.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio heads Wednesday to the Caribbean looking for ways forward on violence-torn Haiti and to show support for oil-rich Guyana in its dispute with Venezuela.

Huthi media in Yemen reported Wednesday at least 17 strikes in Saada and Amran, blaming the United States for the attacks.

Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday that the number of wounded in a Russian strike on the city of Sumy Monday rose to almost 90 people, including 17 children.

Washington and Kyiv held brief talks in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, a day after hours of US-Russia negotiations on halting the fighting in Ukraine ended without any breakthroughs announced.

Premier David Crisafulli had previously promised not to build a new athletics stadium and specifically ruled out Victoria Park as a location. However, the government is now expected to follow a recommendation from its Games Independent Infrastructure and Coordination Authority to move forward with the project.

Former Russian deputy defence minister Timur Ivanov appeared in court on Monday at the start of a high-profile embezzlement trial that could see him jailed for years.

Police have detained more than 1,100 people, officials said Monday -- including journalists -- since the arrest of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's main rival triggered some of Turkey's worst unrest in years.

American and Russian officials met in Saudi Arabia to discuss a partial ceasefire in Ukraine on Monday, a day after US-Ukraine talks there and as President Donald Trump pushes to quickly end the war.

The wild weather will continue until Tuesday morning as a low-pressure system develops inland, as per the bureau. Some areas, including Northern Goldfields, Upper Flinders, North West, Central West, Channel Country, and Maranoa and Warrego, could receive up to 200mm of rain.

US President Donald Trump signed an order Thursday aimed at "eliminating" the Department of Education, a decades-old goal of the American right, which wants individual states to run schools free from the federal government.

The days of Ronen Bar as Israel's Shin Bet chief were already numbered after Hamas's deadly attack on October 7, 2023, having hinted he would resign to take responsibility for failing to prevent it.

Following a survey comprising over 100,000 people from 140 countries, Australia dropped out of the top 10 nations, ranking 11th in the latest World Happiness Report.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday said that he and US counterpart Donald Trump had discussed possible US ownership of the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine.