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Testing of more than 130 lighting products sold on online marketplaces has found that the vast majority fail to meet Australian safety standards, raising serious concerns about consumer protection in the rapidly growing e-commerce sector.
The Queensland Land Court has ruled that the owner of Brampton Island resort is in breach of lease conditions, describing the state of the tropical island's facilities as 'dilapidated to the point of falling down'. The decision paves the way for the lease to be stripped despite the owner's plans to build new amenities.
The Productivity Commission has declared that Western Australian Premier Roger Cook crossed a line when he labelled its commissioners 'east coast clowns' in response to a damning report that described the state's Morrison-era GST floor deal as a $23 billion mistake. Commissioner Angela Jackson has condemned the personal attacks as 'unacceptable' while also expressing disappointment that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has ruled out any changes to the arrangement.
New court documents filed in Los Angeles on Tuesday suggest Australian actress Rebel Wilson was personally involved in commissioning websites that disparaged Amanda Ghost, a producer on Wilson's upcoming film 'The Deb,' escalating a legal dispute that has cast a shadow over the movie's release.
Australia's inflation rate for the July quarter came in higher than expected, data released on Wednesday showed, validating the Reserve Bank's prior caution about upside risks and putting an interest rate increase back on the table for the upcoming monetary policy meeting.
The Trump administration has paused all immigrant visa applications worldwide, a State Department official confirmed Tuesday, as part of a broader crackdown on both lawful and undocumented immigration. The initiative, launched at all embassies and consulates in early August, requires consular officers to undergo new training to ensure applicants are not likely to become dependent on U.S. assistance.
In a move that has electrified the tennis world, Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz have confirmed they will team up for mixed doubles at the US Open later this month, pairing the most decorated female player of the Open era with the current world No. 1 and reigning Wimbledon champion.
Fresh inflation data released on Wednesday has come in higher than economists anticipated, delivering a potential blow to Australian borrowers already under pressure from elevated interest rates and stoking fresh uncertainty over the Reserve Bank's next move.
Federal Labor MP Luke Gosling has stepped aside from an envoy role after facing assault and bail charges, according to reports. The move comes as pressure had been mounting on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to have the Darwin-based MP stand aside, multiple outlets reported on Wednesday.
A Coalition tobacco taskforce has recommended cutting Australia's tobacco excise by as much as 80 per cent, arguing that soaring prices have fuelled an illicit cigarette black market now run by entrenched criminal networks, posing a threat to national security.
Former union administrator Mark Irving has defended his decision to retain the controversial ‘Youth Crew’ within the CFMEU, telling a parliamentary inquiry that young activists can serve as a “vehicle for change.” However, Irving also stated that former union figure Jade Ingham would have no future role in the organisation.
Anita Perrottet, the sister-in-law of former New South Wales premier Dominic Perrottet, has told the state's corruption watchdog she has little recollection of her husband's political work and is not sure she has ever been a member of the Liberal Party.
The commissioner of the Australian antisemitism royal commission, former High Court judge Virginia Bell, has requested an extension for the delivery of her report on the Bondi component of the inquiry, while directly addressing frustration from the Jewish community over the pace and scope of the probe. On the final day of hearings, the commission will call the father-in-law of a Bondi attack victim as its last witness.
The Trump administration has formally submitted a nuclear cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia to Congress for review, but with a newly disclosed condition: the deal will only move forward if the kingdom joins the Abraham Accords and normalizes relations with Israel. The submission, required under the Atomic Energy Act, kicks off a 90-day congressional review period and injects a major diplomatic hurdle into an already contentious proposal.
New figures released today show Australia’s inflation rate eased in July, but the decline was smaller than the Reserve Bank had hoped for, reigniting speculation that the central bank may be forced to deliver another interest rate rise. The monthly consumer price index indicator, released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, fell to 3.8 per cent from 4.1 per cent in June, still well above the RBA’s 2–3 per cent target band.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Small Business Administration Administrator Kelly Loeffler announced Tuesday the creation of a Smaller War Plants Commission, reviving a World War II-era concept to channel more federal contracts and assistance to small and medium-sized defense contractors, officials said.
A federal judge in Virginia has blocked the planned auction of more than 100 artefacts salvaged from the RMS Titanic shipwreck, ruling that their sale poses an “apparent threat” to the collection’s long-term preservation and public access. The order, issued by U.S. District Judge Rebecca Beach Smith, halts the auction by RMS Titanic Inc., the company holding exclusive salvage rights to the wreckage, pending further legal proceedings.
Darline Graham, a political novice appointed to the Senate just weeks ago after the sudden death of her brother Lindsey Graham, won South Carolina’s GOP primary runoff Tuesday, defeating nine-term Rep. Ralph Norman in a race that tested President Donald Trump’s ability to lift a struggling candidate.
All Blacks winger Emoni Narawa scored a crucial try to end a spirited Lions fight, securing New Zealand's victory in a tense tour match in South Africa on Wednesday. The win keeps the All Blacks unbeaten on their current tour of the country.
The devastating Black Summer bushfires of 2019-2020, which scorched 24 million hectares, killed at least 33 people and destroyed 3000 homes, did not significantly alter the opinions of climate sceptics in Australia, according to an analysis by Nick O'Malley published in Sydney Morning Herald, Brisbane Times and The Age.
The Coalition has proposed an 80 percent cut to tobacco excise and the legalisation of vapes and nicotine pouches in an effort to combat the surge in illegal cigarette sales, a plan immediately rejected by Labor, the Australian Medical Association and public health experts as a dangerous backward step.
Everton Blair Jr. won a special election on Tuesday to fill the U.S. House seat left vacant by the death of Representative David Scott in April. Blair will serve through January but is not a candidate in the general election for the next full term in Georgia's 13th Congressional District, a deep-blue seat that is expected to remain in Democratic hands.
Samuel Bateman, a polygamous sect leader already serving a 50-year federal sentence for orchestrating sex involving children, was sentenced to an additional 24 years in prison on Tuesday after being convicted on three state child abuse counts for hauling three young girls in an unventilated trailer in Arizona.
Perth is bracing for a severe storm with heavy rains expected to hit the region, prompting warnings from authorities for residents to take precautions against potential flooding and power outages.
Iran has declared that the Strait of Hormuz remains fully closed to international shipping, even after reaching an agreement with Oman on alternative maritime routes, a move that deepens the crisis in one of the world's most critical oil chokepoints and threatens global energy markets.
A new United Nations report has warned that the human rights situation in Myanmar has ‘plummeted to a new low’, citing escalating abuses against the Rohingya minority and the unchecked exploitation of natural resources as key drivers of the deepening crisis.
A federal appeals court on Tuesday blocked a Trump administration FCC order that would have forced broadcasters to offer the lowest advertising rates to political parties and joint fundraising committees, a move that could have significantly increased the volume of political ads on television. The 2-1 ruling from the 4th Circuit came as a separate, preliminary Supreme Court order on mail-in voting is raising concerns about voter confusion, underscoring the unsettled legal landscape heading into the final stretch of the election campaign.
A federal appeals court on Tuesday ruled against Republican efforts to secure lower advertising rates for party committees, rejecting the argument that a recent Supreme Court decision allowing closer coordination between parties and candidates also entitled them to discounted media buys. The ruling marks a clear win for Democrats in the ongoing legal fight over campaign finance regulations.
Three of the four living former U.S. presidents — Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and George W. Bush — on Tuesday issued statements honoring Dolly Parton following the country music icon’s death after a battle with cancer and other recent health issues. Parton, 80, died peacefully at her home in Nashville, Tennessee, her publicist confirmed.
Dolly Parton, the legendary country singer, songwriter, and philanthropist, died Tuesday at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville following a brief battle with cancer, her representative announced. The specific type of cancer was not disclosed. She was 79.
South Carolina's Republican Senate primary runoff between Sen. Darline Graham and Rep. Ralph Norman on Tuesday will serve as another barometer of President Trump's political influence, with Trump actively campaigning for Graham, the sister of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, against a rival who has cast himself as the more consistent conservative.
FBI agents raided the Ibiza vacation rental of James 'Fergie' Chambers, a 41-year-old US citizen and prominent leftwing philanthropist, days after his arrest last month on charges of financially supporting Hamas and other crimes, his lawyer confirmed. The Trump administration is seeking his extradition from Spain.
The Victorian government has opened a competitive auction for offshore wind projects it says could power the equivalent of 1.5 million homes, describing the process as a major step toward establishing a local offshore wind industry as the state prepares for the closure of its coal-fired power stations.
One of Western Australia's highest-ranked real estate agents has been disqualified from this year's industry awards after discrepancies emerged in his reported sales data, raising questions about self-reporting practices in the sector.
Darron Levin, 47, was arrested at his Potts Point apartment on Tuesday after allegedly impersonating a lawyer and financial institutions to defraud six people out of approximately $650,000. Police seized luxury watches and jewellery worth millions of dollars during the raid.
Canada has imposed retaliatory tariffs matching U.S. duties dollar for dollar, escalating a trade war that threatens to disrupt cross-border commerce and strain diplomatic relations between the two allies. The move, announced by Ottawa on Tuesday, comes in response to recent U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods, marking a sharp escalation in the dispute.
A U.S. federal judge has blocked an Ohio law that would have required prospective voters to provide proof of citizenship when registering, ruling that the measure likely violates federal voting rights statutes. The decision halts a Republican-backed effort to address unsubstantiated claims of noncitizen voting in the state.
The Antisemitism Royal Commission, chaired by former High Court Justice Virginia Bell, holds its final day of hearings today, marking the culmination of a sweeping investigation into the rise of antisemitic incidents across Australia. The commission has heard from community leaders, victims, academics, and policymakers over a series of hearings that began earlier this year.
Ralph Alvarado, the former Kentucky state senator endorsed by President Trump to succeed retiring Republican Rep. Andy Barr, has removed all references to Trump from his campaign website, signaling a possible strategic shift as the general election approaches. The website previously featured a photo of Alvarado and Trump together giving a thumbs-up, but that image has been replaced with more localized branding.
Republican election law attorney Ben Ginsberg warned Monday that President Trump's executive order imposing restrictions on mail-in voting will disproportionately harm Republican voters, as older voters — who lean Republican — are more likely to use mail ballots. Ginsberg predicted that the order could trigger backlash within the GOP in the coming weeks.
A major Gulf freight company has been grounded due to compliance and safety issues, putting more than 70 jobs at risk and threatening to drive up grocery prices in remote communities that depend on its services for essential supplies.
The Log Cabin Republicans, a longstanding organization advocating for gay rights within the conservative movement, announced on Tuesday that it is ending its support for transgender rights causes, arguing that trans rights advocates have placed disproportionate emphasis on issues affecting minors. The decision marks a significant fracture in the broader LGBTQ+ coalition and reflects growing tensions over the direction of the movement.
A bipartisan group of US lawmakers has called on Secretary of State Marco Rubio to take immediate action to secure the release of 20-year-old American student Sama Safi, who is being held by Israeli authorities. The lawmakers urged the Trump administration to use every available diplomatic tool, underscoring growing concerns over the detention of dual-nationals amid regional tensions.
Residents of East Palestine, Ohio, participating in a class-action settlement over the 2023 Norfolk Southern train derailment claim their own legal team suppressed an environmental report showing unsafe toxic levels, allegedly to convince residents to accept a settlement rather than pursue further action. The report, kept from the community for months, was revealed by whistleblowers within the plaintiffs' legal group and has reignited concerns over lingering contamination.
A growing number of Canadian officials and domestic critics are shifting from deference to outright defiance of former President Donald Trump's policies and rhetoric, marking a significant change in tone that threatens to disrupt cross-border relations and the Republican primary landscape.
A Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) crew violated the Hatch Act and agency policy by skipping homes with President Trump signs during Hurricane Milton recovery efforts in 2024, according to a new report from the Department of Homeland Security's inspector general's office. The watchdog determined that the crew allowed political considerations to influence the provision of disaster assistance, a breach of federal law.
An Ecuadorian mother and daughter were arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents at a hospital in central Florida on August 20, just after surviving a serious car crash, according to arrest reports and family statements. The incident has sparked renewed debate over immigration enforcement policies in sensitive locations like hospitals.
A dangerous heat dome is settling over the south-western United States, bringing daytime highs of 110–115°F (43–46°C) and threatening more than 45 million people through early September, the National Weather Service has warned. The intense heat, which is expected to tie or break records in some areas, is compounded by ongoing wildfires and limited overnight cooling, raising serious health and safety concerns.