Latest News Stories
Qantas Jetstar cuts NZ flights due to fuel crisis amid Middle East conflict
Qantas-owned Jetstar NZ has reduced flights between Australia and New Zealand due to soaring jet fuel prices linked to the Middle East conflict, with 55+ routes cut and 12% of services on key routes l...
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- Jetstar NZ has cut 55+ flights between Australia and New Zealand due to rising jet fuel costs (NEWSCOMAU) and confirmed 12% of services on Auckland-Sydney and Auckland-Brisbane routes will be impacted from May (ABC).
- Jetstar NZ stated temporary schedule changes are due to 'soaring jet fuel prices as a direct result of the Middle East conflict and other rising costs' (NEWSCOMAU and ABC).
- All impacted passengers have been contacted directly, and most have been offered same-day travel alternatives (NEWSCOMAU and ABC).
Sheffield Shield cricket final between Victoria and South Australia at Junction Oval
The Sheffield Shield final between Victoria and South Australia is a high-stakes match at Melbourne's Junction Oval with both teams vying for history. Victoria, who finished top of the table with seve...
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- Victoria finished top of the Sheffield Shield table with seven wins from 10 matches
- South Australia is the reigning champion attempting to win successive titles for the first time
- The Sheffield Shield final is being played at Melbourne's Junction Oval
Nepal’s former PM KP Sharma Oli arrested over alleged role in deadly gen Z protest crackdown
Nepal’s former prime minister KP Sharma Oli and his former home affairs minister Ramesh Lekhak were arrested on Saturday over allegations they ordered or enabled a deadly police crackdown during last ...
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- KP Sharma Oli and former home affairs minister Ramesh Lekhak were arrested in Kathmandu on Saturday over alleged involvement in the deaths of protesters during the gen Z uprising last year
- The protests began in September 2023 in response to a social media ban and widespread corruption allegations, leading to nationwide unrest and the collapse of Oli’s government
- At least 19 protesters were killed when police opened fire during the protests, with additional deaths reported as government offices were set ablaze
First NFL regular-season game in Australia at MCG between Rams and 49ers
The first NFL regular-season game in Australia will take place at the MCG on September 11, 2024, featuring the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers. The match, scheduled for 10:35am AEST, marks a ...
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- The first NFL regular-season game in Australia will be played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Friday, September 11, 2024, with kick-off at 10:35am AEST
- The match-up features the Los Angeles Rams (Super Bowl LVI winners) and the San Francisco 49ers (Super Bowl LVIII runners-up)
- General access tickets will be available on Ticketmaster starting April 8, 2024, at 10am, with standing room tickets priced at $95 and general seating at $140
NSW introduces laws to crush illegal high-speed e-bikes and related policy debates
NSW is introducing legislation to crack down on illegal high-speed e-bikes by giving police and transport officers the power to seize and crush bikes exceeding 25km/h, using new roadside dyno units to...
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- NSW government will introduce legislation today to give police and Transport for NSW officers powers to seize and crush e-bikes operating over 25km/h, even if bought in error
- The laws include new roadside 'dyno units' to test e-bike speed, modeled after existing WA laws
- NSW Transport Minister John Graham stated: 'If it behaves like a motorbike, it’s probably illegal and could end up in the crusher'
AFL introduces new stringent illicit drug policy for players with mandatory hair testing
The AFL has introduced a new illicit drug policy for its players and AFLW athletes, marking the most stringent approach in Australian sport. Both sources agree the policy replaces the outdated three-s...
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- The AFL and AFLW players will now undergo hair testing for illicit drugs twice per year under a new policy
- The new policy replaces the previous three-strikes model and is described as the 'most stringent in Australian sport' by AFL CEO Andrew Dillon
- Players who test positive three or more times will be assessed by a newly formed Joint IDP Committee, which includes club president, CEO, and football manager
Donald Trump criticizes Australia’s role in Iran conflict; Albanese responds and defends policy
The core story revolves around Donald Trump’s criticism of Australia’s limited involvement in the US-led military operation against Iran, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese pushing back by emphasizi...
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- Donald Trump publicly criticized Australia in a White House cabinet meeting, calling it 'not great' for not assisting sufficiently in the Iran conflict, stating 'I was a little surprised by Australia' (SMH, THEAGE, ABC)
- Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stated Australia was not consulted before the US military action in Iran and that 'there is no request being made to Australia that has not been agreed to' (SMH, THEAGE, ABC)
- Australia provided Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles to the United Arab Emirates at its request (SMH, THEAGE)
Deadly Air Canada jet crash at LaGuardia Airport after collision with fire truck
An Air Canada Express regional jet operated by Jazz Aviation collided with a Port Authority fire truck at LaGuardia Airport on Sunday night, killing both pilots and injuring dozens of passengers. The ...
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- An Air Canada Express regional jet (operated by Jazz Aviation) collided with a Port Authority fire truck at LaGuardia Airport, New York, on Sunday night around 11:45 pm (local time).
- The pilots, Antoine Forest (30) and Mackenzie Gunther (23), were killed in the crash, while about 40 passengers and crew were injured, with nine still hospitalized as of Monday.
- A flight attendant, Solange Tremblay, was found alive outside the plane, still strapped into her seat, with multiple fractures and a broken leg.
Norwegian royal family scandal involving Crown Princess Mette-Marit and her son Marius Borg Høiby's criminal trial
The Norwegian royal family is facing a severe moral and public relations crisis centered on Crown Princess Mette-Marit and her son Marius Borg Høiby. Høiby, 29, is on trial for rape and physical abuse...
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- Crown Princess Mette-Marit asked for privacy for her son Marius Borg Høiby as he turned 20 in January 2017, stating he did not want a public life
- Marius Borg Høiby, 29, is accused of rape and physical abuse against four women between 2018 and late 2024, with prosecutors seeking a seven-year prison sentence
- Mette-Marit apologized for her friendship with Jeffrey Epstein in a public interview aired in February 2025, admitting she was 'manipulated and deceived'
Sydney private school teacher charged with grooming and child abuse material offenses
A Sydney private school teacher named Benjamin David Collinge, 29, was arrested in Beecroft on charges of grooming a 14-year-old girl and accessing child abuse material. Police allege he posed as a 17...
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- Benjamin David Collinge, 29, was arrested on 29 March 2024 in Beecroft, NSW, for grooming a 14-year-old girl and accessing child abuse material
- Collinge allegedly posed as a 17-year-old boy to contact the girl on social media, who was not known to him
- The girl’s parents reported the incident to NSW Police on 21 March 2024, leading to Collinge’s arrest the following week
Victorian Liberal Party preselection battle removes Moira Deeming from upper house ticket
Moira Deeming, a controversial Victorian upper house MP, lost her Liberal Party preselection for the Western Metropolitan Region seat in a vote held on Sunday. Dinesh Gourisetty won the top spot with ...
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- Moira Deeming lost Liberal preselection for the Western Metropolitan Region upper house seat in a vote held on Sunday, 2025
- Dinesh Gourisetty won the top spot in the Western Metropolitan Region preselection with 39 votes, replacing Deeming
- Moira Deeming received 26 votes in the preselection vote, while Trung Luu received 3 votes
Bill Cosby civil sexual assault trial verdict and damages award
A California civil jury ruled against Bill Cosby in a sexual assault case brought by Donna Motsinger, awarding her $19.25 million in damages for alleged drugging and assault in 1972. Motsinger, then a...
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- A California civil jury found Bill Cosby liable for drugging and sexually assaulting Donna Motsinger in 1972
- Donna Motsinger was awarded $19.25 million in damages ($17.5 million past damages, $1.75 million future damages) for mental suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, grief, anxiety, humiliation, and emotional distress
- The jury deliberated for just over one day before reaching the verdict
Australia’s medal haul at the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Poland
Australia’s team achieved a strong performance at the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Torun, Poland, securing five medals—two silvers and three bronzes—over three days. Jessica Hull domin...
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- Jessica Hull won silver in the women’s 1500m at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Torun, Poland, on March 3, 2024, with a time of 3:59.45, breaking the Australian and Oceanian indoor record (previously 4:01.19).
- Georgia Hunter Bell of Great Britain won gold in the women’s 1500m with a 2026 world best time of 3:58.53, finishing 0.92 seconds ahead of Hull.
- Adam Spencer won bronze in the men’s 1500m with a time of 3:40.26, finishing in fifth place before overtaking competitors in the final stretch.
Disappearance of four-year-old Gus Lamont from South Australian outback station
Four-year-old Gus Lamont vanished on September 27 2025 from his family’s remote 60000-hectare station near Yunta South Australia after playing outside his grandmother’s home. Despite one of the larges...
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- Gus Lamont was last seen on September 27, 2025, at Oak Park Station near Yunta, South Australia, around 5pm playing on a mound of dirt
- His disappearance was reported to police approximately three hours later by his grandmother, Josie Murray, at around 5.30pm
- The family property spans 60,000 hectares and searches involved police, Aboriginal trackers, drones, and volunteers
Drug-affected driver sentenced for hitting schoolboys; sues government over arrest
A drug-affected driver named Tayler Hazell was sentenced to 13 years and two months in prison after pleading guilty to hitting two schoolboys aged 14 and 15 outside St Edmund’s College in Canberra in ...
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- Tayler Hazell, 32, pleaded guilty to two counts of culpable driving causing grievous bodily harm to two schoolboys aged 14 and 15 outside St Edmund's College in March 2023
- Hazell was sentenced to 13 years and two months in prison with a non-parole period of nine years by ACT Supreme Court judge John Burns on March 28, 2024
- Hazell stole a green Commodore from a childcare centre in Sutton, NSW, and had an eight-year-old girl still inside before letting her out
Massive KitKat chocolate theft disrupts European Easter supply chains
A 12-ton shipment of Nestlé’s KitKat ‘new chocolate range’—comprising 413,793 units—was stolen in transit between central Italy and Poland on 26 March 2024, raising fears of Easter shortages in Europe...
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- A truck carrying 413,793 units of Nestlé’s KitKat ‘new chocolate range’ was stolen in Europe on 26 March 2024 during transit between production and distribution
- The stolen shipment weighed approximately 12 tonnes and was en route from a factory in central Italy to Poland
- Nestlé confirmed the theft via statements to AFP and The Guardian, stating the vehicle and contents remain unaccounted for
UK nurse Lucy Letby’s 2015-16 neonatal unit murder convictions and allegations of miscarriage of justice
The core story involves the 2022 conviction of nurse Lucy Letby for murdering seven babies and attempting to kill seven more at Chester’s neonatal unit between 2015 and 2016, with her sentence of 15 w...
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- Lucy Letby was convicted in 2022 of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven more while working at the Countess of Chester Hospital’s neonatal unit between 2015 and 2016
- She was sentenced to 15 whole-life prison orders, and the Court of Appeal refused her permission to appeal in 2023
- Letby’s lawyer Mark McDonald submitted an application to the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) in 2024, supported by reports from 27 medical experts, requesting a re-examination of her case
US government funding standoff over DHS, ICE, and TSA pay during partial shutdown
The US government faced a prolonged funding standoff over the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) budget, with the Senate passing a bipartisan bill on March 29 that excluded funding for Immigration ...
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- The US Senate passed a funding package for DHS on March 29 that excludes ICE and part of CBP, funding instead TSA, US Coast Guard, and FEMA (Article 1 & 2).
- The Senate approved the funding package by voice vote in a rare overnight session (Article 1 & 2).
- TSA staff have worked without pay since mid-February (February 13) due to the funding lapse (Article 1, 2, 3).
Trump installs a Columbus statue replica on White House grounds amid controversy over historical legacy
The core event involves President Donald Trump installing a replica of a Christopher Columbus statue on White House grounds in October 2025, following its destruction by protesters in Baltimore’s Inne...
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- A 13-foot-tall, one-ton statue of Christopher Columbus was installed on October 13, 2025, outside the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on Pennsylvania Avenue in the White House grounds
- The statue is a replica of a monument that was torn down and dumped into Baltimore’s Inner Harbor by protesters in July 2020 during anti-racism protests
- The replica statue was built in 2022 using shattered pieces of the original monument retrieved from Baltimore’s Inner Harbor
Nicolás Maduro’s court appearance in New York for narco-terrorism charges and legal funding disputes
Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores are appearing in a New York federal court for a narco-terrorism case after their January 2024 capture by US special forces in Caracas, where 100 people reporte...
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- Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores are scheduled to appear in a Manhattan federal court on Thursday (14 March 2024) for a ‘narco-terrorism’ case following their capture by US special forces on 3 January 2024 in Caracas, Venezuela
- Maduro and Flores pleaded not guilty during their 5 January arraignment in New York
- The US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) initially granted Maduro a waiver on 9 January 2024 to allow Venezuela’s government to fund his legal fees, but reversed the decision within three hours, according to Maduro’s lawyers