Australia’s economy shrank 0.5 per cent in the September quarter, well below already pessimistic analyst forecasts and its steepest decline since the global financial crisis of late-2008. Key points: Annual… Continue reading Australian economy shrinks 0.5pc in September quarter, worst fall since global financial crisis
At least 25 people have died and hundreds more are injured after a strong undersea earthquake struck off the Aceh province on Indonesia’s Sumatra island. The shallow 6.5-magnitude quake struck… Continue reading At least 25 dead as buildings collapse after earthquake hits Indonesia
Australian high school students are up to two school years behind their peers in the world’s best performing countries, a major global test of student achievement has revealed. The results… Continue reading Australian school students two years behind world’s best performing systems
A man under arrest has managed to hijack a police car before crashing it and injuring two officers north of Brisbane, according to police. Police first confronted the man while… Continue reading Arrested man ‘hijacks, crashes police car’ at Bellmere
Drugs are increasingly being found in south-east Queensland prisons as Corrective Services staff struggle to detect illicit substances, a union says. Figures tabled in State Parliament show prison officers have… Continue reading Drug detection measures in Queensland prisons need rethink, union says
THE Victorian government has made one part of parenting just that little bit harder by releasing a list of names deemed too offensive (“Satan”, anyone?) or simply too similar to… Continue reading Victorian government releases list of banned baby names
Thousands of mourners are flocking to pay their respects to J Jayalalitha, one of India’s most influential and colourful politicians. The 68-year-old chief minister of Tamil Nadu state suffered a… Continue reading India Jayalalitha: Thousands mourn colourful politician
A maintenance worker collecting bins from a Melbourne CBD apartment building has avoided the hiss of death after stumbling across a venomous one-metre long tiger snake this morning. Cameron Mayne… Continue reading Maintenance worker’s shock after finding tiger snake in Melbourne CBD
A 73-year-old Utah woman who raised 35 adopted children — 26 of whom had special needs — has said she did it to ensure they “felt loved”. Christie Jamieson began… Continue reading US woman who adopted 35 children says ‘there’s always room for one more’
A Melbourne man accused of stabbing a French tourist to death in the Northern Territory has “severe” schizophrenia and has been self-harming in custody, a court has heard. Pande Veleski,… Continue reading Melbourne man accused of killing French tourist ‘too unwell’ to attend court
Representatives of Queensland’s agriculture and tourism sectors say Australia’s Great Barrier Reef progress report to UNESCO could make or break their industries. Key points: The joint 2050 progress report to… Continue reading Great Barrier Reef: Agriculture, tourism sectors warn UNESCO ‘in danger’ listing could harm industries
Large crowds are gathering outside a Chennai hospital after one of India’s most popular and powerful politicians, J Jayalalitha, suffered a heart attack on Sunday night. The news has sparked… Continue reading India’s Jayaram Jayalalitha suffers heart attack
