A 24-year-old man from Sydney’s south-west has faced court after being arrested for allegedly pledging allegiance to Islamic State. Joseph Saadieh from Chester Hill was arrested on Friday following a seven-month investigation by the NSW Joint Counter Terrorism Team (JCCT). At Parramatta court on Saturday, he did not apply for bail but is expected to apply next Friday when he fronts court again. …

Scott Morrison says the world has not faced a period of such global upheaval since the 1930s. Then, it was a time of depression, still reeling from World War I, the 1918 flu that had killed more people than the war was still virulent, fascism was sweeping Europe and the world was sliding to another catastrophic conflict. Today we are …

Ash Barty has survived a scare on her return to Roland Garros before she prevailed in a three-set first round victory over America’s Bernarda Pera. Barty eventually won 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 in her first match on the red clay of Paris since she hoisted the trophy in 2019 — having decided not to play in 2020 due to the COVID pandemic — but Pera …

Aussie world number one Ash Barty returns to Roland Garros for the first time since her 2019 title. Can she win her second major title after a strong claycourt season? Meanwhile, Rafael Nadal and Iga Swiatek are defending their championships at the coronavirus-delayed 2020 edition.

An Australian citizen tried for espionage in Beijing last week has told supporters he’s “100 per cent innocent” and still isn’t sure which country he’s accused of spying for. Yang Hengjun conveyed a message to family and supporters on Friday, a day after he was tried behind closed doors in Beijing. The 56-year-old one-time employee of China’s state security agencies …

An aged care worker at a facility in Melbourne’s west has been diagnosed with COVID-19, sending the home into lockdown. The worker at Arcare Maidstone was one of five locally acquired COVID-19 cases across Victoria reported Saturday. The healthcare worker was not showing symptoms when she last worked at the home on May 27, but later tested positive, Arcare said. …

Premier Gladys Berejiklian has urged NSW residents to avoid unnecessary travel to Victoria as the state deals with a growing COVID-19 outbreak. The Victorian coronavirus outbreak reached 26 cases this morning — with 11 new infections recorded overnight — and the state is expected to enter lockdown for at least a week. Ms Berejiklian said she was “worried about the evolving situation” …

The Victorian government will announce a lockdown today in a bid to curb the state’s growing coronavirus outbreak, with senior government sources telling the ABC it will last for at least seven days. The state’s outbreak has now reached 26 cases, with 11 new cases recorded overnight. One additional case included in those figures was announced during Wednesday’s coronavirus briefing. …

Syrian people around the world have started to cast their votes for the presidential elections of the Syrian Arab Republic in the Syrian Embassies and Consulates. Honorary Consul Maher Dabbagh stated that the election process started at 7:30 and finished at 8:30pm, insuring that all applicable measures and procedures have been adopted to insure a safe election. He added that …

Hundreds of Toyota Hilux vehicles now on Australian roads have been placed under recall after a safety issue that could lead to spontaneous fires was discovered. Product Safety Australia says the potential electrical fault is present in 683 Hilux Rogues. But the vast majority of Hiluxes are unaffected. The model in question comes with an electric cover for its cargo tray, which closes …