The NSW Government has ordered a “comprehensive investigation” into the structural integrity of Sydney’s Opal Tower after a severe crack in the 34-storey apartment building forced a mass evacuation on Christmas Eve. It comes as photos of the damage to the building have emerged, showing the destruction of the plaster inside and the cracking in walls that triggered the evacuation, …

There are no reports of survivors from a Lion Air passenger plane that has crashed into the ocean off Indonesia, carrying almost 200 people. Flight JT610 – which had 188 people on board – lost contact 13 minutes after take-off, and witnesses reported seeing it nosedive into the sea. Debris, including life jackets and body parts, has been found floating …

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has given a national apology to victims of child sexual abuse. Hundreds of people gathered in Canberra on Monday to hear Mr Morrison deliver the emotional address in parliament. It follows a five-year inquiry which found tens of thousands of children had suffered abuse in the nation’s institutions over decades. “Today, we finally acknowledge and …

Saudi Arabian authorities say Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi died inside the country’s consulate in Turkey, confirming 18 Saudi nationals have been arrested and two senior staff sacked. The Saudi public prosecutor said in a statement a fight broke out between Mr Khashoggi and people who met him inside the consulate, after he entered the building on August 2 seeking …

A driver who was texting her boyfriend when she caused a high-speed freeway crash in Perth, which claimed the life of her friend, has been sentenced to three years and eight months behind bars. Aine McGrath, 25, was found guilty earlier this year of dangerous driving occasioning the death of 25-year-old Sarah Kelly. McGrath was using her phone when she …

Cristiano Ronaldo has received applause and boos after scoring for Juventus as he continues to receive support after allegations of rape surfaced last week. Ronaldo’s powerful, angled goal, the second of the match and his fourth of the season, was met with a mixed response in the Italian league game at the Stadio Friuli, home of Udinese. Juventus won the …

Turkish authorities have begun to investigate the disappearance of prominent Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who has not been seen since entering Saudi Arabia’s consulate in Istanbul four days ago. Police believe Khashoggi, who had been living in self-imposed exile in Washington, was killed inside the consulate, two Turkish sources said. “The initial assessment of the Turkish police is that Mr …

A man has been charged over a fatal car crash that killed a 23-year-old pregnant woman and her unborn twins as well as a 17-year-old girl in Sydney’s west. Newlywed Katherine Hoang (nee Gordon) and 17-year-old driver Anh Hoang, who is also known as Belinda, were killed in the collision at Orchard Hills, near Penrith on Friday night. Katherine’s husband Bronko …

When Ed Robins noticed bruising and skin tears on his 92-year-old mother, he decided to install a small video camera in her room at Perth’s Morrison Lodge nursing home. The footage he captured over three weeks made for distressing viewing. Mrs Robins had recently broken her leg and had worsening dementia. Often, she would wake up and, forgetting she could …

Two people have died and two more remain in a critical condition in hospital after suspected overdoses at the Defqon.1 music festival in Sydney’s west yesterday. Police said a 23-year-old man and a 21-year-old woman died in Nepean Hospital after collapsing at the Defqon.1 festival in Penrith about 9:00pm. Emergency services at the event responded to multiple reports of suspected …