Search and rescue operations in southern Turkey and northern Syria have entered their third day as the death toll surpassed 17000  amid a warning from the World Health Organization that time was running out to save those still trapped under earthquake-toppled buildings. Those efforts – buoyed by an array of international pledges to provide engineers, emergency responders and search dogs – …

The US military has shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon over the Atlantic Ocean after it drifted off the East Coast. The order was given by President Joe Biden and came after he earlier told media that Washington would “take care of” the surveillance device. Media are reporting that recovery efforts are underway to collect the remnants of the …

The US has rejected China’s excuse for a ‘spy’ balloon that was tracked flying across America, as Secretary of State Antony Blinken postponed an upcoming trip to Beijing. In the first admission the device was connected to China, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson expressed “regret” at the “unintended entry of the airship into US airspace”. The ministry claimed the balloon was …

Liberal Senator Linda Reynolds is pursuing defamation action against Brittany Higgins’ partner David Sharaz. In a writ lodged with the Supreme Court of Western Australia, the local senator claimed Mr Sharaz falsely defamed her via two tweets posted in 2022. Ms Higgins alleged she was raped in 2019 by Bruce Lehrmann inside Senator Reynolds’ ministerial office, for whom they both worked …

Four people have been confirmed as dead among 13 injured – three critically –  after two helicopters collided before one crashed into the Broadwater on the Gold Coast. One chopper ended up upside down on a sandbar at the water’s edge with debris strewn around the area after the crash about 2pm on Monday near the Sea World theme park …

An Adelaide man has taken to social media to describe a disastrous experience with scammers on New Year’s Eve, saying he and more than 100 other revellers were conned by a fake yacht party. TikTok user Jayden Clark said he paid more than $100 for a ticket for a boat party which was supposed to be picking up a large group of people at Glenelg shortly …

Controversial property developer Jean Nassif has been suspended from holding a building licence in NSW for 10 years, while the building licence of his company, Toplace, has been permanently revoked. The NSW Department of Fair Trading imposed the bans, which will come into effect next week, after an investigation. The investigation found more than 40 defects in residential developments constructed by …

Medibank has warned more customer data stolen by hackers, including passport numbers, will be uploaded to the dark web after the first files were dropped overnight. The data trickle includes names, birthdates, addresses, email addresses, phone numbers, health claims information, Medicare numbers for Medibank’s ahm customers and passport numbers for international student clients. The leak comes after Medibank clients spoke out …

Queensland police have charged a 31-year-old man with manslaughter over the sudden death of an 11-year-old boy who was bitten by a snake. The man allegedly failed to seek medical attention after the boy reported being bitten at a property at Murgon in Queensland’s South Burnett region on November 21 last year. Police say the man and the boy were …

A judge has called for the media to fall silent and ensure a fair trial for the man accused of raping Brittany Higgins in Parliament House. Bruce Lehrmann will face a new trial in the ACT Supreme Court after juror misconduct caused a mistrial. A trial date has been set for February 2023. Mr Lehrmann has pleaded not guilty to the …