Australian counter-terrorism authorities have launched an investigation into Omani co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami after reports revealed he lived and studied in Australia for two years. The Victorian Joint Counter Terrorism Team is examining his past links, timeline and activities in the country.

Australian counter-terrorism authorities launch probe

Sandhya Reddy, a law graduate from Telangana, has been elected as Mayor of Sydney's Strathfield municipality.

An alumna of Osmania University, Reddy was elected as the 73rd Mayor of the Strathfield Council in Sydney on Tuesday. She will hold the post for two years.

Hyderabad-born Sandhya Reddy becomes mayor of Sydney council

Around 8000 bees worth more than $20,000 have been stolen from Far North in Queensland. Investigators say frames of bees and their broods were taken from 41 commercial hives on the Atherton Tablelands, west of Cairns, and put into the thief's separate hive boxes. Jack Laughton, the commercial beekeeper, said that each hive contained about 15,000 bees, altogether 500,000 stolen in total.&nbsp;"Brood nests have been gutted, and hives put back together … which is an initial loss of property, somewhere around up to $20,000 worth of hives so far," &nbsp;said Tom Bidner, who managed Mr Laughton's beehives.&nbsp;According to Bidner and the Queensland Police, the crime required specialised knowledge and equipment, pointing heavily to an inside job by a commercial operator. The alleged theft happened at multiple different properties in different areas and required a sophisticated operation and specialist equipment. Rather than stealing the physical wooden hives, they used professional gear to swap out internal frames and remove the brood boxes where the bees reproduce. The honey in the hives was left untouched.Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/jamui-students-harassed-rahul-gandhi-pocso-action-bihar-1789986942835">Class X girl groped, boy dragged from bike in Jamui; Rahul Gandhi seeks POCSO</a>“They’re rocking up with a truckload of gear, basically, and they’re transferring our frames into their boxes … and putting our hives back together, so it doesn’t sort of alert any of the growers that it looks like someone’s been in and done such a thing,” said Bidner.The apiarists will not just lose the insects but also their pollination contracts. The incident happened as beekeepers are reeling from the arrival of the varroa mite parasite- a devastating bee parasite. Bidner said the thefts and the parasite were a “double whammy”.“This isn’t over yet,” he said. “We’ve got so many colonies to get through. We’re still getting around and checking all our different sites.”The Mareeba Rural and Stock Crime Squad is actively investigating the case. Bidner said that bee theft had happened before, but this was the biggest one by far in his memory. He suspects that the culprits are probably from within the industry.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Around 8,000 bees and brood were allegedly stolen from 41 commercial hives in Queensland, with beekeepers suspecting an industry insider.

Around 8000 bees worth more than $20,000 have been stolen from Far North in Queensland. Investigators say frames of bees and their broods were taken from 41 commercial hives on the Atherton Tablelands, west of Cairns, and put into the thief's separate hive boxes. Jack Laughton, the commercial beekeeper, said that each hive contained about 15,000 bees, altogether 500,000 stolen in total. "Brood nests have been gutted, and hives put back together … which is an initial loss of property, somewhere around up to $20,000 worth of hives so far," said Tom Bidner, who managed Mr Laughton's beehives. According to Bidner and the Queensland Police, the crime required specialised knowledge and equipment, pointing heavily to an inside job by a commercial operator. The alleged theft happened at multiple different properties in different areas and required a sophisticated operation and specialist equipment. Rather than stealing the physical wooden hives, they used professional gear to swap out internal frames and remove the brood boxes where the bees reproduce. The honey in the hives was left untouched. Also Read: Class X girl groped, boy dragged from bike in Jamui; Rahul Gandhi seeks POCSO “They’re rocking up with a truckload of gear, basically, and they’re transferring our frames into their boxes … and putting our hives back together, so it doesn’t sort of alert any of the growers that it looks like someone’s been in and done such a thing,” said Bidner. The apiarists will not just lose the insects but also their pollination contracts. The incident happened as beekeepers are reeling from the arrival of the varroa mite parasite- a devastating bee parasite. Bidner said the thefts and the parasite were a “double whammy”. “This isn’t over yet,” he said. “We’ve got so many colonies to get through. We’re still getting around and checking all our different sites.” The Mareeba Rural and Stock Crime Squad is actively investigating the case. Bidner said that bee theft had happened before, but this was the biggest one by far in his memory. He suspects that the culprits are probably from within the industry.

Around 8,000 bees and brood were allegedly stolen from 41 commercial hives in Queensland, with beekeepers suspecting an industry insider.

8,000 bees worth over $20,000 stolen from hives in Queensland

Australia's Big Bash League (BBL) is set to make history by staging its first-ever match outside Australia at Chennai's iconic MA Chidambaram Stadium on December 12 to launch BBL|16. Six-time champions Perth Scorchers will lock horns with the Melbourne Renegades in the historic opener. Perth Scorchers Head Coach Adam Voges hailed the move as a "historic moment," describing India as the world's largest cricket market. Western Australia Premier Roger Cook highlighted the game as an important vehicle to deepen trade, tourism, and diplomatic ties between Australia and India.


Big Bash League staging first match outside Australia in Chennai 

With advancement in AI, smart glasses are becoming a tech sensation, allowing people to take photos, film videos, make phone calls or interact with an assistant. But not everyone is viewing this through rose-tinted glasses. Australia is now mulling a ban on the use of smart glasses in government offices and buildings. This is directly linked to global concerns that these devices are being used to covertly record and photograph women without their consent. Australia's minister for public service Katy Gallagher said, and I am quoting her, "Smart glasses can raise legitimate privacy and security concerns, particularly because of their ability to record and capture information". If it goes ahead with this proposal, Australia will become the first country in the world to impose such a ban. What makes it challenging is that smart glasses appear like normal-looking eyewear. However, in reality, they include tiny speakers, microphones and a lightweight camera. In July this year, smart glasses were banned in courts in New York State to ensure that no one is secretly recorded. This policy applies to all people entering a courtroom, including lawyers, litigants and witnesses. A month later, courts in England and Wales followed suit. Recently, Norway's capital Oslo barred the use of smart glasses in schools. Now, Meta, which sold nearly seven million smart glasses in 2025, is also facing legal action over these devices. In India, for instance, a digital rights advocacy organisation named Internet Freedom Foundation has issued a legal notice to Meta on behalf of two persons who were covertly recorded via smart glasses.&nbsp;Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/gravitas/us-intel-warns-china-can-steal-f-35-jets-secret-from-saudis-gravitas-1789667999318">US intel warns China can steal F-35 jets secret from Saudis | Gravitas</a> These videos were then posted on Instagram, which garnered millions of views. But what has been Meta's response to such privacy concerns? The tech giant has updated its smart glasses to automatically disable the camera feature if the recording LED light is disabled or damaged. This is not all. According to Reuters, Meta is planning to release smart glasses without a camera, following scrutiny of their recording capabilities. These glasses could reportedly be unveiled as early as next week at its annual developer conference. Amid this, calls are growing louder for the European Union to take up this issue and act on it as a collective.

In July this year, smart glasses were banned in courts in New York State to ensure that no one is secretly recorded. This policy applies to all people entering a courtroom, including lawyers, litigants and witnesses.

With advancement in AI, smart glasses are becoming a tech sensation, allowing people to take photos, film videos, make phone calls or interact with an assistant. But not everyone is viewing this through rose-tinted glasses. Australia is now mulling a ban on the use of smart glasses in government offices and buildings. This is directly linked to global concerns that these devices are being used to covertly record and photograph women without their consent. Australia's minister for public service Katy Gallagher said, and I am quoting her, "Smart glasses can raise legitimate privacy and security concerns, particularly because of their ability to record and capture information". If it goes ahead with this proposal, Australia will become the first country in the world to impose such a ban. What makes it challenging is that smart glasses appear like normal-looking eyewear. However, in reality, they include tiny speakers, microphones and a lightweight camera. In July this year, smart glasses were banned in courts in New York State to ensure that no one is secretly recorded. This policy applies to all people entering a courtroom, including lawyers, litigants and witnesses. A month later, courts in England and Wales followed suit. Recently, Norway's capital Oslo barred the use of smart glasses in schools. Now, Meta, which sold nearly seven million smart glasses in 2025, is also facing legal action over these devices. In India, for instance, a digital rights advocacy organisation named Internet Freedom Foundation has issued a legal notice to Meta on behalf of two persons who were covertly recorded via smart glasses. Also read: US intel warns China can steal F-35 jets secret from Saudis | Gravitas These videos were then posted on Instagram, which garnered millions of views. But what has been Meta's response to such privacy concerns? The tech giant has updated its smart glasses to automatically disable the camera feature if the recording LED light is disabled or damaged. This is not all. According to Reuters, Meta is planning to release smart glasses without a camera, following scrutiny of their recording capabilities. These glasses could reportedly be unveiled as early as next week at its annual developer conference. Amid this, calls are growing louder for the European Union to take up this issue and act on it as a collective.

In July this year, smart glasses were banned in courts in New York State to ensure that no one is secretly recorded. This policy applies to all people entering a courtroom, including lawyers, litigants and witnesses.

Australia mulls ban on smart glasses in govt offices amid privacy concerns | Gravitas

An Australian river home to 500 saltwater crocodiles has been given the green light to host olympic and paralympic rowing & canoeing events at the 2032 Brisbane games.

Olympic committee approves Australian river with crocodiles as 2032 venue

Optimus Viper is a compact, agile space security vehicle designed to inspect, monitor and protect critical satellites and other assets in orbit. Developed by Space Machines Company, it represents a new approach to rapid-response space operations.

Australia's space guardian satellite 'Optimus Viper'

India and Australia are strengthening their space partnership as Australia's heaviest satellite prepares for launch aboard India's smallest rocket. The mission highlights growing cooperation between the two nations in advanced technology and space exploration. It also showcases the capabilities of India's cost-effective launch ecosystem, which continues to attract international customers seeking reliable access to space.


Australia's heaviest satellite set for launch on India's smallest rocket

That's how Australian High Commissioner Philip Green summed up India's space partnership with Canberra at the Bengaluru Space Expo. Australia has formally commissioned a tracking terminal on the Cocos (Keeling) Islands to support Gaganyaan's crewed and uncrewed flights, and could even help with splashdown recovery off Western Australia.


Australia's Envoy Philip Green: Australia's tracking stations can help track Indian space assets

Australia is proposing new rules aimed at increasing oversight of social media algorithms and how platforms recommend content to users.

The proposed measures could bring greater scrutiny to algorithmic systems, content recommendations and the way social media platforms influence what users see online. The move comes amid growing global concerns over online safety, transparency and the impact of social media algorithms.


Australia proposes new rules for algorithm control 

Russia has warned Japan over the deployment of U.S. Typhon missile systems, calling the move unacceptable and a threat to Russian security. Moscow is demanding that Japan return to its pacifist policy as the U.S. and Japan prepare for joint military exercises involving the long-range system.

Russia sees red over deployment of Typhon missile system

Trans athlete Anaya Bangar has been allowed by Cricket Australia to play community cricket in the country.


Anaya Bangar cleared to play community cricket in Australia

Australia has increased its proposed digital news levy on major technology platforms, raising the rate from 2.25% to 2.5% for companies that do not reach commercial agreements with local news organizations.

The revised policy calculates the charge based solely on Australian digital advertising revenue rather than total business revenue. The measure is aimed at large search and social media platforms generating more than A$250 million in local revenue.


Australia raises big tech levy to 2.5% to fund media

Australia has deployed a CH-47D Chinook, a Bell 412 support aircraft and 24 NSW Rural Fire Service personnel to France to help battle severe seasonal wildfires. The team was transported by Royal Australian Air Force C-17 Globemaster aircraft, marking the service's first-ever deployment to Europe for wildfire response.

Advanced Australian Chinook helicopter deployed to France

The skyrocketing trend of "grey divorce"—separation among couples aged 50 and older—is fundamentally rewriting the rules of late-life wealth. Unlike divorces early in life, splitting up after decades of marriage brings unique high-stakes battles over defined-benefit pensions, multi-million-dollar retirement accounts, real estate portfolios, and long-term financial security.


The rise of grey divorce is changing who gets the money

At 76 years old, Louise Hoskins has become the oldest gold medallist in Commonwealth Games history, winning the women's para bowls pairs title alongside Serena Bonnell at CWG 2026 in Glasgow. Hoskins called the achievement "incredible" and urged others to never give up on their dreams.

Australia's Louise Hoskins scripts Commonwealth Games history

Australia has defended its social media ban policy, stating that stricter enforcement measures will be introduced to ensure compliance. The government’s move aims to address online safety concerns, with authorities preparing tighter monitoring and implementation plans for digital platforms.

Australia defends social media ban: Stricter enforcement plans ahead

Australia government stands by online law: Defends social media ban

An Australian mother, Jenitar Sau Na'amoana, gave birth to naturally conceived identical quadruplets at the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital in Queensland on July 14, 2026. The girls—Emily, Harriet, Alexa, and Catherine—were delivered via C-section at 28 weeks and four days gestation.


 Australian doctors celebrate the unprecedented miracle

Australia is intensifying its regulatory pressure on global technology giants to combat online harms and enforce its world-leading youth social media ban. The federal government has announced plans to double the maximum penalties for non-compliance to $99 million, signaling that platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube are not doing enough to prevent under-16s from bypassing age restrictions.


Inside Australia’s new crackdown on big tech safety 

Scientists have filmed the brown huntsman spider achieving record-breaking speeds.
A brown huntsman is the quickest of more than 250 species analysed by scientists in the UK and Germany. In this story we break down the discovery, compare speeds to humans and rats, and explain why this matters for urban wildlife and ecology.  

Australia's new nightmare: World's fastest spider 

PM Narendra Modi has praised Australia for banning social media access for children under 16, calling it an example India can learn from. Australia passed the online safety law in December 2025, citing mental health and safety concerns for kids. Modi highlighted the need for stronger digital safety rules as several Indian states also move to restrict young users on social media.


India-Australia ties: PM Modi praises Australia’s social media ban for under-16s

During the 3rd India-Australia Annual Summit in Melbourne on July 9, 2026, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese unveiled a transformative roadmap for the Indo-Pacific. A cornerstone of the visit was the "Joint Declaration on Defence and Security Cooperation," which elevates military interoperability, industrial collaboration, and maritime domain awareness to combat regional volatility.

PM Modi gets grand welcome in Melbourne: Australia to supply Uranium to India

During the 3rd India-Australia Annual Summit in Melbourne on July 9, 2026, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese unveiled a transformative roadmap for the Indo-Pacific. A cornerstone of the visit was the "Joint Declaration on Defence and Security Cooperation," which elevates military interoperability, industrial collaboration, and maritime domain awareness to combat regional volatility.


India & Australia to deepen Indo-Pacific cooperation

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Australia is expected to strengthen the India–Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, with a strong focus on Indo-Pacific cooperation. The leaders are set to discuss maritime security, trade, defence collaboration and regional stability. The visit underscores the growing strategic alignment between the two nations.


PM Modi in Australia: India & Australia eye to deepen Indo-Pacific cooperation

PM Narendra Modi has arrived in Australia for high-level talks with PM Anthony Albanese. The focus: deepening the India-Australia strategic partnership. Defence cooperation, critical minerals, and uranium supply are expected to dominate the agenda. Both leaders will also push for stronger Indo-Pacific cooperation amid rising regional tensions. The visit signals a major step to lock in energy security, trade, and defense ties between the two Quad partners.


PM Modi in Melbourne: India & Australia eye to deepen Indo-Pacific cooperation

PM Modi lands in Australia: Defence, uranium & Indo-Pacific talks with Albanese 

PM Narendra Modi has landed in Australia for high-level talks with PM Anthony Albanese. Defence, critical minerals, and uranium are set to dominate the agenda as both nations work to strengthen their strategic partnership. With the Indo-Pacific at the center of global geopolitics, India and Australia are looking to deepen cooperation on security, trade, and energy. 


Breaking: PM Modi lands in aAstralia | PM Modi & PM Albanese to deepen India-Australia ties

Australia's largest telecom provider, Telstra, is urgently investigating a nationwide outage that disrupted phone services for thousands of customers. The network failure also affected wireless payment systems and caused train services to be suspended in several areas.

Massive telstra outage disrupts life in Australia, rail services suspended

A man accused of painting the infamous "Pam the Bird" graffiti on Melbourne's 120-metre Bolte Bridge has been arrested after a dramatic nine-hour standoff with police. Authorities say the incident triggered a major emergency response, disrupted traffic and caused significant public costs. The suspect was taken into custody after peacefully surrendering.

‘Pam the bird’ vandal arrested after scaling Melbourne's 120m Bolte bridge

Fiji has officially become Australia’s fourth formal ally, marking a significant step in strengthening defence and strategic ties in the South Pacific. The agreement is expected to enhance cooperation in security, training, and regional stability. Leaders from both countries emphasized the importance of closer collaboration amid growing geopolitical competition in the Indo-Pacific.

Fiji becomes Australia's fourth official ally

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