Australia

Thousands flocked to Sea World on the Gold Coast last weekend, with "unreal" scenes of massive queues snaking through the theme park; footage shared online showed lines stretching beyond the park’s entrance, parents and kids packed shoulder to shoulder

Three people died as a direct consequence of a technical failure caused by an Optus network update: hundreds of 'triple-0', or emergency, calls didn't go through in South Australia, the Northern Territory and Western Australia

2000 extra flights for Melbourne will be available for football fans heading for the 2025 AFL preliminary finals; from Monday, return services will be sold from Adelaide, Brisbane or the Gold Coast, following the semi-final matches this weekend

Nationwide ban on use of private mobile phone for early childcare workers will be discussed at ministry level, with other measures for child protection: a National Educator Register, tougher penalties for noncompliance, mandatory safety training for staff

National office vacancy average rate has reached 15% as the market fails to absorb the offer of new towers and demand remains weak in key cities; many fear that if working from home came into law it would also slow recovery of the hospitality sector

Swiss miner Glencore is considering shutting down two operations; though Mount Isa copper smelter and Townsville refinery directly employ 550 people, Dyno Nobel’s Hill 500, 17.000 jobs in the downstream activities in North Queensland could be in jeopardy

Doctors today urged that 1.200 Australian children get tested for infectious diseases for having been in contact with former daycare worker charged with over 70 sex crimes; the man worked at 20 nursery schools across Melbourne between 2017 and 2025

Lifeblood, national blood, milk, microbiota donation and manufacturing service will gradually scrap restrictions for gay and bisexual men and trans women; the pioneer move will start with removing sexual activity wait times for plasma donations on 14 July

Third largest pet store announced it would ban the sale of live animals across its 58 shops nationwide; Animals Australia figures show that about 15% of cats and dogs are purchased from pet shops nationwide, while the majority of pet sales are online

500 rescues were performed in New South Wales, with 50.000 people still isolated by the flood waters; over 120 alerts are in place for the region, including major warnings, as more rain is expected after 4 months of rain came in 48 hours

In 3 May Federal election for the 48th Parliament of Australia the PM Albanese Labor party won a second term over the opposition Liberal–National Coalition, led by Peter Dutton; Labor secured its highest-ever seat count in the House of Representatives

The aerial shooting of over 700 koalas in Budj Bim National Park in Victoria's west has begun; authorities claim they made the decision out of humane reasons, as the animals were dehydrated by a recent fire, the local community was horrified at the plan

Doctors threaten to walk off the job for the first time in decades upon a pay dispute and exhausting shifts; thousands say they will strike for three days next week in a move that will dramatically impact non-urgent care and defy a court order