Latest Australia Headlines and News updates

Japan look to give ailing Ikee a lift at world swim

Toxic toads found near Sydney spark fears of southward spread

Tokyo stocks open lower as yen edges higher

Tokyo stocks opened lower on Thursday, extending falls in New York as the yen edged higher against the dollar, weighing on exporters

Tour win 'almost worth leaving Australia for' says new dad Ewan

Stock markets weaker, pound under pressure

Global stock markets turned weaker Wednesday after recent record gains in the US while growing concerns about a no-deal Brexit kept the pound under pressure

Springboks choose eight black players in team for first time

South Africa will field eight black players in a starting XV for the first time when they face Australia Saturday in the opening round of the 2019 Rugby Championship in Johannesburg

World Cup hero Roy given first England Test call, Wood sidelined

England have give Jason Roy his first Test call-up to face Ireland after the Surrey opener played a key role in his country's historic World Cup triumph, but pace bowler Mark Wood will be sidelined for between four and six weeks

North, South Korea to face off in World Cup qualifiers

North and South Korea will face off in politically-charged World Cup qualifiers after being drawn in the same group Wednesday, while arch-rivals Iran and Iraq will also meet

Brexit pounds sterling as stock markets retreat

Rising concerns about a no-deal Brexit hit the pound once more on Wednesday, while stock markets retreated amid renewed trade war worries and uncertainty over the outlook for US interest rates

Stokes plays down redemption talk after World Cup heroics

Ben Stokes admitted memories of the off-field incident that threatened his career triggered his tears after England's historic World Cup triumph

Australia calls on China to let Uighur mother and son leave

Australia's government on Wednesday called on China to allow an Australian child and his Uighur mother to leave the country, days after co-signing a letter denouncing Beijing's treatment of the Muslim minority

Partial lunar eclipse observed

Like other parts of the world, a partial lunar eclipse was observed in most parts of the country on July 16 and 17

Calls for justice on fifth anniversary of MH17 crash

Families of the victims of flight MH17 marked five years on Wednesday since the crash, with calls for justice for the shooting down of the Malaysia Airlines plane over war-torn eastern Ukraine

Italian author Camilleri, creator of 'Inspector Montalbano', dies

Italian author Andrea Camilleri, who earned worldwide acclaim for his series of 30-odd whodunnits starring inspector Salvo Montalbano in the fictitious Sicilian city of Vigata, died Wednesday aged 93, a Rome hospital said

Australia's onshore refugees stuck in legal limbo

The Australian government has rejected calls to expedite visa applications of 30,000 asylum seekers who have been stuck in legal limbo in the country for more than five years, a report released on Wednesday shows