Australia

AARON PATRICK: The first senator to lead the country-based party once dismissed the suggestion the leader could come from the upper house.

Only last year, the mining billionaire said he was too old for politics, but it seems he’s changed his mind after announcing his plans to run for a Liberal-held seat in Queensland.

Australians are being told to brace for higher prices throughout the economy as the price of fuel soars and retailers react to panic buying.

A tense moment unfolded at the airport as two members of Iran’s women’s football team refused to board a plane.

Linda Reynolds’ lawyers have entered mediation with the Commonwealth over Brittany Higgins’ $2.4m settlement — and flagged potential further legal action over a #MeToo documentary.

Professional online poster Drew Pavlou alerted the US president to the Iranian women’s soccer team’s plight, although his claim to have saved them is disputed by the Government.

Australians trying to access pornography websites are encountering new age checks — this is how many Aussies are already finding ways around them.

Heavy rains across an already soaked state have prompted multiple flood warnings ahead of easing conditions as a low moves offshore.

YOUR MONEY: There’s a double-edged sword coming for part-pensioners. Centrelink payments will rise next week, but so will deeming rates. That could wipe out the latest rise, and a chunk of their pension, too.

WATCH: Dramatic scenes have unfolded on the Gold Coast as protesters surrounded a bus carrying Iran’s women’s football team after their Asian Cup exit.

Australia won't involve its troops in the war on Iran, but it could provide other aid for Middle East allies hit with missile and drone strikes.

Efforts to assist Australians to return from the Middle East conflict are being stepped up by the federal government, with buses to cities with open airspace.

Penny Wong is refusing to say whether Australian personnel were on board a US submarine which sank an Iranian warship overnight, insisting the Government does not discuss deployments.

Anthony Albanese has called for Iran to ‘cease’ attacks as DFAT crisis response teams head to the Middle East to provide on-the-ground consular assistance to Australians stuck there.