TRANSCRIPT:
- An operation underway in the New South Wales Hunter Valley after a man fell into a mine shaft;
- New details emerge after nine killed by exploding pagers in Lebanon;
- Scotland the new host of the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
An operation is underway in the New South Wales Hunter Valley to recover the body of man in a mine shaft.
New South Wales Police say the man fell into the decommissioned shaft while he was working at Ellalong, about 15 kilometres south of Cessnock.
He is yet to be formally identified, but is believed to be a man in his late 50s.
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Teenagers using Instagram across the globe will now face new stricter rules on their accounts from today.
The social media platform has announced it is making accounts for those aged under 18 private by default because of concerns about the mental health and safety of young people.
Meta's Regional Policy Director Mia Garlick says those under 16 will need a parent's permission to change any of the new built-in protection settings.
"The Instagram teen account protections are designed to address the biggest concerns of parents including who their teens are interacting with online, the content they're seeing, and whether their time is being well spent. Some of the new features will include daily time limits, private accounts, stricter messaging restrictions, sensitive content restrictions, and also sleep mode."
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New information has emerged about the deaths of at least nine Hezbollah members, killed by pagers that simultaneously exploded in Lebanon and Syria.
The New York Times says the pagers came from Taiwan - and were tampered with by Israel before arriving into Lebanon.
The claims have yet to be verified, but Hezbollah officials are accusing Israel of being responsible.
U-S State Department spokesman Matthew Miller says the U-S is finding out what it can.
"We are gathering information on this incident. Well, I can tell you that the US was not involved in it. The US was not aware, of this incident in advance. And at this point, we are gathering information."
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A man is facing court today over allegations he created and maintained a secret network for criminal communications.
He is one of dozens arrested following days of raids targeting the alleged creator and users of the secret app.
The bulk of the arrests were in NSW, but alleged criminals in Victoria, Western Australia, South Australia and the ACT were also caught in the net.
AFP Deputy Commissioner Ian McCartney says the network allegedly used encrypted phones to plot drug trafficking deals - and murders.
"Up to 50 people in Australia are facing charges and action has been taken by overseas law enforcement agencies to arrest people in their own countries for the use of Ghost. Importantly, the AFP has prevented the death and serious injury of 50 individuals in Australia because we've been able to decrypt these messages."
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Unions say strong worker protections must be part of Australia's new free trade agreement with the United Arab Emirates, the first such deal struck with a Middle Eastern country.
ACTU president Michele O'Neil says the U-A-E ranks among the worst countries in the world for workers' rights, and would be one of the most repressive countries any Australian government has ever done a bilateral trade agreement with.
She has called for strong and enforceable labour rights, including repercussions for businesses that confiscate workers' passports to enforce compliance and withhold wages.
Trade Minister Senator Don Farrell has in turn called on unions to back the agreement, saying it would benefit Australian workers and businesses.
"More trade, with more trading partners, means more jobs for Australians. more opportunities and a lower cost of living. The Albanese government is delivering on our commitment to secure new trade and investment opportunities for Australian exporters, producers, farmers and businesses."
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A giant steel company has announced plans to develop a new approach to green iron.
BlueScope Steel says it will work with the Helios Project in Israel to make iron from Australian ores without adding to greenhouse gas emissions.
Nearly two billion tonnes of steel are made annually worldwide, contributing almost 10 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Helios says it's developing a more sustainable method of producing green iron from iron ores and tailings.
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The next Commonwealth Games will now officially be staged in Scotland.
Glasgow will be the host city for the 2026 Games - but it will be a stripped down version featuring just 10 sports, and funded by Victoria's compensation payout.
CGA president Ben Houston says it's a fantastic outcome for the Commonwealth sport movement.
