Australia

The team, which is accompanied by Vice President Debbie Masauvakalo, has arrived in Gold Coast Queensland ahead of the Championships that will start on Friday.

The Gold Coast will be hosting the best athletes at the 2023 Australian Beach Championships squaring off on iconic Coolangatta Beach this week.

The tournament seedings will be released today and the draws will be released on Thursday.

At the end, Blake Johnston was carried on the shoulders of friends up Cronulla beach in south Sydney, describing himself as "pretty cooked".

Johnston began surfing early on Thursday morning in aid of mental health awareness.

His effort has raised some A$335,000 (£185,000; $225,000) for charity.

With spotlights to illuminate a section of Cronulla's surf known as "The Alley", Johnston kept going overnight and had ridden over 700 waves by the end.

The previous record of 30 hours and 11 minutes was held by South African Josh Enslin.

The Australian government will take three, potentially second-hand Virginia-class submarines early next decade, pending the approval of the US Congress.

The nuclear submarine programme will cost up to A$368 billion (NZ$394.5b) over the next three decades.

There will also be an option to purchase another two under the landmark AUKUS defence and security pact, announced in San Diego on Tuesday morning.

After two years of rains and floods, a return to warmer conditions has sparked the country's worst fires since the 2019/2020 'Black Summer' season.

BBC reports a blaze 250km north-west of Sydney triggered the region's first emergency fire warning in two years.

Firefighters reported battling 10-15m high flames.

Residents in affected areas across New South Wales state - Australia's most populous - have been urged to evacuate, and there are reports of damage to some properties.

Vanuatu Prime Minister Ishmael Kalsakau, Ministers and officials joined a rapid assessment team on a Royal Australian Air Force aircraft yesterday to survey damage over Shefa and Tafea.

The Australian Government deployed a rapid assessment team to survey cyclone damage at the request of the Government of Vanuatu.

The 12-person team and an initial assistance package were transported to Vanuatu on a RAAF C-130 aircraft.

The statement came following his meeting with the Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

The Daily Post reports the two leaders discussed ways to strengthen ties between the countries.

Kalsakau has since announced that visa processing can be done in Vanuatu instead of Fiji.

Many ni-Vanuatu citizens have expressed concern over the need for free visa access when travelling to Australia, given the two countries' long-standing partnership.

Vanuatu Prime Minister Ishmael Kalsakau and his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese completed a bilateral meeting in Canberra yesterday reports RNZ Pacific.

A spokesperson for Australia's Prime Minister says some of the money will go towards supporting aviation, trade, infrastructure, cyber security and banking.

The spokesperson said both Prime Ministers agreed Australia would prioritise the construction of a new home for Vanuatu's Council of Ministers and National Security Council Secretariats under the agreement     

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Authorities say it is the first time Christian extremist ideology has been linked to a terror attack in Australia.

Two police officers and a neighbour were killed when Nathaniel, Stacey and Gareth Train opened fire on a rural property in Queensland last December.

The trio were shot dead after a lengthy stand-off with police.

Police have been investigating whether the group - brothers Nathaniel and Gareth, and Stacey, who had at different times been married to each man - were linked to conspiracy theories.

The 36-year-old man was apprehended in Darwin and was due to appear in court on Thursday, police said.

The trio was found clinging to an esky cool box off Western Australia (WA) on 1 February.

Police say they claimed they were out fishing when their boat capsized.

But authorities later discovered 365kg of cocaine in at least two locations, sparking a hunt for the men. They are suspected of involvement in an international drug shipment.

It's the first visit by a Prime Minister of the Republic of Vanuatu since 2018.

The Guardian reports, Kalsakau is joined by his trade and business minister as well as his agriculture minister.

Prior to Kalsakau's departure, Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said trade, security, people-to-people links and climate would be discussed.