At AusNewsLanka , we aim to keep the Australian community informed with timely updates. A primary school in Melbourne’s southeast was placed into lockdown this morning after a reported stabbing on campus. The incident happened around 9am at Brentwood Park Primary School in Berwick. Emergency services arrived to find a young boy with stab wounds. Paramedics treated him at the scene, and his injuries are not life-threatening. A woman also received minor injuries. Parents were informed by email that the school went into a brief precautionary lockdown to ensure student safety. The lockdown has since been lifted, and all students and staff are safe. Police are continuing to investigate the incident. Source : News.com Stay tuned with Aus News Lanka  – the leading platform for news for Australians .

At AusNewsLanka , we aim to keep the Australian community informed with timely updates. Australia’s inflation picked up speed in October, rising 3.8% over the year — the fastest pace in seven months and higher than economists expected. This is the first time the ABS has released a full monthly CPI, which will now replace the quarterly measure as the main indicator of inflation. Analysts noted the monthly data showed inflation running slightly hotter than earlier estimates. Housing costs were the biggest driver, jumping 5.9%, fueled by rising electricity bills, higher rents, and new home prices. Electricity surged 37.1% in October as many households exhausted government rebates. Food, drinks, recreation, and cultural expenses were also up 3.2% from a year earlier. Underlying inflation, measured by the trimmed mean, rose to 3.3%, signalling persistent price pressures. Month-to-month, inflation was flat — better than forecasts of a small decline. The Reserve Bank of Australia held interest rates at 3.6% earlier this month, warning that inflation remains too high and could stay above its 2–3% target until late next year. Governor Michele Bullock said the current rate-cutting cycle may be nearing its end. Economists now expect the RBA to push any discussion of easing into mid or late 2026, given the stronger inflation outlook. Australia’s economy has been performing better than expected, expanding 1.8% in the second quarter, supported by solid household and government spending. New GDP figures will be released on December 3. Markets reacted calmly: • ASX 200 rose 0.73% • The Australian dollar slipped to 0.6491 USD • 10-year bond yields climbed to 4.474% Source : cnbc Stay tuned with Aus News Lanka  – the leading platform for news for Australians .

At AusNewsLanka , we aim to keep the Australian community informed with timely updates. New South Wales is facing its most dangerous fire conditions in more than two years, with soaring temperatures, strong winds and fast-moving thunderstorms putting communities on high alert. More than 20 schools across central NSW were closed on Wednesday after the Rural Fire Service issued a catastrophic fire danger warning for the lower central west. This level of alert has not been issued in the state since September 2023. Sydney was forecast to hit 36°C, while temperatures in Bourke were expected to climb above 40°C. By midday, the Bureau of Meteorology warned of severe thunderstorms moving toward Sydney, bringing the risk of damaging winds and large hail. Areas from Richmond and St Marys through to Parramatta, Hornsby, Cessnock and Branxton were in the storm path. Communities in Dubbo, Parkes and Forbes were told to reconsider travel, avoid bushland and prepare plans to leave early if fires threaten. Millions across NSW, including metropolitan Sydney, were under extreme fire danger, with wind gusts above 90km/h expected across southern NSW and parts of Victoria. The Bureau of Meteorology said storms were possible all along the east coast, adding to already unstable weather. Large areas of Queensland remain under intense heatwave conditions, with temperatures 6–10 degrees above the November average. The NSW Rural Fire Service said the mix of high heat, low humidity, strong winds and dry vegetation meant fires could ignite easily and spread quickly. Homes in catastrophic danger zones may not be defendable. By Wednesday morning, 24 bush and grass fires were burning across the state, with peak conditions expected between 1.30pm and 6pm. Authorities urged residents to stay informed, follow emergency updates and make fire survival plans. “Leaving early is always the safest choice when catastrophic fire danger is declared,” officials warned. Fire bans are in place across much of NSW, with elevated danger also affecting southern Queensland. The heightened alerts come after a tragic start to the bushfire season. A 30-year veteran firefighter, Peter Curtis, died on Sunday fighting a blaze in South Australia. In Tasmania, a bushfire near the Curries River reservoir has been burning since Saturday, with residents advised to monitor conditions closely. Source : The Guardian More updates to come on AusNewsLanka.

This is a developing story brought to you by Aus News Lanka , your trusted source for news for Sri Lankans  in Australia and beyond. ජාත්‍යන්තර මූල්‍ය අරමුදල (IMF) සහ ශ්‍රී ලංකා බලධාරීන් ඔක්තෝබර් 9 වන දින කාර්ය මණ්ඩල මට්ටමේ එකඟතාවයකට එළඹුණු අතර, ජාත්‍යන්තර මූල්‍ය අරමුදලේ විස්තීර්ණ අරමුදල් පහසුකම (EFF) යටතේ සහාය ලබන ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ ප්‍රතිසංස්කරණ වැඩසටහනේ පස්වන සමාලෝචනය අවසන් කිරීමට අවශ්‍ය ආර්ථික ප්‍රතිපත්ති සම්බන්ධයෙන් එය සිදුවිය. ඒ අනුව, පස්වන සමාලෝචනය සාකච්ඡා කර අනුමත කිරීම සඳහා IMF විධායක මණ්ඩලය දෙසැම්බර් 15 වන දින රැස්වීමට නියමිතය. අනුමත වූ පසු, ශ්‍රී ලංකාවට ආසන්න වශයෙන් ඇමරිකානු ඩොලර් මිලියන 347 ක මූල්‍යකරණයක් ලබා ගැනීමට ප්‍රවේශය ලැබෙනු ඇත. Source : Ada Derana More updates to come on AusNewsLanka .

At AusNewsLanka , we aim to keep the Australian community informed with timely updates. Australia is establishing a new AI Safety Institute (AISI) to monitor fast-moving artificial intelligence technologies and help keep Australians safe. The institute will provide trusted, expert advice to government by testing emerging AI systems, identifying risks early, and supporting stronger protections for the community. The AISI will work closely with regulators to make sure Australia is ready to benefit from AI while avoiding potential harms. Its role will include: Tracking rapid AI developments and responding to new risks Deepening government understanding of advanced AI and its impacts Acting as a central hub to share insights and support coordinated action Giving safety and risk guidance to businesses, government and the public through the National AI Centre Supporting Australia’s commitments under global AI safety agreements The institute will complement current laws and regulations that already safeguard Australians’ rights. The AISI is expected to begin operations in early 2026. By partnering with the National AI Centre and working with international AI safety bodies, Australia aims to position itself as a global leader in responsible and safe AI development. Source : Department of Industry, Science and Resources Stay tuned with Aus News Lanka  – the leading platform for news for Australians .

This is a developing story brought to you by Aus News Lanka , your trusted source for news for Sri Lankans  in Australia and beyond. බස් ගමන් සඳහා විද්‍යුත් කාඩ්පත් ගෙවීම් හඳුන්වා දීමේ වැඩසටහන අද (24) සිට මාකුඹුර බහුමාධ්‍ය ප්‍රවාහන මධ්‍යස්ථානයේදී නිල වශයෙන් දියත් කෙරේ. ඩිජිටල් අමාත්‍යාංශය සහ ප්‍රවාහන අමාත්‍යාංශය එක්ව ක්‍රියාත්මක කරන මෙම මුලපිරීම ප්‍රවාහන අමාත්‍ය බිමල් රත්නායක මහතාගේ ප්‍රධානත්වයෙන් දියත් කෙරේ. Source : Dailymirror Stay tuned with Aus News Lanka  – the leading platform for news for Sri Lankans .

At AusNewsLanka , we aim to keep the Australian community informed with timely updates. Western Australia is preparing for dangerous conditions as Tropical Cyclone Fina strengthens into a severe category 4 system while moving toward the Kimberley coast. The Bureau of Meteorology says Fina is currently over the Joseph Bonaparte Gulf and producing sustained winds of around 185km/h, with gusts near the centre reaching 260km/h. For now, most of the impact remains offshore. The cyclone is located about 300km south-west of Darwin, tracking south-west at roughly 8km/h. A tropical cyclone warning is in place for northern WA, with Fina expected to make landfall in the north-east Kimberley late tonight or early tomorrow. It is forecast to weaken to a category 3, but dangerous wind gusts between 120km/h and 185km/h are still expected after it crosses the coast. Heavy rain, flash flooding, and hazardous conditions are likely along the northern Kimberley coastline. Cyclone alerts have been cancelled for the Northern Territory, but flood warnings remain. Some areas near Darwin have already recorded up to 140mm of rain, and a severe weather warning for heavy rainfall is active for the Daly district. Source : 9News More updates to come on AusNewsLanka .

At AusNewsLanka , we aim to keep the Australian community informed with timely updates. Snapchat will start warning users this week that their accounts will be deactivated when Australia’s under-16 social media ban begins on 10 December. The platform will send alerts in-app, by email, or via SMS to users it believes may be younger than 16. Snapchat will rely on a mix of signals — including account behaviour and self-declared ages — to identify affected accounts. The company told a Senate inquiry it estimates around 440,000 Australian users are between 13 and 15. Anyone flagged as under 16 but actually older will need to verify their age to stay on the platform. Verification options include: Bank-linked ConnectID Government ID such as a licence or passport Facial age estimation using a selfie analysed by age-assurance company k-ID Young users will be given a chance to download their chats, videos, and Memories before the ban takes effect. From 10 December, accounts belonging to under-16s will be locked. They can only be reactivated once the user turns 16 and completes age verification. Accounts left locked for three years without verification will be permanently deleted. Snapchat has argued it shouldn’t fall under the ban because its main purpose is messaging — which is otherwise exempt — but says it will comply regardless. “We’re disappointed young Aussies won’t be able to stay connected with their closest friends,” Snapchat said. “But we will disable accounts for users under 16 from December 10.” Snap is the second platform to announce its rollout plan, following Meta’s warnings to Facebook and Instagram users last week. TikTok and Kick have confirmed they will follow the new laws but haven’t detailed how. Reddit, Twitch, X, and YouTube have not yet revealed whether or how they’ll comply. Source : theguardian Stay tuned with Aus News Lanka  – the leading platform for news for Australians .

At AusNewsLanka , we aim to keep the Australian community informed with timely updates. Meta has started notifying thousands of young Australians that their Facebook, Instagram and Threads accounts will soon be blocked under Australia’s new age restriction laws. The federal government announced earlier this month that major platforms — including Meta apps, Snapchat, TikTok, X and YouTube — must take “reasonable steps” to block users under 16 from December 10. Meta is the first company to outline how it will comply. From Thursday, the tech giant began sending SMS and email alerts to suspected underage users, warning that access will be cut from December 4. The company says teens should use the two-week notice period to download their photos and contacts, or update their details so they can regain access once they turn 16. Meta estimates around 350,000 Australians aged 13–15 use Instagram, and 150,000 in the same age group use Facebook. Teens who are actually 16 or older but received the warning by mistake will be able to verify their age using Yoti Age Verification, which accepts government ID or a “video selfie.” However, experts warn the technology isn’t perfect. Sydney University’s Terry Flew says facial-recognition tools still have a failure rate of around 5%. The government has made it clear that demanding ID from every user would be unreasonable, arguing platforms already have enough data to identify most underage accounts. Platforms that fail to take proper action could face fines of up to $50 million. Meta’s global safety chief, Antigone Davis, said a better system would be for app stores like Apple and Google to verify a user’s age when they download apps, reducing the need for platforms to collect extra data. Parent advocacy groups say families should now start preparing their children for life with less screen time. Dany Elachi from the Heaps Up Alliance — which pushed for the age limit — said the change will be tough but ultimately beneficial. “When everybody misses out, nobody misses out,” he said. “Kids will have new opportunities once they’re spending less time online.” Source : DailyMirror More updates to come on AusNewsLanka .

At AusNewsLanka , we aim to keep the Australian community informed with timely updates. Australian households will soon be able to use electricity for free for three hours every day under a new federal government plan designed to make better use of excess solar energy. The Solar Sharer scheme will require energy retailers to offer free electricity during a set window in the middle of the day — the time when solar generation is high and demand is low. Wholesale prices often drop to very cheap or even negative levels during these hours. The scheme will begin next July for customers on the Default Market Offer in NSW, South East Queensland and South Australia. The government plans to expand it nationwide by 2027. Households with smart meters will be able to run appliances like washing machines, dryers and air conditioning at no cost during the free period. Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen said the policy ensures everyone benefits from solar power — including renters and people without panels. “There’s so much solar in the middle of the day that prices often fall below zero. This scheme spreads the benefits to all consumers,” he said. Energy retailers, however, say the announcement caught them by surprise. The Australian Energy Council criticised the lack of consultation and warned that smaller retailers may struggle with market risks and costs. Mr Bowen said he makes “no apologies” if the policy reduces retailer profits, adding that consumers come first. The government believes the shift in energy use will ease pressure on the grid during the evening peak and may help keep long-term costs down by avoiding expensive network upgrades. The scheme comes as households face growing concerns about power bills. Default Market Offer prices are set to rise by up to 9.7 per cent this year, depending on location. Meanwhile, the Coalition remains divided over its climate policy, with the Nationals moving to abandon the 2050 net zero target. Critics argue that offering free daytime power could lead to higher prices at other times. As the debate continues, the government points to strong solar generation pushing daytime wholesale prices into negative territory across almost every state. “Free daytime power shows that what’s good for the planet can also be good for your wallet,” Mr Bowen said. Source : ABC News Stay tuned with Aus News Lanka  – the leading platform for news for Australians .

This is a developing story brought to you by Aus News Lanka , your trusted source for news for Sri Lankans  in Australia and beyond. මෝටර් රථ වාහන පනත යටතේ නිකුත් කරන ලද නව රෙගුලාසි අනුගමනය කරමින්, ශ්‍රී ලංකාව පුරවැසියන් සහ විදේශීය ජාතිකයන් යන දෙපිරිසටම රියදුරු බලපත්‍ර නිකුත් කිරීම සම්බන්ධ ගාස්තු කිහිපයක් සංශෝධනය කර ඇත. 2025 නොවැම්බර් 17 දින අංක 2463/04 දරන අතිවිශේෂ ගැසට් පත්‍රයට අනුව, දැනටමත් විදේශීය බලපත්‍රයක් හිමි ශ්‍රී ලාංකික පුරවැසියෙකුට රියදුරු බලපත්‍රයක් නිකුත් කිරීමේ ගාස්තුව රු. 30,000 ක් ලෙස නියම කර ඇත. එම කාණ්ඩයේම විදේශීය ජාතිකයෙකු සඳහා ගාස්තුව රු. 60,000 ක් ලෙස නියම කර ඇත. ගැසට් පත්‍රය මගින් පුරවැසියන් නොවන අය සඳහා බලපත්‍ර නිකුත් කිරීම, අලුත් කිරීම සහ ප්‍රතිස්ථාපනය කිරීම සඳහා යාවත්කාලීන ගාස්තු හඳුන්වා දෙන අතර, රියදුරු බලපත්‍රයක් නිකුත් කිරීම සඳහා රු. 45,000 ක් සහ අලුත් කිරීම් සඳහා රු. 15,000 ක් ද ඇතුළත් වේ. ශ්‍රී ලාංකික පුරවැසියන් සහ විදේශිකයන් යන දෙපිරිසටම - අමුත්තන් සඳහා තාවකාලික රියදුරු බලපත්‍ර ගාස්තු ද බහු කාල කාණ්ඩ හරහා සංශෝධනය කර ඇත. Source : Newswire More updates to come on AusNewsLanka .

At AusNewsLanka , we aim to keep the Australian community informed with timely updates. Australian shoppers can now expect parcels to arrive any day of the week, with Australia Post bringing back weekend deliveries from this Saturday. The temporary service aims to handle the huge spike in parcels expected during the festive season. Weekend deliveries will run across all major capital cities and selected regional areas, staying in place until Christmas. Gary Starr, Australia Post’s Executive General Manager for Parcels and eCommerce, said the extra delivery days are essential to keep things moving smoothly. “With Black Friday and Cyber Monday approaching, we’re preparing for a major rise in online shopping and parcel volumes,” he said. Last year, Australia Post delivered almost 103 million parcels over the Black Friday period — and they’re gearing up for an even bigger season this year. To manage demand, Australia Post has boosted its network by adding more free Parcel Lockers and opening new parcel-only Post Offices with 24/7 self-service options in NSW, Victoria, Queensland and the ACT. Customers are being urged to stick to the recommended posting deadlines to avoid delays: Christmas Delivery Cut-Off Dates Parcel Post: • Same-state metro — Mon, Dec 22 • Interstate metro — Fri, Dec 19 Express Post: • Same-state metro — Tue, Dec 23 • Interstate metro — Tue, Dec 23 People sending parcels to or from Western Australia, the Northern Territory, Tasmania, or regional and remote areas should allow extra time. Source : 9News Stay tuned with Aus News Lanka  – the leading platform for news for Australians .