Adelaide’s homeless are being offered the flu shot to combat the heightened reach of the flu this season, with more than 15,000 cases reported in South Australia in 2019, compared to 1,400 at this time in 2018.

The federal health department has confirmed over 51,000 laboratory cases of the flu nationwide, creating a need for those more susceptible to the virus to have access to the shot.

One of the world’s largest drug manufacturers, Johnson & Johnson, is facing trial in the US state of Oklahoma in a multi-billion dollar lawsuit over the state’s opioid crisis.

Oklahoma prosecutors are accusing the firm of deceptively marketing painkillers, downplaying the risk of addiction and fueling an opioid epidemic that is causing 130 overdose deaths in America each day.

France and Germany are in disagreement over the appointment of the next head of the EU Commission following European elections which resulted in a fragmented parliament.

At an EU leaders summit in Brussels, German Chancellor Angela Merkel backed candidate Manfred Weber, while French President Emmanuel Macron named three potential alternatives.

The disagreement sets up a complex power struggle over the future direction of the EU, with the Commission responsible for enforcing EU rules and drafting new laws.

More young people are living at home with their parents into early adulthood, but the reasons for doing so extend beyond high house prices.

More than 43 per cent of people aged between 20 and 24 lived with their parents in 2016, compared to 36 per cent in 1981. 

The Australian Institute of Family Studies director, Anne Hollonds, says young adults are staying in education longer and their employment tends to be less secure, meaning their income is less stable.

The CEO of  AgForce, Michael Guerin, has criticised a decision by the Queensland Court of Appeal which could potentially expose landholders in South-East Queensland to fines of more than $500,000 dollars for clearing trees.

The court this month ruled that the clearing of  land marked "Category X" - described as “exempt areas” on state vegetation maps - is subject to local councils’ planning schemes and may require a development permit.

Brisbane will stage a contemporary production late next year of Richard Wagner’s operatic masterpiece The Ring, directed by Mr Chen Shi-Zheng.

Tourism Industry Development Minister, Kate Jones, says the production will generate 35,500 visitors and inject more than $15 million into the local economy.