A viral hoax which claims Mars will be as large as the Moon this weekend, has been debunked.

A lone assailant has detonated what police described as merely a firework device outside the US embassy in Beijing today, primarily causing damage to himself.

Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, has announced Australia will not have a federal election this year, regardless of the Super Saturday by-state election result.

On Channel 7’s Sunrise program this morning, Turnbull confirmed there an election will take plave within the first half of next year.

This Saturday’s five by-elections are critical for both major parties and are widely seen as a test for Mr Turnbull and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten.

Two fires on on the fringes of Sydney has reduced air quality in the city, and spreading a strong smell of smoke.

Fire behaviour analysis undertaken by the Rural Fire Service on behalf of National Parks and Wildlife warned of smoky conditions across Sydney, the worst of which is expected on Saturday

Prediction modelling suggested smoke would be pushed across Sydney by westerly winds during Saturday morning and out to the ocean by lunchtime.

An empty government building Brisbane’s inner-city will be used for counter-terrorism training exercises.

Child sex offenders, murderers and drug dealers are among 220 foreign nationals living in Queensland who have had their visas cancelled in the past year.

British cyber security experts and ex-spies have warned the West against banning the Chinese telecommunications company Huawei.

Former director of Britain’s intelligence and security organisation GCHQ, said in the future, the best providers of new technologies might be Chinese and the risk of using Chinese companies should be managed instead of avoided.

Vanuatu has reimposed a state of emergency and ordered compulsory evacuations as thick volcanic eruptions blanket the island.

The threat level of Manaro volcano on Ambae Island was raised from two to three on Saturday by the country’s Meteorological and Geo-Hazards Department.

Numerous villagers have already been evacuated, with Vanuatu’s Red Cross reporting several villages have become uninhabitable.

South Australia's new Economic Advisory Council is to meet for the first time as part of Premier Steven Marshall's promise to grow the state economy.

The council has been drawn from a range of industry backgrounds and will be a crucial decision making machine for the direction of the South Australian economy.

Mr Marshall said that the meeting will set the agenda for ongoing discussions with business leaders about how we to best stimulate strong economic growth and jobs creation in the state