Former South Australian Minister and Speaker of the House of Assembly Leon Bignell has been appointed as South Australia's next Agent-General in London. Mr Bignell will officially begin the four-year appointment on 27 May, succeeding David Ridgway, who has served in the role since July 2021 and chose not to seek another term.

A major new tourism and hospitality project in the Barossa Valley has secured planning approval, clearing the way for a luxury five-star resort and winery development in one of South Australia's premier wine regions. Strategic Alliance and Commercial Pty Ltd has received approval to build the InterContinental Barossa Resort & Spa on Hoffnungsthal Road at Williamstown.

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) – A spearfisher was killed on Saturday in Australia’s third fatal shark attack in four weeks, police said. The 35-year-old man was spearfishing with family off Michaelmas Island near the port city of Albany in Western Australia state when he was attacked before noon, a police statement said.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un underscored their commitment to deepen cooperation and rebuild their complicated traditional alliance, as Xi is on a rare visit to Pyongyang in a likely attempt to reassert Beijing’s unique influence over its socialist neighbor.

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) – British-born Australian champion race horse Makybe Diva, who won the Melbourne Cup three times between 2003 and 2005, has died. Owner Tony Santic said in a statement Saturday that the mare who amassed 14 million Australian dollars ($10 million) in prize money, died at the age of 26 after a brief bout of colic.

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) – Organizers of Australia’s largest free literary festival canceled the event Tuesday after more than 180 writers and speakers withdrew over the scrapping of an appearance by an Australian-Palestinian writer and academic.

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) – Riley Allen, a 15-year-old schoolboy living on an Outback sheep ranch, doesn’t know how he’ll keep in touch with his circle of far-flung friends once Australia’s world-first social media ban takes effect on Wednesday. Riley’s family lives 5 kilometers (3 miles) from Wudinna, a community of just over 1,000 in South Australia state.

Victoria has recently been labelled Australia's "car theft capital".vAccording to the Insurance Council of Australia, more than A$243 million was paid out in Victoria last year in 12,500 claims involving stolen vehicles and thefts from motor vehicles. Between 2024 and 2025, the state recorded a 25% increase in motor vehicle theft claims.