Bicheno has claimed the title of Australia's best town, securing the top spot in Australian Traveller's prestigious "100 Best Towns in Australia to Travel To" rankings. Tasmania performed strongly overall, with 10 towns earning a place on the national list, highlighting the State's growing reputation as a leading travel destination.
Tasmania's agriculture industry has recorded strong growth, with the State's gross farm-gate value rising 15 per cent to $2.83 billion in 2023-24, according to the latest Tasmanian Agri Food ScoreCard. The result marks an increase from $2.46 billion in 2022-23 and comes despite dry seasonal conditions and ongoing challenges across the sector.
Tasmania's renewable energy future has taken another major step forward, with TasNetworks achieving financial close for the North West Transmission Developments (NWTD). The milestone secures funding for the project and provides greater certainty as preparations continue for construction to begin later in 2026, pending final regulatory approvals and processes.
Apple posted a solid fiscal third quarter on Thursday, climbing past Wall Street’s expectations thanks to strong sales of the iPhone and MacBook computers. Apple raised the prices of its Macs and iPads last month, citing a memory-chip shortage brought on by the artificial intelligence boom.
The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate rose for the fourth consecutive week to its highest level in a year, another setback for prospective homebuyers hoping for a break from elevated home loan borrowing costs.
WASHINGTON (AP) – The U.S. economy expanded at a sluggish 1.5% pace from April through June as rising imports weighed on growth, yet consumers continued to spend. And the Federal Reserve’s favored measure of inflation grew more slowly last month. But it remained above the central bank’s 2% target at a time when Americans are frustrated about the high cost of living ahead of the midterm elections, now less than 100 days away.
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump said Thursday that a deal has been reached for Hamas to disarm and Israel to withdraw its forces from Gaza, but many hurdles, conditions and long timelines remained to wind down the war in the Palestinian territory. Neither Hamas nor Israel gave immediate indication that they had agreed.
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) – A Russian ballistic missile and drone barrage across Ukraine overnight killed at least 10 civilians, including children, and injured more than 50 others, officials said Thursday, and NATO scrambled its warplanes after one of the missiles crossed the country’s western border into Poland.
CAIRO (AP) – The United States and Iran each fired barrages of missiles Thursday, as the pattern of back-and-forth strikes took hold again and hope dimmed for a quick end to the five-month conflict.
WASHINGTON (AP) – Federal officials involved in the prosecution of James Comey misled judges, submitted false statements and withheld key facts during the course of the investigation, according to new defense filings that seek the dismissal of a case charging the former FBI director with threatening President Donald Trump on social media.


















































































































































