A quarter of a million extra flu vaccines will be made available for New Zealanders as the Government plans to protect vulnerable communities this winter.Health Minister Andrew Little said this means up to two million New Zealanders…

A Napier man has been found guilty of a “serious piece of thuggery” after a court heard he punched a drunken sailor seven times and stomped three times on his head. Steven Pratt, 54, appeared before a judge-alone trial in the Napier…

An assistant house master at Dilworth School was caught in bed spooning a young boy in 1994 and was told to leave the dormitory, court documents reveal. It’s one incident that led to a string of historical child sexual abuse charges…

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Close to a year after Brittany Higgins shared her story of an alleged rape in Parliament House, the prime minister stood in the same place to deliver an apology to political staff who have suffered bullying, harassment, and abuse.

"I am sorry. We are sorry," Scott Morrison said while glancing up at the public gallery where Ms Higgins sat along with several other staff who have spoken out about their experiences of mistreatment.

"I am sorry to Miss Higgins for the terrible things that took place here. And that what should have been a place for safety and contribution, turned out to be a nightmare."

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Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese also acknowledged the role Ms Higgins played in lifting the lid on the culture of Parliament.

"You have torn through a silence that acted as a life-support system for the most odious of status quos," he said. 

"No one deserves to feel unsafe or disrespected in any workplace, let alone our national Parliament."

The prime minister stressed that sorry was only the start, saying he is "determined" to deliver the outcomes of the Kate Jenkins review, which made 28 recommendations on how to improve staff safety.

The report found more than half of people currently working in Parliament House had experienced at least one incident of bullying, sexual harassment, or assault.

"I want this to be a place where young Australians, and young women in particular, can follow their dreams…and not have them crushed by brutality and the misuse of power," Mr Morrison told parliament.

As the apology was delivered by political leaders, several of the alleged victims who were in the public gallery reportedly left the chamber in tears.

Former Australian of the Year Grace Tame wasn't impressed by the speeches, tweeting: "How about some proactive, preventative measures, and not just performative, last-minute band aid electioneering stunts?"

Controversial businessman Troy Bowker donated $35,000 to NZ First last year, including a $10,000 donation made the same day he donated $5,000 to the Act Party . Any donations of over $30,000 a year must be declared by political…

To scientists, it's called Comet 2014 UN271/(Bernardinelli-Bernstein).

But to everyday folk, it's a gargantuan megacomet spanning a mind-blowing 137 kilometres wide, making it officially the largest comet ever measured.

Think about a straight line from Sydney to Newcastle, and that's roughly the staggering width of Bernardinelli-Bernstein.

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The first images of Bernardinelli-Bernstein were recorded in 2014, when it was spotted 4.59 billion kilometres away from Earth, about the same distance as the planet Neptune.

Initially the comet was estimated to measure anywhere between 100 to 370 kilometres wide.

Now those measurements have been firmed up.

"We have confirmed the estimate," Dr Emmanuel Lellouch of the Paris Observatory told New Scientist.

"It's the biggest comet from the Oort Cloud ever found."

The news means Bernardinelli-Bernstein has knocked Hale-Bopp, around 70 kilometres wide, off the top spot.

What is the Oort cloud?

NASA has described the Oort cloud as "the most distant region of our solar system", and is believed to hold billions of pieces of space debris the size of mountains and sometimes larger.

During its formation, massive chunks of rock and ice were catapulted into the Oort cloud from the newly formed solar system along with space debris from other planetary systems.

Researchers think that holds clues to our sun's long-lost twin, and is part of the binary system theory.

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Scientists believe the Oort cloud may have played important roles in Earth's history, such as causing the extinction of the dinosaurs.

It also holds clues for the mysterious Planet Nine that astronomers have yet to prove exists.

There was a brief show of unity in Canberra this morning as politicians attended church before the unholy mess of parliament resumed for the year.

After text message scandals, a drop in the polls, and an aged care crisis, the prime minister might have prayed for an opportunity to hit the political reset button ahead of the election.

His MPs were certainly looking to a higher power.

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"I might even say a little prayer for our election prospects," Michael McCormack told journalists on his way into the Greek Orthodox Church in Canberra.

Perched in the front row during the service were the prime minister, the treasurer and Nationals Senate leader Bridget McKenzie, with the deputy prime minister relegated to the back.

Having been labelled a "liar and a hypocrite" by his right-hand man, things could get a little awkward between Scott Morrison and Barnaby Joyce today.

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Not that Nationals MPs think Australians are bothered by the character assessments of the PM.

"They're not interested in the bubble; they're not sitting around the kitchen table talking about text messages," Nationals Minister Keith Pitt said.

Labor, on the other hand, think their prayers have been answered.

"This government is a rabble, it's falling apart," said Senator Kristina Keneally.

"Today in church I'll be praying that the Australian people get the government they deserve."

And the Prime Minister will be hoping for another election miracle.

The first rogue black hole may have just been discovered zipping around the galaxy, and it's only 5000 light-years away from Earth.

A team of astrophysicists claim they've detected an isolated stellar-mass black hole around the bulge in the centre of the Milky Way.

Scientists were tipped off to its existence when it passed in front of a background star — the black hole's extreme gravity bent the light of the star.

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The find was made possible with NASA's Hubble Telescope, which was used over a six-year study period.

Researchers estimate the isolated black hole is about 7.1 times the mass of the sun, and is moving at a speed of 45 kilometres per second — or 162,000 kilometres per hour.

This suggests it received a kick from the supernova explosion that birthed it.

While the paper, submitted to The Astrophysical Journal, is yet to be peer-reviewed, the presence of such elusive black holes has long been theorised.

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"We report the first unambiguous detection and mass measurement of an isolated stellar-mass black hole," the team, lead by astrophysicist Kailash Sahu, wrote.

"We show that the lens emits no detectable light, which, along with having a mass higher than is possible for a white dwarf or neutron star, confirms its black hole nature."

Black holes are born "from the remnants of a large star that dies in a supernova explosion," NASA explains.

They have a gravitational field so strong that nothing, not even light, can escape.

A dolphin who found itself stuck in shallow water in Melbourne's west has been towed to safety with help from Melbourne Zoo and Victoria Police.

The dolphin was found beached in shallow water in the section of Port Phillip Bay alongside Greenwich Reserve in Williamstown yesterday afternoon.

Marine animal experts from Melbourne Zoo's Marine Response Unit were called to help the dolphin, before they called for backup from water police just after 4pm.

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The group of rescuers made a sling to tow the dolphin into deeper water.

It was then assessed by experts before being successfully released back into the ocean.

Victoria Police's Leading Senior Constable, Tony Christensen, said "it was a privilege to be involved in the rescue of such an amazing creature".

"Our members often see dolphins in the bay during patrols and it's great to see this one back where it belongs," he said.