A new family of COVID-19 strains, nicknamed "FLiRT", are spreading across the world, and have arrived in Australia.

While it was only recorded for the first time five months ago, one of the subvariants has already become dominant in the United States, indicating they are highly transmissible.

This is what you need to know about the FLiRT strains of COVID-19.

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What is the FLiRT variant?

FLiRT is the name given to an entire family of COVID-19 subvariants that are gaining dominance.

They've evolved from the JN.1 subvariant, which emerged late in 2023 and caused a spike in infections earlier this year.

The strains include KP.2, KP.3, JN.1.7 and a whole range of others which typically start with either "JN" or "KP".

KP.2, in particular, is spreading strongly, becoming the dominant COVID-19 subvariant in the United States this month.

It was first recorded in January, according to the World Health Organisation, which designated it a variant under monitoring on May 3.

As for where the unusual name comes from, "FLiRT" refers to the specific mutations to the virus's spike proteins that make the subvariants unique.

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Are there COVID FLiRT cases in Australia?

Yes.

Data differs from state to state (and territory) and isn't as frequently updated as it was during the height of the pandemic, so we don't have a totally comprehensive picture for the entire country.

However, it's clear that FLiRT subvariants have arrived.

NSW Health data released today shows that KP.2, KP.3 and another JN.1 sublineage, KW.1.1, make up more than half of the COVID-19 cases in the state at the moment.

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We also know total COVID-19 infections are increasing across Australia.

Health authorities around the country, including in NSW and Victoria, have warned of increasing cases in recent weeks, while the most recent national report (which covers the fortnight up to May 5) said infections had increased, bucking the trend of decreasing numbers since the start of the year.

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Are COVID FLiRT symptoms different and is it more contagious than other variants?

Like other variants that have spread throughout the world, the FLiRT strains seem to be quite contagious.

But, according to experts from the United States, where they took off before gaining prominence in Australia, there's no great difference in the symptoms or severity of illness caused by FLiRT.

"We learned from the laboratories that FLiRT variants appeared, so far, to be as transmissible as the other Omicron subvariants, which means they're really quite contagious," Dr William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University, said last week.

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"But they do not appear to be producing more severe disease or any sort of illness that's distinctive from the point of view of clinical presentation symptoms."

It's worth keeping in mind that it's still early days when it comes to these new subvariants, and scientists are still learning about the FLiRT family.

"We've had some variants in the past that start out kind of strong and then don't take over," Schaffner said.

"These subvariants could progressively become dominant, or they could get up to accounting for somewhere between 20 per cent and 40 per cent of the cases and then just stay there. We just have to see.

"The virus continues to be in charge. It's going to tell us what it's going to do. All of our crystal balls are rather cloudy."

– With CNN

The bird flu detected at a Victorian egg farm is not the strain currently causing havoc around the world, but experts have warned Australia cannot be complacent.

The virus that killed a number of poultry at the Meredith farm has been confirmed as the H7N3 high pathogenic strain, which has been detected in Australia before.

It is the H5N1 strain, which has not yet been found in birds in Australia, behind recent outbreaks in the US and other parts of the world.

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Movement controls around the farm are in place, and contact tracing is also underway to find the source of the infection.

"While cases among humans in direct contact with animals infected with highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses are possible, the current risk to the public remains low," Cooke said.

"Consumers should not be concerned about eggs and poultry products from the supermarkets, they do not pose a risk and are safe to consume."

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While H5N1 has not been detected in Australian birds, a returned overseas traveller in Victoria was yesterday confirmed to be carrying the virus, Victoria Health said.

The child has since recovered and there was no evidence of person-to-person transmission from the case.

University of South Australia Chair of Biostatistics Professor Adrian Estermann warned it was "highly likely" H5N1 would be detected in Australian animals.

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"The H5N1 bird flu is highly pathogenic for birds, and for the small number of humans infected, the case fatality rate has been high," he said.

However, he said, to date there was no evidence of person-to-person transmission.

Australian National University infectious disease specialist Associate Professor Sanjaya Senanayake said it was imperative the current farm outbreak of bird flu be quelled.

"From a human health perspective, it is vital to terminate this (H7N3) outbreak as soon as possible, otherwise more infections give the virus more opportunities to mutate," he said.

"Infection from poultry to farmed pigs is of particular concern, as pigs can act as the perfect mixing pot of human and avian flu viruses, leading to a strain of flu that can then move between humans easily.

"Despite having 'COVID fatigue' and not wanting to hear the word 'pandemic' again, the next pandemic could be just around the corner, and a strain of bird flu is a likely candidate.

However, he said, unlike the early days of COVD, "at least with H5N1, there are already human vaccines and antivirals".

University of Queensland bird medicine specialist Professor Bob Doneley said Australia's decades of experience in managing H7N3 would stand it in good stead if a new strain of the bird flu virus emerged.

"While Australia will undoubtedly experience an outbreak of H5N1 in the future, the skills to contain it are here now," he said.

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A New Zealand man was surprised to find two guns, including an AK-47, on his first day of metal detecting.

Dan O'Donnell, 42, was keen to try out a metal detector for the first time.

On Wednesday, he went out to Wellington Town Belt and within five minutes he got a signal. He immediately started digging.

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His first and most surreal discovery was two firearms along with a bunch of bullets and knives in "well-wrapped" packages.

O'Donnell said he borrowed a metal detector from a friend a couple of days ago to try out the hobby.

"I was casually giving it a go. I'd only been doing it for about five minutes and I got the signal and then it took a long time to try and get it [buried material] out.

"It was just buried right in the middle of an old path."

The guns, bullets and other stuff was wrapped in packages about 30 centimetres underground, he said.

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"It was quite big. It took quite a long time to get it out and it had these tree roots grown over it."

When O'Donnell pulled the packages out of the ground, he knew it was something "pretty suspicious".

"I didn't know what it was and then I pulled it out. It was such long bag.

"It had many layers of things over them and 11 of the layers was newspaper dated 1993.

"I had opened one of them a little bit just to confirm that it was actually a gun… and then I called the police."

The police came straight away, he said.

"They [police officers] opened it all up and they told me it was AK-47.

"Apparently they [guns] are an AK-47 and pump action shotgun, along with a bunch of accessories and ammo.

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O'Donnell, who lives in Newtown, said the firearms and ammunition seemed to be there for a long time.

"I didn't feel like there was any risk around it.

"There were newspapers dating 1993, and tree roots had grown over it so definitely looked like it had been there for 30 years."

A police spokesperson told Stuff at around 12:45pm [on Wednesday], they received a report that a man had uncovered two firearms buried off of Russell Terrace.

"A forensic examination of the located items will be conducted."

This article originally appeared on Stuff and is republished here with permission.

Music trends shift and reform like the tides, but somehow, the classics will always be classics.

A deal between Origin Energy and the NSW Government will delay the closure of Australia's largest coal-fired power station by two years.

Eraring Power Station at Lake Macquarie was due to close in 2025 as part of the state's move towards renewable energy.

Origin has agreed to extend operations at Eraring to August 19, 2027.

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Eraring employees will be provided with a transition support package by Origin through career transition support, re-skilling and redeployment where possible.

A $5 million fund to support communities affected by the closure of the plan has been set up.

Origin has committed to delivering six TWh of electricity during the two years of extension and may receive compensation from the government if the plant makes a loss.

If Eraing operations are profitable during that period, Origin will pay the NSW Government 20 per cent of the agreed profit, which is capped at $40 million per annum.

"We believe this agreement strikes the right balance, with an extension to operations enabling Eraring to continue supporting the security of electricity supply in New South Wales through the energy transition, while making compensation available to Origin in the event economic conditions for the plant are challenging," Origin CEO Frank Calabria said.

"This agreement supports Eraring to continue to play an important role in maintaining reliable power for businesses and households through a period in which there remains considerable uncertainty about the volume and timing of new renewables, transmission and firming infrastructure coming online," he said.

"Importantly, today we can give our Eraring employees, our suppliers and the local community greater certainty around the future of the plant as we transition towards its retirement."

The electricity company and government say the operations remain consistent with meeting Origins 2023 emissions reduction targets and the long-term goal of net zero emissions by 2050.

The Australian Conservation Foundation's climate policy advisor Annika Reynolds said it was a huge step backward for climate action in Australia.

"The Minns government must speed up the renewables transition and not fall back on unreliable coal clunkers like Eraring," Reynolds said.

The foundation estimates the power station contributed almost three per cent of Australia's total greenhouse gas emissions.

The decision comes after the Electricity Supply and Reliability Check Up report recommended extending the life of the power station in September.

A group representing the families of hostages held in Gaza has released new video footage showing Hamas' capture of five female Israeli soldiers near the Gaza border on October 7.

The video shows several of the young soldiers bloody and wounded. In one scene, a militant tells one of the terrified women she is beautiful.

The footage was taken by Hamas militants who stormed the Nahal Oz military base, part of the militant group's wider assault on southern Israel that killed roughly 1200 people and took about 250 others hostage.

Warning: This article contains details some readers may find disturbing

Seven female soldiers who worked as lookouts on the border with Gaza were taken captive from Nahal Oz, said the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which released the footage. All were 19 or 20.

The army rescued one of the women early in the war in a ground operation and said a second was killed in Hamas captivity. The five women in the video are believed to still be held by Hamas.

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The Israeli army recently declassified the video and turned it over to the women's families. The forum said the families made the footage public in an attempt to pressure the government into reaching a cease-fire deal with Hamas that would free their loved ones.

"Every new testimony about what happened to the hostages echoes the same tragic truth — we must bring them all back home, now," the forum said in a statement. "The Israeli government must not waste another moment."

Israel has released similar photos and videos from the October 7 rampage in a campaign aimed at shoring up support for the ongoing war in Gaza.

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The footage released is roughly three minutes and edited, with some images blurred to censor what the forum said is especially sensitive material.

It shows a group of more than a dozen armed militants binding the soldiers, two of whom had visible bloodstains on their faces.

In the video, the women try to converse with the militants. One says in English, "I have friends in Palestine."

One militant yells back in English for them to be quiet. In other scenes, militants kneel to pray in front of at least four of the female soldiers, who are handcuffed and seated on the ground. One bears visible cuts on her legs, and her blood pools onto the ground beneath her as a militant binds her hands behind her back.

At least one of the soldiers appears to be in her pajamas, with blood visible on her face. One of the militants points at her and, in English, says, "You are beautiful."

In a statement, Hamas called the video "a manipulated excerpt" whose authenticity "cannot be verified." The militant group said the minor injuries and blood on the soldiers "is to be expected in such operations," but denied physically assaulting the women.

Israel's offensive on Gaza, launched in response to the Hamas attack, has killed about 35,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians.

Ashley Waxman Bakshi, a cousin of Agam Berger, one of the women in the video, said that she cried the first time she saw it.

"Toward the end, I felt like I was going to throw up. I think any person who watches this video will understand that feeling, especially as a woman," she said.

Other footage shows the militants dragging two of the female soldiers toward a jeep as gunfire rattles. One is led to the vehicle barefoot, hopping on one foot because of an apparent leg injury.

In another scene, a group of militants holds a hostage by their hands and feet. It is not clear whether the hostage is alive or dead. Another scene shows three of the female soldiers in the back of a moving vehicle, faces bloodied as militants yell around them. Berger, who is wearing a brown shirt, is one of them.

"We know she's alive. We can feel it. She has a twin sister, she feels her," Bakshi said of her cousin. "She was taken hostage not severely injured. You can see from the video."

Winter is just about upon us, but that doesn't necessarily mean temperatures are about to start plummeting – although you might have to reach for an umbrella.

The Bureau of Meteorology is expecting the next three months to be unusually warm, even as the possibility of yet another La Niña rears its head.

This is what weather we're likely to get as winter gets underway.

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Temperature

It might not be the winter to splash out on a new coat.

In its latest long-range forecast, the BoM said Australia has a more than 80 per cent chance of recording one of the warmest winters in recent memory.

"Forecast June to August maximum and minimum temperatures are very likely to be above average for Australia," it wrote.

"For June to August, all of Australia has an increased likelihood of unusually high maximum temperatures, for this time of year.

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"There is also an increased chance of unusually warm minimum temperatures, with large areas of the country very likely (greater than 80% chance) to have unusually warm minimum temperatures."

The BoM considers the warmest 20 per cent of temperatures recorded between 1981 and 2018 to be "unusually high".

As for average temperatures, they vary from place to place, and from month to month.

Sydney, for example, typically gets up to a maximum of between 17-19 degrees with minimums of around 9 during winter, while Melbourne's average maximums don't breach 15 degrees and its minimums get as low as 5.5 degrees in July.

If the long-range forecast is on the mark, we can expect all of those figures to be exceeded this year.

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Rain

Just because we're set for unusually warm winter days doesn't mean they're going to be bathed in sunshine – although it depends on where exactly you live.

Large parts of the country, including inland New South Wales and South Australia and south-west Queensland, have a 60-80 per cent chance of above-average rainfall over the next three months.

Others are set for more typical seasonal rainfall, which is set to bring belief to parts of Western Australia that have gone through an unusually dry spell.

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"Some of the more populated southern regions of the country, including southwest Western Australia, southeast South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania, are likely to see rainfall that is typical for the June to August period," the BoM wrote.

As for eastern Australia, the outlook isn't particularly clear.

While the Bureau has declared a La Niña watch, that doesn't guarantee that weather event and the heavy rain that it typically brings will eventuate – only that there's a 50-50 chance of it happening.

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While some parts of the east coast are expected to get above-average rainfall, most of it could go either way.

"There are roughly equal chances of above or below median rainfall for most of eastern Australia, including much of Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania," Bureau of Meteorology Climate Manager Dr Karl Braganza said.

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Snow

The snow season isn't far off from officially starting (it kicks off on the June long weekend), but predicting how much is going to fall is a "tricky" and "notoriously fickle" game, according to the BoM.

Unlike rain and temperatures, it doesn't include snowfall in its long-range forecasts because of how unpredictable it is. Yearly averages can be heavily influenced by single, short events.

What we do know is that different climate drivers have an impact on Australia's snowfall.

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Both La Niña and El Niño aren't typically great news for anyone wanting to hit the slopes – El Niño because of its high temperatures and low precipitation, La Niña because warmer recent temperatures mean its extra precipitation tends to now come in the form of rain, not snow.

The El Niño-Southern Oscillation index is currently in neutral, but there's a 50 per cent chance it'll develop into a La Niña later in the year.

The Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) can also play a role, with the BoM saying that "snow depths are generally higher than average during years with a negative IOD".

A repeat on that front looks highly unlikely this year – the IOD only recently came back into neutral after being positive for almost two months, and could soon bounce back.

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"Bureau modelling suggests positive IOD conditions in May and into winter," the BoM wrote in its latest climate driver update on May 14, while noting that forecasting IOD movements at this time of year isn't particularly accurate.

Then there's the Southern Annular Mode (SAM), where a negative reading tends to be associated with higher snowfall as cold fronts and low pressure systems move further north than normal.

At the moment, it's sitting in neutral, and "is expected to remain neutral or become positive in the coming fortnight", according to the BoM, although it's worth noting it's only forecasted two to three weeks in advance.

Norway, Ireland and Spain today say they are recognising a Palestinian state in a historic move that drew condemnation from Israel and jubilation from the Palestinians.

Israel immediately ordered back its ambassadors from Norway and Ireland after the announcements today.

The formal recognition will be made on May 28.

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The development is a step toward a long-held Palestinian aspiration that came against the backdrop of international outrage over the civilian death toll and humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip following Israel's offensive there.

It was a lightning cascade of announcements. First was Norway, whose Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said "there cannot be peace in the Middle East if there is no recognition".

"By recognising a Palestinian state, Norway supports the Arab peace plan," he said, adding the Scandinavian country will "regard Palestine as an independent state with all the rights and obligations that entails".

Several European Union countries have in the past weeks indicated that they plan to make the recognition, arguing a two-state solution is essential for lasting peace in the region.

The decision may generate momentum for the recognition of a Palestinian state by other EU countries and could spur further steps at the United Nations, deepening Israel's isolation.

Norway, which is not a member of the EU but mirror its moves, has been an ardent supporter of a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians.

"The terror has been committed by Hamas and militant groups who are not supporters of a two-state solution and the state of Israel," the Norwegian government leader said.

"Palestine has a fundamental right to an independent state."

Since the unprecedented attack by Hamas-led militants on Israel on October 7, Israeli forces have led assaults on the northern and southern edges of the Gaza Strip in May, causing a new exodus of hundreds of thousands of people, and sharply restricted the flow of aid, raising the risk of famine.

Today's announcements come more than 30 years after the first Oslo agreement was signed in 1993. Since then, "the Palestinians have taken important steps towards a two-state solution", the Norwegian government said.

It added that the World Bank determined that a Palestinian state had met key criteria to function as a state in 2011, that national institutions have been built up to provide the population with important services.

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"The war in Gaza and the constant expansion of illegal settlements in the West Bank still mean that the situation in Palestine is more difficult than it has been in decades," it said.

In making his announcement, Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris said the move was coordinated with Spain and Norway — and that it was a "historic and important day for Ireland and for Palestine".

He said it was intended to help move the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to resolution through a two-state solution.

Harris said he thinks other countries will join Norway, Spain and Ireland in recognising a Palestinian state "in the weeks ahead".

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, Spain's Socialist leader since 2018, made the expected announcement to the nation's parliament today.

He had spent months touring European and Middle Eastern countries to garner support for the recognition, as well as for a possible cease-fire in Gaza. He has said several times that he was committed to the move.

"We know that this initiative won't bring back the past and the lives lost in Palestine, but we believe that it will give the Palestinians two things that are very important for their present and their future: dignity and hope," Sánchez said.

"This recognition is not against anyone, it is not against the Israeli people," Sánchez added, while acknowledging that it will most likely cause diplomatic tensions with Israel.

"It is an act in favor of peace, justice and moral consistency."

Sánchez argued that the move is needed to support the viability of a two-state solution that he said "is in serious danger" with the war in Gaza.

"I have spent weeks and months speaking with leaders inside and outside of the region and if one thing is clear is that Prime Minister (Benjamin) Netanyahu does not have a project of peace for Palestine, even if the fight against the terrorist group Hamas is legitimate," the Spanish leader said.

Earlier this month, Spain's Foreign Minister José Albares said he had informed US Secretary of State Antony Blinken of his government's intention to recognise a Palestinian state.

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Hugh Lovatt, a senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, said "recognition is a tangible step towards a viable political track leading to Palestinian self-determination".

But in order for it to have an impact, he said, it must come with "tangible steps to counter Israel's annexation and settlement of Palestinian territory – such as banning settlement products and financial services".

Israel Foreign Minister Israel Katz ordered the country's ambassadors from Ireland and Norway to immediately return to Israel. He spoke before Spain's announcement.

"Ireland and Norway intend to send a message today to the Palestinians and the whole world: terrorism pays," Katz said.

He said that the recognition could impede efforts to return Israel's hostages being held in Gaza and makes a ceasefire less likely by "rewarding the jihadists of Hamas and Iran".

He also threatened to recall Israel's ambassador to Spain if the country takes a similar position.

Regarding the Israeli decision to recall its ambassador in Oslo, Gahr Støre said: "We will take note of that. This is a government with which we have many disagreements. What we agree on is to condemn Hamas's cruel attack on October 7."

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, speaking after Norway's announcement, welcomed the move and called on other countries to follow.

In a statement carried by the official Wafa news agency, Abbas said Norway's decision will enshrine "the Palestinian people's right to self-determination" and support efforts to bring about a two-state solution with Israel.

Some 140 countries have already recognised a Palestinian state — more than two-thirds of United Nations members — but none of the major Western powers has done so. This move could put more pressure on continental heavyweights France and Germany to reconsider their position.

The United States and Britain, among others, have backed the idea of an independent Palestinian state existing alongside Israel as a solution to the Middle East's most intractable conflict.

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They insist, however, that Palestinian independence should come as part of a negotiated settlement.

The head of the Arab League called the step taken by the trio of European nations as "a courageous step".

"I salute and thank the three countries for this step that puts them on the right side of history in this conflict," Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit wrote on the social media platform X.

Turkey also applauded the decision, calling it an important step toward the restoration of the "usurped rights of the Palestinians".

The Turkish Foreign Ministry also said the move would help "Palestine gain the status it deserves in the international community".

The move comes less than two weeks after 143 nations, including Australia, voted in favour to pass a UN General Assembly resolution to extend some of Palestine's rights to participate in United Nations forums.

Australia does not formally recognise Palestine as a state but supports a two-state solution.

A bus driver has died and a child is in hospital after a school bus carrying about 30 students crashed into a tree north of Melbourne.

The other children were assessed at the scene in Kilmore this afternoon but did not require emergency treatment, according to Ambulance Victoria.

Assumption College, a year 7 to 12 school, confirmed its bus to Wandong had been involved in the accident.

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"There are college staff also present at the scene," the school said.

Paramedics arrived after 3.45pm, with two helicopters and 10 ambulances on scene.

The child taken to Kilmore Hospital suffered a minor upper body injury and was in a stable condition. 

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has joined the Salvation Army's efforts to raise funds for Australians doing it tough.

The Salvation Army provides support to the community every 17 seconds, including through clothing, emergency accommodation, meals or family violence assistance to Australians in need.

The charity is trying to raise $38 million this year in the Red Shield Appeal and has enlisted the country's top official to help.

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"My mum used to say there's always someone worse off than yourself. It was one of those sayings mums have, she was always prepared to help," Albanese said.  

"You know that the Salvos value every dollar and will make a difference to the people who are receiving it."

A recent survey by the charity showed the bleak reality of the cost of living crisis for the 1500 participants.

A total of 43 per cent were unable to afford heating and cooling, while another 61 per cent said they were unable to afford medical, dental and eye care.

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A massive 69 per cent said they went without food so their children could eat.

Salvation Army state leader Kim Haworth said the charity provided both financial and emotional support. 

"Yes we provide good professional services but we also provide community, we also provide people to walk alongside and to take the journey and that makes all the difference," Haworth said.

The Salvation Army has been operating for more than 60 years.