Tourist injured in fall wants ACC to cover bills so he can continue a normal life.

The Philippines and Australia are discussing ways to strengthen their bilateral relationship and take it to an "unprecedented level," Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles says.

Marles, who also serves as defence minister, said he believes stronger cooperation is imperative, as the two nations now have "greater strategic alignment" than "in any moment in our respective histories".

"Both countries are allies of the United States. Both countries have China as our largest trading partner," Marles said on Wednesday during his Manila visit.

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"Both the Philippines and Australia are completely committed to a global rules-based order," he added.

At the joint press conference, Philippine Defence Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr said he and Marles had agreed to explore more ways to collaborate while reaffirming that maritime security and counter-terrorism remain core pillars of Philippine-Australia defence ties.

"Our two nations look forward to elevating our partnership as agreed by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr last November," Galvez said.

Marles' visit came just a couple of weeks after China aimed a temporarily blinding military-grade laser at a Philippine ship near Ayungin Shoal.

READ MORE: US renews warning it would defend Philippines after China spat

The incident again drew international attention to Beijing's continued aggressions in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), with Australia and the US joining the list of nations that called out the "dangerous" and "intimidatory" conduct.

Marles said to help ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific region, he and Galvez discussed the possibility of the two countries holding joint patrols in the WPS, the parts of the South China Sea that are included in the Philippines' exclusive economic zone.

Manila also earlier agreed to restart such a joint activity with the US.

He added Australia and the Philippines are expected to sign a "strategic partnership" agreement later this year and establish an annual defence ministers' meeting.

On top of this, he told the media, Australia is sending "one of the largest contingents" to the upcoming annual military Balikatan exercises in the country.

Marles said the federal government also looks forward to Manila sending for the first time observers to Exercise Talisman Sabre in Australia in August.

– Reported with AP

Superannuation is the word on the street as Australia's retirement funds prepare for a potential shake-up – or at least a conversation – on how the nation's $3.3 trillion super system is governed.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has made it clear no major changes are coming for superannuation while his right-hand man, Treasurer Jim Chalmers, wants to crack down on early access.

The political to and fro doesn't stop there with the opposition weighing in and saying it has all become too uncertain and unstable.

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Basically, all the politicians are having their say on superannuation leaving us, the public, confused.

Here is a breakdown of what we know so far.

What is superannuation?

Superannuation is all about saving for retirement.

It's a long-term investment that sees your employer pay a percentage of your salary or wages into the fund.

You can also make your own contributions to boost your final retirement figure.

Over time, this builds up and the idea is you have a nice nest egg for when you retire.

What has been proposed?

There are a couple of key things: changing tax concessions, taxing wealth categories and capping balances.

Let's flesh those out.

Firstly, Chalmers has flagged a potential overhaul to superannuation and in particular the super tax concessions.

His pursuit all came about after he slammed the Morrison government's policy allowing people to withdraw up to $10,000 early from super funds as "disastrous".

It cost super funds nearly $36 billion and now Chalmers is on a mission to reform super.

One thing being raised in the super war of words is tax concessions, where you can make a before-tax contribution to your super in addition to what your employer pops in.

This is taxed at a super-low rate of 15 per cent.

It also takes into account that concessional contributions are capped at $27,500 this financial year and the fact that once you retire, super withdrawals are generally tax-free entirely.

Considering all this, tax concessions are forecast to cost the government $52.6 billion in 2022-23, just shy of the cost of the age pension at $55.3 billion.

READ MORE: How rich Aussies are 'skewing the stats'

So there is talk of changing super tax concessions – and Chalmers hasn't completely dismissed the idea.

"Right now, we're on track to spend more on super tax concessions than the age pension by around 2050," Chalmers said.

"I'm not convinced that's a sustainable way to get to our destination – good retirement incomes for more Australians, now and into the future."

Meanwhile, Labor Party president Wayne Swan suggested taxing super accounts with more than $3 million in them.

This could fill a $1 billion hole in the budget.

The last suggestion is capping super balances for people who have millions of dollars sitting in their super fund.

There are more than 11,000 Australians with more than $5 million in their super piggy bank.

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What has the prime minister said?

Albanese said the government is open to debate and conversation about the purpose of super and tax concessions – but there aren't going to be any rash changes right now.

"The purpose of superannuation is for people's retirement incomes," he said.

"One of the things that we have said is that if you look at projections going forward, potentially the concessions in superannuation will be a higher cost to the budget than the aged pension is down the track.

"Now, it is right to look at the sustainability of progress."

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Albanese reiterated there wouldn't be changes to superannuation in the May budget.

Instead, once the government receives a report on superannuation they'll talk about the purpose of the retirement fund and maybe then, there will be changes.

What does the opposition have to say?

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton slammed the back and forth as causing uncertainty for Australians.

He said it would have a deleterious effect on super investment.

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But Dutton was not impressed with the suggestion of taxing different wealth categories for their superannuation.

"So people have pumped money into superannuation and the uncertainty that the prime minister's creating, I think it just shows they can't manage the budget or the economy," he said.

"You've got a reasonable balance in superannuation and the government now is saying that they're going to tax it."

He said the Coalition would seek to block any changes to super proposed in parliament.

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A landmark pub on Sydney's prestigious Lower North Shore is reported to have been sold to a mystery buyer in a deal believed to be around the asking price of $175 million.

The Oaks Hotel at Neutral Bay was put on the market last August by its long-time owners, the Thomas family.

9News understands the hotel sold around the asking price, which, if attained, would have been a record price for a pub.

READ MORE: How rich Aussies are 'skewing the stats'

Agent for the sale, JLL Hotel's John Musca, confirmed the sale to The Sydney Morning Herald but declined to name the buyer, while confirming they were local.

"I can confirm it has sold to a local family and long-time patrons of The Oaks," he said in a statement.

"It is expected to settle soon, and you will see continuity of this wonderful, community business."

Sydney pub mogul Justin Hemmes is not the buyer.

The pub, on the busy Military Road, is famous for a giant oak tree where patrons meet.

READ MORE: The NSW pocket where thousands have been left homeless

It has been owned by the Thomas family since 1975, when David "Taffy" Thomas bought the 2188-square-metre property for $230,000 .

The pub has since undergone major refurbishments, including a major renovation of the two main bars in 2019.

An 18-year-old dairy farmer has broken her spine and shattered her pelvis after sleepwalking through a second-floor window in northern Victoria.

Abbey Sizer woke up in "pain and agony" after plummeting 4.5 metres to the ground while staying at a friend's house in Nathalia in the early hours of Sunday morning.

She remembered thinking she had to milk the cows and reached for what she thought was a door, but was in fact a window.

READ MORE: The NSW pocket where thousands have been left homeless

"All I recall is being in agony on the ground screaming while rolling around in pain," Sizer said.

"I don't recall many memories from the accident.

"I remember the fire department being called as the paramedics were unable to lift me, the rest is a blur."

The teen was rushed to Shepparton Hospital, then transferred by plane to The Alfred hospital's trauma centre in Melbourne.

The "active" young woman remains there now with severe injuries.

Her spine is fractured and pelvis is broken. Her tailbone was also out of place.

"I've been told that I have had multiple screws to secure my pelvis," she said.

READ MORE: Powertool may have led to 'accidental' fire that's burned 840 hectares of Victoria

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The Victorian farmer is anxious about her recovery ahead and is facing extended rehabilitation before she is able to get back to work.

She's already had surgery but it could be up to a year before she can get back into it.

"I'm very sore, tired and just want to gain my independence back," she said.

"I have always slept walked and talked, but never before has there been an incident of this magnitude."

The family have since set up a fundraising page to pay for Sizer's medical expenses, rehabilitation cost and living expenses during this "difficult time".

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Sri Lankan cricketer Danushka Gunathilaka can use the WhatsApp messaging service and go out at night again after having his bail for rape charges varied.

Gunathilaka, 31, applied to vary his bail in Sydney's Downing Centre Local Court today.

He is facing four counts of sexual intercourse without consent and has not yet entered a plea.

READ MORE: Heatwave warning in place for Aussie state

After matching on Tinder, meeting up for a date and heading back to her home in Sydney's eastern suburbs, the complainant alleges the cricketer refused to wear a condom and choked her three times.

She cannot be identified.

Gunathilaka was banned from using Tinder and other social media platforms when he was granted bail by a magistrate in November 2022.

The Crown consented to varying his bail on Thursday so that he can once again use WhatsApp, an encrypted messaging platform owned by Facebook-parent Meta, and popular in his home country.

Magistrate Jennifer Atkinson clarified the restrictions on his new freedom to use the platform.

"It's not to be used for the purposes of facilitating or managing dating," she said.

Crown prosecutor George Rixon opposed an application to vary a condition on a night-time curfew, however it was granted by the magistrate.

Rixon said the curfew was needed to mitigate the risk of offending based on the alleged facts of the complainant's statement, specifically, Gunathilaka's "aggressive sexual behaviour" against her.

"There are likely to be more opportunities for this alleged offending to occur at night," he said.

Atkinson agreed the alleged offending occurred at night.

"But there's nothing unique about it that it would have occurred at night and couldn't occur during the day," she said.

Atkinson said it was going to be "more apparent" to the public that Gunathilaka had been charged and was on bail due to his high profile.

"Respectfully, I disagree that this person is necessarily immediately identifiable in the community," Rixon said.

Defence barrister Emma Sullivan said media coverage of her client's case has further increased his profile.

"He's very well known globally and in Australia," she said.

Gunathilaka has been on strict conditions and has been complying with them, Atkinson said, despite Rixon's submission that compliance with the orders of the court was not a reason to vary his bail.

"I'm not satisfied today that it is necessary to keep the curfew in place," she said.

She warned Gunathilaka he would likely face many months in custody waiting for a trial or sentencing if he breached bail.

"This needs to be absolute compliance, you've been doing it up until now," she told Gunathilaka.

Gunathilaka travelled to Australia with Sri Lanka's T20 World Cup team but only played in their first game before being ruled out of the competition with a hamstring tear.

He was arrested shortly before boarding a flight home with the rest of the team after it bowed out of the tournament.

His case is expected to return to court in April.

A 6.8 magnitude earthquake shook a lightly populated, remote part of Tajikistan early Thursday near China's far western Xinjiang region.

It was 67 kilometres west of Murghob, Tajikistan and 20 kilometres deep, according to the US Geological Survey.

READ MORE: Australians confirmed dead after plane crashes into volcano in Philippines

Mughrob is the district capital with a population of a few thousand people high in the Pamir Mountains.

China Earthquake Networks Center said the quake was 7.2 magnitude and 10 kilometres (6 miles) deep. Preliminary seismic measurements by different agencies often differ.

More to come …

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Soy, oat, almond and other drinks that bill themselves as “milk” can keep using the name, according to draft US federal rules released on Wednesday.

Food and Drug Administration officials issued guidance that says plant-based beverages don’t pretend to be from dairy animals – and that US consumers aren’t confused by the difference.

Dairy producers for years have called for the FDA to crack down on plant-based drinks and other products that they say masquerade as animal-based foods and cloud the real meaning of "milk".

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Under the draft rules, the agency recommends that beverage makers label their products clearly by the plant source of the food, such as "soy milk" or "cashew milk".

The rules also call for voluntary extra nutrition labels that note when the drinks have lower levels of nutrients than dairy milk, such as calcium, magnesium or vitamin D.

They would continue to allow labels that note when plant-based drinks have higher levels.

Fortified soy milk is the only plant-based food included in the dairy category of US dietary guidelines because of its nutrient levels.

The new guidelines are aimed at providing consumers clear nutrition information, FDA Commissioner Dr Robert Califf said in a statement.

The draft rules do not apply to nondairy products other than beverages, such as yogurt.

The National Milk Producers Federation, an industry trade group, applauded the call for extra nutrition information on drink labels, but said they rejected the FDA’s conclusion that plant-based drinks can be called milk because it’s a "common and usual name".

READ MORE: Aussies confirmed dead after plane crashes into volcano

The Good Food Institute, a group that advocates for plant-based products, objected to the extra labelling in a statement, saying “the guidance misguidedly admonishes companies to make a direct comparison" with cow’s milk, even though key nutrients are already required to be listed.

In recent years, the number of plant-based drinks has exploded to include dozens of varieties, including cashew, coconut, hemp and quinoa-based beverages.

Although the drinks are made from the liquid extracts of plant materials, they are frequently labelled – and described – as "milks".

In the US, almond milk is the most popular variety, but oat milk has been seeing the fastest growth.

Still, nondairy sales are dwarfed by traditional milk.

Sales of refrigerated cow’s milk grew to $US12.3 billion ($18 billion) in the 52 weeks ending on January 28, compared to $US2.5 billion ($3.66 billion) for non-dairy milk, according to NielsenIQ.

In the past, lawmakers in dairy states have tried to get bills passed that would require the FDA to enforce a federal standard that defines “milk” as the product of “milking one or more healthy cows".

The agency will accept comments on the draft guidelines through April 23.

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The US Defence Department has released a selfie taken in the cockpit of a U-2 spy plane, as an airman flew above the Chinese surveillance balloon that was shot down by the US military earlier this month.

The selfie, taken by the pilot of the U-2, shows the shadow of the aircraft on the balloon and a clear image of the balloon's payload as it crossed across the continental United States. CNN first reported the existence of the selfie.

The balloon was first spotted by the US on January 28 and ultimately shot down by the US military off the coast of South Carolina after crossing the country.

READ MORE: Chinese spy balloon 'contained technology to monitor communication signals'

A senior State Department official said earlier this month that fly-bys "revealed that the high-altitude balloon was capable of conducting signals intelligence collection operations".

Officials said they'd decided against shooting the balloon down over the US because of its size, fearing falling debris could hurt civilians or property on the ground. General Glen VanHerck, commander of US Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), later said the balloon was 200 feet tall with a payload that weighed a couple of thousand pounds.

Officials also maintained that the balloon was not capable of conducting significant intelligence collection, in part because the US took steps to protect against it immediately upon spotting it.

The U-2 is a single-seat, high-altitude reconnaissance and surveillance aircraft with "glider-like characteristics," according to the Air Force. Because the planes are regularly "flown at altitudes over 70,000 feet," pilots "must wear a full pressure suit similar to those worn by astronauts".

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The photo released on Wednesday clearly shows the pilot flying above the balloon, which was hovering 60,000 feet when it was spotted over Montana.

The selfie was captured a week after the balloon entered US airspace near Alaska, and NORAD sent up fighter jets to make a positive identification, according to defence officials.

Still, officials tracking the balloon saw little reason to be alarmed. At the time, according to US officials, the balloon was expected to sail over Alaska and continue on a northern trajectory that intelligence and military officials could track and study.

Instead, shortly after the balloon crossed over land, it alarmed officials by making its unexpected turn south.

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Once it was over US territory, officials have argued that the benefits of gathering additional intelligence on the balloon far outweighed the risk of shooting it down over land.

The US sent up U-2 spy planes to track the balloon's progress, according to US officials.

Recovery efforts began immediately after the balloon was shot down over the Atlantic Ocean on February 4, and were concluded on February 17. Pieces of the debris were transferred to the Federal Bureau of Investigation Laboratory in Virginia to be studied further.

Deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh said Wednesday that the payload of the balloon had been recovered.

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Qantas has unveiled prototypes of the First and Business cabins on the A350 aircraft that will fly passengers non-stop from Australia to New York and London from late 2025.