Reza Parvizi says Iranians feel ‘the era of fear’ ended on February 28.

Police found the report of a weapon at Ellesmere College was incorrect.

Overnight temperatures are set to fall to single digits across many NZ centres.

Chris Minns has revealed he will retire from politics sometime before 2032.

Speaking at a press conference today, he was asked about his dream for how Sydney would look when projects such as the Sydney Metro were completed.

There are two NSW elections before then, and Minns conceded the next one in March 2027 would be his last as leader of the state's Labor Party and as premier.

LIVE UPDATES: US and Israel continue attack on Tehran

"Well, I won't be here, at least in this role, but as a citizen, I genuinely hope that we can make a massive impact in housing affordability for young people," Minns said.

"I don't know what the future holds. I might get beat in 2027."

Minns has been in state politics since 2015 as the member for Kogarah in Sydney's south.

WORLD: Major security breaches spotted in Donald Trump's situation room

He has been leader of the Labor Party since 2021, which he led to victory at the 2023 state election, ending a 12-year stint in opposition.

The party is currently governing in minority status, but only needs one seat to achieve a majority.

The latest Roy Morgan poll last month saw Minns hold a clear margin as preferred premier over opposition leader Kellie Sloane, leading 60.5 per cent to Sloane's 31.5 per cent.

CRIME: Man arrested after argument allegedly turns deadly at remote campground

Minns was widely praised for his response to the Bondi shooting in December, when he pledged to overhaul the state's firearms laws, and also drafted in temporary laws tightening rules on protests in parts of Sydney.

He also defended the actions of police who arrested several protesters who were demonstrating at Town Hall last month during the visit of Israeli President Isaac Herzog.

The next election is slated for March 12 next year.

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Charging documents include an allegation of ‘negligently causing a ship to be lost’.

A baby crocodile has been captured after swimming in a creek behind a Bunnings Warehouse in Newcastle for two days.

The crocodile's presence behind the store in Wallsend in Newcastle's west was first reported on Saturday afternoon, with police called to a creek at Federal Park at around 4.30pm.

Once the crocodile was spotted in the water, police formed a perimeter to stop the crocodile from escaping and to prevent people from going too close to it.

LIVE UPDATES: Trump says Iran operation 'moving rapidly', three US troops killed

The crocodile was identified as a freshwater crocodile, which is not native to New South Wales, instead being found in northern Australia.

The crocodile was initially spotted around three kilometres from the creek, before making its way to the park behind the Bunnings store.

Despite animal handling specialists from the Australian Reptile Park arriving on scene that night, they were unable to capture it.

READ MORE: Dubai was seen as a safe, rich, tax-free oasis. Iranian airstrikes may have just changed that forever

They returned the next day and were able to successfully capture the crocodile.

"With murky water this wasn't a simple job but our team," the Australian Reptile Park said in a post on Facebook.

"Our team… worked across the weekend to safely secure the little croc.'

READ MORE: Who's running Iran now that the supreme leader is dead?

Despite initial reports of more crocodiles in the area, police confirmed there had been no further sightings.

There were no reported injuries, and the young croc has been taken to the Australian Reptile Park for further checks.

"The croc has now been safely transported to the Australian Reptile Park," the Facebook post said.

"Our veterinary team is giving it a full health check and making sure it's getting the proper care it needs."

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Australian woman Emily Grosser has shelled out over $6000 to get home from Paris after her flights were cancelled over the retaliatory strikes in the Middle East.

Grosser, a TikTok personality with over 500,000 followers, was visiting Europe on a work trip and was due to fly back to Australia via Doha when military strikes suddenly shut down the Qatari airspace.

She was forced to pay triple the amount she normally would to fly home to Perth via Johannesburg in South Africa instead of the Middle East.

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LIVE UPDATES: Trump claims 'entire' Iranian military leadership killed in strikes

There are over 100,000 Australians left stranded in the Middle East as the major international hubs connecting Australia to Europe were closed, forcing airlines to delay or cancel thousands of flights.

"We found out from the news – the app kept crashing and the phone lines were slammed, so we just had to guess," Grosser told nine.com.au.

"My [Qatar Airlines] flight on officially got cancelled today at take-off time."

Iranian strikes targeted US military bases in Qatar, Dubai, Bahrain and Kuwait following the US and Israel's joint military operation in Iran on Saturday.

Seven Qatar Airways flights between Doha's Hamad International Airport and Australian cities were cancelled yesterday.

Early today, at least 1200 flights have been cancelled out of Dubai International Airport – also a major travel hub for Australians flying to and from Europe.

The hardest-hit carriers are Emirates followed by Etihad Qatar.

Australians still overseas have warned the flight disruptions could continue for days to come.

"It's also incredibly difficult at the moment to get hard answers out of airlines," Grosser added.

Grosser, who had work booked and desperately needed to get home, was left with no other option than to rebook flights on another carrier.

She found a flight which would take her to the WA capital with a stopover in Johannesburg, a three-day journey which has left her $6000 out of pocket.

Her family back home lent her the money to book the expensive flights.

"I don't have the money to stay in Paris. I need to get back to Australia," she added.

"If things get more expensive, I'd be stuck.

"Some flights were being offered for $1100 [online]… you go on, they're $19,000."

Grosser is still on the 11-hour flight to South Africa.

She will spend a 24-hour layover there before boarding a 10-hour flight back to Perth.

READ MORE: How Middle East conflict could impact what Australians pay at the bowser

"Obviously our concerns are nothing to compare to those in the Middle East but the financial burden of needing to book last-minute flights that are thousands of dollars is extreme," Grosser added.

"I've lost out on money in Australia; I had a job booked that required travel and accommodation.

"Airbnb [may not] issue a refund for my Melbourne accommodation, so that's another $1600 gone too."

All up, it is costing Grosser around $8000.

The losses incurred by Grosser and many other travellers likely won't be covered by travel insurance.

Most insurers do not cover acts of war, political unrest and acts of terrorism, the Insurance Council of Australia warned yesterday.

Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) has opened up a crisis portal for any Australians who are stuck in the Middle East.

Nine.com.au has contacted Airbnb for comment.

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The White House has accidentally revealed several security breaches after releasing photos of President Donald Trump's situation room during the initial phase of the USA's strikes on Iran.

Multiple images were posted on The White House's social media pages yesterday, showing Trump and several advisors inside a room at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, monitoring the early progress of Operation Epic Fury on Saturday.

However, some of these images have either shown security breaches, or fallen foul of the law themselves in the act of being posted.

LIVE UPDATES: Trump claims 'entire' Iranian military leadership killed in strikes

One of the images, featuring President Trump in a white 'USA' hat, has a map of the operation in the background.

Whilst much of it is obscured by the head of an advisor, it still reveals the position of some US forces and assets, as well as other important information and intelligence that may be classified.

WORLD: Iranian airstrikes may have cracked Dubai's safe, shiny façade forever

White House Chief of Staff Susie Willis is also seen in the situation room, but she is committing a security breach of her own.

During discussions, she is pictured wearing an Apple Watch, which according to Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility protocols, is not allowed in a secure and high security environment like a situation room during a major military operation.

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This is because the bluetooth and wireless microphone features on such devices are considered major data leakage risks.

Trump's presence in Mar-a-Lago itself was also considered a major risk, as it meant he was away from secure facilities at The White House usually used by presidents in such situations.

The room Trump and his crew lacked privacy, only being curtained off from others areas of the resort, with gaps seen that could reveal sensitive information.

Vice President JD Vance was pictured in The White House's secure Situation Room alongside cabinet secretaries on February 28 local time, according to images posted on social media. 

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There is no going back for Dubai.

Until recently the desert city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was considered one of the safest in the Middle East.

Marketed as a wealthy, tax-free oasis, Dubai especially attracted foreign visitors with its lavish resorts, luxury shopping and flashy architecture.

LIVE UPDATES: US and Israel continue attack on Tehran

It's also a fan favourite among influencers, especially those in the luxury and travel niches, some of whom have even been paid to promote the city.

Now hundreds of tourists are stranded as Iranian weaponry rains down on the UAE, damaging buildings and the nation's reputation.

Luxury hotels in Dubai, the international airport, and the industrial area of Sharjah city have all been hit by shrapnel as Iran responds to a major attack from the US and Israel.

At least one person has been killed and several have been injured.

READ MORE: Travel chaos continues as flights from Australia to Middle East scrapped

UAE officials have reassured residents – nearly 90 per cent of whom are foreigners – and visitors they are safe.

The nation's air defence system has been blasting down hundreds of drones and missiles since the conflict kicked off over the weekend.

"I know it's a scary time for a lot of the residents," Reem Al Hashimy, minister of state for international cooperation, told CNN.

"We don't hear these types of loud sounds. But at the same time, those are sounds of interception.

"And where there has been damage — that has been primarily debris."

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Some of Dubai's most iconic and important landmarks have been hit; the Fairmont Hotel on Palm Jumeirah island, the Burj Al Arab hotel, Dubai's Jebel Ali Port, and Dubai International Airport.

Australians who witnessed the attacks paint a terrifying picture.

Carina Rossi, a senior editor at nine.com.au, is staying at Atlantis – The Palm at the tip of the city's Palm Jumeirah district and saw debris fall from the sky.

She and other hotel guests "panicked" and ran to the beach as the debris plummeted into the hotel pool.

"The debris didn't explode, thankfully. But it was a loud bang, something I'd never heard before," Rossi told nine.com.au.

READ MORE: CIA closely watched Khamenei for months before fatal strikes in Iran

Rossi and other guests were then woken to an alert which urged them to seek shelter amid imminent missile threats.

"When we got the alert at 12.30 we could instantly hear explosions in the distance," she said.

Rossi is safe in her hotel.

Australian Olympic swimmer Stephanie Rice, who lives in Dubai with her pastor husband, asked for prayers in this "scary situation".

"Please help me in praying for all my friends, loved ones and people in the UAE that they would be protected," she wrote on an Instagram Story.

READ MORE: How world leaders have reacted to the US and Israel joint strikes on Iran

Mikey Pembroke, who appeared on Married At First Sight and now lives and works in Dubai, shared footage on social media of a structure on fire near his home.

"I've just heard about 20 explosions above my apartment building," he said in the clip shared to Instagram.

Cinzia Bianco, an expert on the Persian Gulf at the European Council on Foreign Relations, said Dubai's reputation may never recover.

"This is Dubai's ultimate nightmare, as its very essence depended on being a safe oasis in a troubled region," Bianco wrote on X.

"There might be a way to be resilient, but there is no going back."

READ MORE: The timeline of events leading up to the US-Israeli strikes

The world is already witnessing the fallout from the attacks.

The UAE slammed its airspace shut on Saturday, cancelling flights and leaving hundreds of tourists stranded in Dubai.

Australians who had flights booked to or through the UAE have had their travel plans thrown into chaos.

The UAE also shut its embassy in Tehran, Iran's capital, on Sunday and withdrew its diplomats.

The move comes after years of efforts to de-escalate tensions with Iran, as the nation shows no sign of stopping airstrikes over the UAE.

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Australians are among thousands of travellers left stranded at airports in the Middle East amid the continued fighting.

Closed airspace across the Middle East has plunged travel plans into chaos around Australia and the world.

Early today, at least 1200 flights have been cancelled out of Dubai International Airport – a major travel hub for Australians flying to Europe.

LIVE UPDATES: US and Israel continue attack on Tehran

The hardest-hit carriers are Emirates followed by Etihad Qatar.

There are five cancellations in and out of Sydney which were bound for Dubai or Qatar, and seven from Melbourne.

There are also three inbound and outbound flights at Adelaide, and one in and out of Perth.

Airlines stress those numbers will change through today as some flights are cancelled or pushed back to another day.

The federal government today warned Australians overseas to expect travel disruptions over the coming days.

EXPLAINER: Will my flight be cancelled?

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade says its priority is the safety and security of citizens.

"Many Australians in the Middle East are unable to leave due to airspace closures, including around major transit hubs. Road and land border closures may also restrict movement.

"Even if you are not travelling in or through the Middle East, your plans may still be affected."

Smartraveller now advises Australians do not travel to most destinations in the Middle East. This includes Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Kuwait, Lebanon, Palestine, Qatar, Syria, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

Australians should reconsider the need to travel to Jordan, Oman and Saudi Arabia.

Iran, Iraq, Israel, Syria, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates closed their skies hours after the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran which resulted in numerous flight cancellations.

READ MORE: The timeline of events leading up to the US-Israeli strikes on

Australian travellers across the nation and abroad have been left stranded as a result.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE), home to both the long-haul carriers Emirates and Etihad, closed their airspace on Saturday.

Dubai airport was targeted by Iranian retaliatory air strikes yesterday as Tehran targeted travel hubs in pro-western Gulf countries.

– With CNN

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