Australians have been warned not to travel to Afghanistan despite a recent spike in tourism to the Taliban-controlled country.

Updated advice from Smartraveller listed terror attacks, kidnappings, and arbitrary detention among the risks Western tourists face in the Central Asian nation.

"Do not book a tourist trip to Afghanistan, even if offered by reputable operators," it read.

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"Westerners, including Australians, have recently been shot, injured or killed while on a guided tour in Afghanistan."

Tourism in Afghanistan has risen significantly in the four years since the Taliban takeover.

The Taliban took control on August 15, 2021 and declared an 'interim government' that has remained in power ever since.

Fewer than 700 tourists visited in 2021.

That figure rose to more than 9000 in 2024, according to local officials.

Australian and international influencers have faced criticism for promoting Afghanistan as a tourist destination.

Even some everyday Australian tourists, like Jess Davis from Melbourne, have risked visiting the Taliban-controlled nation themselves.

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Davis previously told 9news.com.au that she never felt unsafe during her two visits to Afghanistan.

But the official advice is that she never should have gone in the first place.

Smartraveller has long warned that nowhere in Afghanistan is safe – even the capital, Kabul.

"Australians have been kidnapped, arbitrarily detained and targeted by terrorist attacks in Afghanistan," the latest advice read.

"The security situation is extremely dangerous and volatile."

Armed conflict in Afghanistan may escalate without warning, and airports and borders can close suddenly, trapping tourists.

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Australians who choose to ignore warnings and travel to Afghanistan against government advice are responsible for their own safety.

And those who encounter any issues on their travels may struggle to get help.

Australia has no Embassy in Kabul and the government's ability to provide consular or passport assistance is "severely limited".

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International health experts have declared Canada is no longer "measles-free" amid ongoing outbreaks, as childhood vaccination rates fall and the highly contagious virus spreads across North and South America.

The loss of the country's measles elimination status comes more than a year after the highly contagious virus started spreading.

Canada has logged 5138 measles cases this year and two deaths. Both were babies who were exposed to the measles virus in the womb and born prematurely.

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Measles elimination is a symbolic designation, but it represents a hard-won battle against the infectious disease. It is earned when a country shows it has stopped continuous spread of the virus within local communities, though occasional cases might still pop up from travel.

Measles typically begins with a high fever followed by a telltale rash that starts on the face and neck. Most people recover, but it's one of the leading causes of death among young children, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). Serious complications, including blindness and swelling of the brain, are more common in young children and adults over age 30.

It is prevented by a vaccine administered routinely and safely to children around the world.

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"It's a deeply disheartening development. It's a deeply worrisome development. And, frankly, it's an embarrassing development," said Jennifer Nuzzo, a Brown University infectious disease expert.

"No country with the amount of resources of Canada – or other countries in North America even – should lose their measles elimination status."

The WHO declared Australia measles-free in 2014.

Since then, cases have remained mostly isolated, but concerns are rising as vaccination rates dip.

Earlier this year, the Australian Health Protection Committee expressed its concern about the "recent increase" in measles cases, after outbreaks in several states and territories.

"Between 1 January and 27 May 2025, 77 people were diagnosed with measles in Australia," the organisation said.

"Most were young people aged 20 to 49 years who are either unvaccinated or unsure of their vaccination status, and associated with overseas travel."

The Western Australian government issued a measles alert several days ago after an outbreak in the south of the state.

Vaccination campaigns led to elimination

Canada eliminated measles in 1998, followed by the US two years later. After hugely successful vaccination campaigns, the Americas became the first region in the world to be free of measles in 2016. Health officials estimate the measles vaccine prevented 6.2 millions deaths in the Americas between 2000 and 2023.

But vaccination rates have since slipped below the 95 per cent coverage rate needed to stop outbreaks. Large outbreaks in Venezuela and Brazil in 2018 and 2019 cost the region its elimination status. It was reclaimed in 2024, but ends again with Canada's loss.

Experts from the Pan American Health Organisation, an independent health agency, made the determination after analysing data on Canada's outbreaks that showed the virus has spread continuously for a year.

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It has never been easy to stop measles from circulating in local communities, Dr Jarbas Barbosa, director of the Pan American Health Organisation, said in a briefing Monday.

"As a region, we have eliminated measles twice," Barbosa said. "We can do it a third time."

In a statement, Canadian health officials said they were working with government and community partners to improve vaccination coverage, share data and provide evidence-based guidance.

The virus is one of the most contagious known to medicine. One infected person can spread it to up to nine out of 10 unprotected people they come into close contact with. Health experts say, by far, the best prevention against measles is the vaccine, which provides 97 per cent protection after two doses.

Barbosa's organisation has confirmed nearly 12,600 cases this year across 10 countries, a 30-fold increase from 2024. The vast majority are in Canada, the US and Mexico, but Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Belize also have active outbreaks.

In 2024, the region had a 79 per cent vaccination rate, an increase from years past but still too low, he said.

United States could be next to lose status

The US eliminated measles in 2000. That status is at risk even though the large outbreak that killed three and sickened nearly 900 across Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma earlier this year is over.

Current outbreaks in the US include 34 cases in South Carolina and one hitting towns on the Arizona-Utah border that has sickened more than 150 since mid-August.

A major question now is if either are linked to the Texas outbreak. To lose elimination status, health data must show a continuous chain of measles spread for one year.

International health officials have recommended the US "enhance case investigation protocols," because closing data gaps is key to stopping the virus from taking hold again, said Dr Daniel Salas, who leads immunisation efforts at the Pan American Health Organisation.

The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed 1681 cases and 44 outbreaks this year, making it the worst year for measles in the US in more than three decades. Only nine states haven't confirmed cases, according to the CDC.

A large outbreak also continues in Chihuahua, Mexico, where health officials have confirmed 4430 cases as of last week and 21 deaths, according to state health data.

Mexican and US officials have said the genetic strains of measles spreading in Canada match those in the Texas and Chihuahua outbreaks. All those outbreaks affected certain Mennonite Christian communities who trace their migration over generations from Canada to Mexico to Seminole, Texas.

In August, officials said Mennonite communities in Belize, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay had outbreaks of the same type of measles virus.

Mennonite churches do not formally discourage vaccination, though more conservative Mennonite communities historically have low vaccination rates and a distrust of government.

It was tempting to look at the outbreaks in a vacuum, Nuzzo said. But many were likely linked, she said, not just by sick people traveling but also by anti-vaccine disinformation.

"It's not a religious prohibition in most of these cases," she said. "It is just people being, perhaps, distrustful of authorities, but also preyed upon by these anti-vaccine influencers who profit off of the fears that some people may have."

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A bus carrying teens and young adults returning from a church camp in the Southern California mountains has lost control and tipped onto its side while driving down a winding mountain road, sending 20 people to the hospital.

The bus began to shake and swerve then rocked side to side before toppling over, said Cyntia Ramirez, a 21-year-old community college student who was on board.

She recalled the accident while picking up her stray luggage from the Orange County church that organised the weekend retreat at a camp in the San Bernardino Mountains.

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A youth leader from the trip pulled her out of a hatch on the roof, she said.

“It’s just a freak accident,” Ramirez said.

The bus with 36 people on board crashed at a curve on two-lane highway near Running Springs, about 113 kilometres north-east of Los Angeles, the San Bernardino County Fire Department said.

The winding route curves along cliffsides and through forest areas at an elevation of about 1860 metres.

“A total of 26 patients, including three with major injuries, were treated. Of those, 20 were transported to area hospitals, all by ground ambulances,” the fire department said.

The others declined to be transported.

Fire department photos showed paramedics tending to patients, some wearing neck braces, seated in a triage area set up on the highway.

There was no fire or hazardous material exposure.

Authorities have not said what caused the crash.

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The bus, carrying adults and teens, was traveling downhill back to Orange County after a three-day youth retreat at Camp Nawakwa near the tiny community of Angelus Oaks in the San Bernardino Mountains, said Jarryd Gonzales, a spokesperson for the Diocese of Orange.

About 125 people including teens, staff and volunteers from Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in Santa Ana participated in the event, he said.

They were heading home in several vans and the bus that was involved in the accident.

“We extend our deepest gratitude to the first-responder agencies for their prompt and professional response in safely evacuating passengers and ensuring they received proper medical attention,” Gonzales said in a statement.

Youth leader Prisilla Mendoza, 20, said she had dozed off in the moments before the crash.

“I was asleep and I just woke up and I heard everybody screaming,” she said.

Mendoza said she blacked out after the crash and doesn't remember how she got out of the bus.

Father José Félix Troncoso said a half-dozen patients remained at the hospital for treatment for fractured fingers and at least one head injury.

The route was closed in both directions during the investigation, which was led by the California Highway Patrol.

Troncoso said he made the trek up the scenic mountain road to lead Mass for the group on Sunday. He left at 4pm and got word about the accident around 10pm.

“It’s very beautiful, but getting up there is a process,” Troncoso told reporters in Spanish.

President Donald Trump on Monday asked the US Supreme Court to review the $5 million civil case that found he sexually abused and defamed magazine columnist E. Jean Carroll.

Last year, a federal appeals court affirmed the jury's verdict and $5 million judgment against Trump, ruling the trial judge did not make errors that would warrant a new trial.

In June, Trump lost an effort to have the appeal reviewed by the full bench of judges.

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Trump has claimed Judge Lewis Kaplan, who oversaw the civil trial, made numerous errors by allowing the jury to hear testimony from two women who alleged Trump sexually assaulted them years ago.

His lawyers also said the judge should not have let the jurors see the "Access Hollywood tape," which captured Trump in 2005 on a hot mic saying he gropes and kisses women.

Carroll sued Trump alleging he sexually assaulted her in a New York department store in the mid-1990s and defamed her when in 2019 he denied the assault, said she wasn't his type, and claimed she made it up to boost sales of a book.

"There were no eyewitnesses, no video evidence, and no police report or investigation," Trump told the Supreme Court in the appeal filed Monday viewed by CNN.

"Instead, Carroll waited more than 20 years to falsely accuse Donald Trump, who she politically opposes, until after he became the 45th president, when she could maximize political injury to him and profit for herself."

The appeal has not yet been formally docketed at the Supreme Court.

Whether the Supreme Court takes up the case is yet to be seen, but it likely won't be the last time the justices are asked to review litigation involving Carroll.

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A different jury found Trump liable for defaming Carroll for repeating his statements in 2022 and ordered him to pay $83 million in damages.

A federal appeals court panel affirmed the damages award finding it "reasonable in light of the extraordinary and egregious facts" and rejected several of Trump's legal challenges.

Among them, the appeals court found that Trump had previously waived any claim of presidential immunity and said the Supreme Court's decision last year involving criminal cases did not alter their view.

Trump has asked for the full bench of judges to review the case.

The Justice Department filed an amicus brief supporting review of whether presidential immunity can be waived "from civil damages liability predicated on official acts."

Carroll's response is due in the next few weeks.

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Cane toads are on track to continue their seemingly unchecked march across Australia, with new research finding they could be causing widespread destruction in Western Australia's Pilbara region in as little as a decade.

Curtin University researchers said the forecast arrival of the invasive species in the region in the next "10 to 20 years" could bring about widespread losses among the native fauna, as well as "significant cultural and economic harm".

The study, published in Scientific Reports, predicted that without containment efforts, cane toads would colonise up to 75 per cent of the Pilbara within three decades, putting 25 native species at risk of serious population decline.

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These include several species of native marsupial predators like northern quolls, ghost bat and kaluta, as well as frog-eating snakes, blue-tongue skinks, and goannas.

But lead author Dr Judy Dunlop, from Curtin's School of Molecular and Life Sciences, said there were simple steps that could prevent the invasive pest from using dams as stepping stones into the Pilbara.

"The Pilbara region's permanent water sources make it an ideal habitat for the invasive species, which have already devastated native wildlife like quolls, goannas, and snakes across Australia's iconic Kimberley region," Dunlop said.

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"Toads are approaching a naturally dry part of the country south of Broome where the Great Sandy Desert meets the ocean. Here, the only water accessible to them is cattle watering points.

"If these points are dams, toads will access and use them as stepping stones to make their way through the desert zone but simple upgrades to concrete tanks and troughs will make them inaccessible to toads."

Co-author Professor Ben Phillips, also from Curtin's School of Molecular and Life Sciences, said the findings highlighted the urgent need to establish a "toad containment zone" to stop their southward march.

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"By establishing a 150km long 'toad containment zone' which limits toad access to artificial waterpoints, we may be able to prevent the invasion and push the species back to the top of the barrier – much like how firebreaks are used to halt the spread of bushfires by removing fuel and creating controlled boundaries," Phillips said.

"There is no doubt that the arrival of toads will cause catastrophic declines in culturally important species, which will be felt by the Traditional Custodians of the Pilbara. The animals most at risk – such as the goanna and bluetongue skink – are culturally important to traditional owners for food, storytelling and bushtucker practices."

Phillips said the findings may also have implications for WA's mining sector, which may face increased financial costs and new conservation requirements due to the changing status of local fauna if the toads invade.

"Our study shows that implementing a model to control the invasion of cane toads could deliver significant environmental, cultural and economic benefits for Western Australia's Pilbara region and beyond," Phillips said.

The researchers' work was supported by BHP Social Investments.

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A small turboprop plane bound for Jamaica carrying hurricane relief supplies crashed into a pond in a residential neighbourhood of the Fort Lauderdale suburb of Coral Springs, Florida, on Monday morning minutes after takeoff, authorities said.

A fire official told The Associated Press no victims were located during rescue efforts and they said the search had become a recovery operation. It wasn't immediately known how many people were aboard the aircraft.

Coral Springs-Parkland Fire Department Deputy Chief Mike Moser said crews responded within minutes of a call reporting the crash. He said no homes were damaged, but crews spotted some debris near the retention pond.

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Local aerial TV footage also showed a broken fence in the backyard of one home bordering the pond near where the plane went down.

“There was no actual plane to be seen,” Moser said. “They followed the debris trail to the water.

"We had divers that entered the water and tried to search for any victims and didn’t find any.”

Broward County, where the plane took off from and where the crash occurred, is home to a vibrant Caribbean American community that sprang into action to collect relief supplies following Hurricane Melissa. A powerful Category 5 hurricane, Melissa slammed into Jamaica late last month, leaving a path of destruction.

Moser said police would take over recovery efforts, and federal aviation officials would investigate the cause of the crash.

Coral Springs police didn’t immediately respond to calls and emails from AP.

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The small Beechcraft King Air plane took off from the Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport at approximately 10.14am local time, according to a spokesperson for the City of Fort Lauderdale, which owns and operates the airport. The crash occurred soon after takeoff, with Coral Springs police officers and firefighters responding at 10.19 am, just five minutes later.

According to Federal Aviation Administration records, the plane was manufactured in 1976. King Air models can seat between seven and 12 people, according to the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.

Federal records showed the registered owner of the plane is listed as International Air Services, a company that markets itself as specialising in providing trust agreements to non-U.S. citizens that enable them to register their aircraft with the FAA.

A person who answered the company’s phone on Monday afternoon declined to answer questions from a reporter, stating “no comment” and ending the phone call.

Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica on October 28, tied for the strongest landfalling Atlantic hurricane in history. The storm also caused devastation in Cuba, Haiti and the Dominican Republic and prompted relief organisations to mobilise.

Local government officials in Jamaica said in the days after the storm that Melissa had ripped the roofs off 120,000 structures, affecting some 90,000 families in the island’s especially hard-hit western region. A week after Melissa's landfall in Jamaica, more than 2000 people were still reported to be in shelters.

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Today is Remembrance Day, when Australia commemorates members of its armed forces who have died in wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations.

This year the Australian War Memorial in Canberra has released a video offering a rare insight into the country's highest military honour – the Victoria Cross (VC).

Director of the memorial, Matt Anderson, said: "As Australia pauses to mark Remembrance Day and the 107th anniversary of the end of the First World War, we are reminded that more than half of the Victoria Crosses awarded to Australians were earned during the First World War.

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"Nine Australians were awarded the Victoria Cross for their actions on Gallipoli."

"The Victoria Cross was created to be within reach of every member of British and Commonwealth forces, regardless of rank, duty, or service area."

Deep in the vaults of the memorial are 75 of the 102 VCs awarded to Australians, making it one of the largest collections in the world.

The first Australian to receive a VC was Captain Neville House of the NSW Medical Staff Corps in July 1900, for rescuing a wounded man under heavy fire during the Boer War in South Africa.

The VC can also be awarded posthumously, including one announced last year on Remembrance Day to the late Richard Nordern VC for gallantry during the Battle of Fire Support Base Coral in Vietnam in 1968.

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The first VCs were struck from the bronze of a Russian artillery gun captured during the Crimean War in the mid-1800s.

Every Victoria Cross ever made has been manufactured by the same jewellers, Hancock's and Co of London.

"The Victoria Cross, which ranks next to the George Cross, is considered the most prestigious award that can be bestowed on an individual for valour in the face of an enemy," Anderson said.

"We are honoured that we can display these medals for the public and help them gain a deeper understanding of these extraordinary individuals and their stories."

What is Remembrance Day?

Remembrance Day marks the end of fighting in World War I on the Western Front on November 11, 1918.

Formerly known as Armistice Day – in reference to the German surrender in 1918 – the name was changed to Remembrance Day in 1945.

Every year, one minute of silence is held at 11am (local time) on November 11 in Australia and other Commonwealth nations.

While Remembrance Day marks the end of World War I, the loss of Australian lives from all wars and conflicts past and present are commemorated.

The red poppy is the best-known symbol of remembrance.

On the mud-soaked battlefields of northern France, the wild flower grew abundantly after the close of World War I.

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What events are held?

Commemorative services are held in Australia at memorials, schools and community centres today.

The national ceremony is organised by the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.

Across Australia, everyone is welcome to attend a Remembrance Day service.

They are free and you don't need to be a Returned and Services League of Australia (RSL) member to attend a service at your local sub-branch.

As part of the commemorations, the Sydney Opera House will be lit with the symbolic red poppies.

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What happens at a Remembrance Day service?

Flags are lowered to half-mast about 10.30am (AEDT) before a service starts at 10.45am and the catafalque party will mount the cenotaph and take their positions.

Typically, the service will start with an Acknowledgement of Country, welcome speech, and words of experience or reflection from a veteran or service personnel.

After this, it's common that a hymn, prayer or reading is shared before dignitaries and other guests of honour lay wreaths or poppies.

It's customary to recite The Ode, play the Last Post, and observe one minute of silence.

The minute's silence concludes with the playing of The Rouse and a designated spokesperson saying the iconic words, "lest we forget".

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An author and historian who unearthed long-buried secrets from Gough Whitlam's infamous 1975 dismissal has called on the Australian government for greater transparency on the political scandal's 50th anniversary.

Jenny Hocking – author of multiple Whitlam books including the Dismissal Dossier and The Palace Letters – won a High Court bid in 2020 to release palace correspondence between former Governor-General John Kerr and the late Queen Elizabeth II.

Hocking recently uncovered never-before-seen letters between then-Canadian Governor-General Jules Léger and the Queen's private secretary Sir Martin Charteris from the Library and Archives Canada.

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A car explosion near the historic Red Fort in India's capital city has killed eight people and injured at least 19 others, police in New Delhi say.

The blast on Monday night (early Tuesday AEDT), which triggered a fire that damaged several vehicles parked nearby, was reported near one of the gates of the Red Fort metro station, the fire services said on Monday. The cause is being investigated.

Om Prakash Gupta, an eyewitness who lives close to the scene, said he was at home when he heard a loud explosion.

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"I rushed out with my children and saw several vehicles on fire, body parts all over," he told The Associated Press. He said he saw one body on the windscreen of a car.

A cab driver, who gave his name as just Shahrukh, said he heard a loud explosion.

"I came out of the car and started running along with others on the road," he said.

A former imperial palace, the Red Fort is a major tourist attraction. Local media footage showed damaged vehicles and a police cordon at the site.

Sanjay Tyagi, a spokesman for the city's police force, told the AP that at least eight people were killed, and several others injured.

"We are investigating the cause of the blast," he said. The injured are being treated at a local government hospital.

Images from the scene showed some shattered windowpanes and mangled pieces of vehicles while plumes of fire billowing from the burning cars.

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Home Minister Amit Shah told local media that a Hyundai i20 car exploded near a traffic signal close to the Red Fort. He said CCTV footage from cameras in the area will form part of the investigation.

"We are exploring all possibilities and will conduct a thorough investigation, taking all possibilities into account," Shah said.

"All options will be investigated immediately, and we will present the results to the public."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a post on social media site X: "Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones in the blast in Delhi earlier this evening. May the injured recover at the earliest."

The 17th-century Red Fort monument is one of India's most high-profile tourist attractions. Located six kilometres from the parliament, it is where Indian prime ministers deliver their annual Independence Day speeches on August 15.

The investigation is being conducted by the National Investigation Agency, India's federal terror investigating agency, and other agencies.

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Scientists have debunked a claim by US President Donald Trump about a common painkiller causing autism.

Trump said that women should not take acetaminophen, known by the brand name Tylenol in the US or as paracetamol in Australia, "during the entire pregnancy" because it could cause the neurodevelopmental disorder.

At the time, experts said the link was unproven and the drug safe to use, and Australian scientists have now also dismissed the theory in a new study.

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Existing evidence does not clearly link paracetamol use during pregnancy with autism or ADHD in children, the authors from Monash University found.

Women should continue to take it if they need it, the review, published in the BMJ, says.

The researchers say confidence in the findings of existing evidence reviews and studies on the topic is "low to critically low".

They suggest any apparent effect seen in previous studies "may be driven by shared genetic and environmental factors within families".

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It calls other reviews on the topic "poor quality".

"Science and vaccines have transformed public health and human survival, and whilst they have limited recognised side effects, collectively the benefits clearly outweigh the risks of the diseases they prevent," study co-author and Monash University Professor Helena Teede said.

"It is important to rely on the best collective evidence to understand the benefits and risks of vaccines."

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Only one review included two studies that appropriately adjusted for possible effects of genetic and environmental factors shared by siblings, and accounted for other important factors such as parents' mental health, background and lifestyle, the university said.

In both these studies, the observed association between exposure to paracetamol and risk of autism and ADHD in childhood disappeared or reduced after adjustment, suggesting that these factors explain much of the observed risk, say the researchers.

"The current evidence base is insufficient to definitively link in utero exposure to paracetamol with autism and ADHD in childhood," they concluded.

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