Strong winds are continuing to lash parts of the Australian coast today, with some flights out of Sydney already delayed or cancelled.

The low-pressure system is already delivering severe winds and rain to multiple states.

The winds have swept across NSW this morning, already impacting flight operations at Sydney Airport.

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"Due to high winds, airport operations may be affected throughout the day," a spokesperson for the airport said.

"We recommend passengers check the status of their flight with their airline before travelling to the airport and we thank passengers for their patience and understanding."

Qantas said it was doing everything it could to avoid delays, while Virgin said some flights had been cancelled due to the winds.

North-westerly winds are expected to reach between 20km/h and 30km/h this morning, and will increase to 35km/h before easing this afternoon, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.

In south-eastern Sydney, winds could reach as strong as 50km/h to 60km/h, with damaging gusts up to 90km/h.

Sydney will see a high of 18 degrees today and a low of 12 degrees.

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There are also severe wind warnings in place for the Illawarra, South Coast, Southern Tablelands and parts of Mid North Coast, Hunter, Metropolitan, Central Tablelands, South West Slopes, Snowy Mountains, Australian Capital Territory and Northern Tablelands Forecast Districts.

Winds in those regional areas are expected to reach up to 65km/h with gusts over 90km/h.

Newcastle, Wollongong, Goulburn, Nowra, Batemans Bay and Katoomba will all be impacted.

South Australia will also continue to see strong winds this morning, following on from yesterday's wild weather.

Severe wind warnings are still in place, particularly for those on the coast, including Kangaroo Island and Goolwa.

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A small amount of rain is also expected today, following heavy rains and flooding in South Australia yesterday and overnight.

The Adelaide Hills region saw 25mm to 30mm of rain while the CBD saw about 10mm.

The State Emergency Service received 100 calls for help as trees fell and some areas flooded.

The ACT will also experience strong winds and near-freezing conditions, with temperatures as low as 1 degree this morning, and a high of 8 degrees.

Victoria will also be impacted by strong and damaging winds, specifically the East Gippsland, North East, West and South Gippsland, Central and North Central Forecast Districts.

Winds in East Gippsland are expected to hit 60km/h with damaging gusts up to 90km/h.

There will also be 5mm to 15mm of rainfall today, as well as abnormally high tides for the entire Victorian coastline. 

The windy weather across all states is expected to continue across Australia's southern states until later today, with conditions forecast to ease by tomorrow.

The BBC has backed its newsreader Martine Croxall after vision of her correcting her autocue and changing the words "pregnant people" to "women".

During a live broadcast over the weekend, Croxall interrupted her own sentence and appeared to roll her eyes after reading out a quote from a study that cited "pregnant people."

Croxall was quoting, an assistant professor at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, not the wording of the BBC.

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UK media have reported that Croxall is not facing a backlash from her employers over her correction.

The Times newspaper reports managers at the national broadcaster were "intensely relaxed" about the newsreader changing the words.

Sources at the BBC were quick to point out that the BBC News style guide did not mention the phrase "pregnant women", according to reports.

Other insiders said it was highly unlikely that Croxall would be reprimanded over the matter, according to The Deadline.

In April, the UK's Supreme Court ruled that the legal definition of a woman is based on biological sex.

At the time of the ruling, the BBC said: "BBC News is assessing the ruling to consider any updates which might need to be made to the style guide as a result."

On Monday, Croxall tweeted: "A huge thank you to everyone who has chosen to follow me today for whatever reason. It's been quite a ride…"

Two brown bears escaped from their enclosure in a UK wildlife park and broke into a food pantry, consuming a week's worth of honey in a matter of minutes.

Brown Bears Mish and Lucy, both aged five, somehow escaped their enclosure inside Wildwood Devon, in Devon, and beelined for the park's food stores.

They enjoyed a weeks worth of honey and other snacks before they were returned to their enclosure.

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The park said there was no threat to the public and visitors of the park, the bears were not interested in anything but honey.

The pair were being monitored on the park's CCTV cameras as they dove into pots of honey.

Mish made his own way back to the enclosure once he had consumed a respectable amount of the golden syrup, while Lucy had to be lured back with a bell and her favourite foods.

Mish and Lucy are European Brown Bears. The male bears can reach up to 350kg while female bears can reach up to 250kg.

They can both eat up to 40kg of food a day. 

The pair were rescued from a snow drift in Albania in 2019

Sean "Diddy" Combs told the judge at his sex trafficking trial that he was doing an "excellent job" as he confirmed he would not be testifying.

Combs made the comment to US District Judge Arun Subramanian after being asked if he planned to testify.

The question was posed after the prosecution rested after a more than six-week-long presentation of evidence against the hip-hop maven that confronted him with former employees and two former girlfriends who expressed regret at his treatment of them over the past two decades.

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After the prosecution rested, Combs' lawyers asked Subramanian to halt the trial immediately and throw out the charges, arguing the charges were not proven. The judge reserved a decision.

The government rested after defence lawyer Teny Geragos finished questioning the prosecution's final witness: Joseph Cerciello, a Homeland Security Investigations agent.

Prosecutors have cited the "freak-offs" as proof of the sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy charges that resulted in Combs' arrest last September.

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Defence lawyers, though, say they were consensual sexual encounters consistent with the swingers lifestyle.

Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty and has remained incarcerated without bail in a federal lock-up in Brooklyn after multiple judges concluded last fall that he was a danger to the community.

The government's case consisted of 34 witnesses, including former employees of Combs' Bad Boy Entertainment companies, but the bulk of its proof has come from the testimony of two former girlfriends: Casandra "Cassie" Ventura and a model and internet personality known to jurors only by the pseudonym "Jane".

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Ventura, 38, testified for four days during the trial's first week, saying she felt pressured to engage in hundreds of "freak-offs" because the encounters would enable her to be intimate with Combs after performing sexually with male sex workers while he watched them slather one another with baby oil and sometimes filmed the encounters.

Jane testified for six days about the sexual performances she labeled "hotel nights," saying that she was putting them into perspective after beginning therapy three months ago. She said she felt coerced into engaging in them as recently as last August, but did so because she loved and still loves Combs.

Ventura was in a relationship with Combs from 2007 to 2018, while Jane was frequently with him from 2021 until his arrest, which canceled her plan to meet him at the New York hotel where he was taken into custody.

The Associated Press doesn't generally identify people who say they are victims of sexual abuse unless they come forward publicly, as Cassie has done.

After prosecutors rested, the jury was sent to lunch. When they return, a defence presentation was expected to be completed by the end of the day without any witnesses.

Throughout the trial, defence lawyers have made their case for exoneration through their questioning of witnesses, including several who testified reluctantly or only after they were granted immunity from any crimes they may have committed.

Combs has been active in his defence, writing notes to his lawyers and sometimes helping them decide when to stop questioning a witness.

He was admonished once by the judge for nodding enthusiastically toward jurors during a successful stretch of cross-examination by one of his lawyers. Prosecutors complained that his gestures were a form of testifying without being subject to cross-examination. The judge warned that he could be excluded from his trial if it happened again.

In the past week, prosecutors and defence lawyers have shown jurors more than 40 minutes of recordings Combs made of the "freak-offs" or "hotel nights."

Several jurors occasionally seemed squeamish as they viewed and listened to audio of the encounters, but most did not seem to react.

In her opening statement, Geragos had called the videos "powerful evidence that the sexual conduct in this case was consensual and not based on coercion."

Closing arguments were tentatively scheduled for Thursday.,

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NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte praised US President Donald Trump for making Europe "pay in a BIG way," as leaders gathered in the Netherlands for a historic summit that could unite them around a new defence spending pledge or widen divisions among the 32 member countries of the security alliance.

The US president, while en route, published a screenshot of a private message from Rutte saying: "Donald, you have driven us to a really, really important moment for America and Europe and the world. You will achieve something NO American president in decades could get done."

"Europe is going to pay in a BIG way, as they should, and it will be your win," Rutte wrote. NATO confirmed that he sent the message.

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Rutte appeared unconcerned that Trump aired it, telling reporters: "I have absolutely no trouble or problem with that because there's nothing in it which had to stay secret."

Trump arrived early in the evening after injecting uncertainty over whether the US would abide by the mutual defence guarantees outlined in the NATO treaty. "Depends on your definition," he said. Rutte said he has no doubt about the Article 5 guarantee, which says an armed attack on one member is an attack on all.

On Wednesday, the allies are likely to endorse a goal of spending 5 per cent of their gross domestic product on their security, to be able to fulfil the alliance's plans for defending against outside attack. Trump has said the US should not have to.

As of July last year, two-thirds of NATO members (23 of 32) had fulfilled a commitment to collectively spend $1.47 trillion ($2.26 trillion) on defence.

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Spain said it could not, and that the target was "unreasonable." Slovakia said it reserved the right to decide how to reach the target by NATO's new 2035 deadline.

"There's a problem with Spain. Spain is not agreeing, which is very unfair to the rest of them, frankly," Trump told reporters.

In 2018, a NATO summit during Trump's first term unraveled due to a dispute over defence spending.

READ MORE: Trump asked for ceasefire in 'begging-like manner': Iran

Ahead of the meeting, Britain, France and Germany committed to the 5 per cent goal. The Netherlands is also on board. Nations closer to the borders of Ukraine, Russia and its ally Belarus had previously pledged to do so.

Trump's first appearance at NATO since returning to the White House was supposed to centre on how the US secured the historic military spending pledge from others in the alliance – effectively bending it to its will.

But the spotlight has shifted to Trump's decision to strike three nuclear enrichment facilities in Iran that the administration says eroded Tehran's nuclear ambitions, as well as the president's sudden announcement that Israel and Iran had reached a "complete and total ceasefire."

Ukraine has also suffered as a result of that new conflict. It has created a need for weapons and ammunition that Kyiv desperately wants, and shifted the world's attention. Past NATO summits have focused almost entirely on the war in Ukraine, now in its fourth year.

Still, Rutte insisted NATO could manage more than one conflict at a time.

"If we would not be able to deal with … the Middle East, which is very big and commanding all the headlines, and Ukraine at the same time, we should not be in the business of politics and military at all," he said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in The Hague for meetings, despite his absence from a leaders' meeting aiming to seal the military spending agreement.

It's a big change since the summit in Washington last year, when the alliance's weighty communique included a vow to supply long-term security assistance to Ukraine, and a commitment to back the country "on its irreversible path" to NATO membership.

Zelenskyy's first official engagement this time was with Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof at his official residence across the road from the summit venue.

But in a telling sign of Ukraine's status at the summit, neither leader mentioned NATO. Ukraine's bid to join the alliance has been put in deep freeze by Trump.

"Let me be very clear, Ukraine is part of the family that we call the Euro-Atlantic family," Schoof told Zelenskyy, who in turn said he sees his country's future in peace "and of course, a part of a big family of EU family."

Schoof used the meeting to announce a new package of Dutch support to Kyiv including 100 radar systems to detect drones and a move to produce drones for Ukraine in the Netherlands, using Kyiv's specifications.

The US has made no new public pledges of support to Ukraine since Trump took office six months ago.

Meeting later with Rutte and top EU officials, Zelenskyy appealed for European investment in Ukraine's defence industry, which can produce weapons and ammunition more quickly and cheaply than elsewhere in Europe.

"No doubt, we must stop (Russian President Vladimir) Putin now and in Ukraine. But we have to understand that his objectives reach beyond Ukraine," he said. He said NATO's new target of 5 per cent of GDP "is the right level."

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A tentative truce has faltered as Israel vowed to retaliate after saying Iran launched missiles into its airspace more than two hours after the ceasefire was supposed to take effect.

Iran's military denied firing on Israel, state media reported — but explosions boomed and sirens sounded across northern Israel midmorning on Tuesday (evening AEST). Earlier, both Israel and Iran had accepted the ceasefire plan to end their 12-day war.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz called the missiles a violation of the ceasefire and instructed Israel's military to resume "the intense operations to attack Tehran and to destroy targets of the regime and terror infrastructure".

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The shaky agreement was first announced early on Tuesday morning by US President Donald Trump after Tehran launched a limited retaliatory missile attack on a US military base in Qatar on Monday.

Between Trump's post and the start of the ceasefire, Israel launched a blitz of airstrikes targeting sites across Iran before dawn and Iran replied with an onslaught of missiles that killed at least four people in Israel.

Israel said it had intercepted the midmorning barrage of missiles that came hours into the truce.

"Tehran will tremble," Israeli Finance Minister Betzalel Smotrich wrote on X after the missiles were launched.

Netanyahu agrees to ceasefire

Hours earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced he had agreed to the ceasefire deal with Iran.

"Israel has removed a dual immediate existential threat – both in the nuclear and ballistic missile fields," a statement from the prime minister's office said.

The statement said the Israeli military "achieved full air control over Tehran's skies, inflicted severe damage on the military leadership, and destroyed dozens of central Iranian government targets".

"In light of the achievement of the operation's objectives, and in full coordination with President Trump, Israel has agreed to the president's proposal for a bilateral ceasefire," the statement continued.

"Israel will respond forcefully to any violation of the ceasefire.

Ceasefire deal 'imposed on the enemy', Tehran claims

Iranian state media announced a ceasefire has been "imposed on the enemy" after the country's military response to "US aggression", hours after Iran's retaliatory attacks against a US base in Qatar.

"The Sepah (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) successful missile operations in response to US aggression and the exemplary steadfastness and unity of our dear people in defending our land, has imposed ceasefire on the enemy," an anchor with state-run Iran National News Network said in a live broadcast.

The anchor did not give a time for when the ceasefire would take place.

US President Donald Trump requested the ceasefire between Iran and Israel "in a begging-like manner" shortly after Iran's strikes toward the US's Al Udeid base in Qatar, the anchor said.

"Last evening, only an hour after the successful missile attack by the Sepah on America's Al Udeid Base in Qatar, in a begging-like manner of urging, Trump requested the initiation of a ceasefire in the imposed Zionist enemy war against our country," the anchor said.

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Trump details ceasefire deal on social media

Trump doubled down on his declaration of peace between Israel and Iran in a series of posts on Truth Social.

"Israel & Iran came to me, almost simultaneously, and said, 'PEACE!' I knew the time was NOW," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

"The World, and the Middle East, are the real WINNERS! Both Nations will see tremendous LOVE, PEACE, AND PROSPERITY in their futures.

"They have so much to gain, and yet, so much to lose if they stray from the road of RIGHTEOUSNESS & TRUTH.

"The future for Israel & Iran is UNLIMITED, & filled with great PROMISE. GOD BLESS YOU BOTH!"

He later asked parties not to violate the deal.

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"THE CEASEFIRE IS NOW IN EFFECT. PLEASE DO NOT VIOLATE IT!" Trump said, signing off the post with "Donald J. Trump, President of the United States!"

Trump also credited the B-2 pilots who dropped missiles on Iran's nuclear facilities for today's deal.

The US president said the "deal" made between Iran and Israel was brokered thanks to the US-led attack on the weekend.

"In a certain and very ironic way, that perfect 'hit,' late in the evening, brought everyone together, and the deal was made!!!" Trump wrote.

Trump earlier claimed Israel and Iran "came to me" about peace after announcing the ceasefire on social media.

Flights impacted after Qatar strike

Qatar's major international airport has reopened its airspace after dozens of flights heading to the Middle East were diverted or cancelled.

However, travel chaos for Australians trying to head to the region for a holiday or stopovers to Europe is ongoing.

A Qantas Perth to London service was diverted to Singapore and a Perth to Paris flight returned to Perth.

The diversions impacted return services.

"We continue to monitor airspace availability closely and will alter our schedule as required," a Qantas spokesperson said.

"We have a number of flight path options that we utilise for our flights to Europe and these are reviewed regularly based on factors including weather and security."

Israel skies close again

Israel's skies are now closed to planes until further notice, the Israel Airports Authority said.

Israel began allowing limited outbound flights yesterday after closing the airspace on June 13.

This will likely impact repatriation flights planned by the Australian government.

A military repatriation flight, which departed Queensland for the United Arab Emirates, left Dubai earlier today and was seen heading south-east.

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At least nine killed in Israeli strikes in northern Iran

At least nine people were killed and dozens wounded in Israeli strikes on residential buildings in northwest Iran early Tuesday local time, Iranian state media reported citing a regional official.

The attack in Gilan province wounded 33 people and destroyed four residential units, the deputy governor of Gilan said, according to state-affiliated media Tasnim news agency.

Of those killed and wounded, 16 were women and children, the governor said.

Surrounding houses were also damaged in the explosion, the governor said.

Video geolocated by CNN to the city of Astaneh-ye Ashrafiyeh, in Gilan, shows a large crowd of people and a ball of flames.

–Reporting with CNN

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The Victorian government has revised its plan to phase out gas appliances in homes and businesses, with scaled-back regulations to focus only on gas hot water systems.

From March 1, 2027, gas hot water systems in Victorian homes and businesses will be replaced by electric alternatives, like a heat pump, once they reach their end of life.

But earlier plans to replace gas home appliances with an electric substitute once they need fixing have been dropped, with repairs permitted until they can no longer be mended.

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The gas-related measures for residential and commercial properties form part of the government's aim to reserve dwindling supply for industry and drive down energy bills.

The government is hoping to avoid a gas shortfall projected by the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO), which forecast a shortage of the energy resource in Australia south-eastern states by 2029.

"We know we need to continue to work hard in the energy space to both secure energy supply and also drive down bills," Premier Jacinta Allan said.

"That is about securing our gas supply into the future for the industry that needs it but at the same time looking at how we can protect local jobs and slash household bills."

Households will be able to keep their gas heating and cooktops after the government dropped plans to phase them out following industry concern.

The government says the hot water system switch will save households around $330 a year, or $520 with solar.

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The government is standing firm on its plan to have all newly built homes completely electric from 2027.

Again, the government has promised savings that will put about $880 back in the pockets of new homeowners, or $1820 if they have solar.

From January 1, 2027, all new homes will be built all electric. This will put around $880 per year back in the pockets of new homeowners, or $1820 if they have solar.

There will be exemptions if installation costs for upgrades is too pricey.

The new measures will also apply to rental properties, including public housing, with landlords required to replace gas heaters with reverse-cycle air conditioning at end of life.

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Two men accused of gang raping a teenage girl for hours in a vehicle remained expressionless while denied bail for being deemed a danger to the community.

Adam Abdul-Hamid, 19, and an 18-year-old male who cannot be legally named are among four youths accused of the six-hour-long sexual assault of a 17-year-old girl at multiple Sydney locations in December last year.

Both appeared by audio-visual link at separate court hearings on Tuesday when their bail was denied.

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At Campbelltown Local Court, Magistrate Peter Thompson found the risk that Abdul-Hamid posed to the community if he was released from Silverwater prison could not be mitigated.

Magistrate Rosheehan O'Meagher at Parramatta Children's Court made similar findings against the 18-year-old.

Bail was rejected despite a raft of strict conditions proposed for each co-accused by their barrister Troy Edwards SC.

Crown prosecutor Abby Lee van der Velde argued Abdul-Hamid should not be released because he was the only adult present during the alleged "prolonged and sustained sexual assault".

The barber shop employee had not tried to intervene and had allegedly taken the victim's phone to send himself a text message, Thompson heard.

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Material provided by his family to the court describing the 19-year-old as a responsible and affectionate person lay in contrast to the seriousness of the charges, van der Velde said.

Edwards unsuccessfully tried to argue the bail conditions were enough to mitigate any risk his client posed.

He described the case against his client as "weak", saying there was no evidence he agreed to participate in the alleged crime.

"Do you want to have a turn?" Abdul-Hamid was allegedly asked, according to a police facts sheet seen by the court.

"No, I'm alright," he allegedly replied.

In a later covertly recorded phone conversation, Abdul-Hamid inculpated the other males involved in the alleged assault, the court was told.

Despite seven months elapsing since the alleged assault, the 19-year-old had not tried to contact the complainant or his co-accused, Edwards said.

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Abdul-Hamid has been hit with five charges of aggravated sexual assault in company but has yet to enter any pleas.

Two of these alleged offences involve the use of a hair brush.

Outside court, the 19-year-old's mother and two brothers wore face masks and shielded themselves with umbrellas, swearing at reporters before getting into a waiting car and driving off.

The 18-year-old male – who has been hit with nine charges of aggravated sexual assault in company – allegedly joined the sexual assault after being told about it through Facetime, O'Meagher was told.

As his mother and partner watched in court, van der Velde said the youth had been captured on CCTV, placing him at the scene.

Police allege that the girl was initially approached by a 16-year-old boy, unknown to her, at a shopping centre in Liverpool on a Sunday evening.

The boy allegedly asked to be driven to a park at a nearby suburb, which the victim agreed to, on the understanding he would get out of the car.

At the park, two other males got into the car and allegedly also sexually assaulted her.

A fourth male arrived in another car and the assaults continued as the girl was driven around for six hours, investigators allege.

The 16-year-old alleged instigator of the rape has been charged with 19 sexual assault offences and five sexual touching offences.

A 14-year-old has been charged with 10 offences including seven aggravated sexual assault offences.

Abdul-Hamid's matter will return to court on August 13.

His three co-accused will have their cases briefly heard on August 11.

Support is available from the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service at 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732).

Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800.

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Police faced dangerous driving, fireworks and unlawful assembly perils at a Levin event.

Julia DeLuney is accused of killing her 79-year-old mother Helen Gregory in 2024.