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England's disastrous Ashes tour has received another blow with Jofra Archer ruled out of the remaining two Tests while skipper Ben Stokes has dug in to defend his beleaguered team.

Police are searching for at least seven more people allegedly involved in an assault last Thursday, which left a Norwegian tourist with a broken arm and facial injuries.

A video said to feature Ben Duckett is under ECB investigation in another problem for England's disastrous Ashes tour.

Last month Samoan weightlifters Seine Stowers and June Sipaia broke World and Oceania records. Their success is due to a generational shift in attitudes to women in the sport, and a world-class facility at home.

Former federal Liberal MP Katie Allen has died aged 59, after developing a rare form of cancer, her family has announced.

A "significant number" of employees have been made immediately redundant as MA Security — which provides security and maintenance services to major retailers like Coles, Kmart and Amazon — enters administration.

Temperatures in the Victorian capital are unlikely to climb past 17 degrees on Christmas Day, but the state will swing back to some warm to hot days ahead of the new year.

It is just a few sleeps until Christmas Day, and the weather is promising a mixed bag for Australia's capital cities. Here is what to expect. 

Australians flock to markets, shops and stores across the country in a last-minute rush to prepare for Christmas.

Cashless payments make up about three-quarters of all transactions in Australia but come at a cost to both merchants and consumers, leaving some asking if it is time to consider it essential infrastructure.

Taxpayers have funded $1.6 million in payments to the firefighters union via Fire Rescue Victoria, court documents allege, under an income protection scheme the state's fire chief has said should outrage all Victorians.

After a career-best year, Queenslander Priscilla Hon was among four Australian Open wildcards named on Monday, but Nick Kyrgios was not among them.

Victorian trainer Gerry Orr has received a six-year ban for procuring performance-enhancing drugs after he inadvertently alerted stewards by giving authorities his mobile phone. 

Jenny Croom put her art on hold for her family; now the 77-year-old has been crowned Australia's 2025 Portrait Artist of the Year.

Officers from the Critical Incident Response Team armed with long-arm weapons will patrol outside the MCG during the upcoming Boxing Day Test. 

Nathan Lyon's injury leaves selectors with another headache, made trickier by Pat Cummins's admission that he will almost certainly miss the Boxing Day Test now that the Ashes are won.

From hams to vouchers and cash, festive bonuses vary — but do they still have a place in the Australian workforce?

Since 2017, Melbourne building boss Mike Harris has overseen four company collapses. Left behind are clients who have lost their life savings and staff who couldn't pay their mortgages.

Melbourne 15-year-old Indra Brown claims her second medal in her World Cup debut in the freeski halfpipe.

Victorians faced intense rainfall, damaging winds and large hailstones after severe storms swept across parts of the state. Emergency services called on road users to drive carefully in dangerous conditions.