The Israeli military has said its decisions on attacks against Iran are based solely on security considerations, after reports of a feud with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Channel 12 reported the two were at odds, while CNN reported that military chief Eyal Zamir warned that strikes before the election would delay the vote. Analysts say tension between the government and the military has been common. Netanyahu has stressed the Iranian threat in the final days of the election campaign, and polling suggests Gadi Eisenkot's party could challenge his Likud for the most seats.
Victoria's net debt has risen to $161 billion, more than New South Wales and Queensland combined, with debt servicing costs now 6.9 per cent of state income. The state recorded a $2.4 billion net operating surplus in 2025-26, and its assets of $465 billion exceed its $268 billion in liabilities. Growth in debt is forecast to be lower than in some other states. The analysis argues that voters may weigh issues such as potholes, high-rise approvals and crime more heavily than debt, though a royal commission into the infrastructure program is under way.
The husband of Liberal Party candidate Amanda Dow has allegedly been assaulted during a confrontation over election signs in Mernda. The party said he suffered facial injuries and was taken to hospital, where he was discharged. Police said a 59-year-old Mernda man has been charged with recklessly causing injury, criminal damage and unlawful assault. The accused has been released on bail and is due to appear before Heidelberg Magistrates' Court on February 1. Yan Yean is currently held by Labor with a margin of 4.3 per cent.
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Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has won a fourth term as Brazil's president, taking 51.8 per cent of the vote against Flávio Bolsonaro's 48.2 per cent. The result followed a Supreme Court order to keep polling stations open for two extra hours. Lula's campaign had asked for the extension, claiming public officials slowed transport in Sao Paulo and Salvador. Flávio Bolsonaro called the order a dirty trick and said it was impossible to accept the result, calling for the election to be annulled. Analysts say a legal challenge would have little basis.
Benjamin Netanyahu has stepped up warnings about national security ahead of Israel's election. He told voters that Iran's nuclear weapons could bring a second Holocaust, and posted an AI-generated image of a nuclear blast over a city widely read as Tel Aviv. He also said Israel needed a bypass economy to withstand possible sanctions, and agreed that cryptocurrency was one option. The Bank of Israel said cryptocurrencies could not avoid sanctions. Rival Gadi Eisenkot, a former military chief of staff, told supporters Israel faced a choice between international partnership and isolation.
WA Liberal leader Basil Zempilas told a state conference there is a pathway to victory in the 2029 state election. He said the party is not working in partnership with One Nation, though the two share a goal of removing Labor. Zempilas said his ambition is to govern in its own right with the Nationals, while not ruling anything out as circumstances change. The party faces a choice between leveraging rising support for One Nation or confronting it directly. Federal Liberal leader Angus Taylor also addressed the conference.
Emergency department wait times at Werribee Mercy Hospital would be cut if the Victorian state government is re-elected next month. The government has promised to reduce wait times by up to 20 per cent across Victoria, which it says will help more than 210,000 patients each year. The plan includes a 25 per cent expansion to 12 hospital emergency departments, hiring 1500 health workers including 750 nurses, and adding 250 beds. Premier Ben Carroll said more nurses would mean patients are seen sooner.
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has won Brazil's presidential election, defeating right-wing senator Flávio Bolsonaro in a run-off. Brazil's electoral court said Lula held an unassailable lead once all votes were counted. Voting hours were extended by two hours after a request from Lula's campaign, citing transport problems in three cities in Bahia. Bolsonaro said the extension was unacceptable and that he would ask for the election to be annulled. Lula said voting had been vital to safeguard democracy, and pledged to govern for all 215 million Brazilians.
Victorian Liberal leader Jess Wilson has promised to outlaw the phrase 'globalise the intifada' if her party wins the upcoming state election. The pledge follows Queensland's recent legislation banning the phrase, which Wilson argues incites violence against the Jewish community. Used at pro-Palestine protests in Melbourne, the term's meaning is debated, with many in the Jewish community viewing it as hateful. Wilson cited concerns about safety and community cohesion, noting families and Jewish residents avoid Melbourne's CBD on weekends due to protests. The move aims to reduce tensions and protect the Jewish community from perceived threats.
The New South Wales government has promised a $6.8 billion upgrade to the South Coast rail line if re-elected next year. The plan includes electrifying the line between Kiama and Bomaderry, so passengers could travel from Sydney to Nowra without changing trains. Extra tracks and passing loops are also planned between Wollongong and Kiama. Planning is expected to start in 2027, with construction completed in the mid to late 2030s. The announcement follows the scrapping of a planned timetable overhaul on the line, which had drawn commuter backlash.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić has conceded defeat to a student-led protest movement in parliamentary elections. He said on Sunday that the Student List had won, with an estimated 135 to 140 seats, while his party would take about 105. Vučić called the snap vote in September after almost two years of student-led demonstrations against alleged corruption and creeping authoritarianism. Turnout was nearly 70 per cent, the highest since the break-up of Yugoslavia in 1992. Supporters celebrated in the streets of Belgrade after the announcement.
Serbian voters turned out in record numbers on Monday in a snap parliamentary election. Nearly 65 per cent of 6.4 million registered voters had cast ballots by 6:00 pm local time, the highest turnout in more than three decades. The vote follows nearly two years of student-led protests after a canopy collapse at Novi Sad railway station in 2024 killed 16 people. The Students' List, backed by the movement, poses the biggest challenge yet to Aleksandar Vucic's Serbian Progressive Party. Vucic has accused the students of plotting a foreign-funded coup.
Serbia's ruling party has lost snap parliamentary elections, according to veteran leader Aleksandar Vucic, who conceded defeat on Monday. Preliminary results showed the student-backed movement surging ahead. Turnout was the highest in more than three decades, with nearly 65 per cent of 6.4 million registered voters casting ballots by 6:00 pm local time. The vote follows nearly two years of protests sparked by the 2024 collapse of a canopy at Novi Sad railway station that killed 16 people, a disaster widely blamed on corruption. Celebrations erupted in Belgrade after the result was announced.
The latest Newspoll suggests the Coalition is set to end Labor's 12-year rule in Victoria, with Opposition Leader Jess Wilson leading by a 55-45 margin. Primary voting appears more fragmented, with One Nation, Labor, the Greens, and the Coalition each securing significant support. Political scientist Zareh Ghazarian warns that Labor's leadership change may have weakened their position, citing historical examples of unsuccessful mid-term transitions. The incumbent government has faced public criticism over COVID-19 lockdowns and construction industry corruption allegations. These factors contribute to the challenging environment for Labor ahead of the upcoming election.
Former president Barack Obama joined Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed at a rally in Detroit, where he joked about the candidate's muscular arms. Obama said the two men share a campaign focus on change and breaking boundaries, and that both have faced racism and questions about their names. Obama also dismissed claims that El-Sayed is radical, asking how wanting universal health care and affordable housing could be considered so. El-Sayed leads recent polls only within the margin of error, and he won just 31 per cent of Black primary voters in Detroit.
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Residents of Kalkallo, in Melbourne's outer north, are calling for new roads as their population has grown from 105 in 2016 to more than 11,000 in 2026. The only exit from the suburb is onto Donnybrook Road, and residents describe daily traffic jams. The Victorian government says construction of a $153 million interchange on the Hume Freeway will begin by the end of 2026, funded by developer Stockland. The Coalition has promised to duplicate Donnybrook Road. A car bridge is not planned until at least 2037.
Brazilians are voting in a tight presidential runoff that could shift Latin America's largest nation sharply to the right. The contest pits leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva against right-wing Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, who was convicted in 2025 for plotting a 2022 coup. Polls show the pair practically tied, although Bolsonaro won 47 per cent of first-round ballots to Lula's 45 per cent. No candidate has won the presidency after finishing second in the first round.
Victoria's Labor government has promised 45 extra beds and 145 nurses for Werribee Mercy Hospital as part of a $1.5 billion election commitment. The plan would expand emergency departments at 12 Victorian hospitals by an average of 25 per cent and reduce waiting times at those hospitals by up to 20 per cent. Labor says the expansion depends on winning re-election. The government has not yet released construction timetables or explained how the waiting time reduction was calculated.
Thousands of people rallied at Hostage Square in Tel Aviv, demanding an independent state commission of inquiry into the October 7 attack by Hamas. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has refused to hold such an inquiry, while opposition leaders have pledged one. Protesters said Israel's democracy is under threat and called for a change of government ahead of Tuesday's election. Several speakers, including families of victims and hostages, said the country needs accountability. Netanyahu has said the only problem on October 7 was that he was not woken when the attack began.
Premier Ben Carroll has promised to expand a dozen emergency departments by 25 per cent as Victorian Labor launches its bid for a fourth term. The $1.5 billion health package also includes 1,500 more health workers, half of them nurses, and 150 extra hospital beds, most opening next year. Labor says the expansions will cut waits by up to 20 per cent at hospitals in Melbourne and regional Victoria. The Australian Medical Association welcomed the funding but called for a review of the whole emergency care system.
