Flood Alerts and Poultry Lockdown as Bird Flu Spreads in Australia

Australian authorities issued flood alerts for 10 areas as heavy rain was forecast for south-eastern states in early August 2026. In Victoria, a poultry lockdown was announced as bird flu cases spread, with one report describing "bad luck" for the epicentre of the outbreak.

Separately, a top school in Perth suspended students over an antisemitic group chat, and a police officer faced allegations of lying about her whereabouts in an alleged relationship with a criminal. Other stories included a helicopter rescue for New Zealand climbers in the Solomon Islands and landowners still rebuilding a year after the deepest snowfall in living memory.