They are sadistic and manipulative, often targeting children through digital platforms. Now, as part of an ABC investigation, a teen tells how an online cult incited her into ritualistic acts. 

Interest rates are approaching levels that would hurt Australia's economy and the retirement savings managed by major superannuation funds, according to the Bank of America's head of interest rates strategy.

Australia's auction clearance rate has slumped to a three-month low, while new data shows the number of unsold homes has surged by more than 20 per cent in the past year.

Human Rights Watch is warning 13 Australians believed to be held in Iraqi jails on suspicion of links to the Islamic State group face inhumane treatment and potential execution.

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is taking legal action against police over his arrest in relation to the Epstein files earlier this year.

It is often regarded as the most prestigious of all Nobel prizes, which are given to those who have "conferred the greatest benefit to humankind". But the Nobel Peace Prize can also be controversial.

Spain's prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, has called an early election as the country grapples with a housing crisis.

Laaulialemalietoa Leuatea Schmidt apologises after video emerges of him performing a Nazi salute and saying the phrase "heil Hitler" at a family event in 2007.

The Tasmanian government has effectively been leasing out a stadium to property developer and NBL owner Larry Kestelman for less than it would cost to rent most houses in the area, a parliamentary report has found.

The WA government is weighing up future plans for a desalination plant in Esperance as work on a $543 million upgrade to the historic Goldfields water pipeline ramps up.

Fitness influencer and former Bachelor contestant Sam Wood will remain behind bars after facing court for several domestic violence charges following his arrest in Noosa on the weekend.

An independent review by the Professional Standards Command will be conducted after a man was fatally shot by NSW police near Yass on Sunday.

Naufahu Whyte wouldn't have looked out of place should he have won the Clive Churchill Medal after the Roosters' grand final victory, and the Tricolours prop is adamant we have yet to see his best.  

Kevin Walters pulls off a few surprises in his Australian squad for the Rugby League World Cup, but the side he will try and lead to glory is proof we are in a new era for Test football.

Alongside five mates, Hayden Sumner has completed a cross-country relay from Perth to Sydney in honour of his late mother, who spent years in abusive relationships.

Former psychiatrist Benjamin Wen is warned by a judge he will face imprisonment, ahead of his sentencing for sexually abusing young patients. WARNING: This story contains details that may distress some readers. 

A report on the sale and use of pepper spray for self-defence in the Northern Territory under a government trial has found 3,714 people have bought the product so far, with 46 prohibited buyers identified and three non-lawful deployments rec...

Premier Ben Carroll has conceded the Victorian government should have acted sooner on illegal tobacco but insisted progress had been made since the new enforcement powers came into effect.

The flydubai co-pilot allegedly tells investigators he intended to continue flying normally before crashing into the main airport in Israel. 

For nearly two years, veteran Steve Johnstone was prescribed huge quantities of high-THC cannabis by doctors he had never spoken to.

Brazilian senator Flávio Bolsonaro, son of the far-right former leader Jair Bolsonaro, has finished ahead of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in the country's election, which will go to a run-off in three weeks.

The Yemeni president says the military is working to recapture vast parts of the country from the Houthis, who have withstood a series of attacks from Saudi Arabia, the UAE and their Western allies over the years.

People have threatened to harm the woman identified as Jane Doe in the Cornell University case unless she withdraws her lawsuit, her lawyer says.

The grand final sides feature in the Kangaroos squad for the Rugby League World Cup, with James Tedesco back in and Sydney's Sam Walker and Newcastle's Bradman Best among six debutants.

Japan may soon have its own "CIA", with the nation working with "the utmost urgency" to establish its first centralised network of intelligence operations since World War II.