new south wales

Officials say persistent drought caused a massive outbreak of fires in New South Wales, which is the country's most populous state. Dangerous conditions are expected to continue in the coming months.

The Parliament of New South Wales, home to the nation's largest city, Sydney, has removed unlawful abortion from the state's criminal code and has eased access to abortion services.

The tough conditions are drying up huge swathes of land, leaving farmers struggling. Groups of thirsty emus recently showed up in an outback mining town looking for water.

Police say the boy was on a cross-country trip, from his home in Kendall on the east coast to Perth on the opposite coast. He got about a third of the way before he was pulled over.

The trials in the southeastern state of New South Wales are part of an $11.6 million program to protect beachgoers. Drones send real-time images of coastal waters to an operator using GPS coordinates.