The husband of an Indian IT professional stabbed to death in a Sydney park called on Thursday for the killer of a "beautiful soul" to be brought to justice.

Prabha Kumar, 41, was knifed in a brutal attack while speaking by phone to husband G. Arun Kumar in India on Saturday night.

Australia on Tuesday raised the terrorism threat level against the police force to high for the first time, saying there were small but growing numbers of citizens involved with jihadist groups and intent on attacks.

Australian Federal Police said the decision had been taken based on intelligence-gathering and discussions with partners and was in line with the broader threat for the country, also raised to high in September.

A terror suspect shot dead by Australian police after stabbing two officers in a frenzied knife attack may not have been acting alone, officials said Thursday, escalating concerns about the threat posed by radicalized youth.

Abdul Numan Haider, 18, was killed on Tuesday evening on the outskirts of Melbourne, a day after the Islamic State group called for Muslims to indiscriminately kill Australians.

Police have shot dead a "known terror suspect" who stabbed two officers, a day after the Islamic State group called for Muslims to indiscriminately kill Australians, officials said Wednesday.

The 18-year-old, reportedly associated with the Islamic group Al-Furqan, was killed on Tuesday evening, having arrived at a police station on the outskirts of Melbourne to attend a "routine" interview.

Some 25 delegates to an international AIDS conference held in Melbourne last month fear returning home and will seek asylum in Australia, refugee and welfare agencies said Monday.

HomeGround Services, which helps find crisis accommodation for homeless people in Melbourne, said 14 delegates from African nations -- including Uganda and Tanzania -- had sought their help.

Two Lebanese nationals, holding the Australian citizenship, were among the 298 people on board the Malaysian jetliner that was shot down over Ukraine.

According to Voice of Lebanon radio (100.5), Albert and Mary Rizk are among the victims who died along with dozens of others in the tragedy on Thursday.

Skies over southeastern Australia darkened with huge plumes of smoke and lightning storms Friday after an epic heatwave, with raging wildfires claiming one life and residents warned to "leave and live".

A cool change began sweeping the states of South Australia and Victoria as evening fell, bringing much-needed relief to millions of residents who have sweltered through up to five days of scorching temperatures in excess of 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit).

A majority of Lebanese asylum-seekers detained in the Pacific will choose to return home, a Lebanese member of the council advising the Australian government on asylum-seekers said.

Australian media reports said on Tuesday that Dr. Jamal Rifi, a prominent member of Sydney's Lebanese community, visited the detention centers in the islands of Papua New Guinea and Nauru last week.

Australia's largest ever consumer class action in which bank customers are fighting for the return of more than Aus$240 million (U.S.$220 million) in fees began in Melbourne on Monday.

Law firm Maurice Blackburn is representing some 43,500 ANZ Bank customers who believe a wide range of charges they paid were excessive, in the first of several trials planned as part of the case.

More than 700 Australian police swooped on the Hells Angels Thursday in a series of heavily-armed raids, seizing guns, drugs and cash, as authorities intensify a crackdown on biker gangs linked to organized crime.

In a coordinated dawn operation, police stormed 60 clubhouses and properties simultaneously across Melbourne and its surroundings, following an escalating war between rival motorcycle outfits that has sparked a spate of shootings with high-powered weapons.