Australians will go to the polls on May 18, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced, adding that voters "now is not the time to turn back" to Labor.
The election will pit Morrison against Bill Shorten, a former labour union leader.
Arthur Stevens reports from Melbourne:

13 killed in explosion at Qatar's Ras Laffan LNG site
UK's Starmer resigns, paving way for orderly transfer of power
Fire at coaching centre in India's Lucknow kills at least 15
Temperatures to exceed 40C in European heatwave as three die in France
US, Iran conclude high-level talks in Switzerland, mediators say
