Fiji has battened down the hatches as tropical cyclone Evan approaches the country. The island of Venua Levu has endured gale-force winds and damaging rain overnight. Evan is expected to hit the holiday hotspot of Nadi tomorrow.

 

 

 

The latest FairFax Nielsen poll is ugly viewing for Toney Abbott. His dissproval rating now stands at 63 percent. That's the second highest for an opposition leader in the poll's  40-year history. Almost two thirds of those surveyed  were critical of how Mr Abbott handled the slush fund scandal.

 

 

 

Police investigating a double murder in Tasmania say there was no significant history of violence between the suspect and the victims. Police received a call from a 9-year-old girl and found her 31-year-old mother and the mother's 34-year-old partner shot dead in their home. A 59-year-old suspect is in a critical condition in hospital. It's believed the man shot himself after the attack.

 

 

 

And the once dominant Liberal Democratic Party has had a resounding victory in Japan's general election. It will be the second  Shinzo Abe's second stint as Prime Minister. He held the top job briefly in 2007. Mr Abe wants to see Japan play a much bigger role in global security.