SYDNEY, April 2 (Reuters) - Australia will provide up to A$1 billion ($693 million) in interest-free loans to critical ‌businesses, including transport operators and fertiliser producers, Prime Minister Anthony ‌Albanese will say on Thursday, as they grapple with surging fuel costs. The support package ​comes as the Iran war disrupts global fuel supplies, driving up prices and fuelling concerns of availability as Australia imports more than 80% of its fuel.

Researchers on Wednesday reported two promising new approaches to counteract malaria’s growing resistance to medication — one involving a new class of drugs. Switzerland-based Novartis released results of what it called a next-generation treatment. A study of its experimental drug in 12 African countries found it works well against the mosquito-borne parasite that causes malaria and seems to block spread.

InterNations’ 2025 survey suggests Mexico, Panama, Colombia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Brazil, and Oman feel especially welcoming to foreign residents, while Kuwait, Norway, and Finland come across as much harder places to socially settle into.