The United States and 18 other countries have started in Jordan what was described as the largest military exercises in the Middle East in 10 years, focusing on "irregular warfare," top officers said on Tuesday.

"Yesterday we began to apply the skills that we have developed over the last weeks in an irregular warfare scenario ... They will last for approximately the coming two weeks," Major General Ken Tovo, head of the U.S. Special Operations Forces, told reporters in Amman.

The premier of Australia’s New South Wales state, Barry O'Farrell, arrived in Beirut on Sunday at the head of an official delegation for talks with top Lebanese officials.

O’Farrell is scheduled to hold talks with President Michel Suleiman, Speaker Nabih Berri and Premier Najib Miqati during his three-day visit.

Scientists said Monday a new fossil discovery suggested Australia's dinosaurs were cosmopolitan globe-trotters, unlike the "unique weirdos" of its current wildlife.

Palaeontologist Erich Fitzgerald said an ankle bone fossil found 87 kilometers (54 miles) from Melbourne indicated that meat-eating dinosaurs known as ceratosaurs lived in what is now Australia some 125 million years ago.

Sheep-sized relatives of modern-day wombats lived in Australian treetops 15 million years ago, a paleontologist said Thursday as she was honored for her discovery.

Karen Black, from the University of New South Wales, said her team discovered the world's largest tree-climbing marsupial among fossils found at the Riversleigh World Heritage Site in Queensland state.

Australia's parliamentary speaker stood aside Sunday following claims he sexually harassed a male staffer and misused taxi services in a case that could hurt the nation's fragile government.

Weekend reports alleged Peter Slipper harassed former staffer James Ashby, including telling him to shower with the door open when he stayed at his home, and "moaning" in a sexual manner after asking him for a massage.

Officials in southern Australia's Adelaide voiced their disappointment Saturday at revelations that U.S. singer Cher had apparently put her key to the city up for sale on Internet auction house eBay.

The key and accompanying memorial plaque was being sold online by a user called Authentic_Cher who claims to be the musician's "personal consignor" selling her personal effects.

President Michel Suleiman and his accompanying delegation returned to Beirut on Saturday following a six-day official visit to Australia.

In remarks to al-Liwaa daily on Saturday, Suleiman expressed relief at the situation in Lebanon, stressing however “this doesn’t mean we should leave it alone and not take care of it.”

President Michel Suleiman said that the sniper attack on Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea can’t be considered yet an “assassination attempt.”

“Until now, it can only be considered as a shooting and the investigations would reveal if it was an assassination attempt… and I hope it’s not,” Suleiman told reporters in Sydney.

The latest installment of the X-Men franchise, "The Wolverine", starring Hugh Jackman, will be shot in Australia, it was announced Friday.

The potential blockbuster was due to be filmed in Japan last year but the devastation from the tsunami and earthquake that hit in March put production on hold.

Australian soldiers will stay "combat ready" in Afghanistan through 2014, Australia's foreign minister said Thursday, after Prime Minister Julia Gillard indicated they would come home earlier.

Speaking at a meeting of foreign ministers of the NATO-led coalition in Brussels, Foreign Minister Bob Carr told allies that Australia was committed to a plan for foreign combat troops to withdraw by the end of 2014.