Low rates, supply squeeze create home price rise mayhem
The great Australian dream of property ownership continues to resemble a nightmare for many buyers as prices surge and the supply of homes dwindles.
economy, business and finance
Cup Day rate cut in doubt as RBA nears final straight
The odds are lengthening on an interest rate cut on Melbourne Cup Day, as the Reserve Bank adopts a hawkish tone and inflation steps up the pace.
China to halt BHP iron ore cargoes during price talks
China's state-run iron ore buyer has told the country's steelmakers and traders to temporarily halt purchases of all new BHP cargoes.
Sad day as refinery’s closure to hit jobs and community
Hundreds of workers will lose their jobs as alumina giant Alcoa permanently shuts a 60-year-old refinery that served as a cornerstone of the community.
Rock art safeguards weakened despite gas hub’s harms
The federal environment minister thinks the North West Shelf gas project is damaging ancient rock art, despite opting for weaker emissions restrictions.
Networks join forces to create $416m media monolith
A $416 million merger between the owner of Australia's most popular TV network and the country's biggest radio broadcaster has ignited their share prices.
breaking_news
business (general)
economy, business and finance
emergency planning
politics
telecommunication service
‘Scapegoating’ Optus blames tech, staff for outages
Optus has blamed technical equipment and human error for two emergency call outages as the prime minister pans the telco for its "unacceptable" failures.
breaking_news
central bank
construction and property
economy, business and finance
housing and urban planning
interest rate
money and monetary policy
mortgages
Rate cut run may be over as inflation raises concerns
Hopes for more rate cuts are fading after the Reserve Bank of Australia took a hawkish turn as it held interest rates steady in a widely-expected move.
Trump plans 100 per cent tariff on foreign-made movies
Months after US President Donald Trump first teased plans to impose trade levies on all foreign movies, he announces the tariffs will be 100 per cent.
‘Unacceptable’: second triple-zero Optus outage slammed
A second Optus triple-zero outage in as many weeks has raised the ire of a premier as calls mount for the government to empower regulators rather than telcos.
Financial sector urged to shoot higher on climate risk
The global financial sector has been urged to prevent further backsliding on climate and to stop funnelling money into new fossil fuels in an open letter.
central bank
economy, business and finance
housing and urban planning
interest rate
money and monetary policy
mortgages
politics
Australia’s luck running out despite budget bright spot
Australia's budget deficit for last financial year ended up being narrower than expected but younger workers will still be on the hook for a decade of red ink.
Interest rate decision to dominate economic agenda
Mortgage holders are unlikely to get a leg up from the Reserve Bank this week, with markets and analysts predicting the cash rate to remain on hold on Tuesday.
breaking_news
economy, business and finance
international (foreign) trade
pharmaceutical
politics (general)
tariff
Trump slaps new tariffs on drugs, trucks and furniture
President Donald Trump's tariff spree continues with new US levies including 100 per cent on pharmaceuticals as well as duties on furniture and heavy trucks.
breaking_news
computing and information technology
economy, business and finance
espionage and intelligence
personal data collection
politics (general)
Trump declares plan to transfer TikTok to US investors
President Donald Trump has OK'd a plan to sell TikTok's US operations to American investors following China's approval, with a company price tag of $21 billion.
One in three homes in line for sunny value boost
Home buyers have seen the light and are now prepared to pay a little more for solar systems in the expectation of lower bills over time.
Danish airport reopens after further drone activity
Denmark has informed its NATO allies that drone incursions that shut two of its airports are linked to unspecified "state actors", according to Latvia.
Concerns over sovereignty, risk in satellite internet
Satellite technology has advanced rapidly as "constellations" promise better internet in remote areas, but the transformation is not without risk.
coal
conservation
economy, business and finance
environmental issue
environmental politics
labour
mining
Conservationists outraged at coal-fired future
The extended shelf life of coal-fired power has enraged conservation groups, with one state declaring it will be in use for decades.
AI ‘energy trilemma’ in sights of data centre boss
Keeping data centres running to support the AI boom will require investment in low-emission energy generation, possibly including nuclear, proponents argue.
Farming export success sows seeds of growth goal reset
A $100 billion target is expected to be met by Australian agriculture, but whether it remains the best goal has been questioned at a farming conference.
‘Call to arms’: peak body joins coal royalties fight
A resources sector peak body has issued a "call to arms" urging businesses to join the fight against a state government's controversial coal royalties scheme.
Jimmy Kimmel defends free speech as he returns to TV
Jimmy Kimmel insists he never meant to make light of Charlie Kirk's murder as the comedian made an emotional return to his TV show after being suspended.
Big bank is cutting 200 teller, personal banking roles
Westpac is cutting 200 customer-facing roles in its network but says it will try to keep as many workers as possible through retraining and redeployment.
economy, business and finance
international organisation
international relations
politics
unrest, conflicts and war
Trump unleashes at UN, countries are ‘going to hell’
President Donald Trump has returned to the United Nations to boast of his foreign policy achievements and lash out at the world body as a feckless institution.
Economy shrugs off tariff turmoil to outperform peers
Central banks such as the RBA need to be wary of the risks of inflation kicking off again, which could trigger market sell-offs, a global economic body warns.
Premier takes a dig at miners in coal royalties rumble
A veiled swipe has been taken at "fairweather friends" by the premier of a state losing hundreds of mining jobs against the backdrop of a fight over royalties.
Murdochs could take part in TikTok deal, Trump says
US President Donald Trump says Rupert Murdoch and Michael Dell could be part of deal in which the United States will take control of TikTok.
Inflation fading but rate cut doubtful at least for now
RBA boss Michele Bullock will face questions from federal MPs on the timing of interest rate decisions ahead of key economic data releases.
Property markets yet to twig to looming disaster losses
Hundreds of billions of dollars could disappear from property values due to climate change but it's taking time for the worsening threat to influence buyers.
Progress on TikTok deal as Trump and Xi agree to meet
Donald Trump and China's Xi Jinping will meet in South Korea in the coming weeks, as the US president says their phone call yielded progress on a TikTok deal.