Coral cover in some areas of the Great Barrier Reef has declined by a third, new research shows. In the southern region of the reef, coral cover dropped to 26.9 per cent, whilst it has also dropped by a quarter in the northern region, according to recent data from the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS). It marks a sharp …

Aussies from all walks of life have seen their living costs rise in the last three months, according to new data. Those on pensions or government funding saw their living costs increase by 1 per cent in the June quarter. This came off the back of rises of up to 1.6 per cent earlier in the year. The data, which was …

Australia and 23 other countries have urgently called on Israel to allow aid into Gaza as the humanitarian crisis reaches “unimaginable levels”. A joint statement, signed by Foreign Minister Penny Wong, condemns the politicisation of aid, saying “urgent action is needed now to halt and reverse starvation” in the Palestinian enclave.  “We call on the government of Israel to provide …

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) cut the cash rate by 0.25 percentage points at the August monetary policy meeting. That means the RBA’s cash rate target is now 3.60 per cent. Here’s a breakdown of how Australia’s Big Four banks have responded to the decision. We’ll be updating this story as information comes through, so check back later if …

Australia’s Alexei Popyrin remains on track for back-to-back Canadian Open titles after fighting his way to a three-set win over fifth seed Holger Rune. For the second match in a row in Toronto, 18th-seeded Popyrin had to claw his way back after losing the first set, beating the talented Dane 4-6, 6-2, 6-3. It was just the second career meeting …

An estimated 90,000 pro-Palestinian protesters have marched across the Sydney Harbour Bridge before police stopped the event “due to public safety”. A sea of people attended the rally, many holding Palestinian flags and protest signs in one hand and umbrellas in the other due to the blustery and wet conditions. There were similar scenes in central Melbourne, where police said …

The prospect of snow on the Northern Tablelands may have felt like wishful thinking for some. A promising weather forecast earlier in the week had seemed to have fizzled to drizzle by Friday, although weather-chasing social media identities disagreed. When Saturday morning arrived, news quickly spread of dustings in Guyra, Ben Lomond and surrounds. Snow carpeted Kindly Animal Sanctuary. Those …

Syria says it is withdrawing troops from a flashpoint southern city after days of deadly clashes with an Arab minority group that triggered military action from Israel. Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa said the country was “not afraid of war” but had chosen to put its people “above chaos and destruction,” after his government announced a new ceasefire with the Druze, an offshoot …

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has described recent actions by the Israel Defense Forces in Gaza as “completely indefensible” and says he told Israeli President Isaac Herzog directly that Israel was losing support by its own actions. In an interview with the ABC as he wrapped up his six-day visit to China, the prime minister was asked about the broader rapid …

Australia and China, the prime minister told the secretary of the CCP’s Shanghai Municipal Committee on Sunday, “deal with each other in a calm and consistent manner”. “And we want to continue to pursue our national interests, and it is in our interest to have good relations with China”. It’s the sort of polite diplomatic language that can often sound …