Australian housing prices have experienced their steepest drop since the global financial crisis, according to property analysts CoreLogic. On a national basis, property prices fell 4.8 per cent last year — driven mainly by sharp declines in Sydney (-8.9 per cent) and Melbourne (-7 per cent). The latest figures from CoreLogic show national dwelling values have slumped 5.2 per cent …

President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi is demanding Egyptians lose weight. In televised comments earlier this month, the general-turned-president railed about the number of overweight people he sees and told Egyptians they must take better care of themselves. He said physical education should become core curriculum at schools and universities and suggested TV shows shouldn’t let presenters or guests on the air …

When you put on one of the world’s biggest fireworks shows year after year, it must become a challenge to top what has come previously while also coming up with something new. This New Year’s Eve celebration comes with two never-before-used colours in the display. There will be lime and peach-coloured fireworks over Sydney Harbour for the first time, thanks …

Thousands of students have taken to the streets across Australia to call for action on climate change in defiance of Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s advice for them to stay in school. Crowds of thousands of students blocked busy city streets in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide and Brisbane, with smaller gatherings also taking place in regional centres. Up to a thousand children packed Sydney’s …

Christmas lights can be a great way to bring people together. But keep your neighbours up at night, and they may not be so merry. Here are some of the most common reasons why people complain, and what local councils, police and experts in neighbourhood disputes say you can do to keep everyone onside. Lights are too bright or shine …

Global efforts to tackle climate change are way off track says the UN, as it details the first rise in CO2 emissions in four years. The emissions gap report says that economic growth is responsible for a rise in 2017 while national efforts to cut carbon have faltered. To meet the goals of the Paris climate pact, the study says …

A Liberal campaigner and former candidate has blamed Opposition Leader Matthew Guy’s mismanagement for the stunning electoral loss. Labor could pick up as many as 60 seats out of 88, in a commanding majority for Premier Daniel Andrews. Four seats are expected to remain in doubt until later this week. Megan Purcell, who ran for the Liberal Party in Bendigo in …

Just like every other right-thinking, virtue-signalling big mouth here in the US, I am appalled – appalled! – at President Donald Trump’s refusal to call out that thuggish Prince Mohammed bin Salman over Jamal Khashoggi’s murder at Saudi Arabia’s consulate in Istanbul. But my righteous anger just can’t get seem to get airborne. The thing is, Mr Trump’s coddling of …

A driver who was texting her boyfriend when she caused a high-speed freeway crash in Perth, which claimed the life of her friend, has been sentenced to three years and eight months behind bars. Aine McGrath, 25, was found guilty earlier this year of dangerous driving occasioning the death of 25-year-old Sarah Kelly. McGrath was using her phone when she …

EgyptAir’s in-flight magazine has apologised over an interview with actress Drew Barrymore that was slated on social media after being published. The article went viral after being posted online, with many questioning whether the interview was real. Barrymore’s representatives said she “did not participate” in the interview, which was notable for a number of grammatical and spelling errors. The publisher …