The largest ever collision of black holes has been recorded by scientist leading them to question previous models about how they form. The two black holes collided on the edge of the milky way and were detected back on earth by the The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory which say the final merger produced a black hole approximately 225 times the mass of our sun.
In the 1980s, Peter MacDonald found himself in the back of a speeding police car and whisked onto Kerry Packer's private plane.
The Federal Government is under more pressure to build 1.2 million homes in five years, saying it can overcome Treasury trajectories that it will not meet this mark. Does the housing sector share the Treasurer's optimism that it can be turned around?
"We support the status quo when it comes to Taiwan, we don't support any unilateral action there": those were the words of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese this week as he batted away questions in Shanghai about what role Australia might play in a potential conflict between the US and China. The Financial Times reported at the weekend that senior defence official Elbridge Colby — who is leading the Trump administration's review of the AUKUS pact — was pressing both Australia and Japan to say what...
A table of contents that was accidentally included in Treasury's response to an ABC Freedom of Information request has poured doubt on whether the federal government will be able to meet its target of building 1.2 million homes in five years. Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers says he feels "relaxed" about the advice being made public, and remains confident that the Government will meet its housing target. But Acting Shadow Minister for Housing and Homelessness, James Paterson, says it is delusional...
There are warnings that vulnerable Australians are falling between the cracks after a series of accommodation providers closed their doors in recent months. Providers in the supported accommodation sector say 215 beds in Queensland have been lost in the past 18 months as they contend with rising costs. They're asking for an emergency intervention from the state government to stop further closures, but the Queensland government says the sector has traditionally been privately funded. Guest: Yvonn...
Fire ants have been detected in central Queensland for the first time, at a coal mine near Moranbah, more than 150 kilometres inland from Mackay. It's raised concerns over the capability of the current containment and eradication plan in Queensland. Guest: Reece Pianta, Invasive Species Council's Advocacy Manager Producer: Grace Stranger
Shaun Pinner was one of the last foreign-born fighters to be released by prisoner swap in 2022 and he's recently been in the UK parliament urging political leaders to push more to get more foreign fighters like Austraslian man Oscar Jenkins released.
Hundreds of birds fell from the sky over the weekend in Melbourne's south east in what experts fear is a mass poisoning. Local volunteers say they have spent the past 48 hours collecting the bodies of more than 200 corellas and other native birds from the roof of a shopping centre, school and other public places across Springvale. At least eight birds initially survived and were taken to shelters including the Healesville Sanctuary for toxicology testing in an effort to identify the cause. Guest...
US President Donald Trump has announced he'll send what he's called "top-of-the-line weapons" to Ukraine.
The remarkable rescue of a 26-year-old German backpacker from WA's outback has focused attention on the safety of hiking. Carolina Wilga was missing for 12 days when she was found alive with just minor injuries. And while the circumstances of how Carolina survived for almost two weeks are yet to come to light, professional hikers are urging people to do their research before attempting walks in difficult terrain.
New Caledonia's political parties and the French government have reached a historic agreement to create a "State of New Caledonia", more than a year after deadly riots led by pro-independence activists.
The ancient rock art of Murujuga, on Western Australia's Burrup peninsula, will be recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site after the federal government intervened to get a long-term campaign for listing over the line. Despite the outcome, some traditional custodians still hold concerns for the future of the over one million petroglyphs.
The preliminary report into an Air India crash that left 260 people dead says the aircraft's fuel switches were cut shortly before it fell from the sky, putting the focus squarely on the captain and co-pilot of the doomed flight. The investigation by Indian authorities included details from the flight's black box, which captured one pilot asking the other why they cut off the fuel switch, with the second pilot replying that they hadn't. Guest: Richard de Crespigny, captain and former A380 pilot ...
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will start his day in Shanghai as his six-day tour of Australia's biggest trading partner continues. Top of the PM's schedule will be a high-level round table focusing on green steel and what China's push to decarbonise will mean for Australia's trade relationship with the major global power.
Australia's Special Envoy on Combating Antisemitism Jillian Segal is standing by a definition of antisemitism that underscores her calls to cut funding to universities, arts bodies, and public broadcasters that fail to combat hate. Opponents of the definition, outlined by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), say it would prevent legitimate criticisms of Israel and suppress free speech. Among the critics is the lead drafter of this very definition, Kenneth Stern, who says the ...
Western Australia's Murujuga Cultural Landscape is older than the Pyramids of Giza and Stonehenge, and now the area of ancient rock art has officially been given World Heritage Status. The decision over the weekend in Paris follows decades of campaigning from Indigenous groups, and comes as the government awaits a response to its provisional approval for Woodside's nearby gas project to be extended until 2070. Whether or not the sacred site and the gas industry can co-exist is now being question...
The Queensland branch of the CFMEU will be scrutinised under a new state government commission of inquiry announced just days after a bombshell report led by barrister, Geoffrey Watson. The report exposed a swathe of shocking alleged incidents in the union's Queensland branch, including several instances of attacks against women, which Watson described as potentially the "single worst aspect of the violence perpetrated by the CFMEU". Using the powers afforded by the commission of inquiry, the go...
Iran has deported more than half a million Afghans in the weeks after its 12-day conflict with Israel ended, according to the UN's International Organisation for Migration. Some of those at risk of being forced to return to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan are now appealing to the Australian government for help. Guest: Naqib Sarwary, Amnesty International Australia staffer whose family is at imminent risk of deportation in Iran Producers: Teodora Agarici and Max Chalmers...
A warning the following story contains distressing content The site of a mass grave at a mother and baby home in Ireland, which sparked a national inquiry into the mistreatment of institutionalised women and children, is finally being excavated. The excavation begins this week on the grounds of the former St Mary's Mother and Baby Home in Tuam in County Galway, where up to 796 babies and young children are believed to be buried. Relatives of the children who were born at the home have volunteere...
Negotiations between Israel and Hamas, currently underway in Qatar, have entered their second week with little progress. During his recent trip to Washington, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he hoped a 60-day ceasefire agreement could be reached within days. But Palestinian officials have criticised that visit, telling the BBC they believe Mr Netanyahu's trip was a tactic to delay the talks and that Israel is deliberately stalling the negotiation process. These accusations paralle...
In developing news overnight, the European Union will suspend retaliatory tariffs on goods from the United States. The suspension is scheduled to take effect later today in the hope of reaching a trade deal with the Trump administration by the end of the month. It comes after US President Donald Trump sent a letter announcing new tariffs of 30 per cent on all goods imported from the EU and Mexico from August 1. Guest: Ignacio Garcia Bercero, Non-resident fellow at Brussels-based think-tank, Brue...
Last week the Yoorook Justice Commission found that a genocide had been committed against Indigenous people in Victoria. It's the first formal truth telling inquiry in Austrlia's history and it's report was packed with 100 recommendations.
Prior to Donald Trump's inauguration in January, the US Agency for International Development (USAID) provided over forty per cent of the global humanitarian funding. In the wake of the dismantling of this program, several European countries have announced plans to decrease foreign aid funding, prompting the European Union to urge like-minded countries like Australia to increase collaboration to address developmental aid gaps. Guest: Myriam Ferran, Deputy Director-General for International Partne...
The United States has announced that it will impose sanctions on Francesca Albanese, the United Nations' special rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories. Guest: Prof Ben Saul, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and Counter Terrorism and Challis Chair of International Law at The University of Sydney
Could the United States soon ask Australia to pay more under the AUKUS pact? A Pentagon review of the $368 billion agreement is underway and sources close to the US Undersecretary of Defence, Elbridge Colby have suggested to Nine newspapers that he wants major changes to the program before Australia can get the nuclear submarines it has been promised. Elbridge Colby is also believed to be calling for a commitment by Australia to guarantee the submarines could be used to support the US in a possi...
The Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism Jillian Segal has released her long awaited plan to combat antisemitism. The report recommends stripping funding where possible from broadcasters, universities and arts institutions who fail to fight antisemitism. But Jillian Segal says this would be a last resort measure. Guest: Jillian Segal, Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism Producer: Lexie Jeuniewic
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is heading off to China for a trip that will focus on business ties with Australia's largest trading partner. But as the relationship with Beijing warms, it's Washington DC that is casting a cool shadow over Canberra. Guests: Clare Armstrong, National Political Editor at News Corp. Mark Kenny, Director of the Australian Studies Institute at the Australian National University and host of the Democracy Sausage podcast. Brett Worthington, ABC senior digital political...
A toxic algal bloom spreading along the coast of South Australia has left the state's fishing industry desperate for help, as some see their catch fall to nothing. The state government has responded with a package which includes waivering fees for affected licence holders. Guest: Robert Barrett, commercial fisher based on Kangaroo Island Producer: Eddy Diamond
From a day of mourning in the 1930s, to a time of celebration. NAIDOC week has had a long history for First Nations Australians. But this year marks 50 years since it evolved to become the week of events that we know today. Reporter: Luke Siddham Dundon
