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Wed, Dec 24, 2025 04:09 AM All times are UTC

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The ASIO threat assessment is a dark outlook for Australia’s security. Are our laws up to the task?

| Insights & Views

This week, ASIO chief Mike Burgess delivered his sixth Annual Threat Assessment. His approach this time was unprecedented. Instead of focusing on past and present threats, Burgess declassified parts of ASIOs assessment for...

Having an x-ray to diagnose knee arthritis might make you more likely to consider potentially unnecessary surgery

| Insights & Views

Osteoarthritis is a leading cause of chronic pain and disability, affecting more than two million Australians. Routine x-rays arent recommended to diagnose the condition. Instead, GPs can make a diagnosis based on symptoms...

Households are burning plastic waste as fuel for cooking and heating in slums the world over

| Insights & Views

Poor people in vast city slums across the Global South are burning plastic to cook their food, warm their homes and boil water for hot showers. Waste plastic is plentiful and highly flammable. So its not surprising people...

Microsoft just claimed a quantum breakthrough. A quantum physicist explains what it means

| Insights & Views

Researchers at Microsoft have announced the creation of the first topological qubits in a device that stores information in an exotic state of matter, in what may be a significant breakthrough for quantum computing. At the...

A defence treaty with PNG might seem like a ‘win’ for Australia. But there are 4 crucial questions to answer

| Insights & Views

Today, Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles began negotiations with his Papua New Guinean counterpart, Billy Joseph, on a defence treaty. This builds on the bilateral security agreement signed between the countries...

A new play about Julian Assange, Truth is an intelligent, thoughtful and unsettling work

| Insights & Views

Truth, the new play from writer-director pair Patricia Cornelius and Susie Dee, dives headfirst into the contentious world of Julian Assange. It offers us a nuanced portrait of the WikiLeaks founder who transformed from...

Grattan on Friday: Dutton doesn’t pull his punches on Trump while Albanese plays it safe

| Insights & Views

Treasurer Jim Chalmers will not be organising a bucks night ahead of the coming nuptials of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Jodie Haydon. How do we know this morsel of trivia? The treasurer, appearing on Wednesday...

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Economy

BOJ Minutes Reveal Growing Debate Over Interest Rate Hikes and Inflation Risks

Bank of Japan (BOJ) policymakers actively debated whether to continue raising interest rates toward levels considered neutral for the economy, according to minutes from their October policy meeting released on Wednesday....

Gold Price Breaks $4,500 as Safe-Haven Demand and Rate Cut Bets Fuel Rally

Spot gold surged past the key psychological level of $4,500 per ounce for the first time on Wednesday, marking a historic milestone for the precious metal and reinforcing its status as a preferred safe-haven asset. The...

Asian Markets Rise as AI Rally Caps 2025, Gold and Silver Hit Record Highs

Asian shares edged higher on Wednesday, rounding off a strong finish to 2025 as artificial intelligence-driven optimism continued to fuel global equity markets. The positive momentum followed an overnight rally on Wall...

U.S. Stock Index Futures Steady After S&P 500 Hits Record on Strong Economic Data

U.S. stock index futures were little changed on Tuesday evening following a record-setting close for the SP 500, as stronger-than-expected economic growth data continued to bolster confidence in the U.S. economy. Market...

Oil Prices Edge Higher as Strong U.S. Growth and Supply Risks Support Market

Oil prices recorded modest gains on Wednesday, extending a rally from earlier in the week as strong U.S. economic data and ongoing geopolitical risks supported market sentiment. Brent crude futures rose 4 cents, or 0.06%,...

Politics

U.S. Coast Guard Faces Resource Strain as It Pursues Venezuela-Linked Oil Tanker

The U.S. Coast Guard is waiting for specialized reinforcements before deciding whether to board and seize a Venezuela-linked oil tanker it has been pursuing since Sunday, according to U.S. officials cited by Reuters. The...

Federal Judge Upholds Trump Administration’s $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee

A federal judge has rejected a legal challenge to President Donald Trumps controversial $100,000 fee on new H-1B visa applications, delivering a significant win for the administrations immigration policy agenda. On...

Trump Administration Recalls Nearly 30 U.S. Ambassadors in Push for “America First” Agenda

The Trump administration has recalled nearly 30 U.S. ambassadors and senior career diplomats from overseas posts, a move officials say aligns embassies more closely with the presidents America First foreign policy, but...

Australia Moves Toward Tougher Gun Laws After Bondi Shooting

Australias most populous state, New South Wales, is set to introduce significantly tougher gun laws alongside new measures targeting terrorism and public protests, following a deadly mass shooting in Sydneys Bondi area....

Trump Announces Ambitious Plan for New U.S. Navy Super Battleships

U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Monday an ambitious proposal for the United States Navy to begin building a new class of advanced battleships, a move that could significantly reshape the future of American naval...

Science

Jared Isaacman Confirmed as NASA Administrator, Becomes 15th Leader of U.S. Space Agency

The U.S. Senate has officially confirmed billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman as the new NASA administrator, making him the 15th leader in the agencys history. The confirmation, which took place on Wednesday, marks...

Senate Sets December 8 Vote on Trump’s NASA Nominee Jared Isaacman

The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee announced it will vote on December 8 on President Donald Trumps renewed nomination of private astronaut and tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman to lead NASA. Isaacman, known for his...

NASA Cuts Boeing Starliner Missions as SpaceX Pulls Ahead

NASA has significantly scaled back Boeings Starliner program after years of technical issues and delays, announcing that the next Starliner mission to the International Space Station (ISS) will fly without astronauts. The...

Blue Origin’s New Glenn Achieves Breakthrough Success With First NASA Mission

Blue Origins massive New Glenn rocket marked a major milestone as it completed its first mission for paying customers, sending two NASA satellites toward Mars and successfully landing its reusable booster at sea. The...

Cogent Biosciences Soars 120% on Breakthrough Phase 3 Results for Bezuclastinib in GIST Treatment

Cogent Biosciences (NASDAQ: COGT) shares skyrocketed over 120% after the biotech company announced groundbreaking results from its Phase 3 PEAK trial evaluating bezuclastinib in combination with sunitinib for patients with...

Technology

Texas App Store Age Verification Law Blocked by Federal Judge in First Amendment Ruling

A federal judge in Texas has blocked the enforcement of a new state law that would have required app stores and developers to verify users ages, marking a significant legal win for major technology companies and digital...

FTC Praises Instacart for Ending AI Pricing Tests After $60M Settlement

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has welcomed Instacarts decision to end its artificial intelligence-based price testing, a move that follows weeks of consumer backlash and regulatory scrutiny. FTC Chair Andrew Ferguson...

John Carreyrou Sues Major AI Firms Over Alleged Copyrighted Book Use in AI Training

Investigative journalist John Carreyrou, widely known for exposing fraud at Silicon Valley blood-testing startup Theranos and for authoring the bestselling book Bad Blood, has filed a new copyright infringement lawsuit...

Italy Fines Apple €98.6 Million Over App Store Dominance

Italys competition authority has imposed a 98.6 million ($115.53 million) fine on U.S. technology giant Apple and two of its subsidiaries, citing alleged abuse of a dominant market position related to the distribution of...

Moore Threads Unveils New GPUs, Fuels Optimism Around China’s AI Chip Ambitions

Moore Threads Technology Co Ltd (SS:688795), often described as Chinas potential alternative to NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ: NVDA), attracted investor attention after unveiling a new lineup of graphics processing units at...