The specific size of the increase will be discussed during fiscal 2026 tax system reform talks at the end of the year.

Record-breaking layoff reports, Amazon's mass firings, and a slump in entry level employment. Is AI behind it all?

Around 130 pages of notes include Princess Kaguya prequel, stories based on Shuten-dōji, Kenji Miyazawa

The geomagnetic storm, caused by powerful bursts of energy from the sun, also postponed the launch of two Mars-bound Nasa spacecraft in the US * Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Skywatchers enjoyed a stunning treat on Wednesday night, with the southern lights visible across large parts of Australia and New Zealand. The aurora australis that lit up the sky resulted from what has been dubbed a “cannibal” solar storm. Continue reading...

Labor’s proposed media bargaining incentive to apply to platforms with Australian-derived revenue of at least $250m, according to Treasury * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Meta and other tech companies refusing to sign content deals with Australian news outlets face millions in new fines, with Labor’s proposed media bargaining incentive set to impose penalties based on the local revenue of major platforms. Large social media and search platforms with Australian-derived revenue of at least $250m will be subject to the new rules, irrespective of whether they carry news content, according to new detail released by the assistant treasurer, Daniel Mulino. Continue reading...

Young women are rejecting the idea of emotional dependence on men. But as with any online feminist movement, it exists in tension A few years ago, I wrote about the rise of the “soft” and “hard” launch on social media, those curated posts that signalled a new relationship. Online platforms had become an extension of the romance plot, a public stage where intimacy was proof of worth, and coupledom was still the ultimate status symbol. Back then, my research showed that many people felt their lives had not truly begun until they’d met someone. Being single wasn’t just a relationship status; it was an existential pause. To “get a life,” as the old saying went, meant to find a partner. Romance was the scaffolding of selfhood. Continue reading...

For decades, schools have taught children the strategies of struggling readers, using a theory about reading that cognitive scientists have repeatedly debunked. And many teachers and parents don't kno...

They're going up, up, up, it's their moment

Australian expert stumbled across new species when surveying a critically endangered wildflower in 2019 As if deadly snakes, spiders and sharks were not enough, Australia now has a new creepy critter: a “Lucifer” bee with devil-like horns. The species – dubbed Megachile (Hackeriapis) lucifer – was found in the state of Western Australia, Curtin University announced on Tuesday. Continue reading...