SBS News In Depth

There's been widespread and growing speculation that interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS is an alien craft. But scientists have debunked the claims. New observations from NASA and South Africa’s MeerKAT telescope confirm it is a natural, volatile-rich comet showing textbook outgassing, hydroxyl radio emissions and expected orbital shifts. Far from extraterrestrial engineering, 3I/ATLAS offers a rare window into the deep past, likely originating in a star system billions of years older than our own.

Indigenous rangers from the Great Barrier Reef are learning coral spawning techniques in one of the largest reef restoration trials to date. The pilot program involves rangers working in the reefs off Queensland's Keppel Islands, which were hit hard by last year's mass coral bleaching event.

The Prime Minister and his fiancée Jodie Hayden have just married, at a ceremony in the nation’s capital. The country's been kept guessing as to exactly when the wedding would take place for months.

Cost of living was the number one challenge identified by Australian youth surveyed by Mission Australia.

In Australia, around 7.6 million tonnes of food is wasted every year. One female-founder has developed a solution in a box.

Australia is expected to spend billions of dollars to deport non-citizens to the small Pacific nation of Nauru. Meanwhile, Pauline Hanson as repeated a years-old stunt, environment laws have passed, and Barnaby Joyce has cosied up with One Nation. Greens Senator David Shoebridge talks about the Nauru deal, after a translation of an interview with the nation's president was controversially put on the record in the Senate.

SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves speaks with El Jannah CEO Brett Houldin as the charcoal chicken company secures international funding valuing it at hundreds of millions of dollars, allowing it to quadruple its national footprint and explore options in the Middle-East; plus the week on the sharemarket with Tony Sycamore from IG Markets Securities Limited.

The latest bushfire outlook forecasts an increased fire risk across parts of Australia this summer. Despite recent rainfall in the country's southeast, authorities say it won't take long for a blaze to take hold.

A blaze that began in bamboo scaffolding at Hong Kong’s Wang Fuk Court has become the city’s worst fire in decades, killing at least 83 people and leaving hundreds missing. Police have arrested two directors, and an engineering consultant of a firm contracted to perform maintenance on the buildings.

SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves speaks with Nathan Zaia from Morningstar about APRA's tightening of lending rules for high risk borrowers to find out if it will make a difference; plus, the day on the sharemarket with Hugh Lam from Betashares.

Alarm bells in Kyiv and Europe as the US is accused of presenting Putin’s peace plan for Ukraine. The ‘make or break’ COP30 climate conference ends in failure – have the petro-states won? Plus, the unlikely bromance blossoming in the Oval Office.

Alarm bells in Kyiv and Europe as the US is accused of presenting Putin’s peace plan for Ukraine. The ‘make or break’ COP30 climate conference ends in failure – have the petro-states won? Plus, the unlikely bromance blossoming in the Oval Office.

After five years of review, the government has struck a deal with the Greens to pass the largest reforms to Australia’s environmental laws in 26 years, which includes new environmental standards, protections for native forests, and the effective end of fast-tracked approvals for coal and gas projects. Despite these wins, the deal faces criticism from environmental experts.

Two U-S National Guard soldiers have been shot near the White House. A suspect has been taken into custody, and police say he was also shot - though his injuries are not life threatening.

The United States has amended its peace plan for Ukraine, reducing it to 19 points and opening a dual diplomatic track with Moscow and Kyiv. But the new plan is stirring anxiety that Donald Trump might be willing to push Ukraine to sign a peace deal heavily tilted towards Russia.

At least 44 people have been killed in a massive blaze in Hong Kong. Authorities say around 700 residents were evacuated as firefighters battled flames that spread rapidly along bamboo scaffolding and construction netting in several high-rise towers in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district. There are now unconfirmed reports three people have been arrested over the fire.

Lebanese and Jewish groups have condemned a planned event in Melbourne that appears to celebrate last year's Israeli pager operation in Lebanon, which killed dozens and injured thousands more. The event run by the group called Lions of Zion has been labelled 'disgraceful' - but organisers say they are celebrating what they describe as one of the most ingenious military operations in history.

SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Goncalves speaks with Damien Boey from Wilson Asset Management and Belinda Allen from the Commonwealth Bank as headline inflation continues to rise at 3.8 per cent in October to find out what that means for interest rates and investments.

The Australian Senate descended into chaos as One Nation leader Pauline Hanson wore a black burqa into the chamber, prompting immediate condemnation from Muslim Senators and a forceful intervention by Foreign Minister Penny Wong. Following the rejection of her motion to ban the burqa, Ms. Hanson's stunt, which she claimed was about "protecting national security," was decried as racist and disrespectful to people of faith, ultimately leading to her suspension from the Senate.

For Palestinian-Australian winemaker Sari Kassis, the reality of farming in the West Bank is one of constant physical and psychological danger. With settler violence surging in the West Bank, this year's harvest has seen a record number of Israeli attacks on farms and properties.

.A wave of mass abductions in Nigeria have triggered school closures across the country with anxiety, panic and anger spreading. One of these attacks saw over 300 school children kidnapped from a Catholic secondary school in the worst single kidnapping incident in five years.

United States President Donald Trump claims a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine is close, while Volodymyr Zelenskyy has agreed in principle to a new U--proposed peace framework. However, the Ukrainian president remains wary of being pushed into accepting a deal on Russian terms, while Ukrainians seem unwilling to meet their neighbour's demands.

World leaders have hailed the first G20 summit in Africa as a victory for multilateralism, even as they addressed challenges of climate change, inequality and war, against a backdrop of shifting geopolitical rivalries. The notable absence of President Donald Trump has raised questions the role of the United States, in a changing world order.

Despite interest rates stabilising, rental stress remains unchanged across Australia. In many capital cities, households are still handing over almost a third of their income just to keep a roof over their heads. And once again, Perth has it the worst. The nation’s least affordable capital has slipped even further — recording another four per cent drop in affordability on top of last year’s record low.

SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves speaks with Julia Lee from FTSE Russell to find out how investors are feeling ahead of official inflation data out on Wednesday, as traders feel increasingly confident of a US rate cut in December.

In a landmark agreement hailed as world-leading, the Transport Workers Union, Uber, and DoorDash have put forward a minimum standards deal for Australian gig workers to the Fair Work Commission today. This major reform guarantees food delivery riders a 25% wage increase, injury insurance, and protection from unfair algorithmic dismissal, fundamentally changing a commission-based system that workers say left them making virtually no money.

One in five women and one in 16 men have experienced sexual violence as adults in Australia, according to the 2023 Australian Bureau of Statistics - and yet 92% of women don't report their most recent sexual assault. A new report is calling for legal literacy among victim-survivors, frontline services and legal professionals, to help victims navigate a complex criminal justice system and address high attrition rates in sexual assault cases.

A judge in the United States has dismissed two high-profile criminal charges brought by the Trump administration against the president's perceived enemies. The judge says the administration violated the Constitution in its appointment of Lindsay Halligan to prosecute the pair, rendering the charges she brought unlawful.

A new report from UNICEF Australia has found less than a third of Australian teens are feeling excited or hopeful about their futures. Mental health issues and anxiety around 'adult' challenges like housing and money are key drivers of declining wellbeing. For marginalised children and teens, these kind of pressures are felt even more acutely.

SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves speaks with Raymond Chan from Morgans Financial Limited about the day's sharemarket action including a recovery on the ASX as the chance of a US rate cut in December swings back up and why BHP walked away from a second crack at Anglo American.

The Bureau of Meteorology's controversial website redesign carries a staggering 96 million dollar price tag. The cost blowout has drawn sharp criticism from both government ministers and the opposition. Federal Environment Minister Murray Watt has expressed deep concern over the massive expenditure, while Nationals Leader David Littleproud warns the public that the exorbitant cost will further erode trust in the agency.

Delegates to the COP30 summit in Brazil have reached an agreement to address still rising global emissions. The deal increases money to countries hit by climate change, but contains no explicit fossil fuel plan. The agreement has mollified some - and horrified others.

With the renewable energy transition underway in Australia, the higher than expected uptake of solar panels has human rights groups concerned about links to Uyghur forced labour in the supply chain. As Australia looks into developing its own solar panel industry, rights groups say government and industry should work to ensure the clean energy transition isn't at the cost of freedom.

As thousands of international students prepare to take summer holiday jobs, Associate Professor Bassina Farbenblum, an expert on migrants' rights from the University of New South Wales, warns that more is needed to protect students from wage theft and abuse. She says Australia has a ‘pervasive problem’ with workplace exploitation of international students and those on temporary visas. Dr Farbenblum is speaking to SBS’s Sandra Fulloon.

In one of Morocco's impoverished coal towns, illegal miners continue to risk their lives to make ends meet. In an exclusive sit-down interview with SBS News, a photojournalist has shared the harsh realities he witnessed of the miners in Jerada. Ahead of the International Mining Congress in Morocco, experts are calling for better health and safety regulations to be implemented in the country.

Around one in four Australians are failing to seek support when experiencing perinatal mental health issues. Experts say the data released by the Gidget Foundation highlights a lack of awareness around signs and symptoms, and ongoing stigma around the issue.

Two panels have been unveiled at Australia's National Maritime Museum to honour a new group of migrant families. Museum Director and CEO Ms Daryl Karp and Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke say the Monument is a celebration of the long history of migrants who have shaped modern Australia.

With the abandonment of its net-zero policies, and leadership spills in two of Australia's largest states, the Coalition is undergoing a period of major upheaval. So what does that mean for a Westminster democracy which analysts say depends on two different political positions to succeed.

As the academic year ends, thousands of international students are signing on for holiday work. But if things go wrong, experts warn that few understand their legal entitlements or how to recover unpaid wages.

SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves speaks with Lochlan Halliday from Morningstar to find out what spooked investors despite Nvidia's better than expected profit and if it's likely to last.