By Tiffanie Turnbull BBC News, Sydney Hours after they were threatened by fire, several Australian towns are preparing for floods. Bushfires have been burning in Victoria’s Gippsland region and New South Wales’ South Coast this week – both areas were also hit hard by Australia’s Black Summer bushfires four years ago. Rain is now offering…

In the first few hundred thousand years after our Universe was born, strange soundwaves ripped through a plasma of superheated particles. Scientists are listening in with the hope of gaining new insights about the mysterious force, dark energy. Before stars or planets, before black holes and white dwarfs, before even atoms or rays of light,…

The interest the government pays on national debt has reached a 20-year high as the rate on 30-year bonds reaches 5.05%. A rise in the cost of borrowing comes at a difficult time for the chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, as he prepares for the autumn statement on 22 November. Mr Hunt has already made clear that…

Amid inflation, businesses are cutting services and quality. It’s called skimpflation, and you may not even notice it’s happening. Products on shelves are getting quantifiably smaller, yet you’re paying the same price: a practice known as ‘shrinkflation’. But in addition to shrinking products, businesses are also cutting back on the quality and availability of their…

Kevin McCarthy, the California Republican, faced a few challenges in his shortest-serving tenure as US House speaker in 154 years. In the end, Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz led a group of eight right-wing conservatives to accomplish a goal of his since McCarthy was elected after 15 rounds in January 2023.

By Natalie Sherman & Erin Delmore BBC Business team, New York Former crypto billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried is staring down decades in prison, as his trial over what has been called one of the biggest financial frauds in US history gets under way. Opening arguments in the case are expected later in New York, after jury…

The unconventional TV drama gave the late, great actor, who died last week, his defining role. It blazed a trail – and stands as one of the greatest British series ever made, argues Adam Scovell. With the death of Irish actor Sir Michael Gambon last week, it was inevitable that headlines celebrating his life and…

By Joe Tidy Cyber correspondent The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has, for the first time, published rules of engagement for civilian hackers involved in conflicts. The war watchdog warns unprecedented numbers of people are joining patriotic cyber-gangs since the Ukraine invasion. The eight rules include bans on attacks on hospitals, hacking tools…

By Anthony Zurcher North America Correspondent on Capitol Hill Back in January, Kevin McCarthy struck a deal to become House speaker that gave any one member of Congress the power to force a vote on whether to remove him. On Tuesday, one Republican – Matt Gaetz – did exactly that. And, with the help of…

This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. By Chloe Kim BBC News The judge presiding over Donald Trump’s civil fraud case issued a limited gag order after the ex-president made “disparaging” remarks about a court clerk. Mr Trump had attacked Judge Arthur Engoron’s clerk…