SBS News In Depth

Many regional towns across Australia struggle to attract essential workers - like doctors, teachers and aged-care staff – often due to lack of affordable housing and other factors. While similar equivalents exist in other states and territories, an initiative across regional areas in New South Wales is hoping to change this by offering essential workers support to find housing, schools and communi...

Local communities say an environmental crisis is unfolding along the Thai-Myanmar border, where dangerously high levels of arsenic have been detected in several major rivers. There is now growing evidence a surge in unregulated rare earth mining in Myanmar's southern Shan State is to blame. And now, with the contamination reaching the Mekong River, environmentalists say the effects could be felt r...

SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Goncalves speaks with Josh Gilbert from eToro to find out why gold prices hit a new record while silver reached a 14 year high, plus why the ASX fell as a number of companies traded ex-dividend.

As the Coalition remains divided over net zero emission targets, former security leaders are warning the government that climate change poses an immediate national security threat. In the Senate, the Greens are pushing for the release of the National Climate Risk Assessment Report while Nationals Senator Matt Canavan is pushing ahead with a bill to repeal net zero.

After a summer in which much of western and southern Europe were impacted by catastrophic fires and searing heat, Spain now forming a plan to prepare for future disasters. Scientists say action is needed to reduce emissions and increase resilience, in the face of inevitable worsening conditions.

Sunday's earthquake has destroyed entire villages across the mountains of eastern Afghanistan, burying residents under the rubble. As perilous rescue operations continue, there are desperate cries for help.

Hungry Palestinians have queued at a soup kitchen in Khan Younis, empty pots in hand, as famine tightens its grip on Gaza. Families say aid is failing to reach them, while shortages and soaring prices have left markets bare. The United Nations says nearly half a million people in Gaza face catastrophic hunger, nearly a quarter of the territory's population.

As spring approaches, beach goers in New South Wales may notice the annual program of shark nets being rolled out on the state's popular beaches. But for a long time, marine scientists and environmentalists have voiced concerns about their efficiency and negative impacts on other animals. This year, three New South Wales councils decide to adopt a trial of removing shark nets.

An Aboriginal gathering place and burial ground was attacked in Melbourne on Sunday by participants in the city's anti-immigration rallies. Police are investigating the incident, which witnesses say involved self-proclaimed neo-Nazi Thomas Sewell and up to 100 others. The incident has been condemned by political leaders, with Senator Lidia Thorpe calling for a federal inquiry.

SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Goncalves speaks with Tim Lawless from Cotality Australia about the direction for home prices as the Spring selling season begins and to find out where the property hotspots are, plus Mathan Somasundaram from Deep Data Analytics takes a look back at the reporting season that was and looks ahead at what to expect now.

Politicians have condemned the racism and xenophobia displayed at various anti-immigration protests over the weekend. After violent clashes and a large neo-Nazi presence, the Greens are calling on the government to urgently address rising right-wing extremism in Australia.

A wave of nation-wide anti-immigration rallies have swept Australia's capital cities, with thousands joining marches and clashing with police and counter-protesters across the country. Organisers say the events were calling for an end to what they consider "mass migration" into Australia, while neo-Nazi groups infiltrated a number of the events to stir up chaos.

A post-war plan for Gaza is circulating within the US government. Meanwhile, Israel's Defence Minister says its forces have killed a Hamas spokesman in a strike on Gaza. And a flotilla of 20 boats has set sail from Barcelona for Gaza, in hopes of getting past Israel’s blockade.

The Federal Government has struck a $400 million deal with Nauru that it says paves the way for deportation of the so-called NZYQ cohort. The announcement has been met with outrage from advocates, human rights lawyers, and the Greens. Critics say the deal threatens fundamental legal rights in ways that could be applied more broadly.

Usman Khawaja says he raised the issue of imposing sanctions on Israel over its actions in Gaza during his meeting with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

When planes fly faster than the speed of sound, air molecules can’t get out of the way fast enough and begin to pack together. Eventually they form a wave in front of the aircraft, creating a burst of air pressure. And you get a big bang - the sound of an aircraft breaking the sound barrier - a sonic boom. This sonic boom can damage structures and break glass. Because of this, supersonic overland...

The Wimmera region in rural Victoria is becoming a flashpoint in the global race for rare earth minerals.

Global demand for rare earth minerals is surging and many of them lie under Australian soil. So what exactly are they and why are they important?

Former RAAF airwoman Julia Delaforce speaks with Angelica Waite about her experience as a whistleblower and why that has led her to call for change.

Some cultures value gold jewellery above all when it comes to gifts for special events such as weddings or birthdays. But with the price up around 70 per cent in the last five years, more people are torn between whether to sell these items to make ends meet or keep them for sentimental reasons.

A $30 million initiative aims to boost the number of vocational education trainers.

The Donbas region has become a fault-line in peace talks between Ukraine and Russia. It’s a territory known as Ukraine’s energy powerhouse, and is desired by Russian President Vladimir Putin, experts suggesting its position as a hotbed for Kremlin propaganda could be a contributing factor to Putin not wanting to give it up.

The shooting of two police officers in the rural Victorian town of Porepunkah has revived questions about the licensing and ownership of guns in Australia. Nearly three decades since the Port Arthur massacre in Tasmania, experts say we have 25 per cent more legal firearms than ever now registered in Australia, and advocates are concerned that our laws have been eroded.

SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Goncalves speaks with Australia Post CEO Paul Graham following the company's profit result to find out what the future holds for the service amid structural change which is seeing consumers continue to send fewer letters but greater numbers of parcels, plus Dianne Colledge from Morgans wraps up what has been a very busy reporting season.

In this episode: Australia punishes Iran after dramatic revelations in Canberra, Trump’s latest threats to set troops on more Democrat-held cities in the US, and a mass deportation pitch from the UK’s far right. Plus, why Venezuelan housewives are joining Maduro’s militia and South Korea’s supernatural export pops on global streaming.