Sea ice spread around Antarctica hits a record low
As parts of Australia set heatwave records and the government considered building new coal-fired power stations, the vast continent to the south last week quietly marked a milestone.
Environment
Victoria to get its first large-scale solar plants
After years of failed promises, Victoria is on the cusp of getting its first large-scale solar power stations.
The health threat that is 'falling through the cracks'
Less than one dollar in a thousand spent on health in Australia goes to one of the biggest threats facing the sector, a new paper finds.
National park could be jobs boon, say consultants
The creation of a long-mooted national park on Melbourne's fringe could create up to 750 jobs by turning the area into an eco-tourism hub, an analysis has found.
Sydney marks hottest month ever with every site setting records
Sydney has marked its hottest ever month, with extended warm spells setting records at all metropolitan sites.
Warning of future blackouts as politics rules energy debate
Victoria and NSW have been warned they could follow South Australia in being hit by electricity blackouts in years ahead unless Canberra comes up with a bipartisan national plan to deal with energy and climate change.
Santos lodges controversial CSG plans, igniting 'massive battle'
Energy giant lodges its long-delayed application to develop the controversial Narrabri coal seam gas project.
Lost and found
Claims of a cover-up as a plant lost for two centuries turns up on a development site.
Mining plans for Sydney's catchment pose Gladys a 'crucial test'
Coal mining in Sydney's water catchment could prove an early test for new Premier Gladys Berejiklian
Wide Gulf between rhetoric and reality for fossil fuels and renewables
Do big investments in solar energy point to a different future for the oil-rich nations of the Middle East?
Shark!
Have a spate of bites and sightings up and down the NSW coast raised the odds that an attack awaits beachgoers this summer? Peter Hannam investigates.
Sydney's wettest March in 33 years at least a plus for mushroom hunters
March has not just been great weather for ducks - but also for mushroom pickers.
Turnbull rejects Abbott call for subsidy to keep Hazelwood open
Calls for an extraordinary government intervention to keep the ailing Hazelwood coal power plant open have been rejected by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, who said its closure would not affect electricity security.
Business calls for 'emergency intervention' on Hazelwood closure
A leading national business group has called on Canberra and Victoria to consider an unprecedented "emergency intervention" to keep the Hazelwood coal power plant running.
Twin blasts for Turnbull government over energy and climate policies
Two resignations from the board of the Climate Change Authority come with criticism of the Turnbull government.
The $6b-a-year asset that is dying on our watch
The Great Barrier Reef is dying on our watch, and that's almost all we're doing.
Storm mop-up gets under way - but more rain to come
Hundreds of Sydney home owners will be out inspecting damage to their properties on Thursday with rain and even a possible storm hindering the clean-up.
More storms likely in Sydney, possibly severe, as change moves through
Strong wind gusts and "sideways rain" have lashed Sydney and the Central Coast, leaving more than 33,000 homes without power.
Thai 'Piggy Bank' turtle dies after good luck coins poison her blood
A 25-year-old Thai sea turtle died from blood poisoning on Tuesday, never recovering from an operation to remove 915 coins from her stomach, thrown into her pool for good luck, veterinarians said.
Sacred Ganges and Yamuna rivers declared living entities
The move may do little to protect them or help keep them clean.
Storm warning extended to Sydney as big wet returns
Another soggy journey home awaits Sydneysiders on Tuesday evening with storm cells moving in from the north-west.
'They're absolutely everywhere': Mellissa's nasty surprise
The wet weather seems to be encouraging nature of the slithering kind to hunt out the great - and dry - indoors.
Beijing's pollution plight to get worse with climate change, study finds
Pressure on China's leaders to cut pollution from coal is likely to intensify - potentially hurting Australia's exports - with new research showing Beijing's air quality will get worse with climate change.
Sydney braces for another soggy week as floods leave thousands stranded
Sydney has sloshed through yet another wet weekend, with 222 millimetres of rain soaking the city over the past 19 days.
Great Barrier Reef tourism on the rocks
The critical reef tourism industry in Queensland is about to take a dive.
Sydney's miserable March: 19 days out of past 22 have been wet
Rain will continue on Saturday in a miserable March that may break rainfall records.
Port Stephens' picture-perfect blue water is swarming with sharks
Port Stephens' blue water wonderland isn't just popular with the tens of thousands of tourists who visit each summer.
Energetic political row - but will there be light as well as heat?
What if the biggest government announcement in electricity generation in years was both a great breakthrough and a distraction?
Rare pygmy hippo calf makes a splash on her first public outing
Taronga Zoo is celebrating the arrival of an endangered pygmy hippo calf, the first born at the zoo in nearly seven years.
'Spooked' dog shot dead at Auckland Airport after running loose on tarmac
Authorities say they had no choice but to shoot the airport service dog that delayed more than a dozen flights on Friday morning.
40 years later, the Snowy Mountains Scheme is back in vogue
It is easy now, as thousands stream blithely each winter to the ski fields of the Snowy Mountains, to overlook the monumental events of last century on those heights that still affect our daily lives and our industries, and how, in the exploitation of the high country, Australia was transformed, economically and culturally.
Wind, rain and no reprieve before Sunday
Parents hoping to avoid Saturday sport-induced gridlock this weekend may be in luck.
New Zealand river gets the legal rights of a person after 170-year battle
A Bill passed Parliament, recognising the river as an indivisible and living whole from the mountains to the sea.
Northern NSW to receive more rain following flash flooding
Flash flooding that hit parts of NSW on Wednesday is unlikely to dry up on Thursday with the state to cop another drenching.
Fears that 'significant' coral mortality is still to come
The world is 33 months into its biggest recorded coral bleaching event with little sign of it ending, raising the prospect that coral mortality on the Great Barrier Reef will increase "significantly" from the quarter already lost in the past year, scientists say.
Thailand seizes rhino horns worth $6.6 million in biggest haul for years
Thai customs have confiscated 21 rhino horns with an estimated value of nearly $US5 million ($6.6 million) in the biggest such seizure in Thailand for years, officials said on Tuesday.
Homes flood, roads congested as Sydney's soaking continues
Sydney has been drenched by more than 35 millimetres of rain in less than a day as roads and homes start to flood and with no reprieve in sight until next week.
Sydney weather: Commuters set for damp journey to work
Most of Sydney can expect steady showers from late this afternoon, with commuting likely to be a damp affair on Wednesday morning too.
'A bad joke': Warning sounded on endangered species in NSW
Almost 60 per cent of NSW's mammal species and a third of the birds on the endangered list and conditions are getting worse.
Algae turns Aussie beaches bright neon blue
"It was very interesting watching this iridescent aquamarine colour light up the waves as they crashed. It was as good as shooting the Aurora Australis, but a bit easier."
Thunderstorm 'likely' for Sydney along with a steady soaking
Sydney looks to have dodged the worst of the widespread storm activity over inland NSW but keeping raingear handy will remain the sensible option for residents for days to come.