Australia’s Omar in the running to be crowned the world’s longest cat

The government must commit resources to fight the most pressing "danger" of climate change, former defense officials said in an open letter. "Australia has failed when it comes to climate threats," the letter read.

Australia is caught in the middle of the US-China trade dispute, which is dominating Davos this year. Meanwhile, Australia has just booked its 27th consecutive year of growth, says Finance Minister Mathias Cormann.

The prime ministers of both countries witnessed the signing of the deal in a virtual ceremony. Australia wants to curb dependence on China as its largest trading partner.

Artist Assil Diab saw a cause for hope with the ousting of the former president in the war-torn nation. A revolution that ushered out 30 years of authoritarian rule. Two years on, a new leadership has failed to bring justice to so many lives lost.

Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that a Chinese intelligence ship was not in Australia's territorial waters but its presence off the northwestern coast was "concerning."

Australia is counting down to its next federal election on May 21. The environmental crisis is high on voters' minds and smaller parties and independents are gaining momentum by riding a wave of disillusionment over the conservative coalition's lack of climate action. With a hung parliament looking likely, these minor players could force the traditional parties to do more to tackle global warming. Climate change is an increasingly hot-button issue since the country's devastating bushfires of 2019-20. Our correspondents Richelle Harrison Plesse and Gregory Plesse report.

Australia could become a "renewable energy superpower," said incoming Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. He is due to be sworn in just a day before a Quad summit in Tokyo.

As experts gather at a UN Ocean Conference in Lisbon, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned that the world is facing an "ocean emergency". In Australia, the Great Barrier Reef recently suffered another mass bleaching event, just months after a UNESCO committee recommended the World Heritage Site be listed as "in danger". The country's new left-leaning Labor government has promised to tackle global warming, but the reef's future hangs in the balance as long as Australia remains one of the world's largest exporters of fossil fuels.

Several places were hit with about a month's rain over the weekend, causing dams to overflow and waterways to break their banks. Roughly 30,000 people have been told to either leave their homes or prepare to do so.

A five-yearly report by the Australian government said the country's flora and fauna was badly affected by bush fires, drought and global warming. It warned more species could head for extinction.

Australian former Prime Minister Scott Morrison is facing calls to resign after news broke that he secretly appointed himself to five separate minister roles.

Find these stories and much more when you grab a copy of The Guardian on Saturday.