☕️ Thousands march in Sydney

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“I am so sorry I cannot be there. I do have a good excuse this time, normally I don't come because I can't be bothered getting out of my pyjamas. This time there really is a reason… I have not been awarded this honour because I have the cancer. I am getting this because of 40 years of hard work. Lobbying, bribing, threatening, whatever it took... Finally, it has all paid off.”
Actor and comedian Magda Szubanski in a video after being inducted into the Logies’ Hall of Fame on Sunday. Szubanski announced earlier this year that she had been diagnosed with stage 4 lymphoma.

$US4 trillion ($AU6.2 trillion)
The valuation of Microsoft on Friday evening (AEST), marking only the second public company to reach $4 trillion. It follows tech company Nvidia, which became the first in early July.

2020
An accidental explosion in Beirut, Lebanon, killed more than 200 people and injured thousands. The explosion happened when 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored at the city’s port ignited due to a nearby fire. The chemical had been kept in a warehouse without proper safety measures.

Victorians could have a legal right to work from home (WFH) two days a week under a new state government plan.

Private and public sector workers would be covered by the right.

Premier Jacinta Allan acknowledged “not everyone can work from home” due to the nature of their workplace, such as nurses and teachers.

Allan added: “If you can do your job from home, we’ll make it your right – because we’re on your side”.

Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data shows 36% of employees “usually” work from home.

In a statement, the Victorian Government said: “Day after day, unions are being contacted by workers who have been denied reasonable requests to work from home.”

A legal right to work a minimum of two days a week remotely would be granted under the state government’s proposed legislation.

This would apply in workplaces where it is “reasonable” that a worker could WFH, according to the state government.

“This life-changing practice isn’t something you or your loved ones have to politely ask for.

“It’s a right you’ll be entitled to.”

The Government will now go through consultation before introducing legislation to Parliament.

It will look into issues such as the size of businesses covered by the legislation and the legal definition of “remote working”.

Consultation won’t consider the primary question of whether there should be a right to WFH. The state government said: “We’re already clear on that: it should be. We just need the appropriate laws to reflect it.”

Reporting by Harry Sekulich.

The U.S. has announced a new round of tariffs, following delays for countries to negotiate trade deals.

Some countries have now been hit with higher tariffs that will come into effect on 7 August.

Australian products are still subject to a “baseline” tariff of 10%, which has been in place since earlier this year.

A tariff is a tax placed on imports. It’s applied to foreign-made goods brought into another country and paid by the importer.

For example, an Australian company charges a U.S. business $10 for a product it exports.

The American importer pays a 10% tariff to U.S. customs officials, meaning it ends up paying $11 for the Australian product.

If no tariff applied, the U.S. business would pay $10.

Trump’s tariffs can be sorted into two central categories: countries and goods.

On 1 April, he announced tariffs on almost every country in the world. He imposed a flat 10% tariff on all products, which has been in effect since 5 April.

Some countries had additional rates imposed on them. Australia wasn’t included in the higher rates of tariffs.

Since then, Trump has placed tariffs on specific goods, such as steel, aluminium, and copper.

Higher tariff rates were due to come into effect last month.

Trump announced a pause to allow more countries to negotiate trade deals.

The UK struck a deal to reduce its initial tariff rate from 25% to 10%.

The European Union, Japan, and South Korea all negotiated deals to get a 15% rate. All were originally subject to higher tariffs.

The White House has now confirmed the new tariff rates for a range of different countries.

Cambodia’s rate has dropped from 49% to 19%, while New Zealand increased from 10% to 15%.

The U.S. has hit Canada with an increase of 25% to 35%, citing “continued inaction and retaliation” of its northern neighbour.

Trump said Canada’s plans to recognise the state of Palestine at a United Nations vote in September would make trade talks “very hard”.

Australia has not received a higher tariff, unlike many other countries.

A spokesperson for Trade Minister Don Farrell said: “We will continue to advocate for the removal of all tariffs in line with our free trade agreement.”

The U.S. and Australia signed a free trade agreement in 2005, which means until this year most products exchanged between the countries did not have tariffs.

Reporting by Harry Sekulich.

Let’s start the week fresh (literally)

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With over 120,000 five-star reviews, it’s the cleaner trusted by millions to kick off the week mess-free. So whether it’s coffee spills or weekend chaos, Koh’s got you covered. Clean smarter, not harder – and get on with your week.

A new report by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) confirmed more than 90% of renewable projects commissioned in 2024 were “more cost-effective than any new fossil fuel alternatives.”

IRENA is an agency that works with governments across the world for energy transformation.

Its report said that in 2024, on average, solar panels were “41% cheaper than the lowest-cost fossil fuel alternatives” and onshore wind projects were 53% cheaper.

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For one second, every baby is the youngest person in the world.

But one infant born last week was also simultaneously the oldest baby in the world.

MIT Technology Review has reported the world’s “oldest baby” was born on 26 July in the U.S. state of Ohio thanks to an embryo that had been in storage since 1994.

Lindsey and Tim Pierce “adopted” the embryo through a religious agency. Both parents were less than five when the embryo was created.

The donor, Linda Acherd, is 62. In May 1994, Linda and her former partner created four embryos. One embryo resulted in a healthy baby girl, who is now 30. The other three were cryopreserved – one of which became Thaddeus.

Lindsey said: “We didn’t go into it thinking we would break any records… we just wanted to have a baby.”

Reporting by Anju Dhanushkodi.

Last week, the Australian Bureau of Statistics revealed the annual inflation rate is at its lowest level in four years. It has triggered many economists to predict there will be a cut to the interest rate next week when the Reserve Bank of Australia meets.

If you’re wondering what all of this means, you’ve come to the right place. Today we're talking to the Australia Institute’s Chief Economist Greg Jericho about what this all means.