Life in the clouds sounds romantic, except when those clouds are made of sulphuric acid. Yet scientists are pondering whether life could exist around Venus after a rare chemical was found in its atmosphere. Key points: Astronomers have discovered a gas in the atmosphere of Venus that is only produced by microbes and industrial processes on Earth The gas could be a hint of life or it could be a geological or chemical process that we don't know about The finding has implications for the quest to find life elsewhere in our solar system and beyond The discovery, published today in the journal...…Life in the clouds sounds romantic, except when those clouds are made of sulphuric acid. Yet scientists are pondering whether life could exist around Venus after a rare chemical was found in its atmosphere. Key points: Astronomers have discovered a gas in the atmosphere of Venus that is only produced by microbes and industrial processes on Earth The gas could be a hint of life or it could be a geological or chemical process that we don't know about The finding has implications for the quest to find life elsewhere in our solar system and beyond The discovery, published today in the journal...WW…

By Beirut correspondent Adam HarveyUpdatedFor over 100 years, a hotel has mirrored Lebanon's changing fortunes like no other. It's now facing a peril unseen in its storied history."I've been here before. The emptiness that we feel in the hotel. This is the story of the hotel. "Of a place that started as a dream because of those temples. And as long as those temples are there, we're OK."Rima Husseini gazes out of a Palmyra Hotel window to the monumental Roman ruins, which have drawn travellers along the ancient tourist trail to the Lebanese town of Baalbek for centuries. The ancient ruins...…By Beirut correspondent Adam HarveyUpdatedFor over 100 years, a hotel has mirrored Lebanon's changing fortunes like no other. It's now facing a peril unseen in its storied history."I've been here before. The emptiness that we feel in the hotel. This is the story of the hotel. "Of a place that started as a dream because of those temples. And as long as those temples are there, we're OK."Rima Husseini gazes out of a Palmyra Hotel window to the monumental Roman ruins, which have drawn travellers along the ancient tourist trail to the Lebanese town of Baalbek for centuries. The ancient ruins...WW…

It may not be the most important cold case in Queensland's history, but the theft of a video camera from an outback town 20 years ago has finally been solved.The camera was taken from Sharon Stretton's home in Mount Isa — it had been an expensive purchase for the then-20-something with young children.She reported the theft to police not expecting much of an outcome or to ever recover the camera's VHS tape, which contained precious home videos.Now, Hughenden police have recovered the very out-of-date camera [complete with case, tape and cords] and reunited it with Ms Stretton, who now lives...…It may not be the most important cold case in Queensland's history, but the theft of a video camera from an outback town 20 years ago has finally been solved.The camera was taken from Sharon Stretton's home in Mount Isa — it had been an expensive purchase for the then-20-something with young children.She reported the theft to police not expecting much of an outcome or to ever recover the camera's VHS tape, which contained precious home videos.Now, Hughenden police have recovered the very out-of-date camera [complete with case, tape and cords] and reunited it with Ms Stretton, who now lives...WW…

State bans on coal seam gas development would be scrapped and the Federal Government would underwrite gas prices and massively subsidise costs and investment for gas companies, under confidential plans for a "gas-led manufacturing recovery" post-COVID-19.The draft plans, obtained by the ABC, call for the scrapping of "green and red tape" on gas development, including a relaxation of Australian standards for equipment used in gas infrastructure and a loosening of environmental regulations and approval processes.They are set out in an interim report from the manufacturing taskforce of the...…State bans on coal seam gas development would be scrapped and the Federal Government would underwrite gas prices and massively subsidise costs and investment for gas companies, under confidential plans for a "gas-led manufacturing recovery" post-COVID-19.The draft plans, obtained by the ABC, call for the scrapping of "green and red tape" on gas development, including a relaxation of Australian standards for equipment used in gas infrastructure and a loosening of environmental regulations and approval processes.They are set out in an interim report from the manufacturing taskforce of the...WW…

A South Australian judge has questioned claims made by an online child groomer that he was not sexually aroused by his "collection" of child abuse images and videos but got addicted to "that material". Michael Wayne Young, 31, is awaiting sentencing in the District Court after pleading guilty to possessing child exploitation material and grooming children online.He was arrested by the Australian Federal Police last August after a tip-off from Canadian authorities.The court was told that police did not analyse all of the 72,000 videos and images found on his phone but more than 2,000 viewed...…A South Australian judge has questioned claims made by an online child groomer that he was not sexually aroused by his "collection" of child abuse images and videos but got addicted to "that material". Michael Wayne Young, 31, is awaiting sentencing in the District Court after pleading guilty to possessing child exploitation material and grooming children online.He was arrested by the Australian Federal Police last August after a tip-off from Canadian authorities.The court was told that police did not analyse all of the 72,000 videos and images found on his phone but more than 2,000 viewed...WW…

Print contentPrint with images and other mediaPrint text onlyPrintCancelWill Callaghan, the non-verbal autistic boy who got lost for two nights in the Victorian wilderness earlier this year is back in the bush — and he couldn't look happier.Despite the immense relief the family felt when Will was found on Mt Disappointment in June, it was "business as usual" for the Callaghans once he was back home after an ordeal that his mum, Penny, said left her "exhausted".She got in touch with Mansfield Autism Statewide Service (MASS), which bought a 100-acre farm earlier this year, where Will and his...…Print contentPrint with images and other mediaPrint text onlyPrintCancelWill Callaghan, the non-verbal autistic boy who got lost for two nights in the Victorian wilderness earlier this year is back in the bush — and he couldn't look happier.Despite the immense relief the family felt when Will was found on Mt Disappointment in June, it was "business as usual" for the Callaghans once he was back home after an ordeal that his mum, Penny, said left her "exhausted".She got in touch with Mansfield Autism Statewide Service (MASS), which bought a 100-acre farm earlier this year, where Will and his...WW…

An East Timor veteran suffering long term health issues after taking part in a controversial drug trial is horrified that the Australian Defence Force (ADF) is once again trialling on its personnel, this time for COVID-19. Wayne Karakyriacos said he feels betrayed by Defence for pushing ahead with a new clinical trial when he and other veterans are still struggling mentally and physically from past trials. "Twenty years I've been suffering with an acquired brain injury," he told 7.30. "Still to this day, I haven't been contacted by Defence or anyone from the department to follow up to see...…An East Timor veteran suffering long term health issues after taking part in a controversial drug trial is horrified that the Australian Defence Force (ADF) is once again trialling on its personnel, this time for COVID-19. Wayne Karakyriacos said he feels betrayed by Defence for pushing ahead with a new clinical trial when he and other veterans are still struggling mentally and physically from past trials. "Twenty years I've been suffering with an acquired brain injury," he told 7.30. "Still to this day, I haven't been contacted by Defence or anyone from the department to follow up to see...WW…

Global poverty is set to rise past 1 billion people once again as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, which is reducing the income of the world's poorest by $US500 million ($727 million) a day.Meanwhile tensions flare at the India/Nepal border over movement restrictions, resulting in a fatal shooting.This story was last updated at 5:30pm AEST on Saturday.In the refugee camps of Darfur, in western Sudan, officials say the elderly are falling sick and dying at astonishing rates.Doctors in the region's few functioning hospitals report an influx of patients with symptoms like a lost sense of...…Global poverty is set to rise past 1 billion people once again as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, which is reducing the income of the world's poorest by $US500 million ($727 million) a day.Meanwhile tensions flare at the India/Nepal border over movement restrictions, resulting in a fatal shooting.This story was last updated at 5:30pm AEST on Saturday.In the refugee camps of Darfur, in western Sudan, officials say the elderly are falling sick and dying at astonishing rates.Doctors in the region's few functioning hospitals report an influx of patients with symptoms like a lost sense of...WW…

Print contentPrint with images and other mediaPrint text onlyPrintCancelUS Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says the United States will impose visa restrictions on Chinese Communist Party officials believed responsible for restricting freedoms in Hong Kong.The move comes ahead of a meeting of China's Parliament next week that is expected to enact The legislation has alarmed foreign governments and democracy activists in the special administrative region.The US visa restrictions apply to "current and former CCP officials who are believed to be responsible for, or complicit in, undermining Hong...…Print contentPrint with images and other mediaPrint text onlyPrintCancelUS Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says the United States will impose visa restrictions on Chinese Communist Party officials believed responsible for restricting freedoms in Hong Kong.The move comes ahead of a meeting of China's Parliament next week that is expected to enact The legislation has alarmed foreign governments and democracy activists in the special administrative region.The US visa restrictions apply to "current and former CCP officials who are believed to be responsible for, or complicit in, undermining Hong...WW…

By business reporterUpdatedQantas and Jetstar have announced that two-thirds of their 30,000 employees will be temporarily stood down from late March until at least the end of May.The group will also suspend all international flights, after the "The efforts to contain the spread of coronavirus have led to a huge drop in travel demand, the likes of which we have never seen before," Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said."This is having a devastating impact on all airlines."With the huge drop in revenue we're facing, we have to make difficult decisions to guarantee the future of the national...…By business reporterUpdatedQantas and Jetstar have announced that two-thirds of their 30,000 employees will be temporarily stood down from late March until at least the end of May.The group will also suspend all international flights, after the "The efforts to contain the spread of coronavirus have led to a huge drop in travel demand, the likes of which we have never seen before," Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said."This is having a devastating impact on all airlines."With the huge drop in revenue we're facing, we have to make difficult decisions to guarantee the future of the national...WW…