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- Reserve Board to hand down decision on interest rates...
- A national power outage in Cuba...
- Australian basketball great Ken Cole dies aged 82.
The Reserve Bank is preparing to hand down its decision on interest rates this afternoon.
The monetary policy board members have been meeting over the past two days for the first time since the US and Israeli strikes on Iran triggered a spike in oil prices.
The RBA hiked the cash rate to 3.85 per cent at its February meeting, up from 3.6 per cent.
Money markets and the majority of economists expect the central bank today to raise the cash rate to 4.1 per cent.
The Minister for Industry and Innovation has released a report considering how Australia can get greater value from research investment and science to strengthen and build new industries.
Tim Ayres released the 'Ambitious Australia' report, a major independent review into Australia's research and development system.
The government says Australia’s science and research system is critical to delivering on its Future Made in Australia plan to build greater local capability, strengthen industrial capacity, and boost Australia’s global competitiveness.
Mr Ayres says it's about recognising the opportunities and challenges for domestic growth and self-sufficiency.
"What we are trying to achieve here is a strengthened research and development system to drive the re-industrialisation of Australia's outer suburbs and our regions. For our economy to be more self-sufficient, more economically resilient, more productive and more efficient."
A survey by the Australian HR Institute reveals that nearly 7 in 10 employers are excluding candidates with a range of personal attributes during recruitment, including illness, mental illness, disability and age.
The survey of just over 612 senior decision makers, including those working in human resources, shows Australia’s labour market is also entering a more cautious phase, with hiring intentions falling to their lowest level since 2023.
Recruitment intentions have dropped sharply, with 59 per cent of organisations planning to hire in the upcoming quarter, down from 71 per cent in December 2025, marking the lowest level since the survey began.
The operator of Cuba's national electric grid says around 10 million people are without power.
It says it is investigating the causes of the blackout, which is the latest in a series of widespread outages that last for hours or days.
Over the weekend, the persistent outages sparked a rare violent protest in the communist-run country.
The country has been pushed closer to economic collapse due to a US-imposed oil blockade, particularly the cutting of Venezuelan oil shipments to Cuba.
China has joined other countries in distancing themselves from Donald Trump's demand for nations to assist in securing the Strait of Hormuz.
Global oil prices have increased by 40 to 50 percent as Iran attacks shipping in the waterway.
Australia, Sweden, the UK, the EU and NATO have distanced themselves from Mr Trump's call for countries to form a global coalition to help control the Strait of Hormuz.
A spokesman from China's Foreign Ministry, Lin Jian, says China is not interested in any military involvement in the strait.
"Tensions have risen in the Strait of Hormuz and its adjacent waters, disrupting the international cargo and energy trade passage and undermining regional and global peace and stability. China calls on all parties to immediately stop military operations, avoid further escalation of tensions, and prevent regional turmoil from having a greater impact on global economic development."
Afghanistan says more than 200 people have been killed in a strike by Pakistan on a hospital for drug users in Kabul.
A spokesman for Afghanistan's Health Ministry says the attack took place on Monday.
Pakistan had earlier dismissed the claim it had attacked a hospital, saying its strike in Kabul and other strikes in eastern Afghanistan hadn't hit any civilian sites.
The cross-border clashes have included multiple Pakistani airstrikes on Afghanistan's capital, Kabul.
And to sport,
The Australian basketball community is in mourning after the death of Kenneth Cole.
Australian Basketball Hall of Famer was both an athlete and a coach, competing for the Australian Boomers at major tournaments in the foundation years between 1960 - 1970.
He coached the Adelaide 36ers team in 1986 to the NBL title with a record of 24-2.
36ers executive chairman Grant Kelley says Cole was a truly extraordinary person who has left a lasting legacy on the game in this country.
Cole's family confirmed the 82-year-old's death, after a long battle with cancer.
