AAP

Australia has now evacuated about 2,650 people from Afghanistan, but danger in Kabul is growing with a deadline for the rescue operation looming.

Investors punished some share prices after the latest round of earnings reports but it has been what executives have left out that has likely concerned most.

Scott Morrison has warned continued lockdowns will cause more harm than good when COVID-19 vaccination coverages reaches 70 per cent.

Westfield shopping centres operator Scentre has swung to a half-year profit of $400.4 million as customer traffic rebounded when lockdowns eased in the first half of the year.

Scott Morrison has warned the most dangerous part of Australia's rescue mission in Afghanistan lies ahead after another 650 people were evacuated.

The first Western Australian-built spacecraft is set to be deployed to the International Space Station with a goal of eventually being sent to the moon.

Fuel distributor Ampol has pitched a takeover offer for a New Zealand company on the same day as declaring a return to first-half profit.

Children aged 12 to 15 living with a disability will be added to Australia's coronavirus vaccine rollout from Wednesday.

Investors have stopped a five-day slide on the Australian market but one analyst says they may simply be "buying the dip" as economic growth concerns linger.

Premier Mark McGowan has cast doubt on the likelihood of allowing full interstate travel by Christmas, saying NSW could face months of restrictions.

Scott Morrison has challenged premiers to stick to vaccine coverage targets tied to ending lockdowns regardless of coronavirus cases.

Migrant farm workers from Asian nations will be offered a path to permanent residency under a long-awaited agriculture visa.

Shares on the ASX had their worst week since January as uncertainty about the rate of global economic growth led to spiralling commodity prices.

Internet and mobile provider TPG Telecom may follow Telstra's lead and sell some of its telecommunication towers as the merged entity pursues opportunities.

The August 28 Bledisloe Cup blockbuster in Perth is off after New Zealand Rugby decided against sending the All Blacks to WA.

A decision on the location of this year's AFL grand final is expected to be made within days, with Perth considered the frontrunner.

More than 160 Australians and Afghan visa holders have now been evacuated from Kabul after a third rescue flight departed chaos at the airport.

Hundreds of Western Australians have heeded a call to return from coronavirus-plagued NSW ahead of restrictions being further tightened.

Heavy losses have continued for the iron ore giants, contributing to a fourth consecutive ASX loss as a resurgent coronavirus entangles the global economy.

The state government will provide quarantine assistance to arrivals from Kabul, as part of Australia’s mission to evacuate people from the Taliban-controlled city.

Australia's vaccination program is opening up to everyone aged over 16 from August 30, after cabinet agreed to expand the national rollout.

Businesses would do well to follow Qantas' model of requiring COVID-19 vaccinations, Prime Minister Scott Morrison says.

Origin Energy has reported an annual loss of $2.3 billion after a massive write-down.

Nurses and midwives have rallied against "dangerous" staff shortages and working conditions at Perth's primary maternity hospital.

Investors did not like what they read in BHP and CSL's full-year reports and caused a third consecutive day of losses for shares.

Woodside Petroleum has swung back to a half-year profit a day after agreeing to acquire BHP's entire petroleum division in an all-stock deal.

New figures show real wage growth was going backwards even before the expected crunch to the economy from widespread virus lockdowns.

Coles is continuing to see sales growth slow in the first few weeks of the current financial year as trading returns to normal levels and as lockdowns in major cities drag.

Australia will ramp up rescue flights from Afghanistan after its first successful journey extracted more than 20 people from the war-torn nation.

Shares on the ASX have seen their biggest drop since June as rolling coronavirus lockdowns and a slowing Chinese economy force investors to reset growth expectations.

Australia's Afghanistan rescue mission will not go ahead until chaos at Kabul airport subsides as people desperately try to escape the Taliban.

Sydney Airport has swiftly rejected a revised takeover bid by an expanded group of infrastructure investors, saying the new offer still undervalues the company.