Mother takes on Banana Boat over child's sunburn

Esther Han   Melissa McCaull is adamant she followed instructions, but her son's skin turned into the colour of an "overripe tomato".

University entrance charade widens to regions

Eryk Bagshaw, Ben Langford, Michael McGowan   Regional NSW universities are admitting more than 70 per cent of students who have not scored the minimum marks required to get into courses such as business and law, new data reveals

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Victorian schools to share $1b extra under Labor plan

Matthew Knott   One billion dollars in extra funding would flow to Victorian schools over two years under Labor's plan to fund the full six years of the Gonski school funding deals.

Shane Warne shuts controversial charity

Chris Vedelago, Cameron Houston   Shane Warne has announced he is shutting down his charitable foundation, blaming "unwarranted speculation" about its financial and regulatory situation.

'If you have a pulse you can get in'

Eryk Bagshaw   Of the 6000 students who are offered a university place with an ATAR below 50, less than 20 per cent graduate. And taxpayers are footing the bill to the tune of $7bn.

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Bomb hoaxes sent to Sydney schools part of global wave

Rachel Olding   A series of co-ordinated bomb threats sent to school across NSW on Friday appeared to coincide with hundreds of threats sent to schools around the world.

Zika virus set to reach Australia but can be contained, say experts

Julia Medew   The Zika virus is likely to reach Australia through a return traveller at some stage, experts say, but there is hope it will be swiftly contained if it does arrive.

What's the Zika virus, and why should Australia worry about it?

Julia Medew, Daniella Miletic and Daniel Flitton   A global health warning says the frightening Zika virus could infect millions of people this year. But is it likely to be a threat here? Here's what you need to know.

The first cut: human gene editing is here

Mark White   Its explosive potential could lead to cures for crippling diseases, the end of organ donor shortages and making food crops resistant to extreme weather conditions. But are we ready for the flipside?

Sydney weather: Severe thunderstorms sweep in from the west

Peter Hannam   Waves of thunderstorms have begun to hit Sydney, some of them potentially severe, as a complex low pressure system brings storm activity to much of eastern Australia.

The old man could not have imagined what was to come

Stephanie Wood   The stories are shocking: the old woman locked up by her daughter who was found covered in faeces and with a gangrenous finger; the old man who gave power of attorney to his son and moved into a granny flat, only to be subjected to a tyranny of abuse. Experts believe that about 5 per cent of older Australians are abused by someone they trust - and that figure is set to explode with the ageing population.

Thunderstorms likely, possibly severe, across the Sydney Basin

Peter Hannam   A swathe of western Sydney is the path of severe thunderstorm on Thursday evening while the whole basin can expect rain and storms on Friday.

Troubled myGov to be taken from Human Services

Noel Towell   Malcolm Turnbull's DTO has been critical of myGov, now it has the chance to show it can do better.

The force driving diseases like Zika virus

Lucy Cormack   Regions with "increasing average temperatures" at greater risk of mosquito-born diseases, say researchers.

Dramatic genetic finding takes scientists a step closer to schizophrenia cause

Kate Aubusson   Scientists have pinpointed a major trigger for schizophrenia in our molecular make-up that could explain why the disorder develops in adolescence.

Thrillseekers risk life-changing injuries

Peter Barrett   Summer is the season for increased water-related mishaps but could social media be fuelling a new type of risky thrill-seeking behaviour?

NSW hospitals putting 'babies at risk'

Harriet Alexander   Thirty-eight weeks or 39? Non-medical factors are pushing women to have elective caesareans earlier than official guidelines - and hospitals are playing along.

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