Puzzled with David Astle newsletter
For subscribers: Tips and tricks from our puzzles guru, plus try our quizzes, crosswords and puzzles.
The Morning Edition podcast
Get behind the headlines of the most important stories, with Peter Hartcher every Thursday.
Considering post-grad study?
Find the right course to advance your career with Campus, your essential higher education guide
Ordinary weather is now extraordinary, as Sydney braces for more rain
Australia has always experienced swings between hot, dry weather and heavy rain, but this is now amplified.
New COVID FLiRT variant surges as winter looms
NSW Health estimates the new FLiRT variant accounts for almost half of new cases.
Opinion
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
When uni students endorse terror, it’s time for political intervention
The university protests in Australia arising from the Israel-Gaza conflict have moved beyond a debate about free speech.
David Crowe
Chief political correspondent
Exclusive
Crime
Man who allegedly stabbed woman in the head at Sydney gym had twice breached AVOs
Anthony Monteleone walked free from court after twice breaching apprehended domestic violence orders to protect a former girlfriend.
Opinion
Big four
CBA lowers the curtain on a profit season banks would rather forget
This season was not one that banks will be crowing about – all experienced a fall in profits and the themes were remarkably similar.
Elizabeth Knight
Business columnist
Exclusive
Hospitals
A clinic was set up to ease stress on a Sydney hospital. It’s not always open
The GP clinic is meant to cut wait times at Northern Beaches Hospital. Instead, it’s struggling to stay open.
‘We want him here’: Parramatta offer rookie Talagi three-year deal
Blaize Talagi is prepared to test the open market, but the Eels are confident they can nail down their future No.1 to a new three-year deal.
‘It took 10 years to become an overnight success’: How Penrith built the ultimate footy factory
The Panthers spend $3 million every year to nurture junior talent. The result is a production line of superstars, although the premiers can’t keep them all.
Analysis
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
A frustrated Biden chooses a dramatic way of making himself heard by Israel
The US decision to pause the delivery of bombs represents a significant turning point in its relationship with Israel. But it may not necessarily be a breaking point.
Peter Baker
Explainer
US Votes 2024
Worms on the brain: RFK Jr’s offbeat run for presidency
While he has portrayed himself as younger and more physically able than his opponents, he also has some health struggles, including memory loss, which he claims was due to a parasitic worm eating part of his brain.
Opinion
Gaza Strip
The world’s turned a blind eye, but I’ve seen Gaza’s horrors
More than half a million children are sheltering in Rafah. Families I spoke to there told me they were terrified, wondering how they will protect their kids.
Sacha Myers
Aid worker
‘Beyond comprehension’: Why Finland is planning 100,000 years into the future
It reads like a science fiction book: On a tiny island off Finland’s coast, robot tractors work deep underground to move the nation’s nuclear waste.
The Baby Reindeer aftermath shows we’ve lost the plot on armchair sleuthing
Viewers, it’s time for a reality check. This is a powerfully executed piece of work, but also exposes some truth about us as an audience and our loosening grip on the boundaries of entertainment, storytelling and fact over fiction.
Can a marriage work without sex?
Yes, say counsellors and a surprising number of happy couples.
Darcy had an infectious laugh. Her partner feels sick he’ll never hear it again
Almost a year on from the horror Hunter Valley bus crash that killed Bulman and nine others, her partner Nick Dinakis has opened up about their life together.
Read the letter sent about radicalised schoolboy before stabbing attack
A letter from the parent claims a boy was trying to convert students to Islam through controversial videos screened in the school’s prayer room.
Opinion
Gadgets
Apple’s tone-deaf iPad ad triggers our darkest AI fears
Apple has made its worst marketing faux pas since it forced everyone to listen to U2.
Dave Lee
NRL 2024
Opinion
Why I will continue to argue for concussion victims
The column written by my colleague last week shocked me, but this issue is far bigger than a difference of opinion.
Peter FitzSimons
Columnist and author
Updated
Crichton ready for To’o, Turuva and test of Bulldogs’ finals credentials
Triple premiership winner Stephen Crichton will feel the full force of the Panthers for the first time on Friday night.
Sydney
‘Thank you for living’: Bondi survivor meets her superhero
Liya Barko nearly died when she was stabbed at Westfield Bondi Junction, but she was saved by a tall, calm man in a green T-shirt. Now she’s finally met Wayne Tolver-Banks.
Minns flags tougher bail laws for high-risk domestic violence orders
The move comes after yet another high-profile alleged domestic violence incident which saw a woman stabbed outside an Alexandria gym on Wednesday.
Exclusive
Hunter Valley tragedy
Hunter Valley bus driver addicted to drugs, took pills before fatal crash
The bus driver, who killed 10 people in a crash last year, had a long history of opioid abuse that concerned doctors and employers.
Rambo-style hunting knives sold at Westfield shopping centre
Long-bladed knives, swords and axes are being sold at a kiosk in Westfield Hornsby just weeks after a knife attack claimed the lives of six people at Westfield Bondi Junction.
‘Sydney’s best-kept secret’: Inside the hub that is flying beneath the radar
Covering a site the size of Sydney’s CBD, a vast hub in the city’s south-west is the most important piece of infrastructure that few know about.
SEE & DO
★★★★★
Blue Lights is one of the best police dramas in years
Set in Northern Ireland, this police drama is a genuine sleeper that deserves the wide acclaim it’s earned over two seasons (with two more on the way).
From the footy field to the stage for this Indigenous dancer
Indigenous dancer Thomas ES Kelly says his work SILENCE has a message for all Australians.
Politics
Exclusive
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Uni chiefs seek federal advice on ‘intifada’ calls
The universities have written to Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus to gain formal advice on whether the pro-Palestinian demand is a breach of federal law.
Business
AFR to cut print in WA after Seven’s ‘abuse of power’
The Australian Financial Review will no longer have a physical edition in Perth after Kerry Stokes’ Seven West Media doubled the cost of printing the newspaper.
World
Biden vows US will cut off weapons to Israel if it goes into Rafah
The comments represent the most direct threat the president has made to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu since the war began on October 7.
Opinion
Book ban uncovers uncomfortable truths for Labor in Sydney’s west
Alexandra Smith
State Political Editor
PM’s response to China jet incident will do little to deter aggression
Matthew Knott
National correspondent
Explore
Got a news tip?
Share information with our journalists securely and confidentially. Learn more
Property
Renters would be nearly $4b better off under a rent freeze
Tenants would have saved as much as $3000 over the 12 months to March, and proponents say the cash would be life-changing.
Eight of our favourite luxury homes for sale right now
From a private sandy beach to equestrian facilities for horse lovers and a 15-metre pool, we’ve rounded up our pick of the bunch.
Good Food
Lifestyle
Opinion
Sunday Life
Mums, learn to put yourself first for once in your life
“Motherhood is as easy as climbing Everest in high heels and hotpants, carrying a disco ball.”
Kathy Lette
Writer
Culture
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is less entertaining than a nature doco
This Aussie-made reboot of Planet of the Apes is not a movie to be taken too seriously.
Traveller
Drivedrive
From Our Partners
Sport
‘It took 10 years to become an overnight success’: How Penrith built the ultimate footy factory
The Panthers spend $3 million every year to nurture junior talent. The result is a production line of superstars, although the premiers can’t keep them all.
Updated
NRL 2024
Fifita turns down Titans option, undecided between Roosters and Panthers
David Fifita spent Wednesday night with his manager Michael Hudson mulling over his future but has opted not to trigger an option in his Gold Coast deal.
‘We want him here’: Parramatta offer rookie Talagi three-year deal
Blaize Talagi is prepared to test the open market, but the Eels are confident they can nail down their future No.1 to a new three-year deal.
Updated
Paris 2024
‘Extremely heartbreaking’: Olympic medal hopeful suffers Achilles injury
Australia’s top gymnastics hope Georgia Godwin has suffered an Achilles injury just months out from Paris 2024.
From Warrington to Wollongong: Kebab-loving darts cult hero heading to Australia
Luke Littler, the 17-year-old who took the world by storm when he became the youngest ever world championship finalist, will contest the Australian Darts Masters in August.
Wallabies prop sent to Waratahs in historic deal as Jorgensen suffers another serious injury
A World Cup player has flown from Melbourne to help the injury-plagued Waratahs, but there is more trouble for Max Jorgensen.
Opinion
NRL 2024
Why this is the most important three weeks of Nicho Hynes’ career
Over the next month, the Sharks have a golden chance to shake their tag as flat-track bullies – and their star man can prove he belongs at Origin level.
Andrew Johns
League columnist
Have Your Say
Why I will continue to argue for concussion victims – past and future
The column written by my colleague last week shocked me, but this issue is far bigger than a difference of opinion.
Peter FitzSimons
Columnist and author