Victorian government to make historic apology to Aboriginal Victorians
The Victorian government is set to make a historic apology to Aboriginal Victorians today, in one of the first public acts to follow the signing of the state’s treaty agreement. ⌘ Read more

How the Dollar-Store Industry Overcharges Cash-Strapped Customers While Promising Low Prices
Dollar General and Family Dollar stores have collectively failed more than 6,400 government price-accuracy inspections since January 2022, charging customers more at checkout than the prices displayed on shelves for everything from frozen pizzas to puppy food, according to an investigation by the … ⌘ Read more

Ashton Hurn likens her new job to scaling a mountain, but it follows an already rapid ascension
South Australia’s new opposition leader Ashton Hurn has likened the task ahead of her to climbing a mountain, but she’s taking inspiration from a family background that includes a former state cricketer and an AFL premiership captain. ⌘ Read more

Sydney greyhound track to be bulldozed to make way for parkland
After more than 90 years, greyhound racing will end at Wentworth Park in Glebe, with the public land to be be transferred to the City of Sydney. ⌘ Read more

Wong and Marles meet US counterparts in Washington after AUKUS review
Australia and the US will “expand” and “strengthen” the AUKUS security and submarine deal in coming months, top Trump administration officials say ahead of talks with their Australian counterparts in Washington. ⌘ Read more

Zelenskyy meets with European allies at ‘critical’ moment for Ukraine
Leaders express scepticism about US-led plans to end Russia’s invasion, after peace talks between US and Ukranian officials at the weekend ended without a breakthrough. ⌘ Read more

Wells spent thousands on Comcars for grand finals
The sports minister has endured scrutiny over her use of parliamentary expenses, but is one of dozens of MPs to have accumulated large Comcar bills. ⌘ Read more

The teenagers who support the social media ban
Patrick, 15, does not use social media and hopes he never does. Nick, 15, had a flip phone for the first few years of high school. Here is why they support the social media ban. ⌘ Read more

Google Says First AI Glasses With Gemini Will Arrive in 2026
Google said it’s working to create two different categories of artificial intelligence-powered smart glasses to compete next year with existing models from Meta Platforms: one with screens, and another that’s audio focused. From a report: The first AI glasses that Google is collaborating on will arrive sometime in 2026, it said in a blog post Monday. Sam … ⌘ Read more

300 million dead in 100 years: How we eradicated a killer
The eradication of smallpox 46 years ago has been cheered as the greatest triumph of global public health. It has also been held up as a model for global cooperation. ⌘ Read more

Pub test differs for Barnaby Joyce and Anika Wells
The “pub test” tends to be applied when we’ve run out of avenues to pursue a public figure, but are still super annoyed. ⌘ Read more

Japan Issues Tsunami Warning After Magnitude 7.6 Earthquake
A powerful magnitude 7.6 earthquake has shaken Japan, prompting tsunami warnings and orders for residents to evacuate. From a report: A tsunami as high as 3 metres (10ft) could hit the country’s north-eastern coast after the earthquake occurred offshore at 11.15pm local time (2.15pm GMT), the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said. Tsunami warnings were issued f … ⌘ Read more

How a Cryptocurrency Helps Criminals Launder Money and Evade Sanctions
An investigation has revealed how stablecoins – cryptocurrencies pegged to the US dollar that exist largely beyond traditional financial oversight – have become a practical tool for criminals and sanctioned individuals to move funds across borders almost instantly and convert them back into spendable money, often without detection.
… ⌘ Read more

Jacob Elordi, Rose Byrne and Joel Edgerton score Golden Globes nominations
Jacob Elordi is Australia’s big hope at the Golden Globes after scoring two nominations overnight for the 83rd iteration of the film and television awards. ⌘ Read more

The Accounting Uproar Over How Fast an AI Chip Depreciates
Tech giants including Meta, Alphabet, Microsoft and Amazon have all extended the estimated useful lives of their servers and AI equipment over the past five years, sparking a debate among investors about whether these accounting changes are artificially inflating profits. Meta this year increased its depreciation timeline for most servers and network assets … ⌘ Read more

Breaking: Japan earthquake prompts tsunami warning
A magnitude 7.2 earthquake has hit off Japan’s northern coast, prompting a tsunami warning. ⌘ Read more

Paramount Skydance Launches Hostile Bid For WBD After Netflix Wins Bidding War
Paramount Skydance is launching a hostile bid to buy Warner Bros. Discovery after it lost out to Netflix in a months-long bidding war for the legacy assets, the company said Monday. CNBC: Paramount will go straight to WBD shareholders with an all-cash, $30-per-share offer. That’s the same bid WBD rejected last … ⌘ Read more

Amazon Pitches AI Tools as Co-Workers While Axing Jobs
Amazon used its annual re:Invent cloud conference in Las Vegas to pitch a vision of the workplace where AI agents serve not as tools but as “co-workers” and “teammates,” even as the company proceeds with eliminating roughly 14,000 corporate jobs in its second major workforce reduction in recent years.

AWS CEO Matt Garman predicted on stage that autonomous “frontier agent … ⌘ Read more

Renters need $300k more super in retirement than home owners: Report
Rising rents mean older Australians who aren’t home owners will need twice as much superannuation to enjoy the same retirement lifestyle as those who are mortgage-free, according to a study by a leading advocacy group. ⌘ Read more

Idaho Lab Produces World’s First Molten Salt Fuel for Nuclear Reactors
America’s Energy Department runs a research lab in Idaho — and this week announced successful results from a ground-breaking experiment. “This is the first time in history that chloride-based molten salt fuel has been produced for a fast reactor,” says Bill Phillips, the lab’s technical lead for salt synthesis. He calls it “a major … ⌘ Read more

One Nation part of global populist movement in politics, Barnaby Joyce says
In his first interview since formally joining One Nation, Barnaby Joyce says he sees comparisons between his new party and Britain’s far-right Reform UK party under populist leader Nigel Farage. ⌘ Read more

Student stabbed in ‘targeted’ knife attack at Perth high school
A teenage boy is taken to hospital after being stabbed in the arm in a “targeted” knife attack that that saw a Perth high school go into lockdown on Monday afternoon. ⌘ Read more

Primary school teacher jailed for ‘calculated’ abuse of young girls
A former Cairns state primary school teacher has been jailed for 17 years for dozens of child exploitation offences involving children from the school where he worked. ⌘ Read more

Death of 10yo in state care may have been accident not suicide, inquest told
An inquest hears the 2024 death of a 10-year-old Indigenous boy while he was under the care of the Department of Communities may have been an accident, not suicide. ⌘ Read more

Was the Airbus A320 Recall Caused By Cosmic Rays?
What triggered that Airbus emergency software recall? The BBC reports that Airbus’s initial investigation into an aircraft’s sudden drop in altitude linked it “to a malfunction in one of the aircraft’s computers that controls moving parts on the aircraft’s wings and tail.” But that malfunction “seems to have been triggered by cosmic radiation bombarding the Earth on the day of … ⌘ Read more

Proposed testing changes for imported raw prawns labelled ‘short-sighted’
The federal government is being accused of allowing “trade to trump biosecurity”, over proposed changes critics claim will “weaken” and “roll back” testing of potentially diseased raw prawn imports. ⌘ Read more

Man found not guilty of Melbourne woman’s murder due to mental impairment
The family of a Melbourne woman who was brutally killed by her partner say they’re distraught after the man was found not guilty due to mental impairment. ⌘ Read more

Nant whisky founder not guilty plea over alleged fraud
The founder of a Tasmanian distillery behind an alleged investor fraud scheme has pleaded not guilty to 736 criminal offences. ⌘ Read more

NRL proposes lengthy bans for Tonga officials following Katoa head knocks
Three Tonga team officials are facing two-year suspensions following the NRL’s investigation into the incident that forced Eli Katoa out of the 2026 season. ⌘ Read more

Driver jailed over single-vehicle crash that killed three friends
A young driver who crashed his car near Tarago, killing his girlfriend and two friends, has been sentenced to more than six years in jail. ⌘ Read more

More than 30 zinc sunscreen brands using formula that failed preliminary SPF testing
It’s been almost two years since Craig Jones first ran preliminary tests on his zinc sunscreen. When he discovered it wasn’t providing the SPF it was supposed to he threw it out and set out on a quest to find out why. ⌘ Read more

Man accused of raping aged care resident tells court of break-in
Hayden Carl Skinner tells the District Court in Coffs Harbour that the open doors of the facility inspired a “spur of the moment” break-in to settle a drug debt. ⌘ Read more

Rajwinder Singh found guilty of Toyah Cordingley’s 2018 murder
It took a jury in the Supreme Court in Cairns seven hours to reach the unanimous guilty verdict after an almost four-week retrial. ⌘ Read more

Trump makes history hosting Kennedy Center Honors — here’s how we got here
Donald Trump has made the Kennedy Center a touchstone in a broader attack against what he claims is “woke”, anti-American culture. ⌘ Read more

How childcare paedophile Ashley Paul Griffith could have been stopped
A review has identified 18 points or “missed opportunities” where Ashley Paul Griffith’s offending could have been disrupted or stopped, had a different action been taken. ⌘ Read more

Why picking up her phone made Samantha question her ability as a new mum
Readers share how they approached their online and social media use in the weeks immediately after giving birth. ⌘ Read more

Labuschagne praises Aussies’ makeshift opening pair as Khawaja call looms
Marnus Labuschagne says Australia’s opening partnership is making the rest of the batting order improve, as selectors deliberate over Usman Khawaja’s Test future. ⌘ Read more

Toddler’s septic tank death ‘likely would have been prevented’ with maintenance
A coroner’s report has found there were multiple missed opportunities to improve or replace the public housing septic system, which the NT government had responsibility for. ⌘ Read more

Man in coma after allegedly smashing head into ambulance windscreen
A 25-year-old man is in a coma and cannot attend court after he allegedly smashed an ambulance windscreen with his head while naked. ⌘ Read more

Perth man guilty of making ‘upskirt’ videos of women, girls
A man who made ‘upskirt’ videos of women and girls in public places in Perth is found guilty of multiple charges. ⌘ Read more

Dolphin Sands resident ‘frustrated’ by bushfire communication
More questions have been raised about the official warnings ahead of a bushfire that destroyed 19 homes in a tiny Tasmanian seaside community where there is one road in and out. ⌘ Read more

All of Russia’s Porsches Were Bricked By a Mysterious Satellite Outage
An anonymous reader shared this report from Autoblog:

Imagine walking out to your car, pressing the start button, and getting absolutely nothing. No crank, no lights on the dash, nothing. That’s exactly what happened to hundreds of Porsche owners in Russia last week. The issue is with the Vehicle Tracking System, a satellite-based sec … ⌘ Read more

Queensland man charged with allegedly displaying Nazi symbols
Police allege the 43-year-old UK citizen was advocating for violence online and had swords bearing swastika symbols seized from his Queensland home. ⌘ Read more

Coalition puts heat on Wells over trips to cricket and AFL with family
The Coalition is applying more heat to Sport Minister Anika Wells over flights she claimed for herself and her husband to attend two Boxing Day cricket test matches in recent years, and several AFL Grand Final events. ⌘ Read more

Qld facing fresh legal challenge over controversial puberty blocker ban
The action is being taken on behalf of the same mother of a transgender teenager who previously successfully fought the state’s first ban. ⌘ Read more

Teenager allegedly involved in fatal Melbourne stabbing faces court
Police charge an 18-year-old man with offences including intentionally causing injury and affray, following the incident that claimed the life of a 40-year-old in Ascot Vale on Sunday afternoon. ⌘ Read more

One of PNG’s rare conjoined twins dies after urgent surgery
Surgeons have separated a rare set of conjoined twins after they were urgently airlifted from Papua New Guinea to Australia, but only one of the boys has survived. ⌘ Read more

Men jailed for gang rapes at bucks weekend have convictions quashed
Marius Hawell, his brother and a friend have had their convictions thrown out on grounds of appeal, after being handed jail sentences of between nine and 14 years. ⌘ Read more

Thailand launches air strikes amid new clashes with Cambodia
Thailand launches air strikes along its disputed border with Cambodia, after both countries accuse one another of breaching a ceasefire agreement brokered by US President Donald Trump. ⌘ Read more

Breaking: Government will not extend energy bill relief
Jim Chalmers says the end to the “temporary” subsidy was a “hard” decision but recognises pressures on the budget. ⌘ Read more