Rethinking Shakespeare in Shanghai
A recent production of “Othello” proves that small creative flowers can grow between the dreary slabs of cultural concrete laid by the Communist Party.
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Greens senator claims One Nation the party of ‘billionaires, not battlers’ – as it happened
This blog is now closedTerrorism charge laid over alleged attempted bombing at Invasion Day rally in PerthGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastWong says she understands there are many different views held over Herzog’s visit with some, including the Palestine Action Group, still planning to protest Herzog’s arrival in Sydney next week.Asked whether those groups should be allowed to protest, Wong says:We are a country, a democracy where we know people have differences of views, and I do understand very keenly that people have different views about this visit. There is a depth of feeling in different communities across Australia. We see that, we feel that. What I would ask people to recall is the context and circumstances of this visit and the purpose of it, which is to honour the victims of the antisemitic terror attack.I really do understand the depth of feeling about this visit, the depth of feeling in the community about what we’ve seen in Gaza, which is why we’ve been so clear about working, we’re pressing for peace with others in the international community for civilians to be protected and for aid to flow.We always consider legal advice in relation to our obligations. I’ve made the point. We have invited him.I have said previously that Israel will be judged by the International Court of Justice on its compliance with the Genocide Convention. And I’ve also said previously that it must accept its responsibility for the humanitarian situation in Gaza. Continue reading...
Thursday briefing: Will the Epstein files threaten Peter Mandelson’s legacy?
In today’s newsletter: A police investigation, newly released documents and long‑standing questions about accountability have converged to place one of Labour’s most enduring figures under unprecedented scrutinyGood morning. Older readers may remember Peter Mandelson as a man in a sharp suit drifting through New Labour’s 1990s heyday like a Bond villain with a Filofax. An architect of Labour’s modernisation and a lightning rod for right-wing press ire, he has been in the orbit of power for more than three decades.That run has now come to a shuddering halt after the release of the so-called Epstein files by the US Department of Justice, which detail the extent of Mandelson’s contact with the late billionaire financier and convicted child sexual abuser Jeffrey Epstein. While the Met police investigate Mandelson on suspicion of misconduct in public office, the disclosures from the files have also raised urgent questions about judgment, access and accountability at the highest levels of public life.UK politics | Labour MPs have warned that Keir Starmer’s days as prime minister are numbered after a day of fury over the appointment of Peter Mandelson as US ambassador despite his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein.Gaza | Israeli forces have bulldozed part of a Gaza cemetery containing the war graves of dozens of British, Australian and other allied soldiers killed in the first and second world wars.Crime | An 18-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a student in his 20s was stabbed in Leicester city centre and later died in hospital, Leicestershire police have said.Media | Washington Post editor in chief Matt Murray on Wednesday morning announced internally a “broad strategic reset” that will result in “significant” layoffs across the company.Immigration | Donald Trump’s border tsar said about 700 federal agents would leave Minnesota, a large drop in agents on the ground but still leaving about 2,000 agents there, far above typical levels for the state. Continue reading...
Suspect identified in disappearance of four-year-old in Australian outback
Gus Lamont was last seen playing outside his home on a remote sheep station on 27 September.
Be ‘prudent’ about supplying arms to Taiwan, Xi tells Trump in call
Taiwanese president says ties with Washington ‘rock solid’, hours after leaders of US and China share first call since NovemberIn their first call since November, Chinese leader Xi Jinping warned US president Donald Trump to be “prudent” about supplying arms to Taiwan, according to a readout of their call provided by China’s foreign ministry.“President Xi emphasised that the Taiwan question is the most important issue in China-US relations,” the readout said. “China must safeguard its own sovereignty and territorial integrity, and will never allow Taiwan to be separated. The US must handle the issue of arms sales to Taiwan with prudence.” Continue reading...
‘Major failing’ in psychiatric care before Joel Cauchi stabbed six people at Bondi Junction, coroner finds
Cauchi, who lived with schizophrenia, killed six people in 2024 Westfield shopping centre stabbing before being shot dead by police inspector Amy ScottFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastIt was a “major failing” for Joel Cauchi’s former psychiatrist not to recognise he had relapsed in the lead-up to the Bondi Junction stabbings in 2024, a coroner has found.The state coroner, Teresa O’Sullivan, handed down her findings in a 837-page report on Thursday, having delayed its release after the Bondi beach terror attack in December. Continue reading...
South Australian anti-abortion activist posts image of aborted foetus she claims was taken at Townsville hospital
Joanna Howe says a ‘whistleblower’ sent her the image, which she says was taken inside the hospital’s room for grieving parentsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastTownsville hospital is investigating an alleged privacy breach after anti-abortion activist Joanna Howe said a “whistleblower” had sent her an image containing distressing and sensitive abortion content.Howe posted a video on social media that included a picture of a 16-week-old foetus that she said was taken inside the hospital’s Butterfly Room, a place for grieving parents, saying “Samuel” was “born alive” after an abortion. Continue reading...
Bitcoin plunge continues, erasing gains since Trump’s election
The world's most popular cryptocurrency has fallen nearly 20 percent in value since the start of 2026.
‘We have to rebuild’: Mozambique flood victims persevere in face of loss
More than 150 people have been killed and some 800,000 affected in the southern and central provinces of Mozambique.
LIVE: After barrage of threats, US and Iran set to hold talks on Friday
Talks between Iran and the United States will take place in Oman on Friday.