Latest and Breaking News | The Sydney Morning Herald Live Australian and World News Feed

We’re sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. We’re working to restore it. Please try again later.

Just in

Advertisement

Latest

GIF

US-Iran war live updates: Trump says war will end ‘when I feel it in my bones’; All six crew aboard US aircraft killed in crash over Iraq

Follow our live coverage as the conflict in the Middle East reaches the two-week mark.

  • by Paul Dyer and Josefine Ganko
Former Essendon footballer Dyson Heppell

Dyson Heppell went out for beers with teammates. What he did next was ‘bizarre behaviour’

Former Essendon captain Dyson Heppell, AFLW champion Erin Phillips and netballer Amy Parmenter describe their experiences with disordered eating.

  • by Hannah Kennelly
Rudi Ellis watches the 2025 Super Netball grand final for the first time.

‘The greatest night ever’: Why Rudi Ellis almost ranked a premiership over her wedding

As the Vixens prepare to go back-to-back, star defender Rudi Ellis sits down to watch the 2025 grand final for the first time —and admits it might just tie with her wedding to Western Bulldogs ruckman Tim English as the best day of her life.

  • by Roy Ward
Joel Edgerton in The Plague.

Joel Edgerton’s last film was nominated for an Oscar. His next movie may be even better

While everyone is talking about Train Dream’s Oscar nomination, Joel Edgerton’s next film The Plague is catching attention for very different reasons.

  • by Nell Geraets
Cargelligo is a town gripped by fear.

A town gripped by feuds, drugs and a paralysing fear that an accused killer could soon return

After a horrific triple killing, Lake Cargelligo is not a town living on the edge of terror – it has fallen over the precipice.

  • by Riley Walter
Advertisement
I say with every step, “heaven is up and hell is down”.
Opinion
Illness

Why do we only notice our bodies when they break?

We forget, most of the time, to give our bodies the thanks they deserve.

  • by Richard Glover
Any of the best actor nominees has a chance of winning on Monday, except Ethan Hawke. This is fine.

Ethan Hawke will lose at the Oscars. But he will always win our hearts

Any of the best actor nominees has a chance of winning on Monday. Except Ethan Hawke.

  • by Robert Moran
Petrol prices have surged, putting more pressure on inflation.
Opinion
Inflation

From fuel to groceries, here are five ways to beat rising costs

A forecast from NAB last week suggested our consumer prices index may spike more than a whole percentage point, to above 5 per cent.

  • by Nicole Pedersen-McKinnon
We’re back in the markets washing machine, so don’t be surprised if your super starts to shrink.

Worried falling markets might ruin your retirement? Here’s what to do

For people approaching retirement a market shock just before they leap, or early in retirement, can also become a personal financial shock.

  • by Bec Wilson
We are living longer, working longer, and for many people traditional ‘retirement’ doesn’t work.
Opinion
Ageing

There’s a hidden job market for over 50s, but you’ll need to do this to get in

Many organisations are looking for people who can solve specific problems, lead through change, bring wisdom and perspective, often without a full-time hire.

  • by Robyn Greaves
Mick Gatto, Geoffrey Watson … and Tony Soprano.
Exclusive
Building Bad

Mick Gatto sues Sydney silk claiming he likened him to Tony Soprano

Barrister Geoffrey Watson is being sued for defamation by Melbourne underworld identity Mick Gatto.

  • by Michaela Whitbourn and Kate McClymont
John Longmire was senior coach of the Swans between 2011 and 2024, during which time the team won the premiership flag once and played in the grand final five times.

The three clubs that could entice John Longmire back to coaching

The premiership coach is “a new man”, looking younger and healthier after embracing a new role. His youngest child has finished school. So what’s next?

  • by Caroline Wilson
First home buyer exemption take-up in Sydney.

The suburbs priced out of first home buyer benefits

The NSW government is facing calls to raise caps on stamp duty discounts for first home buyers to keep up with soaring house prices.

  • by Jessica McSweeney
Jane Barbieri with her children Bella and Oscar.

More kids are being diagnosed with ADHD. So are their parents

For parents with ADHD, every day challenges can become even more complex. Experts share their advice.

  • by Paula Goodyer
Steve Hipsley used a buyer’s agent to purchase his townhouse.

How Stephen took the stress out of downsizing

A number of real estate agents and buyer’s agents are touting the tactic, but professionals warn it doesn’t always represent a good deal.

  • by Dan F Stapleton
Advertisement
Bronze medallist Ben Tudhope of Team Australia celebrates on the podium during the medal ceremony for the Para Snowboard Men’s Banked Slalom SB-LL2.

In 2018, Tudhope’s support crew was modest. In Milano Cortina, it was a different story

Ben Tudhope won Australia’s second medal of the Games – a bronze in the men’s snowboard banked slalom.

  • by Frances Howe
Andrew McGrath leads his team off the ground.

Andrew McGrath speaks out about Zach Merrett after the Bombers’ wake-up call to start their season

Essendon stayed with the Hawks for much of the first half, before a six-goal blitz blew the game open before half-time.

  • by Sam McClure
Trivia buffs: test your knowledge with this week's Good Weekend quiz.

Test your general knowledge with the Good Weekend quiz

Trivia buffs: can you get a perfect score in the interactive superquiz?

Dylan Moore (left) and Connor Macdonald of the Hawks celebrate a goal after their week from hell.

‘We are very sorry’: Connor Macdonald speaks after Arizona arrest; Hollywood Hawks flex their muscles

The build-up to the latest chapter of the Essendon v Hawthorn rivalry reached fever pitch after the failed Merrett trade. In reality, they’re not in the same weight division.

  • by Roy Ward and Sam McClure
Alex Johnston gif

Roosters beat Souths after Johnston sets new all-time try scoring record

Alex Johnston has scored twice to Ken Irvine’s all-time try-scoring record at Allianz Stadium.

  • by Dominic Brock
US President Donald Trump says Iran is a nation of hate and terror.

US lifts sanctions on Russian oil as Trump derides Iran’s leaders as ‘deranged scumbags’

Iran’s new leader vowed to keep blocking the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil supplies ordinarily moves.

  • by Michael Koziol
Hawthorn footballer Dylan Moore was arrested in the US in November.

Hawks president gives update on star players after their US arrest

A police report revealed more details about the arrest of Dylan Moore and teammate Connor Macdonald in the US state of Arizona in November.

  • by Lachlan Abbott and Roy Ward
Dominique Grubisa is arguably one of Australia’s most persistent scammers.

Meet Australia’s most persistent scammer, now ascending to the cloud

Dominique Eva Grubisa made a career and a fortune out of what courts now say was misleading and deceptive conduct. Nothing, so far, can stop her.

  • by Michael Bachelard
Iranian women’s national team players walk towards their bus on the Gold Coast.

Courage and heartbreak: The story that united – and chilled – Australia

For those of us who have never experienced authoritarianism, it was distressing to watch its dark hand stretch to our shores as the members of Iran’s women’s soccer team faced a terrible choice.

  • by Jordan Baker
Iranian ambassador to Tunisia Mir Massoud Hosseinian shows an image of damage to Tehran’s historic Golestan Palace.

Damage to historical sites in Iran raises alarm about war’s impact on protected places

Historic palaces, mosques and ancient sites dating back over 60,000 years have all been damaged in Iran and Lebanon as the war rages.

  • by Farnoush Amiri
Advertisement
The fear in Taiwan is that Trump will be outplayed by Xi Jinping on his visit to Beijing next month and will sacrifice the island in exchange for a make-believe grand bargain.

Trump’s war is the most dangerous double-edged gamble I can remember

If Donald Trump’s war against Iran is really about the containment of China, it is a hell of a risk.

  • by Ambrose Evans-Pritchard
Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The world must treat Putin like the Nazis, says visiting foreign minister

Australia is being urged to consider joining plan to impose a sweeping travel ban on former Russian soldiers who participated in the war against Ukraine. 

  • by Matthew Knott
Former wildlife carer Tracy Dods with some of her supporters outside Parramatta District Court as she awaited the outcome of her appeal.

Former wildlife carer’s conviction for animal cruelty overturned

WIRES and the RSPCA raided Tracy Clare Dods’ Blue Mountains property and seized three kangaroos in her care. The judge criticised their “at times aggressive” behaviour.

  • by Caitlin Fitzsimmons
<p>

Dire Strait, but the Coalition’s latest trick is bad for politics

The Hormuz sea roads to access our fuel must be defended or Australia will splutter to a halt.

A building in Bachoura District in central Beirut is hit by an Israeli air strike.

US-Iran war: Australia releases diesel, petrol amid fuel shortages; Trump calls Iran’s leaders ‘deranged scumbags’, warns them more to come

Iran’s new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei has released his first statement. Read the live blog for our continuing coverage of the conflict in the Middle East.

  • by Emily Kaine, Sarah McPhee, Josefine Ganko and Alexander Darling
Barbie-coded: Sabrina Carpenter
Opinion
WordPlay

From Sabrina Carpenter to J.Lo, when did everything get so code-coded?

Charting the rise of the suffix of the moment.

  • by David Astle
Minns and Allen
Updated
GST

Biggest winners and losers in $103 billion GST carve-up

Victoria’s GST allocation will be about $1.7 billion more than NSW’s, despite having a smaller population.

  • by Matt Wade and James Hall
Energy Minister Chris Bowen announcing the first-ever release from Australia’s fuel stockpile.

Australia taps fuel stockpile in urgent bid to fill shortages and stem panic buying

The government will draw down hundreds of millions of litres of petrol and diesel from Australia’s strategic stockpile.

  • by Mike Foley
Georgie Gardner: "Tim is a wonderful father and has enabled me to have a big job. He is calm and consistent, which 
is good for me."

‘An enormous privilege’: Georgie Gardner announces she is leaving Nine

The newsreader and former Today host said she was humbled that viewers had followed her career for 25 years.

  • by Louise Rugendyke
Qantas.
Updated
Aviation

Qantas to pay $105m after class action over cancelled COVID flights

Hundreds of thousands of customers are expected to receive compensation, stemming from when Qantas gave customers restricted flight credits instead of cash refunds as COVID halted the aviation sector.

  • by Chris Zappone
Advertisement
Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Thursday.

Why the Albanese government is struggling to calm a precarious fuel crisis

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese can’t stop Australians filling up jerrycans with petrol and selling it on Facebook Marketplace at a premium. He can deliver a consistent message.

  • by Paul Sakkal
Colin Robertson, a self-described amateur detective who has been investigating the crash for almost four years.

‘Bike boy’ campaign accused of giving cash gifts to potential witnesses in case against Daniel Andrews

Court documents say those driving the “bike boy scandal” spent tens of thousands of fundraising money on “gifts” to potential witnesses in lawsuits they lodged on behalf of the young cyclist injured in a 2013 crash.

  • by Sherryn Groch
Major General Andrew Freeman with Malaysian Army Major General Dato’ Azhan bin Hj Md Othman in Canberra last year.

Taxpayer funding pulled from disaster response team after allegations of fraud

Disaster Relief Australia was feted by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and led by two of Australia’s most decorated military commanders.

  • by Eryk Bagshaw

Cynical vampires, gritty crime and Bob Carr’s moving memoir: 10 new books

Our reviewers cast their eyes over new fiction and non-fiction releases.

  • by Cameron Woodhead and Steven Carroll
Bluesfest 2025 proved a hit, attracting a near capacity crowd.

Bluesfest music festival cancelled as organisers appoint liquidator

Organisers of the northern NSW festival said it was “incredibly difficult” to scrap the April event that was to have featured Split Enz and Earth, Wind and Fire.

  • by Kayla Olaya and Karl Quinn
Alexander Csergo arrives at Sydney’s Downing Centre District Court earlier this week. He faces a maximum penalty of 15 years behind bars.

Australian expat was Chinese spy asset, jury finds

Alexander Csergo, 59, was running a telecoms business in Shanghai when he was approached on LinkedIn by a woman claiming to be from a Chinese think tank.

  • by Miklos Bolza
Adelaide star Izak Rankine was on the verge of All-Australian selection before he was suspended for a homophobic slur.

Rankine’s controversial ban for homophobic slur is about to end. This is what the next player will get

Crows boss John Olsen held talks with then AFL Commission chair Richard Goyder before the Crows star was handed a four-match ban on the even of the finals. The suspension was widely criticised as too light.

  • by Peter Ryan
How a Trump post sparked a wave of misinformation about Australia

How a Trump post sparked a wave of misinformation about Australia

The twists and turns in the tale of the Iranian women’s team in Australia this week came with a deluge of social media misinformation amplified by the usual suspects.

  • by Michael Koziol
Opinion
Schools

My son’s school trip to Canberra’s in doubt. That should worry every parent

Swimming lessons, the zoo excursion and overnight camps: these important markers of childhood are now out of reach for many families.

  • by Matt Sharpe
Co-authors James Patterson and Viola Davis.

He’s sold 425 million books. She’s won an Oscar, Emmy, Tony, Grammy

James Patterson and Viola Davis are new partners in crime, teaming up to write one of the year’s biggest page-turners.

  • by Richard Jinman
Advertisement
The Iranian embassy in Canberra, where diplomat Mohammad Pournajaf worked.

Top Iranian diplomat defected, received asylum in secret escape

Iran’s second most senior diplomat in Australia defected from the hardline regime and received asylum in Australia three years ago, a fact that has stayed secret until now.

  • by Brittany Busch and Matthew Knott
Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie rowing with Young LNP members on the Fitzroy River in Rockhampton in November.

Rocky waters remain as Bleijie insists flooding Fitzroy is Olympics-ready

Rockhampton’s Fitzroy River is still a long way off being confirmed as a Brisbane 2032 Olympic venue, despite Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie’s insistence to the contrary.

  • by Cameron Atfield
Police investigate after the Chester Hill shooting.

Men shot after wild brawl ends in gunfire

At least three shots were fired when a planned meeting in south-west Sydney descended into violence. The two men hit were known to police.

  • by Jack Gramenz
Racing NSW boss Peter V’landys.

Racing NSW to appeal court ruling, saying millions in funding ‘at risk’

Racing NSW will challenge a Supreme Court decision which blocked it from appointing an administrator at the Randwick-based Australian Turf Club.

  • by Chris Barrett
Markets continue to retreat with no end to the Iran war in sight.

ASX ends the week in the red as BHP slumps

The Australian sharemarket closed lower on Friday, capping off another negative week for the bourse, as investors worried about the surge in oil prices.

  • by Staff writers
Peach PRC performs at the Palace foreshore on March 12, 2026

When the performer herself says it’s almost too cold to sing, you have a problem

At Peach PRC’s gig, it’s freezing, and the light rain and cold wind blowing in from St Kilda beach make for harsh conditions to fully embrace the experience.

  • by Vyshnavee Wijekumar, Sonia Nair, Cameron Woodhead, Will Cox, Michael Dwyer and Tony Way
The section of the Great Western Highway which is threatening to collapse.

‘Major failure’: Key Blue Mountains highway to be closed for at least three months

With 12,000 vehicles using the road every day, the prolonged blockage will affect the delivery times and cost of produce from the region to Sydney.

  • by Bevan Shields
Brian and Vincent Wu, Incu co-founders.

‘We broke every rule’: How cult boutique Incu shook up Australia’s fashion scene

Brian and Vincent Wu have spent more than two decades building a fashion store chain that decidedly does not revolve around sales numbers.

  • by Jessica Yun

A blast across the valley, black smoke over the hills – and the wounded arrive

Streets are empty, the shops are closed and dogs roam the pavements. An explosion erupts, and doctors brace for incoming patients, write David Crowe and Kate Geraghty from Lebanon.

  • by David Crowe and Kate Geraghty
Not happy: Michael Maguire.
Analysis
NRL 2026

What was that, rugby league? And what is going on at Brisbane?

The Broncos are off to the worst premiership defence – at least as far as effort without the ball is concerned – in history. But in 2026, how much does defence actually matter?

  • by Dan Walsh
Advertisement
Australian Kim Keedle with 2026 Melbourne Grand Prix winner George Russell of Mercedes.

The Australian behind Mercedes’ F1 victory in Melbourne

Australian Kim Keedle was given the late call-up to help Mercedes with George Russell’s trainer stuck in the Middle East, with the Brit going on to win the season opener in Melbourne.

  • by Billie Eder
Nadia Bartel.
Opinion
Real life

Why women are obsessed with Nadia Bartel, and men will never get it

When news broke this week that the influencer has listed her Windsor home for sale, the story went nuts. Everyone raced to have a good old sticky beak.

  • by Kate Halfpenny
Timothée Chalamet with his Golden Globe. Will he win the Oscar? At this point, who knows?

Could a careless sound bite derail Timothee Chalamet’s Oscar bid?

Oscar nominee Timothée Chalamet’s disparaging remarks about ballet and opera have turned his Oscar dream into a PR nightmare.

  • by Michael Idato
His wife’s recent illness made Michael Rowland reassess his life.

In the space of 14 months, Michael Rowland upended his ABC life. There’s more upheaval to come

The veteran news presenter is making massive changes following his departure from the public broadcaster after four decades.

  • by Stephen Brook
Billie Eilish is set to take on the lead in a film adaptation of Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar.

Billie Eilish eyes movie debut in adaptation of cult Sylvia Plath novel

The Grammy-winning pop star says it was always her “dream to be in a movie”.

  • by Nell Geraets
Families are escorted away from the scene of the attack at Temple Israel Synagogue in the US state of Michigan.

Man dead after ramming car into Detroit synagogue hosting preschoolers

Meanwhile, a shooting at a university campus in Virginia is being treated as an act of terrorism, with the assailant having been previously jailed for supporting Islamic State.

  • by Michael Koziol
Gold medallist Anastasiia Bagiian of Team Russia and guide Sergei Siniakin celebrate to their team as they make their way to the podium during the medal ceremony for the Women’s 10km Para Cross-Country Skiing Vision Impaired race.

German athletes investigated over podium protest during Russian anthem

The International Paralympic Committee will investigate a podium protest during Russia’s national anthem, while Ukrainian officials have accused the IPC of discrimination.

  • by Frances Howe
Married at First Sight relationship expert Mel Schilling.
Updated
Reality TV

‘My light is starting to fade’: Married At First Sight expert reveals cancer has spread

Mel Schilling has said the cancer she was first diagnosed with in 2023 had deteriorated and spread to the left side of her brain. 

  • by Kayla Olaya
Aside from the lives on the line and the potential for wider economic woes, the rapid spread of chaos across markets is one more reason why Trump’s adventurism looks misguided.

Trump is flirting with financial chaos

The US president is finding out that backing out of a trade war is significantly simpler than retreating from a real one.

  • by Paul J. Davies