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Michael Ruffles

Michael Ruffles

Michael Ruffles is the deputy state topic editor of The Sydney Morning Herald.

Junta leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing attends a ceremony to commission new aircraft into the Myanmar air force in March.

There is war in our backyard and we have forgotten all about it

As everyone was absorbing the RBA’s decision to raise interest rates on Tuesday evening, one economist received something of a rock-star reception in Sydney.

  • Michael Ruffles

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Sophie (Elodie Westhoff) and Ann (Rachel Crossan) bond on the track.

The result of a single test tears this friendship apart

A premiere of a new British play and a production of As You Like It head this round-up of reviews from around the city.

  • Kate Prendergast, Joyce Morgan, Michael Ruffles, Shamim Razavi and John Shand
Health Minister Ryan Park and Sydney Local Health District Deb Willcox have faced tough questions on the deadly fungus cluster at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital.

How a deadly fungus cluster exposed NSW’s wicked hospital problem

Many of NSW’s 4400 hospital buildings are ageing and riddled with mould, but a $940 million upgrade of one Sydney hospital may have disturbed spores deadly to some of its sickest patients.

  • Angus Thomson and Michael Ruffles

A bit of Bad Bunny might just be what we all need right now

Our reviewers give their verdict on all the latest shows around town.

  • Peter McCallum, Rod Yates, John Shand, Kate Prendergast and Michael Ruffles
Mould at RPA index composite image

‘Disturbing’: Mould found in hospital after deadly fungus cluster

The mould infestation was found after a cluster of fungal infections leading to the deaths of two patients.

  • Angus Thomson and Michael Ruffles
Richard Roxburgh stars in Art.

This laugh-out-loud 90-minute play is the perfect antidote to your problems

Our reviewers give their verdict on all the latest performances.

  • Michael Ruffles, John Shand, Bernard Zuel and Peter McCallum
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Some of the identified Bondi victims include, clockwise from left, Matilda, 10, Peter Meagher, Yaakov Levitan, Dan Elkayam, Eli Schlanger, Marika Pogany and Alex Kleytman.

‘You owe us answers’: Families of Bondi victims demand PM launch federal royal commission

Calls for a Commonwealth inquiry into the rise of antisemitism and other security failings that have affected the Jewish community are escalating.

  • Matt Wade, Shane Wright and Michael Ruffles
Thai minister Thammanat Prompao was jailed in Sydney over a drug importation.

From sinister to prime minister? The surprise candidate putting his hand up to lead Thailand

In this post-truth Trumpian world, seemingly nothing can stop a political career. Certainly not a few years in a Sydney jail back in the 1990s for helping smuggle heroin.

  • Michael Ruffles
Lady Gaga performs on stage at The O2 Arena on September 29, 2025 in London, England.
  • ★★‏‏★★
  • Arts

Lady Gaga at her brilliant, Burtonesque best in triumphant Sydney return

Mother Monster is back in Australia for the first time in a decade, bringing the Mayhem Ball to Sydney.

  • Michael Ruffles
Metallica never let go even when you thought you had a minute to breathe.

Match that, AC/DC: Supercharged Metallica throw down the gauntlet

Our reviewers give their verdict on the latest shows around town.

  • Kate Prendergast, Peter McCallum, John Shand, Cassie Tongue and Michael Ruffles