Calls for expedited hate speech enforcement and new police powers to ban rallies are shaping the national conversation, alongside a government response to antisemitism and rising economic inequality, while a controversial poll on terrorism sparks division.
Despite cost-of-living pressures, Australians are set for a multibillion-dollar Christmas spend, while superannuation and business tax reforms face political hurdles, and a major bank receives a hefty fine amid global stock market rallies and tourism revenue-seeking initiatives like charging for Rome's Trevi Fountain, and online retailers facing new regulations for age verification.
Australians are migrating south to escape extreme climate events like heatwaves, floods, and fires, highlighting the urgent and direct impact of climate change on population movement.
The Trump Administration's weaponisation of state power is causing America's democratic unravelling, challenging its self-image as a guardian of the rules-based international order.
Community water fluoridation is being re-examined for its scientific basis and the influence of corporate interests, questioning whether it represents mass medication based on weak evidence.
David Walliams has been dropped by his publisher following harassment allegations involving female employees, underscoring the ongoing issues of accountability in media and publishing.