As tobacconist firebombings intensify in Melbourne, nearby stores are being denied insurance
Arson attacks related to illegal tobacco trade are also causing revenue and reputation problems for neighbouring businesses
Spamalot review – Monty Python’s elaborate musical piss-take has absurdity but not quite enough anarchy
Athenaeum, Melbourne: Individual performances shine and new elements add laughs – but other additions are tacky in the extreme
Future of German chancellor hangs in the balance as two states go to polls
Embattled Friedrich Merz faces nervous wait while far-right Alternative für Deutschland party targets further gains
‘I would be happy if prices came down’: the older Australians wanting house prices to fall for their kids’ sake
Parents and grandparents who bought their first home with ease are hoping the slide in affordability can be reversed for the sake of the younger generation
Ed Sheeran says situation in Gaza ‘unjustifiable’ in first show since tour plunged into turmoil
The pop star has faced boycott calls after rapper Macklemore was removed from his tour after shouting ‘Free Palestine’ at a concert this month
When friends become good neighbours: the Melbourne families who transformed one home into three townhouses
In a novel approach to urban housing, some residents have pooled their time and finances into redeveloping single dwellings. It’s a herculean task – with feel-good results
Victorian Labor vows to close loopholes that allow domestic violence perpetrators to ‘slip through the cracks and walk free’
Premier Ben Carroll says a re-elected Labor government will legislate a new form of manslaughter and increase maximum penalty for rape to life imprisonment
Suzi Quatro: ‘It is absolutely crazy I’m not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. But I’m in good company!’
The 76-year-old rocker on her pre-gig routine, the one reality show she’d go on and who she’d cast as herself in a film about her life
Sea dragon populations decimated in ‘mind-blowing’ mass mortality event caused by South Australian algal bloom
Thousands of sea dragons, pipefishes and seahorses have washed up along state’s coastline according to analysis of citizen scientist records
Gavin Newsom signs election security bills to thwart federal interference by Trump
Bills signed by California governor safeguard vote by mail and make seizing ballots or election records a felony
Trump’s battle to rename the Kennedy Center has put its future at risk
The president has threatened to block renovations and suggested the landmark could be demolished after courts ruled against his bid to rename it
Thick smoke seen near Riyadh airport as Houthis claim attack on Saudi capital
Authorities issued warnings for city in first such alerts for Riyadh since fighting with Iran-backed Houthis escalated in July
A coalmine on Trish’s Queensland farm has been abandoned. Will anyone clean it up?
The state government is reviewing laws introduced to ensure taxpayers are not left footing the bill for rehabilitation, leaving one cattle farmer wondering: what happens next?
‘I feel like I’m cancelling out her life’: the wrenching work of clearing out a parent’s home
From old love letters to pieces of string, our homes are stuffed with stuff. When it comes time to empty a parent’s home, sorting the junk from the memory can be overwhelming
Kemi Badenoch accuses Andy Burnham of ‘fiddling while Europe risks burning’
Tory leader claims prime minister is avoiding difficult decisions as she urges him to increase defence spending