Cost of giving diminishes Christmas joy
As families make cutbacks and sacrifices to save the spirit of Christmas, charities warn that many will face a bleak festive season devoid of celebrations.
- News
- Arts & Entertainment
The year’s best streaming shows on television
Packed with prestige drama and cracking comedies, 2024 has been one of the most binge-worthy years of streaming in recent memory, says streaming columnist NICK OVERALL.
- Arts & Entertainment
Best book for the year from the wilds of Tassie
Book reviewer ANNA CREER shares her novel of the year plus four others that stand out from the pack.
- Lifestyle
The best plant… for every season
Gardening writer JACKIE WARBURTON showcases her seasonal favourites from a year in the garden.
- Politics
Labor grapples with Albanese’s ‘grumpy man problem’
Labor has to grapple with Anthony Albanese’s ‘man problem’, writes political columnist MICHELLE GRATTAN.
- Arts & Entertainment
Bauble bangers – the story behind Christmas pop music
CityNews cinema writer SIMON COBCROFT has a secret life: Christmas music tragic. Over four decades he's listened to 14,000 Christmas songs and arrived at a 17-hour playlist of the 359 songs he reckons are worth listening to.
- Arts & Entertainment
The Queen, a Fairfax, music and Richie Benaud
Book reviewer COLIN STEELE wraps up a year of wide reading to settle on five of his favourites.
- Lifestyle
Christmas Dose of Dorin
Cartoonist PAUL DORIN loves Christmas. Expect lots more of his seasonal cheer.
- Lifestyle
Six of the best: Calver’s top tipples for 2024
"With the necessary amount of respect to avoid impudence, I now offer my recommendations for holiday season drinking. Don’t beat me up that they are all local wines," writes wine writer RICHARD CALVER.
Update
Few clues to motive in ‘horrifying’ Bondi rampage
NSW Premier Chris Minns says women were targeted in the Bondi Junction mass stabbing but lengthy inquiries to come may never conclusively find a motive.
Update
Boxing Day warning as firies prepare to battle blazes
Firefighters are working around the clock to prepare for sweltering Boxing Day conditions as warnings for several major blazes are downgraded.
News
Extreme weather is scaring off tourists
Threats of floods, storms, bushfires and heatwaves are making summer holidays difficult to plan and navigate for tourists.
News
Fears summer drownings could double during Christmas
The week between Christmas Day and New Year's Day is the worst time for drownings in Australia, lifesavers warn, with an average of 15 lives lost annually.
News
Smashed and crashed: driver six times over the limit
A 39-year-old man from Ngunnawal, more than six times over the legal alcohol limit, had his licence suspended immediately on Saturday night.
Man extradited from Spain faces sex and charges
Three cling to boat hull in Bawley Point rescue
Driver killed, passengers injured in highway bus crash
Woman dies in surf at Werri Beach
Pharmaceutical giant sued over ‘ineffective’ cold drugs
Out-of-control fires in nation’s east, heatwave in west
Arts & Entertainment
Get ready for the ‘roarsome’ awesome dinosaur experience
Families are in for a "roarsome" experience when more than 30 huge dinosaurs stomp into the Black Mountain Peninsula at Acton for the ACT’s first showing of the ultimate outdoor dinosaur event, says DinoFest founder, LAURENCE TAYLOR.
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Opinion
An Australian fair dinkum Christmas really is unique
"The tableau became unhinged. Blue angels, sprawling shepherds, wise men and even the doll’s doting parents panicked. Theatrical chaos threatened," Gadfly columnist ROBERT MACKLIN fondly remembers when the school nativity play goes awry.
Lifestyle
Karen has a passion for growing native plants
Opening in 2015, owner of Pialligo’s Cool Country Natives Karen Brien says that helping customers choose plants that will work for their garden and then hearing how good they look as they grow is "such a rewarding experience".
Sponsored Content
News
Boxing Day warning as firies prepare to battle blazes
Firefighters are working around the clock to prepare for sweltering Boxing Day conditions as warnings for several major blazes are downgraded.
Feature
Cost of giving diminishes Christmas joy
As families make cutbacks and sacrifices to save the spirit of Christmas, charities warn that many will face a bleak festive season devoid of celebrations.
Weather
Extreme weather is scaring off tourists
Threats of floods, storms, bushfires and heatwaves are making summer holidays difficult to plan and navigate for tourists.
National news
Fears summer drownings could double during Christmas
The week between Christmas Day and New Year's Day is the worst time for drownings in Australia, lifesavers warn, with an average of 15 lives lost annually.
Police
Smashed and crashed: driver six times over the limit
A 39-year-old man from Ngunnawal, more than six times over the legal alcohol limit, had his licence suspended immediately on Saturday night.
Police
Man extradited from Spain faces sex and charges
A 50-year-old man has been extradited from Spain to face charges relating to 16 sexual offences allegedly committed against his stepchild.
Police
Three cling to boat hull in Bawley Point rescue
Three people, clinging to the hull of an upturned boat, were rescued in waters near Bawley Point on the south coast late on Saturday afternoon.
National news
Driver killed, passengers injured in highway bus crash
A Greyhound bus driver has died after his vehicle collided with a truck on a highway in the early hours of the morning, leaving several passengers injured.
News
Woman dies in surf at Werri Beach
A 66-year-old woman is dead after being found unresponsive in the water at beach near Kiama.
Daily Puzzles
Labor has to grapple with Anthony Albanese’s ‘man problem’, writes political columnist MICHELLE GRATTAN.
"It’s been a year. One of those. And 2025 looks like the Godzilla in the…
Why Labor’s shared-equity obsession won’t work
Coal would work harder, longer under Dutton’s nuclear plan
Teal gets a boost as moderates slip away from Dutton
Here’s to better outcomes from the new Assembly
The perfect storm that fractured relations with Israel
Frustrated federal government waits on Bullock’s call
Views
Cyclone Tracy’s lessons have ‘still not been learnt’
Fifty years ago, Cyclone Tracy devastated Darwin. The lessons from it have still not been learnt, says STEVEN FARRAM.
Opinion
Air rage, what is it and why is it getting worse?
Flying this holiday season? MILAD HAGHANI explains why air travel makes us so cranky – and what to do about it
Opinion
Now for the main bout where truth versus fantasy
"Unfortunately, the human mind is a precision instrument of self-delusion. Its most fearsome power is its capacity to provide self-sustaining fables that support its natural desire to escape its own demise," writes columnist ROBERT MACKLIN.
Opinion
If the future is our children, why don’t we care?
"A therapeutic, whole-of-life approach to recovering a young life, must have as its focus interventions managed by well-trained, passionate staff and paid enough to want to stay," writes HUGH SELBY.
Letters
Feet up? Ms Lee is there to serve her electorate
"Dr Hughes should have chosen his words more carefully as it gives the impression our elected representatives in 'backbencher' positions are in a job that's very easy and pleasant, requiring little effort," says letter writer TONY FALLA.
Opinion
Christmas carol: A baby is born to save us
Columnist HUGH SELBY takes to poetry with a seasonal message of hope.
Opinion
When it comes to Legal Aid, we get the injustice we pay for
"Inadequate funding leads to inadequate preparation and piss-poor performance. That’s a disaster for the accused." HUGH SELBY puts the case for why the ACT needs a Public Defenders Office or increased Legal Aid funding, or both.
Opinion
How big data doesn’t always get it right
Big data has revolutionised research, honing sharper results across far greater fields of exploration, but it isn’t a fail-safe guarantor of accuracy, writes ANDREW LEIGH.
Opinion
Some dumb rules just don’t apply at Christmas
"This Christmas, I hope everybody who feels different or excluded, by dumb rules or social mores, gets a lifetime of joy and belonging," writes Kindness columnist ANTONIO DI DIO.
Arts
The year’s best streaming shows on television
Packed with prestige drama and cracking comedies, 2024 has been one of the most binge-worthy years of streaming in recent memory, says streaming columnist NICK OVERALL.
Books
Best book for the year from the wilds of Tassie
Book reviewer ANNA CREER shares her novel of the year plus four others that stand out from the pack.
Music
Bauble bangers – the story behind Christmas pop music
CityNews cinema writer SIMON COBCROFT has a secret life: Christmas music tragic. Over four decades he's listened to 14,000 Christmas songs and arrived at a 17-hour playlist of the 359 songs he reckons are worth listening to.
Books
The Queen, a Fairfax, music and Richie Benaud
Book reviewer COLIN STEELE wraps up a year of wide reading to settle on five of his favourites.
Film
Is bigger better and is IMAX worth the big money?
So, how good is Canberra's new IMAX big-screen experience and is it worth spending up to $60 for a ticket? CityNews cinema writer SIMON COBCROFT takes a long, close look…
Photography
Differing angles to the human condition
Reviewer CON BOEKEL is intrigued by elements of the human condition on display at the PhotoAccess Concept to Publication exhibition.
Update
Do the Heelers eat popcorn? TV hit Bluey becomes a film
Disney will bring a feature film version of the popular children's TV show Bluey into cinemas around the world.
Music
Slade’s Merry Xmas Everybody a seasonal hit for the ages
Glam tidings of joy: ALISON BLAIR explains how Slade made Merry Xmas Everybody a seasonal hit for the ages.
Dance
Bom Funk celebrates a year of big wins
There’s some serious celebrating at Bom Funk Dance Studio, after a top-notch year of success at the 2024 Australasian Dance Education Awards, writes arts editor HELEN MUSA.
Lifestyle
The best plant… for every season
Gardening writer JACKIE WARBURTON showcases her seasonal favourites from a year in the garden.
Lifestyle
Christmas Dose of Dorin
Cartoonist PAUL DORIN loves Christmas. Expect lots more of his seasonal cheer.
Wine
Six of the best: Calver’s top tipples for 2024
"With the necessary amount of respect to avoid impudence, I now offer my recommendations for holiday season drinking. Don’t beat me up that they are all local wines," writes wine writer RICHARD CALVER.
Health & Fitness
Seven ways to extend the life of your smile
So what happens to teeth as you age? And what can you do to ensure your smile lasts the distance?
Dining
Reviewer Wendy’s top five eateries for the year
It’s been a whirlwind of a year for hospitality, says dining reviewer WENDY JOHNSON.
Gardening
Love the touch of the velvety woolly bush
Gardening columnist JACKIE WARBURTON looks at another week in the summer garden.
Pets
5 things to know before boarding your pet this summer
MELISSA STARLING shares five things to know before boarding your dog or cat this summer.
Lifestyle
Christmas Dose of Dorin
Cartoonist PAUL DORIN loves Christmas. Expect lots more of his seasonal cheer.
Gardening
Planting, pruning and then some holiday time!
"All dahlias, summer and autumn annuals should be in the ground and the last sowing of tomatoes, capsicums and zucchinis can be done for late-autumn cropping," says gardening writer JACKIE WARBURTON.
