The Quicky

Australia is facing dangerous heat and fire conditions as a broad heatwave spreads across the country; The FBI has arrested a man, charging him with planting two pipe bombs near the U.S. Capitol the night before the January 6, 2021, attack; Israel has been cleared to participate in the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest, prompting Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, and Slovenia to withdraw; Actress Halle Berry has spoken out on women’s health, criticising California Governor Gavin Newsom for rejecting related legislation; Pantone’s 2026 Colour of the Year has the internet shook. 

Spotify Wrapped 2025 is here, so just how do Aussies stack up against global superstars?

We'll speak to the local group coming out on top for a third year in a row.

Plus, our reporter has gone deep into the delicate underbelly of kinks, and uncovered a new stronghold for women (literally). 

Welcome to the world of... handies. 

Melbourne detectives have issued 83 additional charges against alleged childcare paedophile Joshua Dale Brown - bringing the total number of offences he faces to 156; The Victorian government has approved more than $4 billion in cuts to the state's public service following a long-awaited independent review, aiming to rein in its ballooning wage bill and debt; 14 photos and videos of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s private island in the US Virgin Islands have been publicly released by Democrats in the House Oversight Committee; The doctor who illegally supplied Friends star Matthew Perry with Ketamine, the drug that caused the actor’s fatal overdose in 2023, has been sentenced to two and a half years in federal prison; and Spotify's annual data dump also revealed a sobering trend for the Australian music scene, indicating a reluctance among local listeners to embrace new homegrown talent.

The death toll in Gaza has surpassed 70,000 as a fragile ceasefire holds on paper while strikes continue.

We give you the latest updates on the International Stabilisation Force gearing up to enter the zone, and why Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has formally asked for a pardon in his long-running corruption trial.

Plus, with the social media ban just days away, Communications Minister Anika Wells confirms the crackdown is about cultural change, busts the myth that we must hand over their passports to stay online, and reveals how the e-Safety Commissioner will actually check the ban is working. 

Disgraced former political staffer Bruce Lehrmann has lost his bid to overturn a court finding that he probably raped his colleague Brittany Higgins in Parliament House; An internal review into the coalition's election loss has pinned some blame on US President Donald Trump for turning voters away from Peter Dutton; A study by the University of South Australia has found the fastest growing cohort of people using long term antidepressants are younger Aussies; YouTube has confirmed it will comply with Australia's world-first under-16s social media ban; Hugh Jackman has sent Oprah to Bill's in Sydney to try their renowned ricotta hotcakes