Sydney Morning Herald Digest
Daily News • Sunday, 25 January 2026
Australia Day 2026 LIVE: Astronaut named Australian of The Year; Major Sydney protests to go ahead with increased police presence
Follow our rolling coverage of all the major Australia Day events and protests taking place across Sydney today.
Is the five-second rule true or false? A dietitian’s guide to food safety
With nearly 5 million cases of food poisoning in Australia a year, it pays to heed a few simple guidelines when it comes to cooking and serving food safely.
Tempers flare as teammates separated after altercation
Perth Wildcats teammates Jo Lual-Acuil and Kristian Doolittle were separated after an ugly confrontation as their team lost by a single point to Melbourne United.
More than a million without power as massive winter storm hits US
A swath of southern states and major cities, including Washington and New York are in the grip of heavy snow, treacherous ice, and freezing temperatures.
Australia Day gets underway, protests expected
Thousands of people are expected to protest in Invasion Day rallies around the country today.
Victoria set to reach 49 degrees as communities brace for week-long heatwave
Parts of northern Victoria are facing seven consecutive days of temperatures above 40.
Bushfires raging in Victoria
Hundreds of people have been evacuated as bushfires erupt again in Victoria.
National weather forecast for Monday January 26
National weather forecast for Monday January 26.
‘Easy to have a crack at us’: Everyone’s watching the Saints – and they know it
St Kilda have recruited aggressively and spent big money on their best talent in an attempt to rejoin the clubs at the top of the table. It’s put the spotlight squarely on them.
Two men arrested at Sydney Airport with $750,000 worth of cocaine: police allege
Officers swooped on two men from Europe when they landed in Sydney. They had allegedly swallowed more than 200 small packets of cocaine.
Computer says no: AI vetting rejects job hunters in record time
Experts are flagging the need for legal guardrails as employers increasingly rely on AI to screen applications and conduct job interviews.
The critical question hanging over the $7.3 trillion AI bonanza
As spending on artificial intelligence surges, the history of massive technology booms suggests it’s often a rocky path for investors.
Cautious king of the most dangerous sport in the world
The ocean and the beach can be calming and soothing, but also perilous.
The sleepy seaside suburb where Melburnians claim the highest car expenses
The top 10 postcodes where Melburnians claim the highest average work-related car expenses are revealed in analysis of ATO data.
‘I want a hairy forearm’: what this TV host looks for in a partner
The Emmy-winning TV personality, 38, best known for his work on the Netflix series, Queer Eye, is also, simultaneously, an author, podcaster, comedian, hairstylist and founder of JVN Hair.
Four Australian Indigenous architects to watch in 2026
There has been a “fundamental shift” in Australian architecture in recent years, and it’s helping make buildings better.
The underrated US city with a ‘mini Grand Canyon’ and few tourists
Grand Junction offers unrivalled access to three of Colorado’s most dramatic wildernesses.
Hanson fails to declare interests including company tied to ‘anti-woke’ movie
The Queensland senator, whose One Nation party is riding high in the polls, has undeclared involvement in three companies.
On Australia Day, we can acknowledge the past without being trapped by it
We can learn from the oldest continuing cultures in the world how to listen more deeply. That is where real healing begins.
The world’s largest indoor rainforest offers more than just wow factor
This remarkable project in Cornwall, England, still seems futuristic, 25 years after it launched.