Independent Australian news and analysis across politics, business, technology, world affairs and culture
Catherine Roy Few novelists from two centuries ago still spark arguments at dinner parties the way Jane Austen does. Her six novels, led by Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility, remain among the most-read works in English literature, selling tens of thousands of copies every year. But Austen’s life was quieter than her fiction suggests — … Read more
Few baseball players have left a mark as deep as Joe DiMaggio. His 56-game hitting streak still stands, and his nine World Series rings are legendary. But behind the headlines of the Yankee Clipper lies a complicated personal life — including a marriage to Marilyn Monroe that ended in 274 days. Born: November 25, 1914 … Read more
There’s something satisfying about watching a player find the place where they truly belong. Charlie Cameron’s move from Adelaide to the Brisbane Lions in 2017 wasn’t just a trade — it was a homecoming that transformed him from a promising forward into a genuine AFL star with two All-Australian blazers and more than 200 games … Read more
Most people never imagine that a routine custody dispute could spiral into a four-year national manhunt. But that’s exactly what happened in New Zealand, where Tom Phillips took his three children and vanished in December 2021. Years on the run: 4 · Children involved: 3 · Outcome date: September 2025 · Fatal ending: Shot dead … Read more
If you’ve ever browsed the TV listings during the holiday season, you’ve likely stopped on a familiar face: Lacey Chabert. The actress, best known for playing Gretchen Wieners in Mean Girls and voicing Eliza Thornberry in The Wild Thornberrys, has become synonymous with Hallmark Channel romance. Born: September 30, 1982 · Birthplace: Purvis, Mississippi · … Read more
When Jakara Anthony stepped onto the moguls course at the 2018 Winter Olympics, she finished fourth — just outside the podium. Six years later, she had become the most decorated Australian Winter Olympian in history. Born: 8 July 1998 · Olympic Gold Medals: 2 · World Cup Crystal Globes: 7 · World Cup Medals: 46 … Read more
Prince George of Wales has spent most of his life in the public eye, but 2026 marks a turning point. He turns 13, starts at a new school, and steps into a role that comes with a set of centuries-old traditions. Full name: Prince George Alexander Louis of Wales · Date of birth: 22 July … Read more
When Netflix announced Wednesday season 2, few expected one of the most talked-about characters to be a reanimated corpse named Slurp. But that’s exactly what Owen Painter, the 27-year-old actor behind the green face paint, has become. Full name: Owen Nash Painter (Wikipedia) · Date of birth: November 6, 1997 (Wikipedia) · Age (as of … Read more
Most people know Ricki-Lee Coulter from Australian Idol — first as a contestant, then as its host. But the narrative that follows her is far more layered, encompassing a dramatic physical transformation and a fiercely independent stance on family. Full Name: Ricki-Lee Dawn Coulter · Birth Date: 10 November 1985 · Birthplace: Auckland, New Zealand … Read more
If you grew up watching The Vampire Diaries, Candice King was the one you rooted for — Caroline Forbes, the blonde who went from perfectionist to vampire to hero. You may have figured out she changed her name from Accola when she got married, then changed it back after the divorce. Now there’s a new … Read more