Dolly Parton, the legendary American country music icon, has died aged 80 after a career spanning more than six decades with 11 Grammy Awards. A Melbourne man has been charged after allegedly stabbing a mother and punching her 10-year-old son outside Victoria's police headquarters. Disgraced talent manager Ralph Carr has been jailed for six years over the cocaine-fuelled rape of a former employee, with the court hearing he committed an egregious breach of trust.

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Book Week has returned to Australian schools, with students dressing up as their favourite literary characters including Spider-Man, Willy Wonka, and Where's Wally. Launched in 1945 to encourage Australian children to read, Book Week has grown into one of the biggest events on the school calendar. Teachers and librarians at schools like St Michael's in Blacktown report seeing more creative costume choices and increased student engagement with reading.

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The New South Wales government has announced a $95 million poker machine reform package mandating facial recognition technology in all gaming rooms to enforce a statewide exclusion register. The reforms include new bans on marketing, advertising and VIP programs, but critics argue they fall short of evidence-based measures like account-based gaming and mandatory midnight shutdowns. Poker machine revenue in NSW is currently worth $1.6 billion and is expected to reach $2.2 billion by 2029, with the state housing half of Australia's poker machines.

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Jai Arrow, forced into medical retirement in May after being diagnosed with motor neurone disease, will make a comeback to complete 100 games for the South Sydney Rabbitohs. The NRL has changed its rules to allow Arrow to lead out the Rabbitohs for kick-off before being immediately interchanged in two matches against the Gold Coast Titans and the Sydney Roosters. Both clubs, along with former teammate Lachlan Ilias, will honour Arrow during the emotional milestone games.

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Former 2GB broadcaster Jason Morrison testified in the sexual assault trial of his former colleague Alan Jones, 85, facing allegations from a complainant who claims Jones touched him inappropriately during a lunch more than a decade ago. The judge declared Morrison an unfavourable witness due to his long friendship with Jones, leading to tense courtroom exchanges when Crown Prosecutor Georgina Wright suggested Morrison was tailoring his evidence in Jones' favour. Additional witnesses who attended the lunch are expected to be called to provide their accounts of the incident.

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Iran's Revolutionary Guard has issued a $10 million bounty on Barron Trump, claiming to know his address and daily movements in a chilling AI video now under Secret Service investigation. The United States has launched Operation Economic Outcast, implementing escalating sanctions against Iran and any country conducting business with Tehran, threatening to remove them from the US dollar system. The economic pressure campaign targets Iran's biggest trade partner China, whilst President Trump simultaneously threatens 50% tariffs on Canada, with both allies and adversaries refusing to back down.

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A video game based on the Gallipoli campaign has been launched on PlayStation and Xbox, placing players in the famous WWI trenches. Developed by Blackmill Games, the game includes Australian sound effects and has been released in a Turkish version called 'Çanakkale'. The release has prompted questions about respectful representation of the ANZAC legacy, with the RSL encouraging thoughtful and respectful engagement with the content.

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The Richmond Tigers AFL team has publicly acknowledged embarrassment over their Mad Monday celebrations, which were filmed and leaked to media, showing players engaged in behaviour that appeared to mock the Sydney Swans hotel scandal. The incident has sparked debate about AFL culture standards, with women's advocates criticising the conduct as making light of alleged sexual assault, while the club maintains the players were not referencing the Swans controversy. The controversy emerges as former Swans assistant coach Mark McVeigh was officially named Essendon's new head coach.

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Sydney's rail network experienced major disruptions during morning peak hour when a snapped overhead cable halted the T1 and T9 lines between Hornsby and North Sydney. Thousands of commuters were forced onto replacement buses and overcrowded metro services, with normal operations not resuming until after midday. This marks the second overhead wiring failure in 11 days, raising serious concerns about the reliability of the city's rail infrastructure.

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Major Sydney property developer Bathla has entered voluntary administration with liabilities estimated at more than $3 billion across a group of 400 companies. The collapse affects 22,000 apartments and more than 3,000 houses in the pipeline, leaving thousands of buyers in limbo, particularly in Sydney's south-west, north-west and Hunter regions. Administrators Teneo have moved into the Girraween headquarters to stabilise the business and attempt to continue construction activity and property settlements.

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