ABC News Daily

Who’s to blame for harassing a princess when she’s seriously ill? 

The frenzied search for information about the welfare of the Princess of Wales came to a sudden halt last weekend, when Kate revealed she is receiving treatment for cancer. 

Leading up to the revelation, the conspiracy theories about her absence from public view were running wild on social media, between friends and family, and in the mainstream press. 

ABC broadcaster and royal historian Julia Baird explores how we forgot a princess was human. 

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Julia Baird, ABC journalist and royal historian

Supporters of WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange have always warned he could be locked up for the rest of his life if he ends up in the United States to face charges which include espionage.

But now judges in London, where the Australian is in jail, have asked for assurances that if they agree to extradite him, the death penalty is off the table.

But could Assange actually face that fate in the US? 

Today, international law expert Don Rothwell explains the latest court ruling. 

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Don Rothwell, Professor of International Law at the Australian National University

Should your taxpayer dollars be used to construct sports stadiums?

Some politicians think bringing big sporting events to their voters is a core part of their job, with little regard for the cost. 

But building the venues demanded by event organisers is becoming increasingly costly and controversial.

A Tasmanian government plan to put hundreds of millions of dollars into a big ritzy new stadium in Hobart was one of the most contested issues of last weekend’s election. 

Today, Kos Samaras the director of polling company RedBridge Group on why some voters have had enough of paying to construct sports stadiums. 

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Kos Samaras, director of RedBridge Group

Russians are mourning after the worst terrorist attack in the country in two decades. 

More than 130 people died when gunmen opened fire at a concert hall on Moscow’s outskirts on Friday night. 

It’s a major security lapse, but will it cause more Russians to doubt Vladimir Putin’s leadership?

We’ll also explain why the Islamic State group that’s claimed responsibility for the attack would want to strike Russia. 

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Rajan Menon, director of the grand strategy program at Defense Priorities

When the tax office comes knocking, it’s not usually good news. 

And right now the Australian Taxation Office is pursuing thousands of people over historical debts that it had previously put on hold. 

Today, business reporter Nassim Khadem, on why the ATO is trying to recover the funds now and why some people are comparing it to Robodebt. 

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Nassim Khadem, ABC Business reporter

When one of China’s most senior figures came to Australia this week, it was one unofficial meeting that really stuck out. 

Foreign Minister Wang Yi was very keen to meet former prime minister Paul Keating. It’s a move that would have frustrated Australian officials.

Today, foreign affairs reporter Stephen Dziedzic on what China’s playing at. 

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Stephen Dziedzic, ABC foreign affairs reporter

When former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd declared Donald Trump the most destructive US president in history, a lot of people agreed. 

But his scathing assessments of the former president don’t sit so well now he’s working as Australia’s ambassador in Washington. 

Donald Trump could be elected president again in November and he isn’t happy. 

So, what happens to Kevin Rudd and our alliance with America if Trump returns?

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Dr Emma Shortis, senior researcher in international and security affairs at the Australia institute

Last week, hundreds of US politicians got behind a bill that would ban TikTok unless its Chinese parent company sells it. 

They’re worried the app could be used by the Chinese Communist Party to steal data and influence Americans. 

But is there really any evidence of that? 

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Alex Barinka, tech reporter at Bloomberg

We can’t avoid getting old, but when we do need care, after paying taxes and saving all our lives, should we really have to fork out more to pay for it? 

The government is looking to shake-up the aged care sector to make it much more user pays.

Today, investigative journalist Anne Connolly on what that means for the family inheritance.

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Anne Connolly, ABC investigative reporter

You can barely buy anything with it, but the price of Bitcoin has hit an all time high.

So how has the cryptocurrency that many people wrote off just a few years ago, surged once more?

Today, Andrew Chow, technology correspondent at Time Magazine, on the Bitcoin boom.