A truth that should be universally acknowledged is that cats are going to cat.

Australia will be looking to continue their dominance over England in the second Ashes Test after skipper Pat Cummins was ruled out on the morning of the match.

England’s chief medical officer says Omicron was spreading at a “phenomenal pace” and that “substantial numbers” of people will need hospital treatment in the coming weeks.

Witnesses say the crash could have had tragic consequences had it occurred an hour later, when children would have been lining up to see Santa Claus.

Transmission of coronavirus in Victoria is now at its highest level in month as the state’s health department confirmed genomic sequencing is underway for about 30 people suspected of being infected with the highly contagious Omicron variant.

Five children have died and another four are in a critical condition after falling from a jumping castle that was blown into the air at a primary school in Devonport.

Jeff Browne’s four-person ticket has swept to power at Collingwood with the former head of Channel Nine to be the new president of the Magpies.

Health staff have been working with local Indigenous communities in remote parts of Queensland to ensure they are vaccinated ahead of an expected wave of COVID-19 cases.

The health minister says venues planning to ignore the vaccine mandate are shooting themselves in the foot, as two women are charged with vaccination fraud.

NSW’s top doctor is urging people to keep wearing masks, unvaccinated shoppers can now visit non-essential retail stores in Victoria and the federal Treasurer will deliver his mid-year economic update today.

As much as 40 per cent of the population suffers from a sleep disorder, and they affect both our health and life-span. But there are effective ways to prevent and treat them.

Australian cricket is walking a COVID tightrope once more after Pat Cummins was ruled out of the Adelaide Test as one of the indoor diners all required to isolate for seven days under the protocols determined by SA Health.

Once a genteel pastime for the well-heeled, sailing is now an extreme sport and the world’s biggest names will be flying around Sydney Harbour this week. Yes, flying.

Being anointed the unrivalled incubator for a COVID variant is not the kind of attention the city craves.

Two major departures, countless new characters, but not a single orgasm.

President Biden and Caroline Kennedy share a strong friendship and family connections.

Sydneysiders queued for hours for COVID-19 tests on Thursday, with interstate travel requirements and an explosion in case alerts driving demand.

After a tumultuous morning, Australia had to gather itself up under the suddenly restored captaincy of Steve Smith in Adelaide.

The Premier was at a birthday party in Elwood on Saturday night. Also in attendance was a partygoer infected with the ‘wildly infectious’ virus Mr Andrews has spent the best part of two years fighting.

NSW hospitals have been instructed to move back to “red alert” operations amid concern about staff furloughing and rising infections.

Earlier this week The Age spoke to five VCE students about their experiences this year and hopes for results day. On Thursday, we witnessed them receiving their ATARs and making plans for the future.

The Phoenix have made an undefeated start to the season but they face a dangerous Sydney Kings side on Saturday night in Sydney.

From bushfires to a pandemic, storms and floods, the past two years have thrown up unprecedented challenges and disruptions for our school students.

In a 2½-hour televised wide-raging interview, Macron said the Australian government behaved badly when it pulled out of the contract to buy the vessels from France.

Buoyed by high oil prices, the bosses of the biggest explorers are laying out a vision for an energy transition that hinges on more fossil-fuel investment rather than less.

David Warner struggled with badly bruised ribs and England’s recalled dynamic duo of Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad to lay a platform for Australia.

Relief, joy and, for some disappointment, follow as 65,000 Victorian kids get their results today.

The state government has been forced to inject an extra $1.1 billion over the next three years into the state’s rail operators.

The Coalition keeps moving the goalposts on when the moment for economic restraint will come.

The elderly man was ambushed when he went outside his home to investigate a disturbance. Photos of Mr Lombardi sitting bloodied on his bed shocked the state.

Everything you need to know to pick a winner on an eight-race card.

Junior Paulo will be an Eel until at least 2026 after signing a new contract, which gives him the chance to continue his prop partnership with Reagan Campbell-Gillard.

Tony Wellington’s reflection on the decade considers the music, politics and social upheaval.

Perth Glory’s A-League Men matches for the remainder of December have been called off as players await a ruling from Queensland health authorities that is likely to force them into 14 days of hotel quarantine.

WA Premier and Treasurer Mark McGowan has given his mid-year budget review address. He said the state could offer the increase because its financial position was stronger than it had been in decades.

Resilience might be the defining trait of the class of 2021, which endured two years of uncertainty and stop-start schooling while completing their VCE.

The Dogs Bar is back with new owners who are hoping a mix of live music, Cajun food and a community feel will return it to a howling success.

The NSW government is set to reintroduce speed camera warnings in a major backdown just a year after announcing they would be removed to improve road safety.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has revealed a $106 billion increase in budget revenues - but the bottom line has only improved $2.3 billion as the government prepares for election spending.

The groundbreaking author, educator and activist whose explorations of how race, gender, economics and politics were intertwined was one of the most influential thinkers of her time.

Health authorities say about 30 positive COVID-19 cases are now being managed as either suspected or confirmed Omicron cases.

Matt Kean has revealed the budget deficit this year will be almost $20 billion – but he says the state economy will bounce back quickly from a Delta downturn.

In October last year, Kim Jong-un apologised. The millennial dictator had to find a way to connect with his starving people.

New reporting distinctions in the wake of eased border restrictions point out when the virus is coming from other states.

The federal government has put more money into discretionary grants programs as Labor braces for “further buckets of money” to be used to shore up marginal seats.

ANZ chairman Paul O’Sullivan has vowed to turn things around after admitting the major bank failed to meet the surging demand for home loans during the pandemic property boom.

Cheeky Monkey Brewing Co has launched legal action against its landlord Wilyabrup Investments after the latter warned it terminate a brewery and restaurant lease over carpark issues.

More than 200 people who attended the nightclub on December 8 have since tested positive to COVID-19.

Fresh from winning the Wyong Classic on Soaring Ambition, jockey Tommy Berry is chasing more two-year-old success at Randwick.

The Ahmed Fahour-led business is seeking a piece of the long-term surge in consumer spending by Asia’s rising middle class.