Last Saturday night, for the first time ever, I felt a sense of normalcy as I pulled on the Melbourne jumper. Not in the form of complacency, but a familiarity in my single-mindedness.

The Victorian government is demanding the operator of Australia's main electricity grid explain how the state came close to losing electricity during the recent extreme heatwave to ensure NSW avoided power outages, adding to calls for a wider inquiry.

The local sharemarket ended another big day of reporting season in the red, as a slide in miners led by Rio Tinto offset a number of positive earnings surprises.

Planning minister Anthony Roberts is seeking advice about new powers to refuse coal mining applications.

Ardent chief executive Deborah Thomas says she is "not going anywhere" and will work to restore the theme park operator to its former glory after the company sank to a $49.4 million loss for the December half following the fatal accident at its Dreamworld theme park in October.

​Western Australia's police commissioner has questioned Premier Colin Barnett's claim that drug use is rife in the state because of high incomes.

For how long can NSW and Queensland produce enough players to support Australian rugby's national footprint? Not long, according to Waratahs coach Daryl Gibson.

Football Federation Australia fined Western Sydney Wanderers $20,000 for an offensive banner raised by their fans, but will not penalise the club by docking competition points.

Big games demand big performances from big players.

Western Force coach Dave Wessels is confident former NRL star Curtis Rona can handle a head to head battle with Wallabies ace Israel Folau in his Super Rugby debut.

Your personally curated news with six things you need to know before you get going.

They came by the hundreds, in big cities and rural hamlets, to heckle, plead, badger and, in some instances, to protest the protests themselves.

US-backed Iraqi security forces captured Mosul airport on Thursday, state television said, in a major gain in operations to drive Islamic State from the western half of the city.

Pakistan has been struck by a wave of militant attacks in recent weeks which have killed at least 130 people. One attack at a Sufi shrine in southern Sindh province killed 90 people.

The last time Malcolm Turnbull spoke with one of the handful of world leaders Australia might consider among its closest friends, the verbal stoush that ensued ended up becoming a global story.