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When the Liberal party received a copy of the scathing assessment of its 2025 election loss, the federal executive decided to bury it. The attempt to hide it, however, was short-lived, with the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, tabling the troubling report in parliament this week. Nour Haydar speaks to political reporter Krishani Dhanji about why some wanted the findings to stay secret and if the party will learn from its mistakes

When the United States and Israel began bombing Iran over the weekend, they set in motion a war that has engulfed the region. In Australia, the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has firmly backed the strikes by Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu despite saying his government does not know if there is any legal basis for them. Professor Ben Saul speaks to Nour Haydar about why law experts say it’s crystal clear the attacks on Iran were illegal and unprovoked, and why the military action sets a dangerous precedent

Since Donald Trump’s decision to join Israel in a war on Iran, the world has been asking “why?” and “what’s the plan?” But does the US president have one, and does the American public have the appetite for a war that could continue indefinitely? The Guardian’s Washington bureau chief David Smith speaks to Reged Ahmad about how long this all could go on for and what’s really motivating Donald Trump.

Not long after the US and Israel launched a deadly attack on Iran, the Australian government came out swiftly to express total support for the action. It was a position starkly at odds with other countries such as the UK and a majority of European nations, which instead expressed caution and a need for diplomacy. The US and Israeli bombing of Iran has been deemed illegal by experts around the world. So where does this leave Australia on the international stage and why is the prime minister so staunch in his support for his US ally? Political editor Tom McIllroy speaks to Nour Haydar

Israel and the US have launched a barrage of missile strikes on Iran, supported by a vast American armada that has been building up in the region. The strikes have killed Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who had ruled since 1989, and as Iran retaliated the situation unravelled quickly with Tehran firing on Israel and several other gulf states that have US military bases. As of Monday morning, the death toll is slowly mounting, including more than 100 children reportedly killed in Iran. Senior international correspondent Julian Borger speaks to Reged Ahmad about how a conflict that experts say breaks international law could unfold from here

The federal government has released the business case for a bullet train between Sydney and Newcastle, promising funding in hopes of getting the $60bn project ‘shovel ready’ within two years. Commuters would be able to travel between the cities in a single hour, cutting the journey by more than half. But we have been here before, with Anthony Albanese joining a long line of prime ministers who have announced grand plans for the train line before putting them back on the shelf. Senior reporter Tory Shepherd speaks to Reged Ahmad about the many broken promises in the long journey to high-speed rail and asks: could we really get it this time?

Punch, a baby monkey in a Japanese zoo, has gone viral after bonding with a plush orangutan. That toy, from Ikea’s Djungelskog range, is now in high demand around the world – including in the Guardian Australia newsroom. Education reporter Caitlin Cassidy waits in line to buy a toy and see what the all hype is about

Tony Barry and Barrie Cassidy examine the divisive political debate over the future of the 34 Australian women and children languishing in a Syrian detention camp. They also discuss why capital gains tax is becoming a real pressure point for Labor, Anthony Albanese’s careful words for One Nation voters and why there’s a proliferation of polls

As British MPs vote to release the documents relating to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s appointment as trade envoy, Helen Pidd speaks to Andrew Lownie, author of Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York, about the former prince’s antics in the role and whether this scandal will be the monarchy’s last

This week, journalist William Christou made the long journey to al-Roj camp in north-eastern Syria where 2,000 families are detained – including 23 children and 11 women from Australia with links to IS. These Australian citizens attempted to leave the camp last week with the hopes of making it to their homeland, but were forced to turn back. They are now at the centre of a political storm. In this exclusive, you will hear from the Australian children stuck in Syria. Christou speaks to Nour Haydar about how he met the children, the conditions they live in and why they want to come home

A DJ turned soldier explains how life has changed for Ukraine’s men while Tracy McVeigh and Shaun Walker report on the impact of the conflict and what could happen next

Britain is now debating removing Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor from the royal line of succession after the former prince was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office in relation to the Epstein files. He denies all wrongdoing. In the US, however, ‘the Epstein class’ has faced little legal or political reckoning. The Guardian’s Washington DC bureau chief, David Smith, speaks to Reged Ahmad about how Mountbatten-Windsor’s UK arrest highlights a lack of action in the US on the Epstein files

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is taking Coles to the federal court testing allegations the supermarket breached the law by offering “illusory” discounts on many everyday products. Coles denies any wrongdoing. One week into the court battle, business editor Jonathan Barrett tells Reged Ahmad what we’ve learned about how discounts are set and whether the outcome could bring prices down

Every Sunday, we’ll bring you some of the Guardian’s best stories from the week. Stories we loved, that made us feel happy, sad, or just made us think, read by the people who wrote them. Writer and critic Fiona Wright has often joked with her friends that, in order for them to own homes, they’d have to wait until their parents die. But is there a truth to this dark joke?

Tony Barry and Barrie Cassidy examine new polling that shows the upcoming South Australian election could deliver a nightmare result for the Liberal party and the first test for the reported surge to One Nation. The Barries also examine Angus Taylor’s new-look shadow frontbench and the fiery political debate around returning IS families.

In his first comments after the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, Anthony Albanese says that the ex-prince has had an extraordinary fall from grace. And while the prime minister is a firm republican, this disgrace will not prompt another referendum. Speaking with Guardian Australia’s political editor Tom McIlroy, the PM hits back at Pauline Hanson’s comments about Muslim Australians. He also discusses what would happen if the 34 Australian wives and children of Islamic State fighters stuck in Syria made their back to Australia

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office by police investigating his dealings with Jeffrey Epstein. Six unmarked police cars carrying plainclothes officers arrived at the Sandringham estate while the former prince was celebrating his 66th birthday on Thursday. Officers searched the Norfolk property as well as Mountbatten-Windsor’s former home at the Royal Lodge in Great Windsor Park. Lucy Hough speaks to the Guardian journalist David Pegg

For many Australians, the only chance they will have at owning a home will come in the form of tragedy. House prices have become so expensive that Australians are increasingly relying not just on the bank of mum and dad, but on the inheritance that comes with their death to get a foot on the housing ladder. Over the next 20 years, it’s expected $5.4tn will be passed down from baby boomers to their beneficiaries. But experts warn that this great intergenerational wealth transfer presents one of the biggest challenges the country has faced in decades. Reged Ahmad speaks with deputy features editor Celina Ribeiro about how the age of inheritance is threatening economic equality, faith in the ‘fair go’, and even in democracy itself

A group of 34 Australian women and children have been forced to return to a detention camp after attempting to flee Syria for their homeland. Reged Ahmad speaks to senior reporter and former foreign correspondent Ben Doherty about the fierce debate over their repatriation and what it means to be an Australian citizen

Extreme heat is already the most common cause of weather-related hospitalisations in Australia and with heatwaves intensifying, our climate and environment correspondent Graham Readfearn put his body to the test in an experiment. In a climate chamber at the University of Sydney, he walked on a treadmill while temperature conditions were constantly adjusted, adding direct sunlight and higher humidity. Graham joins Nour Haydar to talk about how extreme heat affects us, our cognitive functions and our chances of survival

Barack Obama has caused a frenzy after saying he thinks aliens are real during a podcast interview. The former US president was forced to release a statement clarifying he had not seen any evidence of extraterrestrials. There is a long-running conspiracy theory claiming the US government is hiding extraterrestrials at Area 51, a highly classified air force site in Nevada. Lucy Hough speaks to the host of the Guardian’s Science Weekly podcast, Madeleine Finlay

As Australians watch Donald Trump continue to crack down on immigrants, a private prison company used by ICE in the US is now running detention centres in Australia. In the US, the company faces allegations of ‘gross negligence’, and in Australia, staff inside the detention centres have highlighted safety concerns, including a rise in sexual assaults. Reged Ahmad talks to chief investigations correspondent Christopher Knaus and investigations reporter Ariel Bogle about the growing scrutiny over the Albanese government’s decision to put the company in charge of Australia’s detention regime

A recent survey has painted a damning picture of the bullying and abuse some of Australia’s coaches, referees and club officials face each week on the field – and parents are responsible for almost half of it. Sports reporter Jack Snape tells Reged Ahmad about the impact of poor parental behaviour on grassroots sport

Every Sunday, we’ll bring you some of the Guardian’s best stories from the week. Stories we loved, that made us feel happy, sad, or just made us think, read out by the people who wrote them. This weekend, unsettled by how angry our world has become, journalist and author Brigid Delaney explores what we can do to break the contagion of rage we’re seeing in our everyday lives

The Barries are back, and Angus Taylor has won the Liberal leadership battle against Sussan Ley. Speaking on Friday afternoon, the new leader said he did not seek to be ‘One Nation lite’ but he would ‘shut the door’ on people who don’t share ‘Australian values’. But the spill wasn’t the only story in Australian politics this week. Barrie Cassidy and Tony Barry unpack the challenge ahead for Taylor, the rise of One Nation and the visit of Israeli president Isaac Herzog

Angus Taylor has been elected the Liberal party’s new leader, ousting Sussan Ley in a party room ballot 34 votes to 17. Speaking shortly after the vote, Ley said she would quit parliament within weeks in a bid to provide clear air for Taylor’s leadership. In his first speech as opposition leader Taylor pointed to a greater focus on immigration policy, saying: “If someone doesn’t subscribe to our core beliefs, the door must be shut.” Political editor Tom McIlroy speaks to Nour Haydar about how it all went down and Taylor’s striking shift in tone on immigration

Protesters around Australia, including Nick McKim and other Greens colleagues, gathered to express opposition to the visit of the Israeli president, Isaac Herzog, this week. The Greens senator tells our political editor, Tom McIlroy, that the confronting scenes of police aggression towards protesters in Sydney were a ‘massive overreach’. McKim is the Greens spokesperson for economic justice and treasury, and is now leading a parliamentary inquiry into the 50% capital gains tax discount. Labor has not ruled out possible changes to the generous tax breaks for investors before the May budget. The Tasmanian senator argues that, with Greens support, the government can ‘marry up the politics and the policy’ to meaningfully addressing the housing crisis

After weeks of speculation, a Liberal leadership spill is set for 9am on Friday when Angus Taylor will challenge the opposition leader, Sussan Ley, for control of the party. Political editor Tom McIllroy speaks to Reged Ahmad about why Taylor is making his move now, whether he has the numbers to win, and what it all means for the future direction of the Coalition

Keir Starmer has seen off a challenge to his leadership after facing calls for his resignation over the appointment of Labour powerbroker Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the US – a man who enjoyed a close relationship to Jeffrey Epstein. Monday’s win could prove to provide only a temporary respite for the unpopular UK prime minister, as his critics continue to question his judgment and authority. Guardian Australia’s UK/US site editor, Jonathan Yerushalmy, speaks to Reged Ahmad about how the events of the week unfolded, whether Starmer can hold on to power and how the Epstein files have rocked British politics

Hundreds of jobs have gone at the newspaper that broke the Watergate scandal. Was profit or politics behind the decision? Jeremy Barr reports

In Lake Cargelligo in central west New South Wales, police are hunting for an alleged triple murderer. Julian Ingram, also known as Julian Pierpoint, is suspected of shooting dead his former partner Sophie Quinn, who was seven months pregnant, as well as her new partner John Harris and her aunt Nerida Quinn. He also allegedly shot and injured Kaleb Macqueen.Reged Ahmad speaks with Nino Bucci about the alleged murderer’s past domestic violence offences, and the questions that linger while he is still at large

Last night tens of thousands of people gathered in cities across the country to protest against a visit by Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog. Nine people have been charged after the clashes with police, with police saying more charges are expected to be laid. Guardian reporter Jordyn Beazley was there, and tells Nour Haydar when the protest turned violent and whether it all could have been avoided.

Last week, nine days after a bomb was allegedly thrown into an Invasion Day rally in Perth, police charged a 31-year-old man with engaging in a terrorist act. They allege he was seeking to advance what they described as a ‘racially motivated ideological cause’, saying he had accessed ‘pro-white material’ online. The wanting response from police, politicians and the media has left First Nations people feeling exposed and abandoned. Lorena Allam from the University of Technology’s Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research speaks to Nour Haydar on Australia’s history of racial violence and denial

The Coalition is back together again after the Liberals and Nationals struck a deal over the weekend to end their second break-up in less than a year. But with a leadership battle looking more likely for Sussan Ley, are the Coalition’s deep-seated issues any closer to being resolved? Guardian Australia’s chief political correspondent Dan Jervis-Bardy speaks to Reged Ahmad about whether this reunion will stick – and what it all means for Ley.

When senior reporter Kate Lyons scratched beneath the surface of the National Disability Insurance Scheme, she says she found so many hugely complex issues that it was like ‘opening a spring-loaded box-lid’. She tells Reged Ahmad about how, after 18 months of changes – from automated assessments to new definitions of impairments – and as the government tries to limit a blow-out in spending, what comes next could be the biggest moment yet for the scheme since it began

Every Sunday, we’ll be bringing you some of the Guardian’s best stories from the week. Stories we loved, that made us feel happy, or sad, or just made us think, read out by the people who wrote them. In our first episode, education reporter Caitlin Cassidy sits through the screening of the much-maligned ‘Melania’ documentary so you don’t have to

After months of negotiations, threats and refusals, Bill and Hillary Clinton have finally agreed to testify in front of Congress as part of a Republican-led investigation into the convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.Jonathan Freedland speaks to the Politico Magazine columnist and former federal prosecutor, Ankush Khardori, about why Donald Trump thinks it is a ‘shame’ the Clintons have been forced to testify

Jon Favreau, former head speechwriter for Barack Obama, Democratic party insider and co-host of Pod Save America, is bringing his brand of insider politics to Australia next week. As ICE agents roam American streets and Donald Trump tightens his grip on the country, he talks to Reged Ahmad about whether he thinks US elections will remain free and fair, and why Democrats are failing to meet the moment

The latest release of the Epstein files has dominated the news this week, with documents related to Bill Gates, Peter Mandelson, Elon Musk and Woody Allen pulling them into the spotlight. But as the US deputy attorney general Todd Blanche suggested the legal review into the Epstein files was “over”, the survivors of Epstein’s abuse made clear it was not the end. Annie Kelly speaks to Lisa Philips, who suffered years of abuse by Epstein in the 2000s and is now one of the many survivors calling for more transparency from the Trump administration. Plus Guardian US columnist Moira Donegan on whether the missing files will ever be released

In this wide-ranging interview with Nour Haydar, federal Labor MP Ed Husic voices his opposition to an upcoming visit by Israeli president Isaac Herzog and cautions against attempts to clamp down on protests. He also criticises the finger-pointing by politicians after the Bondi attack and the relative silence following the bomb threat at an Invasion Day rally in Perth

Last August, to the relief of many homeowners, the Reserve Bank’s governor, Michele Bullock, announced a cut in interest rates and expressed confidence that inflation was heading in the right direction. But on Tuesday, the RBA hiked rates for the first time in over two years, raising the cash rate by 25 basis points to 3.85%. Guardian columnist and chief economist of the Australia Institute, Greg Jericho, talks to Nour Haydar about what the rate hike means, why he sees it as ‘cowardly’ and what it all has to do with the Ashes

Parliament returns today and the benches might look a little bare on the opposition’s side of the chamber, with the Liberals left with only 28 votes after last week’s split from the Nationals. Political editor Tom McIllroy speaks to Reged Ahmad about whether the Liberals and Nationals can get back together, and if the prime minister can use this distraction to push through big reforms

When a homemade bomb was allegedly thrown into a crowd of more than 2,000 people at an Invasion Day rally in Perth last week, police said that, had it gone off, it had the potential to cause mass casualties. But in the hours and days afterwards many questioned how police, media and political leaders responded to the alleged attack and criticised what they said was selective outrage that dismissed the violence and racism First Nations people face. Indigenous affairs correspondent Sarah Collard speaks to Nour Haydar on the bomb threat at Boorloo and the sadness and fear that lingers.

The search for Australia’s best children’s picture book is on! Vote now and every day until 5 February for your favourite from 50 of the best, as chosen by Guardian readers. The deputy culture editor, Sian Cain, speaks to author Graeme Base about how he wrote his bestselling and beloved books Animalia and The Eleventh Hour, and why he set out to challenge curious kids

After weeks of federal insurgency, Minnesota fought back, and it seems Donald Trump has lost faith in the people running his ICE operation in the state. So where does this leave Trump’s ‘ICE patriots’? How do Republicans unite over immigration policies that kill Americans? And where does it leave the far-right agitators in Trump’s cabinet? Jonathan Freedland speaks to George Conway, a founding member of the Lincoln Project, who is running for Congress, about what happens next

The scenes on the streets of Minneapolis have been confronting and terrifying to watch: ICE agents rounding people up and shooting two US citizens at near point-blank range, as in the cases of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. That’s all while a counter-narrative from the White House paints the victims as perpetrators. Washington DC bureau chief David Smith speaks to Reged Ahmad about why many are asking if fascism has come to US streets and whether the country is at a crossroads

In the first Guardian Essential poll after the Bondi terror attack, both Anthony Albanese and Sussan Ley have fallen in their approval ratings. Meanwhile, One Nation’s support continues to rise and now disrupts the traditional two-horse race in Australian politics. Guardian Australia political reporter Josh Butler speaks to Essential Media director Peter Lewis about why both major parties need to pay attention to One Nation’s popularity – despite the minor party currently having little policy offerings

A preliminary assessment has found that 19-year-old Piper James was bitten by dingoes before and after she died on the island K’gari, and that there was ‘evidence consistent with drowning’. In response to James’ death, the Queensland government has announced it will euthanise the 10 dingoes linked to her death. Environment and climate correspondent Graham Readfearn speaks to Nour Haydar about why the culling has sparked outrage and what killing the animals means for the survival of the protected species

The Coalition has collapsed for the second time in eight months and Sussan Ley’s leadership could follow at any moment. So who should lead the opposition through this tumultuous time? While former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull has been there, he himself is not sure who is best placed to take on the challenge, adding ‘the pool of talent is not enormous at the moment’. Turnbull speaks to Nour Haydar about what went wrong between the Liberals and Nationals and what he thinks it will take to resuscitate his party

Crafted in the wake of the Bondi terror attack, Labor’s hate speech laws are designed to give the government a raft of new powers to combat racial hatred, but have faced strong criticism from across the political spectrum. The NSW Council for Civil Liberties president, Timothy Roberts, speaks to Reged Ahmad about whether the new laws go too far, and why he says they risk undermining democracy in Australia