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Record-breaking May warmth soon to blow away as cold front moves towards eastern Australia

Daytime temperatures on Friday were 10 to 14C above average in four states

Record-breaking warm temperatures for the start of May in many parts of the country will be washed out by a cold front bringing rain, thunderstorms and much cooler weather.

A high-pressure system dragged warm northerly winds across south-east Australia, the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) said.

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© Photograph: Bureau of Meteorology

© Photograph: Bureau of Meteorology

© Photograph: Bureau of Meteorology

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‘Profoundly distressing’: record number of deaths in custody and police operations in NSW

There were 66 deaths in custody and police operations in 2025 – 18 more than the previous year

  • Warning: This article contains references to Indigenous Australians who have died

There were a record number of New South Wales deaths in custody and police operations last year, with almost a quarter of prisoner deaths recorded as self-harm, a coroner’s court report states.

Of those who killed themselves, most were by hanging, despite millions being invested to remove ligature points.

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© Photograph: Paul Miller/AAP

© Photograph: Paul Miller/AAP

© Photograph: Paul Miller/AAP

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‘Outrageous’: Rebel Wilson denies she was behind Snapchat leak of actor’s nude photo, court hears

The Pitch Perfect star is being sued for defamation by Charlotte MacInnes, the lead actor of Wilson’s directorial debut, The Deb

Hollywood star Rebel Wilson has slammed as “outrageous” an accusation she directed a cyber attack on her co-star’s social media account that led to a nude photo leak.

The Pitch Perfect star is being sued for defamation by Charlotte MacInnes, the 27-year-old lead actor of the musical comedy The Deb, which is Wilson’s directorial debut.

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© Photograph: Dean Lewins/AAP

© Photograph: Dean Lewins/AAP

© Photograph: Dean Lewins/AAP

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Mother says she ‘misses and loves’ daughter after NT girl’s body found – as it happened

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Chalmers understands calls for gas export tax, but says government focused on getting fuel for Australians

Chalmers said he understands calls to tax gas exports, but maintained the government was set on securing international supply arrangements during the ongoing fuel crisis. He told ABC News:

I understand that there is a constituency in the Australian community to go further … But there are also, as the prime minister said, really good reasons to prioritise these international supply arrangements particularly during this oil shock.

All of us have been prioritising getting fuel for Australia and for Australians to keep the economy ticking over and that’s why there are good reasons for the comments that the prime minister made yesterday.

We’ve been very upfront with people and said when we think about the intergenerational unfairness in the budget, in our economy, in our society more broadly, a couple of the drivers of that are in housing, are in the tax system.

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© Photograph: Em Jensen/The Guardian

© Photograph: Em Jensen/The Guardian

© Photograph: Em Jensen/The Guardian

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Beau Lamarre-Condon’s mother charged after allegedly attempting to influence key witness in double murder trial

Coleen Lamarre, 63, charged with perverting the course of justice in relation to trial over alleged murders of Luke Davies and Jesse Baird

The mother of a former police officer who allegedly murdered Luke Davies and Jesse Baird two years ago has been charged after allegedly attempting to influence a key witness to change their evidence in her son’s trial.

New South Wales police said Coleen Lamarre, 63, was arrested in Balmain and charged with perverting the course of justice, which carries a maximum prison sentence of 14 years.

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© Photograph: Bianca de Marchi/AAP

© Photograph: Bianca de Marchi/AAP

© Photograph: Bianca de Marchi/AAP

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Rebel Wilson rejects ‘absolutely outrageous’ phone-dumping accusation as defamation trial continues

The Pitch Perfect actor is being sued by Charlotte MacInnes, the lead actor of Wilson’s directorial debut, The Deb

Hollywood star Rebel Wilson has rejected an “absolutely outrageous” accusation that she dumped her phone to avoid handing over key communications in a defamation case.

The Pitch Perfect star is being sued by Charlotte MacInnes, the 27-year-old lead actor of the musical comedy The Deb.

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© Photograph: Bianca de Marchi/AAP

© Photograph: Bianca de Marchi/AAP

© Photograph: Bianca de Marchi/AAP

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Northern Beaches hospital handed to NSW government, ending troubled public-private partnership

Transition and legal handover of hospital from private operator Healthscope to NSW Health occurs at 7am on Wednesday

Sydney’s Northern Beaches hospital is officially entering the public system, ending a troubled eight-year public-private partnership, although uncertainty about the future of private services remains.

The transition and legal handover of the hospital from private operator Healthscope to New South Wales Health will occur at 7am on Wednesday. The New South Wales health minister, Ryan Park, said it was a “historic day”.

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© Photograph: Dan Himbrechts/AAP

© Photograph: Dan Himbrechts/AAP

© Photograph: Dan Himbrechts/AAP

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Australia’s south-east set for drier and hotter winter as BoM forecasts potential El Niño

Queensland and NSW set for lower than usual rainfall in May, June and July, while temperatures in most of the country likely to be higher than normal

Large parts of south-east Australia look set for drier and hotter conditions over the next three months as a potential El Niño weather phenomenon takes shape in the Pacific Ocean.

Much of Queensland and New South Wales are forecast to have lower than usual rainfall in May, June and July, with almost the entire country likely to experience hotter than average maximum temperatures.

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© Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

© Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

© Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

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Two bodies found after fire tears through home in Blue Mountains foothills

NSW police say human remains found and four people taken to hospital after overnight fire in Bowen Mountain house

Two bodies have been found following an early morning house fire that caused four others to be taken to hospital.

New South Wales police said remains were found when the house was able to be searched on Monday morning, after firefighters extinguished the blaze.

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© Photograph: Con Chronis/AAP

© Photograph: Con Chronis/AAP

© Photograph: Con Chronis/AAP

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‘This has to be a wake-up call’: NSW attorney general urged to order inquest into death of Sydney’s ‘birdman’

Alex Greenwich says inquest crucial to understand which failures led to Bikram Lama’s death and to avoid similar deaths

The New South Wales attorney general, Michael Daley, has been urged to order an inquest into the death of Nepali rough sleeper Bikram Lama in Hyde Park.

The death of Lama – who was also known as “the birdman” for his love of the area’s pigeons – has prompted widespread calls for change, after Guardian Australia revealed last week that the young migrant’s body lay unnoticed for up to a week in bushes near a busy thoroughfare into St James station.

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© Photograph: Supplied by family

© Photograph: Supplied by family

© Photograph: Supplied by family

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Patient allegedly attacks several nurses, police and member of the public at Sydney hospital

Calls for more security measures after man, 51, arrested over alleged assaults at Prince of Wales hospital

A hospital attack that left a nurse seriously injured has fuelled calls for improved safety and security after several violent incidents in emergency departments.

Police restrained a 51-year-old patient after he allegedly assaulted several nurses, police and a member of the public in a Saturday night melee at Sydney’s Prince of Wales hospital.

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© Photograph: Ronnie Amini/AAP

© Photograph: Ronnie Amini/AAP

© Photograph: Ronnie Amini/AAP

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Private secretary of billionaire Judith Neilson refused bail on $1m fraud charges

Annalouise Spence allegedly used credit card to make ‘unauthorised purchases of luxury and personal items, including clothing, artwork and jewellery’

The former private secretary of billionaire philanthropist Judith Neilson has been charged with dozens of counts of fraud after she allegedly used a business credit card to make more than $1m worth of purchases, including luxury clothing, artwork and jewellery.

Annalouise Spence, 50, was refused bail at a local court hearing on Thursday after being charged with 68 counts of dishonestly obtaining property by deception.

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© Photograph: Scott Barbour/Getty Images for the NGV

© Photograph: Scott Barbour/Getty Images for the NGV

© Photograph: Scott Barbour/Getty Images for the NGV

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