From today's edition. Ten stories, five minutes, then you are done.

A sunlit brick-paved pedestrian shopping mall lined with mature trees and historic commercial buildings, with a few distant figures visible on a clear day.

Maitland named among world's happiest cities as statue row flares

Maitland has ranked 35th in the 2026 Happy City Index, one of only two Australian cities in the top 50. But the mayor's celebration image has reignited a dispute over a controversial statue linked to a slave boy who died in the Revolutionary War.

Why it mattersThe mayor's celebration has exposed a split in how the community views the statue and its troubled past.

AustraliaThis is a local NSW story affecting Maitland residents' civic conversation and council politics.

✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 6 h ago

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File image: Red brick two-storey house on a suburban street at dusk

✓ ABC NewsPower & Policy

Edge Early Learning closes second Canberra centre after regulator suspension

Edge Early Learning permanently closed its Charnwood childcare centre in Canberra after regulators suspended it for three months over safety.

Why it mattersThis shows serious safety risks in childcare. It also shows the dangers when childcare centres have high staff turnover and cannot keep experienced staff.

File image: White police tape with blue lettering on concrete ground

✓ The Guardian AustraliaPower & Policy

Mistaken-identity shootings kill two in Sydney as gangs recruit

Two people were shot dead in Sydney in suspected mistaken-identity killings within two days. Police say this is part of a pattern: as many as six such shootings since the start of last year.