10 long reads for the weekend

Albanese finds his ‘way through’ with China

Anthony Albanese flies to Asia this weekend, but he will be careful not to signal any return to the sunlit uplands of engagement with Beijing.

Sam Bankman-Fried: the villain in a cinema near you

His defence lawyer said the government tried to show the jury “the movie of Sam the villain.” He might have been ahead of his time.

Israel is winning the battle against Hamas but losing the PR war

Public opinion has turned against Israel as the number of civilian Palestinian casualties mount from retaliatory airstrikes.

Why suing Qantas is just the start for ACCC’s Cass-Gottlieb

The corporate world thought the head of the competition regulator would be on its side but that’s not how it’s turning out.

The five property fights ripping families apart

Verbal agreements around the kitchen table – such as those cited in the case of pop star Vanessa Amorosi – are just some of the triggers. This is how to avoid them.

How a lonely cattle ranch became a contender for World Heritage status

To the unenlightened, the site outside the Canadian city of Saskatoon may not look like much. But buried below the surface is bountiful proof it’s been an important gathering place for 6400 years.

How ‘Friends’ changed the way we laugh

The show shaped a global sense of humour with the late Matthew Perry’s Chandler, who turned sarcasm into the default mode of speech.

Michael Jordan would’ve struggled in today’s NBA: science

Fans love to argue about the evolution of the game, and whether it was easier in the past. Now science has an answer.