MORNING BRIEFING: Total fire bans are in place as temperatures are set to rise beyond the mid-30s on Friday, and a man in a wheelchair has fallen down 100 stairs at Macquarie Park Station.

Of more than 5,000 strip searches conducted by NSW police in the past financial year, less than a third found any illicit drugs, new data shows.

A NSW Police officer accused of tasering a 16-year-old boy and repeatedly bashing him with a baton will continue to serve in the force, despite being charged over the alleged on-duty assault.

Sudden stratospheric warming it's great for the ozone layer at the South Pole, but not so great for heat and rain levels over the next few months.

The high-end Rockpool Dining Group fronted by Neil Perry is hit by union claims it tampered with digital timesheets as it underpaid workers by up to $10 million, as a former worker enters mediation with the group in the Federal Court.

Phoebe Litchfield is a high school student in country New South Wales, who also happens to be one of the brightest young talents to hit the WBBL.

A family at the centre of a regional medical mix-up is relieved at an outpouring of support.

The first time I saw my baby Billie was in a photo she'd been born 11 weeks early. The next few months brought agony, loneliness and love and sparked lasting friendships with other mums in the intensive care unit.

Extreme winds are churning up dust from Broken Hill to Sydney, with some parts of the central west turning red and forcing residents to eat dinner under bedsheets so as not to spoil their food.

If you think of your favourite British TV shows, one thing that stands out is the great variation in the way the actors sound. So why aren't Australians the same?

'My chest is very tight, it's hard to breathe': More children like Lincon are suffering from asthma as dust storms roll through NSW in the drought.

Shorebirds are increasingly under pressure around Australia, as the nation's wetlands and coastal estuaries continue to be swallowed by housing.

Fines for cyclists who do not wear helmets in New South Wales are more expensive than anywhere else in Australia, and should be drastically lowered, according to university researchers.

Western Sydney Wanderers claim a 1-0 victory over crosstown rivals Sydney FC, while FFA Cup champions Adelaide United celebrate a 2-1 defeat of Newcastle Jets.

MORNING BRIEFING: NSW's economy has dropped to third, behind Victoria and Tasmania, according to CommSec's State of the States report, which measures performance based on several factors.

NSW Transport Minister Andrew Constance wants to follow London's lead and take "drastic action" by ditching diesel and renewing Sydney's 8,000 bus fleet.

Forty years ago Peter Smith died after being punched on a night out in Sydney but only now will his sisters get to the bottom of what actually happened and why police closed the case a day after his death.

In the decades since I covered Ivan Milat's crimes and trial, his story has become bigger than even my wildest imagination. But now he should be forgotten, writes Philippa McDonald.

A court hears an Australian Federal Police officer told ABC lawyers he did not want to see "sensationalist headlines" prior to a raid of the broadcaster's Sydney headquarters this year.

MORNING BRIEFING: More than 90 fire fighters work to stop a factory blaze from spreading in Sydney's inner city, while 700 weekly buses are being added to the Hills District.

A copied artwork featured in the lounge room of Ricky Gervais's character in the Netflix series After Life results in a payout to Aboriginal artist Warlimpirrnga Tjapaltjarri.

Manly Sea Eagles hooker Manese Fainu will spend the night behind bars after he was refused bail during a court appearance in which he was accused of stabbing a man outside a church in Sydney's south-west last week.

The acclaimed Australian artist is painting black squares on a gallery wall with his eyes closed to protest against the values that led us to climate crisis.

MORNING BRIEFING: Eastern suburb residents are particularly at risk after smoke haze blankets Sydney, and a north-bound lane on M1 remains closed after four trucks caught fire after a collision

A court hears how a woman had a "chunk" of her tooth fall out after treatment, in a case against two people accused of posing as registered dentists.

Wendy Morgan has a degree in science, 40 years of work experience and even a forklift licence, but no-one will give her a job. She says living on Newstart makes the job hunt even harder.

Researchers uncover long-term patterns in Sydney's underwater ecosystem from illustrated diaries made by a 1950s scuba diver.

Some people are turning to professional organisers for help with decluttering does the industry reveal our complicated relationship with our stuff?

South Sydney Rabbitohs forward Sam Burgess has been forced into early retirement from the NRL aged 30 due to a chronic shoulder injury.

MORNING BRIEFING: The Metro network is experiencing significant delays after a train breakdown less than 24 hours after yesterday's mechanical problems, while health warnings for poor air quality are issued along the NSW coastline.

Court documents provide insight into the shambolic and costly planning issues being created by a major housing expansion on the southern outskirts of Sydney.

While the big aged care chains may have copped many of the torrid headlines, the Federal Government has been another target at this royal commission, writes Anne Connolly.

Having left Melbourne in her 20s because she couldn't see a place for herself, Thai-Australian playwright Anchuli Felicia King is now forging a global career, with plays in London, Washington, Melbourne and Sydney this year.

NSW's Law Enforcement Conduct Commission recommends disciplinary action be taken against two police officers who engaged in misconduct by racially abusing two Afghan women at a traffic stop in Western Sydney.