As the end of the year draws nearer, reports of scams have increased with scammers using increasingly sophisticated methods to part the unaware from their money. Recent scam reports take advantage of seasonal trends, with an uptick in scams impersonating the ATO or appearing to be about a package delivery. Here's all the dodgy emails and phone calls to look out for.

Can we stop being mad at plastic straws for a minute? Some folks are saying plastic straws are stupid and useless while others make the point that I'm disabled and I need these to drink.

What if the fate of the ocean doesn't hinge on plastic straws at all? Because the largest source of garbage plastic in the ocean is fishing waste.

After the American Civil War, the United States’ Constitution gained several amendments. The 14th amendment granted citizenship to anyone born in the country, regardless of their parents' nationality. Now, US President Trump has said he believes he can overturn the 14th amendment’s key provision by executive order.

Here's what you need to know about “birthright citizenship” law - both in America and Down Under.

If, as predicted, the Morrison government loses the Wentworth byelection, it will have a minority on the floor of the lower house. Although the Coalition would have 75 members and the non-government parties and independents would have 75 members, the Coalition supplies the Speaker (who only votes when a vote is tied). This would leave the Coalition with 74 on the floor of the house, with the possibility of 75 votes opposing it.

Welcome to the start of Daylight Saving Time — the "spring forward", so to speak — but who came up with this bizarre practice? And why? Who should you blame for losing an hour of your glorious weekend?

Scott Morrison is an intriguing - and polarising - figure in the Liberal Party. He has been described as relentless, ambitious, and hard-line, although these labels only give us some clues to his personal politics, and ultimately his political agenda. He's what you need to know about Australia's 30th Prime Minister.

A “spill” for most people would be something to clear up, but what is happening today behind closed doors is something quite different. So how does the process of a leadership challenge work? Monash’s Zareh Ghazarian takes a look at the process behind the current leadership crisis.

Storing medical information is tricky business. If you don't have faith in the government's My Health Record (a reasonable position to have), there are a variety of ways to store your secure data while letting others access it in case of emergencies.

Benjamin Bathurst was a British diplomat who disappeared without a trace in Germany in 1809. In a day and age when sophisticated forensics didn't exist, this might not sound too mysterious - especially during the Napoleonic Wars when murders, robberies and assassinations were common.

However, his disappearance was so notably sudden that many attributed it to a supernatural cause, even suggesting that he had hopped between dimensions. No, really.

Oh dear.

It will benefit some, sure. But the privacy risks far outweigh the benefits for most.

The National Broadband Network (NBN) should be built and fully operational by 2022, having cost about $50 billion. The question will then be whether the government should retain the NBN or sell it off?

Earlier in the week, US President Donald Trump was blasted by multiple commentators for “treasonous” behaviour, after siding with the Kremlin over his own government agencies. These are obviously very serious charges - but how closely does his behaviour meet the legal definition of 'treason' under US law? Let's find out...

The My Health Record opt-out period begins this week, and you have until October 15 to pull your records out of the scheme. But should you? Here are some compelling reasons to keep your records where they are.

Breaking into devices that are protected with strong encryption has been a vexed issue for the government. While, on one hand it's easy to see the rationale for law enforcement wanting to access devices during criminal investigations, this needs to be balanced by the desire, or perhaps even right, for individuals to expect that their private communications and information remain private. But the government is pushing on with their legislative agenda, seeking to compel tech companies to help them access encrypted messages.

It has been billed the 'burger-and-milkshake' budget, with up to $10.19 coming to Australian workers per week in personal income tax cuts. There's a lot to unpack, so let's get stuck in!

The Turnbull government has continually championed innovative startups and SMBs as the lifeblood of the Australian economy. So what's in the 2018 budget for the smaller end of town? Let's take a look.

Budget night is fast approaching - which means we're about to find out who'll get squeezed for more taxes. Personal incomes tax cuts are on the agenda, but they aren't expected to amount to much for individual Aussies. As ever, some people will feel the pinch more than others. Here's how the current projection compares to the tax rates of previous governments.

Last week, the United States and its allies France and the UK fired 105 missiles - most of them Tomahawks - at Syrian targets in an attempt to prevent future chemical attacks in the Syrian Civil War. But what are the alleged chemical weapons being used? And what exactly do they do to people? Here's what you need to know.