From Alice Walker to Irvine Welsh via discussions about atheism and a poetry slam, there's a wealth of things to see at this week's books event. Here's our pick Sydneys being overrun by big-name international authors, local favourites and over 400 other bookish types this week, as the Sydney Writers Festival kicks off with a huge selection of talks, performances, and odd shenanigans that defy description....
Sydney writers' festival: 10 things to see
The craft of opposition research—finding information that might put an opponent in a negative light—has long been a staple of political campaigns. This year, independent groups are taking a leading role....
Cynthia Quarterman, a top U.S. safety regulator tasked with handling the U.S. government's response to a string of oil-train crashes in recent years, is stepping down....
The Los Angeles City Council has approved one of the nation's highest minimum wages for workers at the city's large hotels....
The U.S. government will pay the Navajo Nation $554 million to settle long-standing claims that it mismanaged funds and natural resources on the tribe's reservation for years....
Connecticut gubernatorial candidate Joe Visconti opposes the state's new gun restrictions, and he has an online commercial that shows him riding in a 1974 Pontiac convertible with rifles fixed to the rear fenders. ...
The U.S. and Arab allies launched a second major wave of airstrikes in Syria targeting mobile oil refineries controlled by Islamic State, the Pentagon said....