Among this year’s comeback stories is Thumbalina, a tiny stray who arrived dangerously unwell. She suffered severe infections, dental disease and breathing issues, all requiring complex surgery costing around $7,000.

The soft-name boom isn’t a fluke. Australians are clearly gravitating toward names that end in -ie, -y or -a, the kind that instantly make a dog feel like part of the family.

Hair thinning is one of those things men talk about with the same enthusiasm they reserve for tax returns or prostate checks.

If you’ve spent five seconds on TikTok, you’ve seen it. The deadpan, unreadable expression known as the Gen Z stare. It’s already a meme, and now, as summer jobs heat up and Christmas crowds descend, the look is about to be everywhere from retail counters to café registers.

With thousands of school leavers about to take their first taste of freedom overseas, iSelect is urging young Aussies to get their travel insurance sorted before they board the plane.