Sweet talking

A common artificial sweetener has for the first time been classed as possibly carcinogenic.

On a high note

Countertenor Stephen Diaz explains why JS Bach presents such a challenge to singers.

Sunday bloody Sunday

Outback noir's smallscreen adaptation has big-screen aspirations.

Titillating takedown

Mr Ripley meets Brideshead in this black comedy, an outlandish dissection of the British upper classes.

The cannonball run

French leader biopic is hardly revolutionary, but it sure is fast.

Folky valentines

Erny Belle confirms her early promise and Cat Power plugs and unplugs Dylan.

Her plucky stars

How touring harpist Mary Lattimore has found a niche among pop’s left field.

Man of the match

As his football comedy Next Goal Wins finally arrives, Taika Waititi talks about ego, money and having nothing left to prove.

P for panic stations

A drug once regularly doled out for weight loss is now a terror of the modern age but crackdowns so far have failed. Is it time for a different approach?

Airbn' bust

Short-term lets have shaken up the tourism industry and housing markets. Now, authorities are clamping down but that’s far from the only issue confronting travellers and hosts.

From the ground up

An ex-Mongrel Mob member is teaching a new generation that a difficult past need not define their future.

Algorithm's arrow

Older adults are now embracing online dating as enthusiastically as digital natives. But many find the path to true love as pothole-strewn as old-school approaches.

Always a champion

A lifetime achievement award for screen production is a far cry from Robin Scholes’ early days, selling lingerie to brides.

Ink stink

We tend to think of progress in information technology W as a given, and in most cases, it is. The internet connection I use now is literally 69,000 times faster than the first one I used in 1993. Chips are faster, storage ever cheaper and more vast. And then there are printers.

Talkfest begins as Gaza burns

It's that time of the year again. No, not Christmas. It's time for another COP summit. The acronym is short for \"Conference of the Parties\" to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. That is, all those who say they really, truly do want to do something about climate change. The 197\"parties\" include all UN member states and the European Union.

Deal or No Deal, we will Survivor

Even right-wing commentators turned against the Great Negotiator’ as the coalition talks dragged on.

Common as a tea towel

A new Northern Hemisphere seasonal tradition has taken firm hold: debating what's \"common\" according to an annual master list drawn up by a celebrity designer.

A gift that keeps on giving

Organ donation requires a precise combination of circumstances, starting with incredible generosity, writes Dr Joanne Ritchie.

Cultural clash

The new government proposes cutting funding for section 27 reports. This is a bad proposal.

A scandal short of a secret

Without the tank fuel of realpolitik, \"nice\" never makes it past fairy dust.

Homing in

We can see only traces of sections, lawns and fences. The people are departed.

London calling

The Beatles are No 1 with the execrable piece of grave-robbing, Now and Then.

Love thy neighbour

Neighbours in the country are different from neighbours in the city. For a start, there are fewer of them.

Let's get ethical

History is littered with shameful examples of mistreatment of people.

Let there be light

A unique ultraviolet light treatment can boost crop yields.

Out for the count

Increased chemical use is thought to be contributing to an increase in male infertility as sperm counts fall worldwide.

Keeping the faith

Expect the customary variety at Viva Voce's year-end concert.

Haere ra, Jonty

Acclaimed dancer Sir Jon Trimmer left a magical legacy as he brought ballet to the people.

HARD-EARNED WISDOM

Life lessons from a country king and an Irish rocker.

Heady blend

Tom Scott goes back to his tribe with another album of Home Brew, following a tour showing the love for his brand of hip-hop is still there.