Australia newsSome teenagers are choosing leisure and relaxation over partying and bad hangovers to celebrate finishing high school Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcast When Eleena Li and her friends finish their exams this month, they’re not packing their swimsuits for a raucous schoolies trip to Byron Bay or the Gold Coast. They’re hitting Japan for two weeks of theme parks, shopping and culture.

InterstellarFrom Interstellar to Batman and Star Wars the venerable religion has been the driving philosophy behind many hit movies. Why? Interstellar’s box office total is $622,932,412 and counting. It is the eighth highest-grossing film of the year and has spawned an endless raft of thinkpieces testing the validity of its science and applauding the innovation of its philosophy. But it is not so new. The idea that propels the plot – there is a universal super-consciousness that transcends time and space, and in which all human life is connected – has been around for about 3,000 years.

Liverpool This article is more than 10 years oldLiverpool target £22m Henrikh Mkhitaryan from Shakhtar DonetskThis article is more than 10 years old Armenia midfielder scored 25 goals for Shakhtar last season Liverpool believe player would be keen on a moveLiverpool have identified Shakhtar Donetsk's Henrikh Mkhitaryan as a leading transfer target for the summer and are not deterred by the £22m price tag on one of the most coveted players in European football.

Eric Adams This article is more than 1 month oldMayor says New York is world’s greatest city because any day could be a new 9/11This article is more than 1 month oldEric Adams says city is a place where New Yorkers could ‘wake up’ to a terrorist attack in unusual interview comments Asked to sum up 2023 in New York City, the mayor, Eric Adams, chose to give New Yorkers a bizarre warning that they could “wake up” to another 9/11 terrorist attack on any given day.

Old musicLoudon Wainwright IIIOld music: Loudon Wainwright III - Motel BluesThe life of the touring musician isn't all Rolls Royces in swimming pools, as this old nugget provesBeing a touring musician is just one big peripatetic piss-up, isn't it? A riot of adoring fans, free booze and women (or men) as you barrel merrily from one exotic location to the next. Trust a songwriter as singular as Loudon Wainwright III to do away with the glamour and focus on the less celebrated parts of the job.