Scottish author Ian Rankin has published The Heights, his first standalone thriller in two decades. Set in a luxury London apartment block, it follows detective Gillian Gish as she investigates the murder of a night concierge. Rankin says writing gave him a way to deal with difficult experiences, including his son Kit's disability. He and his wife Miranda channel about 20 to 30 per cent of his net income to good causes. He also plans a new Rebus novel, marking 40 years since the detective first appeared.
Canberra pilates instructor Layla Wilson, 22, will join the Love Island Australia cast in Fiji after producers contacted her about an unfinished application. She said she was selected after three interviews, including a photo shoot. Jordan Kaho, 24, a Canberran and son of a former Tongan Prime Minister, joins the show as a later bombshell. Season 8 premieres on Monday 26 October 2026 on Channel 9 and 9Now.
Former soldier Ben Roberts-Smith and his partner Sarah Matulin have launched a workout supplements business. Mr Roberts-Smith, a Victoria Cross recipient, faces five counts of war crime murder over alleged unlawful killings in Afghanistan between 2009 and 2012. He has yet to enter pleas and has long maintained his innocence. Ms Matulin posted a video saying the couple wanted financial stability and chose to build their own business. The matter is next scheduled to be called in court in December.
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Janet Swain, a Labor candidate for Ballina at the next state election, is drawing on years of community music work to connect with voters. A Byron Shire councillor, musician, songwriter and former teacher, she launched her campaign with support from senior Labor figures, including Emergency Services Minister Jihad Dib and federal MP Justine Elliot. Swain says politics was never her plan, but she has built community choirs and taught music across her working life.
The International Bureau of Weights and Measurements has decided to stop issuing leap seconds from May 2027. The change ends a debate among timekeeping experts that has lasted three decades. Leap seconds have been added to Coordinated Universal Time 32 times since 1972 to keep it aligned with the Earth's slowing rotation. Officials say ending them spares technology systems from disruption and avoids the risk of a negative leap second, which has never been tested. Future gaps will be handled through a possible leap hour, which is far off.
Global timekeepers will vote this week on whether to abandon the leap second, a small clock adjustment added 27 times since 1972. The governing body of the International Bureau of Weights and Measures meets from 12 to 15 October. The leading proposal would let official time drift until it is an hour out of sync with Earth's rotation, then add a leap hour. Experts say leap seconds have caused software to crash and that Earth's rotation is currently slowing, so the change would not be needed for over a millennium.
Chinese brand Leapmotor has priced its B03X electric SUV from $26,990 before on-road costs in Style trim, undercutting the BYD Atto 2 Dynamic at $31,990. The B03X is due in Australian showrooms from November 2026. Buyers who purchase and take delivery between October 1 and December 31, 2026, in standard Acorn Brown paint, can drive away in the Style for $29,990. The B03X has yet to be assessed by safety authority ANCAP, and it comes with a six-year, 150,000km vehicle warranty.
