Rick Morton An Uber-like app that matches aged-care facilities with casual workers has won a government contract despite questions over what it provides.

Karen Middleton Amid escalating trade tensions with China, questions are being raised about the proper scrutiny of foreign investment in Australia.

Royce Kurmelovs With Covid-19 forcing so many employees to work from home, permanent changes – both in function and monitoring – are expected in the ways we do business.

Steve Dow Four weeks after becoming the artistic director of Sydney’s Griffin Theatre Company, Declan Greene had to cancel two plays because of Covid-19. He speaks about this extraordinary challenge, his childhood flair for drama and his ambitions for the company. “I’m constantly thinking I should do more to change things in the world … I’m interested in reconfiguring the space I work in to make it a more equal place.”

Imran Mohammad In 2018, my life changed forever. From being stateless, after seven years held in refugee detention, I became a permanent resident of the United States. The outcome is beyond words. Building trust in humanity was the most difficult part of my new life. I was free but, emotionally and mentally, I was still a prisoner. I, like other refugees, have not managed to overcome these emotions.

Paul Bongiorno Just at the moment the government claimed vindication for a big win on the world stage, China ridiculed its grandstanding. A terse, one-paragraph statement from its Canberra embassy called Australia’s response ‘a joke’. If anything encapsulates how fraught relations are with our biggest trading partner, this was it.

Richard Ackland It’s not often that retired judges get much of a sendoff when they peg out. Invariably, a few grizzled legal types wince at the thought they may be next as they read death notices in the bar newsletter. Not so for David Levine, a man with one of the largest private libraries and book collections in the country. His departure was met with a genuine outpouring of affection from lawyers, arts administrators and literary figures.

“This is all about balance,” Angus Taylor says of his long-awaited technology investment road map. In reality, it is all about delay, and distraction. After nine months of work, surveying 140 technologies, the road map has managed to tell us what was already known: that solar and wind, both of which produce zero emissions, are the cheapest forms of energy. But Australia will not be taking these findings and quickly decarbonising our grid with renewables.

Mike Seccombe While Scott Morrison drops hints about a deal with the unions to boost Australia’s economy, the unions say a modern Prices and Incomes Accord is not on the table. But one of the original scheme’s architects, former ACTU boss Bill Kelty, has a plan of his own.

Jonathan Pearlman Donald Trump threatens to withdraw WHO funding. Concerns about depiction of Tongan shipwreck story. Cyclone hits Bay of Bengal. Félicien Kabuga to be tried for Rwanda genocide. International borders reopening cautiously.

Shaad D’Souza Conceived and executed in isolation, Charli XCX’s latest album, how i’m feeling now, fearlessly charts new terrain while capturing the complex emotions of a stable relationship and the sadness of life away from friends.

Jennifer Mills Is this their final offer? Was that the best you could get? You’ve had it all thoroughly looked over as I asked? There’s not going to be another round of discussions? Isn’t there some factor that we haven’t yet considered? Could we maybe have a bit of a brainstorm, if there’s time? Can we revisit that list of stakeholders, just quickly? Is there a loophole, or, not a loophole, that doesn’t sound good, I mean some unexamined section of the legislation that might give us a bit of breathing space? A bit of wiggle room? How many lawyers are on this right now? And I’m paying for that, am I?

Annie Smithers

Katrina Lobley It’s the end of the beginning of the pandemic. For those working to revive Australia’s near-dead tourism industry, it’s the start of a long, hard slog.

Cindy MacDonald Test your general knowledge with our weekly quiz.