Hello.
It'll be hot and sunny today. Things will be bearable in the city with a top of only 31 but 42 in Liverpool and 39 in Parramatta.
Get used to it
There'll be a break in the sunny conditions with showers ahead later on this week.
Which is to become the norm, thanks to climate change. New findings from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate System Science, published in Nature Climate Change on Tuesday, reveal that a two-degree rise in average global temperatures would lead to a 10-30 per cent increase in extreme downpours.
Save on Ministers
Premier Mike Baird is considering a reshuffle of his cabinet, it's been widely reported.
Many believe the reshuffle is a chance to refresh his ranks by moving on longserving figures such as Health Minister Jillian Skinner, though there's also been a report she's staring down a challenge by threatening to cause a by-election on the way out.
This morning Labor is urging the Premier not take the easy way out and expand his cabinet, so as to be able to promote new ministers and not need to get rid of old ones.
Each new Minister costs $1.8 million, Labor says.
Welcome to Australia
At least half of Australia's special intake of 12,000 Syrian and Iraqi refugees will be settled in one part of western Sydney within 12 months.
Fairfield City Council, which welcomed 3000 humanitarian arrivals from the two war-torn countries in 2016, has been told by the Department of Immigration and Border Protection to expect the same again.
$35,000 a year
This year's private school fees are in. And, despite record levels of government funding, fees are soaring and up more than 20 per cent over the past four years and over $35,000 a year at many schools.
Record rise
The average price of unleaded petrol across Australia jumped by more than 9 cents in NSW in the past week.
Petrol prices are up nationwide by the single biggest increase in two years, new figures show.
Caught in the net
Fourteen dolphins were found dead in shark nets installed at NSW beaches during last financial year, amid a surge in the numbers of marine creatures caught.
The latest report on the NSW shark netting program shows four common dolphins, nine bottlenose dolphins and one unidentified, decomposed dolphin were part of 90 threatened or protected species caught in the nets during 2015-16 season.
