Jay presses random keys while spouting buzzwords, hoping his boss will think he’s being productive... a PSA extols the virtues of surveillance at work... the coffee machine requires you to watch an ad before it dispenses a lukewarm brew. Welcome to the world of ctrl-alt-DEAL. satpa.pe/M4kNUNi

Sweet shortcrust has been a pastry that has vexed me for many years. It behaves differently to other shortcrust pastries because of the addition of sugar. So, once the pastry has been made and rested, before you roll it out, give it a gentle little knead... satpa.pe/8PrqHZZ

Sussan Ley deserves her chance, says Alex Hawke. "Everyone gave Peter the chance he needed to lead and to shine. And we ended up where we are." satpa.pe/DeTfxjL

"As committed as she was to promoting herself, her shows and her bathing suit – often with the carnie’s talent for shameless embellishment – her bold impatience with Victorian morality was sincere." | Martin McKenzie-Murray satpa.pe/CuZau1r

While it’s difficult not to wonder about the lack of Indigenous presence, Kathleen Jennings' 'Honeyeater' is a book of real power and beauty shot through with an unsettling sense of the landscape it inhabits. satpa.pe/7BPXxGu

Challenge yourself with this week's Saturday Paper quiz: satpa.pe/3nq7Zpw

More than 40 years later, the irrelevant 'Spinal Tap II: The End Continues' comes far too late to make any meaningful comment about the music industry, the fractures and camaraderies of band life and the thin gap between creativity and stupidity.

This week's Saturday Paper quiz: satpa.pe/d3SWgtB

Albanese carefully but successfully defied Trump on Palestinian recognition, climate change action and social media bans, while still scoring a White House meeting next month and a warm greeting at a cocktail party the president hosted.

Nicolas Sarkozy, France’s president from 2007 to 2012, has been found guilty of criminal conspiracy in a case relating to dealings with Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi. satpa.pe/CMQMqDT

Gisele Kapterian has abandoned her court challenge to teal Independent Nicolette Boele’s federal election win in the Sydney seat of Bradfield last year. satpa.pe/lfCd7yc

Ukraine’s President Volodmyr Zelensky has told the UN General Assembly in New York that more countries may face Russian aggression. satpa.pe/MMzFaL6

In his first United Nations address, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese covered Australia’s pitch for a spot on the security council, climate goals, and the wars in Gaza and Ukraine. satpa.pe/dxtRLeZ

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has abruptly summoned top US military officials to a base in northern Virginia for a sudden meeting. satpa.pe/F1At3Jk

Challenge yourself with this week's Saturday Paper quiz: satpa.pe/RP6kiIy

Written in the second person, 'Gather Up Your World in One Long Breath' speaks directly to family — to mothers, fathers, children, even to the self. This is not simply a stylistic choice but a moral one. satpa.pe/o6xD0mD

Exclusive: Australians have only been given half of the climate threat assessment used to support the government's bid to cut emissions by 62-70 per cent by 2050. Karen Barlow on the push to declassify the other half. satpa.pe/PdFV5vX

“The [Nauru] permanent migration intake announcement was literally three sentences long. And the PM’s response to a question on the ISIS brides in parliament was five words,” a Labor adviser says. “In other words, say as little as possible.” satpa.pe/QTtBPfZ

“Before AUKUS, the tensions between Australia’s regional relations and its alliance with Washington were easier to reconcile," writes national security expert Sam Roggeveen. "It is not too late to turn back to those times, and if we’re lucky, the US will do it for us.” satpa.pe/7SXU4XG

“Before AUKUS, the tensions between Australia’s regional relations and its alliance with Washington were easier to reconcile," writes national security expert Sam Roggeveen. "It is not too late to turn back to those times, and if we’re lucky, the US will do it for us.” satpa.pe/h0oLxVg

"It’s difficult to negotiate with someone who has a political ideology, because the enemy is the state. It is the government, it’s the police, it’s the courts, so you cannot give them anything tangible that will ever satisfy them.” satpa.pe/G2xqRv8

John Kinsella reviews 'Spinal Tap II: The End Continues', or... tries to. "Where does one begin with a film that isn’t a film, that doesn’t work as a mockumentary and that fails on every level at highlighting the narrowness and bigotry of cock rock?"

Kathleen Jennings – whose first novel, 2020’s ‘Flyaway’, won a British Fantasy Award and was shortlisted for the World Fantasy Award – imbues her narrative with a gloriously gothic sensibility. 'Honeyeater' is a book of real power and beauty. satpa.pe/RIlW7Ly

“The [Nauru] permanent migration intake announcement was literally three sentences long. And the PM’s response to a question on the ISIS brides in parliament was five words,” a Labor adviser says. “In other words, say as little as possible.” satpa.pe/NqXN9OM

When Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price wrongly claimed Labor’s immigration policy was courting Indian–Australian votes, she set off a storm. Megha Kapoor unpacks the dangers of reductive politics. satpa.pe/MOqDwLC

Exclusive: Defying climate and science groups, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese regards the 62-70 per cent range as the “sweet spot” for a target to be both ambitious and achievable. Karen Barlow on the report that may make the case for greater urgency. satpa.pe/Eye9ilC

"Anthony Albanese would win again if an election were held now, and probably even more definitively. The primary vote for the Coalition in the most recent Newspoll collapsed to 27 per cent – the worst result in the poll’s history." | John Hewson satpa.pe/ZvuZyGq

Polling has consistently shown that a majority of Australians support climate change action, do not doubt the science and want the government to do more. With the new 2035 emissions reduction target of 62-70 per cent, Chris Bowen says he is meeting this demand. satpa.pe/fNkpaXx

"Picture 2035, a decade hence: 31 million Australians are taking pride in the progress we’ve made to tackle climate change..." Former NSW treasurer and current head of the Climate Change Authority, Matt Kean, on how to realise a renewables-led future. satpa.pe/pSJy8e2

Trump’s attack on respected ABC journalist John Lyons was risible for its petulance. For this administration, however, it was something to trumpet as a lesson for anyone in the media who dares do their job of holding power to account. | Paul Bongiorno satpa.pe/rt2zx6D

Exclusive: According to MPs who have seen a “terrifying” external threat assessment kept secret by the Albanese government for nearly three years, Australians have only been given half of the “wake-up call” needed on climate change. satpa.pe/NhVjlwC

Exclusive: According to MPs who have seen a “terrifying” external threat assessment kept secret by the Albanese government for nearly three years, Australians have only been given half of the “wake-up call” needed on climate change. satpa.pe/1RGgDpz

Sussan Ley’s reshuffle again emphasises an important weakness of the current Liberal party, namely the absence of genuine talent. Those days seem long gone as the party is simply not attracting such people," writes John Hewson. satpa.pe/dyDtmBM

This week’s cartoon, by Oslo Davis: satpa.pe/DcS0XxG

Optus has been ordered to pay a $100m fine for “appalling” sales conduct over several years leading up to 2023, a case entirely distinct from the recent triple-0 outage crisis. satpa.pe/alD04xA

Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price has endorsed Andrew Hastie MP as the future of the Liberal Party, widening the party’s internal schism in another blow for Opposition Leader Sussan Ley. satpa.pe/gCTcUan

A senior scientist from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute has told a Senate inquiry into South Australia’s algal bloom crisis that “it’s far too extensive, too big” to eradicate the bloom from the state. satpa.pe/grI5Oma

“For Australians to properly appreciate and understand why this is important, that is why a declassified report matters,” Zali Steggall tells Karen Barlow. satpa.pe/OkV2Z6U

“Anthony has absorbed many lessons from the Rudd years, and migration is one of the most consequential because when migration dominates the news cycle, Labor always loses control of the story,” a former Labor minister tells Jason Koutsoukis. satpa.pe/Pr1wZYj

"I don’t believe, given Jacinta Price’s total sellout of Indigenous Australia, that she could or should win, or indeed ever be given any meaningful portfolio in the future," writes John Hewson. satpa.pe/iDqtv0S

This week’s cartoon, by Oslo Davis: satpa.pe/0c9J1pX

When Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price wrongly claimed Labor’s immigration policy was courting Indian–Australian votes, she set off a storm. Megha Kapoor unpacks the dangers of reductive politics. satpa.pe/TP6nXdb

Australia produces 80 per cent of the world’s fine merino wool, much of it under the Woolmark logo. Owned by Australian Wool Innovation, who claim it “represents an unwavering commitment to quality,” in fashion circles its authority has long faded. satpa.pe/yBNVeai

Both this government and its predecessor deserve credit for their foresight on Pacific engagement. If only Australia’s broader defence policy was moving in a consistent direction. | Sam Roggeveen on Australia’s defence conundrum: satpa.pe/rQFQ0gd

Each photographer seemed to have a very keen focus on the interplay between shadow, light and rounded lines. Although, given the bulk of Man Ray and Dupain works are images of nude women, this might just be happenstance. satpa.pe/tkqa0iq

"It’s difficult to negotiate with someone who has a political ideology, because the enemy is the state. It is the government, it’s the police, it’s the courts, so you cannot give them anything tangible that will ever satisfy them.” satpa.pe/9o9YBNX

Toni Morrison wrote that “all water has a perfect memory and is forever trying to get back to where it was”. Morrison was talking about writing and the Mississippi, but she could easily have been talking about the creeks that flow through 'Honeyeater'. satpa.pe/2agB4l5

"It’s quite hard to have a clear view on how you’re changing over time or what you used to be into," says Hot Chip's Alexis Taylor. "We were quite bold and into doing things our own way from the beginning, I think.” satpa.pe/dxG4dR7

The claim: 85 per cent of Indian–Australians vote Labor. The reality: most live in safe Labor seats, and their votes aren’t swinging elections. Megha Kapoor on why this matters, and why scapegoating persists. satpa.pe/EdSj2S3

Editorial: The technology to achieve net zero already exists and so the only impediment to this goal is ambition. Albanese puts both ideas in the one sentence, balanced on a fulcrum of mediocrity: “This is ambitious, but it’s achievable.” satpa.pe/1xaDjfK