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John Hanscombe

John Hanscombe

Canberra Times

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Arse about: why we need Christmas in July

Arse about: why we need Christmas in July

It swept up out of Antarctica with a vengeance. The mass of cold air ambushed south east Australia, plunging temperatures and breaking a cycle of heat...

latest 0

The Examiner

John Hanscombe

Arse about: why we need Christmas in July

Arse about: why we need Christmas in July

It swept up out of Antarctica with a vengeance. The mass of cold air ambushed south east Australia, plunging temperatures and breaking a cycle of heat...

latest 2

Canberra Times

John Hanscombe

Drongos to the left of us, drongos to the right

Drongos to the left of us, drongos to the right

Long thought extinct, the drongo is back. Not the bird, it's doing just fine, but the uniquely Aussie expression for an idiot or incompetent...

yesterday 10

The Examiner

John Hanscombe

Drongos to the left of us, drongos to the right

Drongos to the left of us, drongos to the right

Long thought extinct, the drongo is back. Not the bird, it's doing just fine, but the uniquely Aussie expression for an idiot or incompetent...

yesterday 10

Canberra Times

John Hanscombe

China weans itself off diesel. We should as well

China weans itself off diesel. We should as well

It seems ironic now but exactly a month before war erupted in the Gulf, oil industry news website Oilprice.com warned of a looming threat to global...

26.03.2026 10

Canberra Times

John Hanscombe

China weans itself off diesel. We should as well

China weans itself off diesel. We should as well

It seems ironic now but exactly a month before war erupted in the Gulf, oil industry news website Oilprice.com warned of a looming threat to global...

26.03.2026 10

The Examiner

John Hanscombe

The TACO trade: inside the 15-minute head start

The TACO trade: inside the 15-minute head start

It's hard not to smell a rat. Fifteen minutes before Donald Trump announced his postponement of threatened strikes on Iranian power plants and...

25.03.2026 10

The Examiner

John Hanscombe

The TACO trade: inside the 15-minute head start

The TACO trade: inside the 15-minute head start

It's hard not to smell a rat. Fifteen minutes before Donald Trump announced his postponement of threatened strikes on Iranian power plants and...

25.03.2026 10

Canberra Times

John Hanscombe

We foresaw the oil shock, so why didn't Trump?

We foresaw the oil shock, so why didn't Trump?

You can't legislate against stupidity. There will always be people whose reckless, irrational actions harm others. We're reminded of this...

24.03.2026 10

The Examiner

John Hanscombe

We foresaw the oil shock, so why didn't Trump?

We foresaw the oil shock, so why didn't Trump?

You can't legislate against stupidity. There will always be people whose reckless, irrational actions harm others. We're reminded of this...

24.03.2026 10

Canberra Times

John Hanscombe

The quiet humanity of a birdcage in the rubble

The quiet humanity of a birdcage in the rubble

They were a middle-aged couple, packing their small car with belongings in a rubble strewn street. The photographer captured the moment they were...

23.03.2026 10

The Examiner

John Hanscombe

The quiet humanity of a birdcage in the rubble

The quiet humanity of a birdcage in the rubble

They were a middle-aged couple, packing their small car with belongings in a rubble strewn street. The photographer captured the moment they were...

23.03.2026 10

Canberra Times

John Hanscombe

As the world rages, the mundane can be serene

Peace amidst such turmoil is found in the most unlikely places. Subscribe now for unlimited access. Login or signup to continue reading These past...

19.03.2026 10

The Examiner

John Hanscombe

As the world rages, the mundane can be serene

Peace amidst such turmoil is found in the most unlikely places. Subscribe now for unlimited access. Login or signup to continue reading These past...

19.03.2026 20

Canberra Times

John Hanscombe

Asking gotcha questions is a cheap mug's game

It's the oldest journalistic trick in the book: ask the interview subject whether they can guarantee something will or will not happen. No...

18.03.2026 20

Canberra Times

John Hanscombe

Asking gotcha questions is a cheap mug's game

It's the oldest journalistic trick in the book: ask the interview subject whether they can guarantee something will or will not happen. No...

18.03.2026 10

The Examiner

John Hanscombe

Let's not lose sight of our good fortune living here

As it does in these early days of autumn, the sky had turned cobalt blue. It was cloudless and there was the faintest hint of sea breeze, just enough...

17.03.2026 20

Canberra Times

John Hanscombe

Let's not lose sight of our good fortune living here

As it does in these early days of autumn, the sky had turned cobalt blue. It was cloudless and there was the faintest hint of sea breeze, just enough...

17.03.2026 20

The Examiner

John Hanscombe

Lobster tails and a grand piano: the price of peace

There's no doubt about it, war's expensive, costing America about US$1 billion a day in Middle East. That's not to mention what...

16.03.2026 20

The Examiner

John Hanscombe

Lobster tails and a grand piano: the price of peace

There's no doubt about it, war's expensive, costing America about US$1 billion a day in Middle East. That's not to mention what...

16.03.2026 10

Canberra Times

John Hanscombe

It's not a war, the pollies insist, it's only a conflict

Ministers, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedules to attend this media strategy meeting. As you know, there's a lot of public...

12.03.2026 20

The Examiner

John Hanscombe

It's not a war, the pollies insist, it's only a conflict

Ministers, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedules to attend this media strategy meeting. As you know, there's a lot of public...

12.03.2026 20

Canberra Times

John Hanscombe

We fought over toilet paper and now we're panicking over petrol

Two things everyone should have learned by the time they reach adulthood: never tell an angry person to calm down and under no circumstances tell...

11.03.2026 20

The Examiner

John Hanscombe

We fought over toilet paper and now we're panicking over petrol

Two things everyone should have learned by the time they reach adulthood: never tell an angry person to calm down and under no circumstances tell...

11.03.2026 20

Canberra Times

John Hanscombe

Gold drapes, winners, losers and great TV

So, I give it a 15 out of 10, it's going so terrifically. So great, I called for unconditional surrender over the weekend, you see that? Said I...

10.03.2026 20

The Examiner

John Hanscombe

Gold drapes, winners, losers and great TV

So, I give it a 15 out of 10, it's going so terrifically. So great, I called for unconditional surrender over the weekend, you see that? Said I...

10.03.2026 20

Canberra Times

John Hanscombe

When world news is so dark, try local for light

Let's start with the good news. Australia's economy is growing at its fastest rate in three years, faster than any advanced economy in the...

09.03.2026 20

The Examiner

John Hanscombe

When world news is so dark, try local for light

Let's start with the good news. Australia's economy is growing at its fastest rate in three years, faster than any advanced economy in the...

09.03.2026 20

Canberra Times

John Hanscombe

Starved of facts, cynics call this Epstein Fury

It's well established that truth is the first casualty in war. But in this one, truth didn't even make it onto the battlefield to be gunned...

05.03.2026 20

The Examiner

John Hanscombe

Starved of facts, cynics call this Epstein Fury

It's well established that truth is the first casualty in war. But in this one, truth didn't even make it onto the battlefield to be gunned...

05.03.2026 20

Canberra Times

John Hanscombe

The days of $10 lettuces might return this winter

Enjoy it while you can. Those fresh, crisp vegetables. The salad with your steak. The cheese plate after the main course. Almost every food that...

03.03.2026 20

The Examiner

John Hanscombe

The days of $10 lettuces might return this winter

Enjoy it while you can. Those fresh, crisp vegetables. The salad with your steak. The cheese plate after the main course. Almost every food that...

03.03.2026 30

Canberra Times

John Hanscombe

Assassination shouldn't become the new normal

It was the same haste that saw Labor sign up to AUKUS barely 24 hours after being briefed on the deal by the then Morrison government. Subscribe now...

02.03.2026 10

Canberra Times

John Hanscombe

Assassination shouldn't become the new normal

It was the same haste that saw Labor sign up to AUKUS barely 24 hours after being briefed on the deal by the then Morrison government. Subscribe now...

02.03.2026 10

The Examiner

John Hanscombe

Grace under fire remains gloriously untamed

Difficult? You bet she is. Fights hard for what she believes in. Takes few prisoners. A withering sideways glance from her towards a prime minister...

01.03.2026 20

Canberra Times

John Hanscombe

Grace under fire remains gloriously untamed

Difficult? You bet she is. Fights hard for what she believes in. Takes few prisoners. A withering sideways glance from her towards a prime minister...

01.03.2026 20

The Examiner

John Hanscombe

Printed books have no place in my modern life

I never imagined becoming a traitor, that the day would arrive when I would bite the hand that has fed, comforted, educated and transported me around...

26.02.2026 10

The Examiner

John Hanscombe

Printed books have no place in my modern life

I never imagined becoming a traitor, that the day would arrive when I would bite the hand that has fed, comforted, educated and transported me around...

26.02.2026 10

Canberra Times

John Hanscombe

I want to believe but this high speed rail talk feels like Groundhog Day

There was a time you could tell an election was in the air. Mention of high speed rail or very fast trains was a reliable indicator we'd soon be...

25.02.2026 10

Canberra Times

John Hanscombe

I want to believe but this high speed rail talk feels like Groundhog Day

There was a time you could tell an election was in the air. Mention of high speed rail or very fast trains was a reliable indicator we'd soon be...

25.02.2026 10

The Examiner

John Hanscombe

Wake up and smell the cordite. We are at war

Could it be that World War III has started and we haven't noticed? Volodymyr Zelenskyy certainly thinks so. Subscribe now for unlimited access....

24.02.2026 20

Canberra Times

John Hanscombe

Wake up and smell the cordite. We are at war

Could it be that World War III has started and we haven't noticed? Volodymyr Zelenskyy certainly thinks so. Subscribe now for unlimited access....

24.02.2026 10

The Examiner

John Hanscombe

Be careful what you wish for when writing off the monarchy

Surely the arrest of a member of the royal family would erode any faith left in our constitutional monarchy. Subscribe now for unlimited access. Login...

23.02.2026 30

The Examiner

John Hanscombe

Be careful what you wish for when writing off the monarchy

Surely the arrest of a member of the royal family would erode any faith left in our constitutional monarchy. Subscribe now for unlimited access. Login...

23.02.2026 30

Canberra Times

John Hanscombe

No need to be spooked by the ISIS brides issue

It must stand as a record. A simple "yes" would have done when asked whether the ISIS brides trying to return from Syria had been issued...

21.02.2026 10

The Examiner

John Hanscombe

No need to be spooked by the ISIS brides issue

It must stand as a record. A simple "yes" would have done when asked whether the ISIS brides trying to return from Syria had been issued...

21.02.2026 20

Canberra Times

John Hanscombe

Alien life might be closer than we had thought

It sounded like the former president was having an X-Files moment. Asked on a podcast whether aliens were real, Barack Obama replied with Fox Mulder...

18.02.2026 10

The Examiner

John Hanscombe

Alien life might be closer than we had thought

18.02.2026 10

Canberra Times

John Hanscombe

Disaster looms and we should be hopping mad

The foe is public enemy number one, the newsreel narrator declares in his clipped, almost British accent. The musical accompaniment has the same...

17.02.2026 20

The Examiner

John Hanscombe

Disaster looms and we should be hopping mad

17.02.2026 10

Canberra Times

John Hanscombe