The Front

This week’s bookshop frenzy for a new romantasy title - A Court of Splintered Harmony by Sarah J Maas - prompts some big questions. Why are romantasy plots so silly? Why do smart women love them anyway? And what does it all tell us about men, women and modern love?
Come hither: The sex women want is now a $28bn empire
The self-published ‘Romantasy’ author that sparked a 9-way book auction
Stand back for the hot breath of dragon sex in Onyx Storm
Read more about this story at theaustralian.com.au and see the video by subscribing to our YouTube channel.
The weekend edition of The Front is co-produced by Claire Harvey and Jasper Leak. The host is Claire Harvey. Audio production and editing by Jasper Leak who also composed our theme.

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Mushroom killer Erin Patterson will likely die in jail after the Victorian Court of Appeal rejected her bid for freedom and increased her sentence to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
Plus, an economist’s recession warning and Fantastic Furniture closes its last Australian factory.
Read more:
Erin Patterson loses appeal, could stay in jail until her 80s as jail term increased
Near-zero growth, recession likely as rates rise looms: HSBC
Fantastic Furniture closes Fairfield East plant to shift manufacturing to China and Vietnam
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Israel’s gloriously messy democracy has thrown up a real doozy: parliamentary elections that have two potential prime ministers both saying the other guy lost. The Australian's Foreign Editor Greg Sheridan says there's one thing they both agree on: they won’t go into coalition with Arab parties – and it means Israel might be heading towards another election very soon.
Read more about this story at theaustralian.com.au and see the video by subscribing to our YouTube channel.
Benjamin Netanyahu takes narrow lead as Israel poll shows no clear result

Israelis ‘won’t let Arabs become kingmakers’ in tight election race
Commentary by Greg Sheridan: Impossible to kill: Benjamin Netanyahu defies defeat to maintain grip on Israeli politics
Commentary by Greg Sheridan: Removing Bibi won’t end irrational hatred of Israel
This episode of The Front is presented by Claire Harvey, produced by Kristen Amiet and edited by Tiffany Dimmack. Our team includes Lia Tsamoglou, Joshua Burton and Jasper Leak, who also composed our music.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission is making “targeted inquiries” into the actions of the bankers behind the canned multibillion-dollar stock-market float of data-centre builder Firmus.
Plus, Australia’s Tax Commissioner has admitted he didn’t quite get how businesses use credit cards before the ATO brought in a ban on plastic.
Read more:
Corporate regulator investigates lead managers behind cancelled $44bn Firmus float
ATO ‘jumped to conclusions’ over bungled credit card ban
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Breathtaking criminality - and a penalty that could have been much, much higher. The casino operator Star has had a huge judgment in the Federal Court with huge implications for the rest of the gaming sector - and for the punters. That’s today’s story.
Read more about this story at theaustralian.com.au and see the video by subscribing to our YouTube channel.
Star Entertainment secures lifeline as Federal Court spreads $260m penalty over 19 months
Federal Court hits Star with $260m fine for money laundering breaches
Crown in the black as casinos under the pump
This episode of The Front is presented and produced by Claire Harvey, and edited by Jasper Leak. Our team includes Kristen Amiet, Lia Tsamoglou, Tiffany Dimmack and Joshua Burton. Jasper Leak also composed our music.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.