Jessica Riga
Jessica Riga is a Digital Journalist with the national ABC News online team. She specialises in live blogging and explainer content, and has live blogged the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the 2022 Australian federal election.
Latest by Jessica Riga
The Oscars will (finally) start awarding Best Casting, so here are five films that should have won
By Jessica Riga
The Oscars have added a new category for the first time in more than two decades, with casting set to be honoured alongside acting, writing and directing. Here are five films we wish were honoured at the time.
Charles's cancer diagnosis draws hopes of reconciliation between William and Harry
By Jessica Riga with wires
The announcement of the king's cancer diagnosis sparked immediate speculation it could be a catalyst to heal family tensions, but royal experts say the rift between the royal brothers is "more entrenched".
Grammys emerge from flop era as viewership jumps 34 per cent
By Jessica Riga with wires
The Grammys hit a high note this year, drawing an audience of nearly 17 million viewers as the three-hour ceremony focused on celebrating some of the most successful women in the industry.
We relived the thrills and spills of the Turnbull years in Nemesis — with political analysis from Annabel Crabb
By Annabel Crabb and Jessica Riga for Nemesis
The ABC's political docuseries Nemesis is back. We unpack the biggest moments from episode 2, with political analysis from Annabel Crabb.
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Finished Nemesis? We unpacked the rise and fall of Tony Abbott with David Speers
By David Speers, Jessica Riga and Clare Blumer for Nemesis
The ABC's political docuseries Nemesis has arrived. We bring you the latest updates from episode one, with political analysis from David Speers.
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Donald Trump wins New Hampshire primary as Nikki Haley says race is 'far from over' — as it happened
By Brad Ryan in Washington DC, Jessica Riga and Casey Briggs, with North America correspondent Carrington Clarke and Cameron Schwarz in New Hampshire
Donald Trump wins the Republican primary election in New Hampshire, while Joe Biden wins the state's Democratic contest.
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No Oscar for Margot? We unpacked the (many) snubs and surprises from this year's nominations
By Jessica Riga
Barbie's Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig miss out on key Oscar nominations, while Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer picks up 13 nods. Here's the full list.
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Sarah Snook wins Emmy, pays tribute to baby daughter — and Elton John achieves EGOT status
By Jessica Riga, Liana Walker, and Jared Richards
Australian actress Sarah Snook thanks her baby daughter, saying "it was her who carried me" as she wins the best drama actress award at the Emmys.
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Trent Dalton's Boy Swallows Universe goes from page to screen in star-studded Netflix adaptation
By Jessica Riga
Trent Dalton's bestselling debut novel Boy Swallows Universe cemented his place in Australia's literary landscape. Now, a seven-part Netflix series is about to bring his epic coming-of-age saga to a global audience.
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The romance genre is 'blowing up' online. A bestselling author, publisher and bookseller explain why
By Jessica Riga
Readers are embracing romance novels with wild abandon and sending their favourite titles straight to number one. So we asked a bestselling romance author, publisher and bookseller why the genre is having such a moment.
Here are all the nominations for the Golden Globes — plus we unpack the biggest snubs and surprises
By Jessica Riga
The nominees for the 2024 Golden Globe awards have been announced with Barbie and Succession both receiving multiple nominations.
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Taylor Swift named Time magazine's Person of the Year, beating Putin, King Charles III and Barbie
By Jessica Riga
Time magazine names Taylor Swift their Person of the Year for 2023, bucking their tradition of recognising influential political leaders and acknowledging the global superstar as a "source of light" in a "divided world".
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Who are Yemen's Houthi rebels, and what part are they playing in the Israel-Gaza war?
By Jessica Riga with wires
Attacks on shipping in the southern Red Sea have heightened fears of the Israel-Gaza war spreading, with the US military saying three commercial ships were attacked by Yemen's Iran-allied Houthi movement.
Wong confirms 67 Australians and family members crossed from Gaza into Egypt overnight
By Georgie Hewson, Julian Fell, Tessa Flemming, and Jessica Riga
Foreign Minister Penny Wong says 67 Australians, permanent residents and their families left Gaza through the Rafah border crossing overnight.
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David Holmes was flying high as a Harry Potter stunt double – until he was paralysed on-set
By Jessica Riga
In the wizarding world, Harry Potter is known as "the boy who lived". In reality, it's Daniel Radcliffe's main stunt double, David Holmes, who is lucky to be alive.
Your interactive guide to Rishi Sunak's cabinet reshuffle
By Jessica Riga
In the latest wave of turbulence in Westminster, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has reshuffled his ministerial team. Here’s how the key players have fared in the shake-up.
The Optus outage has thrown our cashless society into question, but experts say there's no going back
By Jessica Riga
Businesses were hit hard during the Optus outage, with EFTPOS machines left out of action. As Australia moves further towards being completely cashless, experts say the outage isn't enough to see cash return as king.
Swifties prepare to nab newly released Taylor Swift tickets as Ticketek announces resale date
By Jessica Riga
When tickets to Taylor Swift's Eras tour went on sale earlier this year, 4 million Australians tried their luck, with those missing out holding out hope for the official resale.
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Mean Girls returns in musical form, but you wouldn't know it from the trailer
By Jessica Riga
Nearly two decades after Mean Girls hit theatres and launched an endless amount of quotes into our cultural lexicon, the franchise is returning with a musical twist.
Optus services 'gradually' restored as engineers warn of network vulnerabilities — as it happened
Optus says it "may take a few hours for all services to recover", with the telco yet to identify the root issue behind the huge outage.
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What The Block auctions tell us about Australia's housing market
By Jessica Riga
One couple has netted a staggering $1.6 million in profits after winning The Block, while another couple’s shaky auction saw them walk away with $65,000 in comparison. So, what do these wildly different results say about Australia’s housing market?
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Was 1989 the birth of superstar Taylor Swift or just her supersized financial ambitions? Let’s discuss
By Jessica Riga and Velvet Winter
1989 (Taylor's Version) is here, revisiting Taylor Swift's incredibly successful turn at pop music. For some, it's the album that turned them into Swifties. For others, 1989 marks her most strategic marketing era.
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From a blooming romance to a car chase through Paris, the final season of The Crown charts Diana's doomed destiny
By Jessica Riga
The bumper final season of The Crown has been split into two parts, with the trailer for part one showing the Netflix series getting as close as it can to Princess Diana’s death as the royal family ride the wave of public opinion.
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Here’s what we know about the mother and daughter released by Hamas, and what happens next
By Jessica Riga with wires
While the whereabouts of hundreds of hostages kidnapped by Hamas a fortnight ago remains unknown, a mother and daughter from the US become the first to be released.
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Australian murdered by Hamas farewelled as Israel says it aims to end its responsibility for the Gaza Strip — as it happened
By Audrey Courty, Lara Smit, Leonie Thorne, Debra Killalea, Brianna Morris-Grant, Jessica Riga, Carrington Clarke, and Brad Ryan
Family pay tribute to Galit Carbone, the only Australian to be killed in the October 7 terrorist attack in Israel. Look back on our coverage of the Israel Gaza war.
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