Cars out, volleyball in with Bondi makeover

Nicole Hasham Cars would be banished, a leafy park created and beach volleyball allowed at Bondi under the biggest changes made to the waterfront strip in decades.

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Nile calls for black and white choice for voters

Heath Aston, Dan Harrison Christian groups, led by the Reverend Fred Nile, are calling for an election day referendum on gay marriage, saying Australians will reject any change to the status quo.

Man found guilty of girlfriend's murder

STEPHANIE GARDINER Sean Lee King says he can't remember much about the night he murdered his girlfriend, when he stomped on her and left her battered body on her mother's kitchen floor.

DJ in royal prank to appear at nurse's inquest

MICHAEL LALLO ''Royal hoax'' DJ Mel Greig will appear at the British inquest of nurse Jacintha Saldanha later this year.

Wheat bag blamed for fatal fire

PAUL BIBBY Relatives of an elderly Sydney woman who died when a hot wheat pack set her bedroom on fire have called for mandatory warnings on the popular warming devices alerting people to their capacity to spontaneously combust.

Inquiry to be held into missing documents

SEAN NICHOLLS A public inquiry is set to be held into the alleged cover-up of more than 100 documents relating to former Labor MP Ian Macdonald's granting of a controversial mining licence central to the state's biggest corruption case.

Murderer killed our life: victim's parents

RACHEL OLDING She was their ''sweet little fairy,'' a peaceful, happy ''blessing'' who was flourishing in Australia despite being separated from her parents in India.

Feedback on auditor's report 'inappropriate'

Linton Besser A probity auditor investigating Ian Macdonald's decision to directly issue a coal licence to a friend's company sent a draft of his findings to Mr Macdonald's department for its feedback, a corruption inquiry has been told.

Surgeon shouldn't keep award, academics say

AMY CORDEROY A Chinese doctor accused of overseeing the harvesting of organs from political prisoners for transplantation should be stripped of an honorary professorship awarded by the University of Sydney, academics say.

Shopkeeper 'forced to sell' for backing Assad

RACHEL OLDING A shopkeeper was allegedly extorted, threatened, firebombed, bashed and eventually forced to sell his Bankstown juice bar for a pittance because a gang of Sunni Muslims suspected he supported Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Final burst of summer, before knitting starts

Nicole Hasham It was a weekend made for swimmers, not surfers: a mellow swell, heated to a tepid bath as summer made one last burst.

Macdonald deal papers kept from Parliament

KATE MCCLYMONT Almost 1000 pages of documents concerning the allegedly corrupt coal deal involving two former Labor ministers, Ian Macdonald and Eddie Obeid, were withheld from Parliament in 2009.

Poor priced out of Sydney rental market

Rachel Browne Less than 1 per cent of private rental properties in Sydney are affordable for people on low incomes or social security benefits, according to research from a leading welfare group.

Space

From Dover Heights to the Milky Way

Nicole Hasham From a red brick house in Rodney Street, Dover Heights, scientists found the centre of our galaxy.

Weekend clearways proposal is 'half-baked'

The state government's plan to create clearways to ease Sydney's weekend congestion woes is ''half-baked'', says Opposition Leader John Robertson.

Lawyers criticised over rejection of settlement

Harriet Alexander The law firm blasted by a judge over its conduct in the Peter Slipper case has been criticised over a claim that a client rejected a settlement offer nearly five times more generous than she ultimately received.

Teens charged after robberies at knife-point

Sarah-Jane Collins Two boys, aged 13 and 14, allegedly used knives to rob people of cash in Kingsford on Saturday night. But one victim escaped thanks to his martial arts training.

State Labor dithers over preselections

ANNA PATTY The NSW ALP is under growing internal pressure to intervene in the preselection of a candidate for the federal seat of Throsby.

Pensioner concession open for debate: Page

It is too early to comment on a report that suggests scrapping a $250 concession which helps pensioners pay their council rates, the O'Farrell government says.

Owners' plea to Premier: raze Ebony home

Tim Barlass Despite a settlement, angst remains over infamous house.

Nightmare week of crime leaves police fed up

Emma Partridge, Eamonn Duff Police are ''fed up'' with gun saturation in Sydney after one of the worst weeks of crime in NSW history.

Mergers: a tale of three cash-rich cities

Kirsty Needham A radical shake-up of NSW councils proposed this week would see two new powerbrokers join Sydney's lord mayor Clover Moore.

Darling Harbour among most polluted

Sarah-Jane Collins Darling Harbour is so choked with litter that it is one of the most polluted areas in Sydney, a new report says.

My restaurant rules: buy tickets upfront

ESTHER HAN The restaurant industry's battle against people who break their reservations and cause profit losses has reached new heights.

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Compulsory safety sign-up for pool owners

Backyard pool owners will be required by law to register online with a child safety website from Monday.

Ice ingredient found in strollers

Customs authorities have seized 4.5 kilograms of the precursor drug ephedrine that was hidden in a delivery of prams.

Cricketers pitch for top properties

TOBY JOHNSTONE Ricky Ponting is selling, Steve Waugh has bought and Michael Clarke is looking - there's something about the prestige market of southern Sydney and Australian cricketers.

Parking ban for weekend gridlock

JACOB SAULWICK Major Sydney roads will be cleared of parking at weekends in a bid to free up chronic traffic congestion that now rivals weekday travel.

Bended knees get the flick

Effie Mann A month of planning culminated on a balmy Monday night in Collaroy on the northern beaches in a charming art deco cinema.

China Southern deploys super jumbos

ROBERT UPE Australian travellers are more spoilt for choice than ever with the news that another airline, China Southern, is to introduce A380 flights direct to Sydney.

Conscience clear, says Schwartz heir

Jo Casamento, Paul Bibby The mysteries surrounding the death of hotels matriarch Eve Schwartz have transfixed Sydney this month.

Council plan to rob pensioners

Kirsty Needham Pensioners are being targeted for sharp rate rises, with a sweeping review of the state's 152 councils recommending the dumping of their $250 concession discount.

Childcare closures as landlords cash in

COSIMA MARRINER Hundreds of Sydney families could be forced to find alternative childcare with up to a dozen centres at risk of closing as landlords seek to capitalise on valuable property.

Pilot dead as glider plummets into paddock

Emma Partridge A pilot has died and a man is in hospital after a Glider crashed into a paddock north of Goulburn at 3.45pm on Saturday, police said.

Queensland: Beautiful one day, NSW's tip the next

LEESHA MCKENNY Waste operators have been digging up landfill in Sydney and trucking it to cheaper tips in Queensland to cash in on incentives supposed to encourage recycling.

State governments should go, says Kennett

Nicole Hasham As the O'Farrell government lays the groundwork to slash the number of councils in NSW, the question has been asked: are we getting rid of the wrong layer of government?

Liberal MPs steer clear of Islamic dinner

HEATH ASTON Liberal Party MPs, including federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott and NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell, have snubbed one of the Islamic community's most important celebrations.

O'Farrell a throwback to Libs of old

Academics claim the NSW Premier is more a Liberal in the Menzies mould than many in the party realise, writes Anna Patty.

Winged wanderer who loves city life

NICKY PHILLIPS Columbus (01) prefers Mosman, while Pina Colada (05) is a regular on the balconies of Potts Point. A true north shore type, Burt (09), has never been spotted south of the bridge.

Bottom line

Bottom line: Stores get serious about denim

PAULA JOYE The market for designer denim is booming. Welcome to the age of the ''rear end selfie''.

A troubled relationship, and two lives ended

ILYA GRIDNEFF A murder in Mosman was just one of several recent troubling deaths across the city, writes Ilya Gridneff.

Stabbing victim 'considering a divorce'

RACHEL OLDING An Auburn woman who was brutally stabbed with her mother in their western Sydney home had been allegedly considering a divorce.

Out of the shadows … more men in tights

ANDREW TAYLOR ''We call it the Billy Elliot factor,'' says David McAllister. ''I think it made a huge difference in perceptions.''

Beach boys club accused of creating bad vibes

Rebecca Koerber You have seen them on TV, dashing into the breakers to the aid of stricken swimmers. But there's something curious about the bronzed Aussie heroes of the show Bondi Rescue - there's not a woman among them.

No more Omega, it's all about the Alpha

Peter Munro Chefs in Sydney are either addicts or sadists, Peter Conistis says. And he knows better than most. He was the next big thing until liquidators arrived at the end of a lunch service one day and locked the doors.

Buskers bowed down by red tape

STEVE DOW In 1983 avant-garde violinist Jon Rose gave a one-hour amplified violin concert on the roof of an Oxford Street bookstore, with chairs set out on the street below.

Home alone losing its appeal for Sydneysiders

MATT WADE Expensive housing and changing social norms have reversed a long-term trend towards lone households in Sydney, especially among young people.

Getting by with a little help from her friends

JAMES ROBERTSON In some cultures, they say, it takes a village. But in Sydney's inner west a mother can call on some help from her housemates: Aunty Dan, Uncle Steve, Buddah, Buddy and Bird.

Jail term for couple in dodgy tax scheme

PAUL BIBBY A middle-aged couple from Sydney's northern beaches have been sentenced to a least 2½ years in jail for tax evasion, after participating in a scheme to evade tax on income of $1,173,000.

Piracy

NSW Police hit with bill after piracy case

BEN GRUBB NSW Police incurred a $1.8 million legal bill defending itself against a multinational software company that sued for wide-scale copyright piracy, figures obtained under government information access laws show.

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Terrible toll of the provocation defence

Harriet Alexander Jaspreet Kaur misses her sister more than ever as she awaits the birth of her first child.

Spotlight on domestic violence

Stephanie Gardiner, Ilya Gridneff It was the horrific end to an already terrible tale. The death of 32-year-old Mosman resident Kate Malonyay was followed a few days later by her ex-boyfriend Elliott Coulson plunging to his death.

Slain woman 'was considering divorce'

RACHEL OLDING A woman was considering a divorce from her husband when she was brutally stabbed along with her mother in their western Sydney home.

Companies head off the sickie rush

Natasha Wallace, Stathi Paxinos Several big companies have encouraged staff to take Friday off and make the most of the Anzac public holiday.

Double shooting: friends lived on same street

MEGAN LEVY Two men who were found dead with gunshot wounds in a suspected murder-suicide lived on the same street, police have revealed.

Take forced mergers to poll: Kennett

LEESHA MCKENNY Genuine council reform will fail unless the NSW government takes a plan for forced mergers to the next election, former Victorian premier Jeff Kennett says.

Teen girl badly burnt in bonfire explosion

A teenage girl suffered burns to more than 30 per cent of her body after a bonfire exploded at a Thurgoona party on Friday morning.

Grim end for 'nice and polite' pair

RACHEL OLDING They were a quiet and polite pair who always said hello to their neighbours and worked hard to earn a living. However, police believe Yu Ling Yan, 49, and her daughter Doris, 26, met with a terrifying, violent end.

A match where the bravest are on the sidelines

GLENN JACKSON Now in its 12th year, the traditional Anzac Day NRL clash between Sydney Roosters and St George Illawarra can’t generate the crowds that its Melbourne equivalent does, but its presence on the Sydney sporting calendar is growing.

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Light finally shines on Gunner Percy

Tim Barlass Sixty-seven years is a long wait to receive your medals for service in the Second World War. For indigenous soldier Percy Suey it was too long. He died before he received them.

Anzac of the Year attends 4355 services

LISA DAVIES For 67 years, Walter "Wally" Scott-Smith has been the chief custodian of the Martin Place Cenotaph – and he has never missed a dawn service.

Trading war stories: Diggers show spirit

PAUL BIBBY The most powerful stories of war and its impact don't emerge during the Anzac Day dawn service - moving as it is - or the proud march down Sydney's main drag. The real tales are told when the Diggers reach the pub.

Raise rates to restore coffers, says review

Nicole Hasham Rates would rise and residents would be charged more for public pools and on-street parking under measures designed to preserve councils from financial ruin.

NSW leads the way

Mark Kenny, Josephine Tovey, Daniel Hurst Julia Gillard is hopeful of rescuing her national funding agreement for school education after NSW became the first state to sign up for the multibillion-dollar offer.

Leaders warn of battle to stop merger plan

JAMES ROBERTSON Sydney mayors say they will reject a proposed reform to cut the number of metropolitan councils down to nearly a third of present numbers.

Suspect falls to his death as police close in

Lisa Davies, Ilya Gridneff Within hours of finding the battered and bruised body of Kate Malonyay in her harbourside apartment, police knew exactly who they were looking for.

Pyne admits Gonski will benefit NSW

Daniel Hurst, Josephine Tovey The federal opposition has acknowledged the Prime Minister's school funding deal with NSW will improve the education resources available for each student.

'Suspicious' deaths of Sydney women

Rachel Olding and Megan Levy A man returning home from work discovered the bodies of two women inside their home in Sydney’s west in a gruesome scene that was said to be confronting for emergency service workers.

Judge warns of ban on holiday home lettings

PAUL BIBBY A NSW Land and Environment Court judge may make a broad declaration prohibiting the owners of holiday houses in the Gosford region from temporarily letting their properties.

Electricity prices set to drop as European links come into play

BRIAN ROBINS After years of pain from surging power prices, relief is in sight with the pricing regulator forecasting electricity prices could decline an average 5.9 per cent from mid-2015.

Poppies, not pokies, will help our veterans, says RSL chief

RACHEL BROWNE The president of the NSW branch of the Returned and Services League of Australia, Don Rowe, has accused RSL clubs of exploiting the Anzac legend.