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Pre-poll voting has 'become a thing'.
Australia votes

'It's become a thing': The rise and rise of pre-poll voters

Officially you need a valid reason to vote before election day, but an increasing number of Australians are doing it anyway.

  • by Judith Ireland
Mustapha Kara-Ali outside court on Thursday.
Courts

Brothers who claimed 'exemption' from law fined $100,000 for contempt

The NSW Land and Environment Court heard Mustapha Kara-Ali and his brother Diaa Kara-Ali had a "religious issue with the court".

  • by Michaela Whitbourn
Illustration: Jim Pavlidis
Analysis
Australia votes

For once, this election might be about policy

We’re a week in to the federal campaign and I don’t want to alarm you, but this election might just turn out to be about policy.

  • by Tory Maguire
Kathleen Scarpone, left, and Cheryl Juaire, second from left, protest at Harvard University last week. Juaire, who's son Corey Merrill died of in 2011, led a demonstration by parents who have lost a child to opioid abuse.
Drugs

31 doctors, 32 million pills: Sweeping opioids case revealed

Officials called the indictments on Wednesday the "single largest prescription opioid law enforcement operation in history."

  • by Campbell Robertson
Police stand between far-right and anti-racism protesters at a rally in Melbourne in January this year.
Exclusive
Extremism

Counter-terrorism police warn far-right figures about 'negative' behaviour

Several individuals in Australia's far-right movement have been contacted by police following the Christchurch attack.

  • by Max Koslowski
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Eight people were arrested over an alleged child sex abuse ring.
Courts

'The only alternative to custody': incest family member bailed to motel

It's taken authorities months to find a place to bail an incest family member accused of child sex crimes.

  • by Angus Thompson
Napier teen Charlie O'Brien on his swing at Taradale Park. Pictured, the 16-year-old on Wednesday morning.
World records

Teenager breaks swinging world record

After 32 hours, teenager Charlie O'Brien has broken the world record for longest marathon on a swing.

Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo puts down Detroit's Thon Maker.
NBA

Antetokounmpo dominates as Bucks go 2-0 up over Pistons

Australian Thon Maker has had another poor NBA shooting night as his Detroit Pistons were soundly defeated again by the Milwaukee Bucks.

Thursday's data showed a total 25,700 new jobs were created in March, surging past expectations for a rise of 12,000.
Jobs

Jobs surge past expectations but unemployment ticks up

A bumper run in jobs extended to March and more people went looking for work.

  • by Swati Pandey
Jarvie Park, Marrickville.
Crime

Convicted sex offender on 'drunken rampage' when he approached children at inner west playground

A convicted sex offender was on a "drunken rampage" when he allegedly approached multiple children under the age of 14, one as young as eight, for sexual activity in an inner west park and playground on Wednesday, a court has heard.

  • by Lucy Cormack
An alleged trespasser scaled overhead lines, forcing police to halt services and shut off electricity.
Public transport

Major delays on Sydney train lines following police operation

There were delays of more than an hour on some lines after Redfern station was temporarily shut down.

  • by Rachel Clun and Matt Bungard
Scott Morrison and Bill Shorten have clashed over climate policy.
Australia votes

'Malicious and stupid': Political climate war heats up as Shorten and Morrison clash over policy

The campaign is threatening to turn into a new climate change war after Scott Morrison and Bill Shorten accused each other of making up figures.

  • by Shane Wright
Climate activists surround a pink boat painted with the slogan 'tell the truth' during a protest near Oxford Circus London Underground station .
Climate policy

Mayor feels heat from police over London climate protest chaos

On another chaotic day, three protesters glued themselves to a train at Canary Wharf, while Oxford Circus, Waterloo Bridge and Parliament Square were brought to a standstill.

  • by Bill Gardner and Camilla Tominey
The company behind the delayed NorthConnex development has been hit with a class action from investors.
Exclusive
Commercial real estate

NorthConnex builder Lendlease hit with class action

Maurice Blackburn on Thursday filed an open class action in the New South Wales Supreme Court against Lendlease.

  • by Sarah Danckert
Rich French families are racing to donate to the Notre-Dame rebuilt effort.
Notre Dame fire

The rich are showering money on Notre-Dame, but what about the needy?

The pledges came in quick succession. By Wednesday, the French government had welcomed more than $1.3 billion offered to salvage the cultural treasure.

  • by Liz Alderman and Steven Erlanger
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Mick Hawi was gunned down outside Rockdale Fitness First after he finished his workout in February 2018.
Courts

Mick Hawi's alleged killers committed to stand trial

Three of the four men charged over the murder of former bikie boss Mahmoud "Mick" Hawi have pleaded not guilty to his murder.

  • by Angus Thompson
Woodside, run by Peter Coleman, said total production for the quarter came in at 21.7 million barrels of oil equivalent (mmboe), down from 22.2 mmboe a year earlier.
Oil

Woodside plays down cyclone impacts as revenue jumps

Woodside Petroleum on Thursday posted a 4 per cent rise in first-quarter revenue on higher realised prices for its oil and gas.

  • by Hamish Hastie
Hundreds of parents have signed a petition to have Mr Warner reinstated.
Education

'It will never happen again': Principal who dragged boy heads back to school

The principal filmed dragging a student has been reinstated, after an unreserved apology to the student's family. Now his supporters want the Minister to apologise too.

  • by Zach Hope
Thumbs up: Eddie Betts after beating the Crows, and kicking the goal of the year in 2016.
Adelaide Crows

The best of Eddie Betts: the champ selects his top five goals

The star Crow and former Blue Eddie Betts has ranked his favourite five goals ahead of his 300th game on Sunday.

  • by Peter Ryan
Craig Bellamy believes the Sharks are being 'condescending' in their praise of Storm
NRL 2019

Bellamy calls out 'condescending' Roosters

Storm coach Craig Bellamy has taken a swipe at the Roosters for pumping up his club's tyres ahead of their showdown on Friday night.

  • by Roy Ward
Graincorp CEO Mark Palmquist. Market volatility and shifts in global grain flows due to a trade war between the United States and China have not been the boon once expected for grain merchants.
Soft commodities

GrainCorp flags 'disappointing' hit to grains business

Takeover target GrainCorp said international trade tensions and a severe drought that wilted summer crops would hit earnings.

Diver Josh Bratchley.
Missing person

Thai cave rescue diver rescued from Tennessee cave

Diver Josh Bratchley, who helped in the rescue of a youth soccer team from a Thai cave last year, has in turn been rescued from a flooded cave in the US.

  • by Ryan Wilkinson
At its peak, Jet operated over 120 planes and well over 600 daily flights.
Aviation

India's Jet Airways finds itself out of runway as funds dry up

Embattled Jet Airways halted all flight operations indefinitely on Wednesday after its lenders rejected its plea for emergency funds.

  • by Tanvi Mehta, Promit Mukherjee and Aditi Shah
Elizabeth Gaines said Cyclone Veronica had impacted exports.
Mining

Fortescue chief says ore prices won't be hit by Brazil mine reopening

Fortescue Metals Group chief executive Elizabeth Gaines is unfazed by Brazilian miner Vale’s announcement it would reopen a major iron ore mine after more than two months of shutdowns.

  • by Hamish Hastie
Archbishop Anthony Fisher.
Notre Dame fire

Christians 'under siege', says Sydney archbishop following Notre-Dame Cathedral fire

Sydney's Catholic leader believes Christians around the world are 'under siege' and hopes the fire at Paris' Notre-Dame Cathedral was not a deliberate attack.

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Mike Cannon-Brookes is the co-founder and co-CEO of Atlassian.
Atlassian

Atlassian shares slide in US despite 'flat tack' quarterly result

Shares in the Australian workplace software company tumbled nearly 10 per cent after it underwhelmed investors with its outlook for the rest of the fiscal year.

  • by John McDuling
Staying: Dragons coach Paul McGregor.
NRL 2019

Dragons extend McGregor's deal

The St George Illawarra coach will be the longest serving one in the club's history, leaving Parramatta's Brad Arthur as the only one on the open market.

  • by Adam Pengilly
NAB's profit will take a $325m blow.
Updated
Hayne fallout

NAB remediation costs top $1b after extra $525m hit

The vast majority of the charges relate to wealth management, an area where NAB has been compensating hundreds of thousands of customers who were charged fees for advice that was not provided.

  • by Clancy Yeates
US President Donald Trump launched a major tax overhaul in 2017.
US votes 2020

The market shift that has given Trump's re-election chances a big boost

A noticeable shift has taken place on Wall Street and among many economists and business leaders in recent weeks, and it's good news for President Trump.

  • by Heather Long
A man has been charged over the 1998 murder of a man in Redfern.
Courts

Man charged over 1998 Redfern murder after walking into police station

A 41-year-old man will face court after he went to Redfern Police Station on Wednesday.

  • by Rachel Clun and Angus Thompson
There is disquiet at the 76ers, with reports the team discussed trading Ben Simmons.
Updated
NBA

'Pile of trash': 76ers vice-president hits out at Simmons report

The Philadelphia 76ers have slammed a report as ‘‘a steaming pile of trash’’ that claimed Ben Simmons missed a game because he was out partying.

People watch a TV news program reporting about North Korea's test-fire of a "new-type tactical guided weapon" in Seoul on Thursday.
Nuclear disarmament

Kim Jong-un oversees test of new tactical guided weapon

North Korea has test-fired a "new-type tactical guided weapon," state media reported, in a likely signal of displeasure over stalled nuclear talks with US President Donald Trump.

  • by Justin Sink
Huawei's Cyber Security Transparency Centre in Brussels, Belgium.
5G rollout

On Huawei, Australian academic urges UK to follow Australia's lead

Andrew MacLeod, a visiting professor at King's College in London, urged Britain to look to Australia's nuanced public debate on China.

  • by Latika Bourke
Hui Ka Yan was forced to sell Sydney harbourside mansion Villa Del Mare in 2015.
World markets

The 'king of debt' has a $48 billion fortune and lots of doubters

Donald Trump once called himself the "king of debt.'' Hui Ka Yan, China's richest property mogul, has a much stronger claim to the throne.

  • by Annie Lee and Emma Dong
ASX
Sponsored
8@eight

8@eight: ASX set to inch higher

What happened overnight and what's ahead for the ASX.

  • by Kyle Rodda
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Andrew Bogut will be seeing more game time for the Warriors.
NBA

'Lucky to have him': Bogut to start at centre for Warriors

Australian Andrew Bogut will start at centre for the two-time defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors in game three on Friday, head coach Steve Kerr says.

A large great white shark off the shore of Oahu.
Animals

There's one thing great white sharks are really afraid of

Great white sharks have been considered the most fearsome predators in the ocean. But new research shows that may not be the case.

  • by Paul Rogers
David Warner has been on fire for the Sunrisers in the IPL.
Updated
Twenty20

Red-hot Warner delivers another belting performance

David Warner continued his red-hot IPL form, while Cameron Bancroft has notched a century for Durham in England.

Tottenham's Fernando Llorente (centre) celebrates the Spurs' third goal. They went through on away goals.
Updated
UEFA Champions League

Spurs stun City to go through after seven-goal thriller

Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino hailed his team as 'heroes' after they reached the semi-finals of the Champions League on away goals against Manchester City.

Qualcomm shares have soared more than 35 per cent since the deal was announced.
5G rollout

'Game-changing': $42b boost for company after reaching Apple settlement

The resolution of a long-running legal battle with Apple has seen Qualcomm shares rocket.

  • by Akanksha Rana
Notre-Dame Cathedral spire on the cusp of collapse.
Notre Dame fire

Contest for design of new Notre-Dame spire announced

The cathedral's 93-metre high, lead-covered wooden spire collapsed into the flames during the fire that destroyed the cathedral's roof.

  • by Pol O Gradaigh
Craig Wright claims to have invented Bitcoin.
Cryptocurrencies

Australian who claims to have invented bitcoin finds himself in a crypto firestorm

The world of cryptocurrencies is in a tizzy, and Craig Wright is at the centre of it again.

  • by Olga Kharif
Emergency services attend the scene after a tour bus crashed at Canico, on Portugal's Madeira Island.
Tragedy

Portugal tourist bus crash kills dozens

The bus overturned in a coastal town on the Portuguese island of Madeira, officials say.

  • by Catarina Demony
Sol Pais had travelled to Colorado and was believed to be armed.
Guns

Teen 'infatuated' with Columbine massacre found dead in Colorado after manhunt

Sol Pais, 18, flew from Florida to Colorado and purchased a pump-action shotgun days before the anniversary of the Columbine school massacre.

  • by Jennifer Oldham and Jessica Contrera
So-called anvil crawling lightning from storms passing over Sydney.
Science

Lightning strikes twice - or more - in the same place, new paper finds

Multiple thunderbolts can happen from the same cloud, new research involving the novel reuse of technology aimed at looking into deep space has found.

  • by Peter Hannam
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Former Peruvian president Alan García pictured in July, 2006.
Crime

Peru ex-president Alan Garcia kills himself moments after arrest

The shocking end for the man who twice ruled Peru but more recently was ensnared in a corruption scandal comes amid a national upheaval over endemic corruption.

  • by Franklin Briceno
Sadaf Khadem was expected to receive a hero's welcome when she returned to Iran.
Iran

History-making female boxer from Iran cancels return home after arrest warrant issued

On Saturday, Sadaf Khadem was lauded as the first Iranian woman to ever compete in an official boxing bout. Now, she is in exile.

  • by Julien Pretot
Tony Abbott
Letters
Letters

Kean's reference for Abbott a loss for the environment

Despite the scare tactics included in Matt Kean's article, he is correct that Tony Abbott is not a progressive.

One of the hills of radioactive residue that is causing problems for Lynas in Malaysia.
Exclusive
Waste

Lynas still has to move a radioactive mountain, say Malay officials

Malaysia's Environment Minister accused Lynas of putting its bottom line before the environmental concerns of local Malays in a letter to Lynas employees.

  • by Colin Kruger
In the Herald dinkus
Opinion
Australia

In the Herald: April 18, 1966

O to 166 mph in seconds, a $12m betting week, and last match before service

  • by Lyn Maccallum
You Can't Ask That.
Letters

Green Guide letters: Bouquets and brickbats from our readers

You Can't Ask That, The Drum, My Kitchen Rules and more.

Senator Tim Storer has quit federal parliament.
Australia votes

'What this means for my young family': Senator Tim Storer quits

The independent senator has been in Parliament for just over one year.

  • by Latika Bourke
Senator Pat Dodson will unveil Labor's indigenous health plan alongside Bill Shorten. Photo: Alex Ellinghausen
Australia votes

'Critical to reconciliation': Labor's plan to close the gap on Indigenous health

Bill Shorten will unveil a plan to tackle the Indigenous health crisis, positioning Labor as the party capable of closing a ten-year life expectancy gap.

  • by Dana McCauley
Column 8 granny dinkus
Opinion
Column 8

Column 8

It's a matter of degrees in Tamworth.

Putri Elma a first time voter from Bekasi, Indonesia, after voting on Wednesday.
Indonesian election

Indonesia's Joko Widodo poised to claim big win in presidential poll

"Quick counts" of ballot papers indicate Joko has defeated Prabowo Subianto by about 10 percentage points, but Subianto has also claimed victory.

  • by James Massola, Karuni Rompies and Amilia Rosa
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A fire fighter makes his way on a balcony of Notre Dame cathedral Wednesday, April 17, 2019 in Paris. French President Emmanuel Macron ratcheted up the pressure by setting a five-year deadline to restore the 12th-century landmark. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)
Notre Dame fire

More than $1 billion raised for rebuild of Notre-Dame Cathedral after fire

More than $1 billion has already poured in from ordinary worshippers and high-powered magnates around the world to restore the fire-ravaged cathedral in Paris.

Partners in crime: Caitlin Smith and Scott Burrell were jailed in Newcastle District Court on Tuesday for robbing an 18-year-old student at the University of Newcastle.
Crime

How a quick-thinking university student tricked thieves into appearing on CCTV

The 18-year-old student was walking to a railway station when he was confronted by Scott Burrell, 33, who was armed with a knife, and his fiance, Caitlin Smith, 27.

  • by Sam Rigney
Final days: Former Nauru president Sprent Dabwido on The Project.
Immigration

'Deal with the devil': Former Nauru president's deathbed confession

In an interview on The Project with journalist Hamish Macdonald, an emotional Sprent Dabwido bared his soul for the world to see.

  • by Matt Bungard
And they're off:  Runners at the starting line near Hyde Park in 2018's City2Surf.
City to surf

'An amazing experience': City2Surf registrations now open

More than 80,000 people are expected to lace up their running shoes to walk, wheel, dance, jog and run the course on August 11.

  • by Matt Bungard
Shahab Ahmed and wife Khondkar Fariha Elahi.
Courts

'I killed my wife': Sydney man's chilling triple 0 call played in court

Prosecutors allege Shabab Ahmed turned his mind to murder in 2016, when searching the web for "how should cheating be treated".

  • by Luke Costin
Unseasonably warm: Swimmers enjoy Coogee Beach in January, a scene which may be replicated this weekend.
Weather

'Last gasp of summer' forecast for the Easter break

Weather and emergency service experts have urged people to take extra care over what will be an unseasonably warm Easter weekend.

  • by Matt Bungard
NSW deputy premier John Barilaro wants to make Queanbeyan's City of Champions come to life.
State Parliament

'It's a witch hunt': John Barilaro defends Nat linked to scandal

Nationals ministers and MPs have raised concerns over the appointment of Jeff McCormack as chief of staff to Water Minister Melinda Pavey.

  • by Tom Rabe
Prime Minister Scott Morrison pulled carrots at a farm near Forth in north-west Tasmania on Wednesday.
Australia votes

'People often doubt me ... and I prove them wrong': Scott Morrison

The Prime Minister doubled down on his portrayal of opponent Bill Shorten as a "liar" amid a brutal war over superannuation.

  • by Michael Koziol
Healthscope chairman Paula Dwyer.
Healthcare

AustralianSuper remains silent on $4.4b Healthscope bid

Healthscope’s largest investor, AustralianSuper has declined to say whether it would support the Brookfield takeover offer for the private hospital operator.

  • by Colin Kruger
 Captain GetUp is the conservative answer to the GetUp! campaign.
Exclusive
Australia votes

Conservative lobby group makes police complaint of death threat against 'unmasked' Captain GetUp

A YouTube video creator now starring as a caped conservative crusader for Advance Australia has been targetted by a Labor supporter.

  • by Jacqueline Maley