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Tennis players and officials arrive at Melbourne Jet Base
Letters
Letters

Tennis pros should save their moaning for the court

Maybe those overpaid and self-entitled tennis stars whining about being in lockdown should contemplate the relative COVID rates in Australia and their home countries.

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Obama describes Vladimir Putin in his book as a leader whose voice evinced a "practiced disinterest".
Opinion
Democracy

Global threat from three strongmen

The absurdity of a pair of poisoned underpants is a symbol of autocratic tendencies putting democracy at risk.

  • by Peter Hartcher
Many modern Australian hotels have windows that cannot be opened.

To fight coronavirus, we all need a breath of fresh air

Locking people in quarantine rooms without access to fresh air is not just bad to their mental health – it may make them more vulnerable to COVID-19.

  • by Tim Moore
In the Herald

In the Herald: January 19, 1979

State League soccer club Avala is believed to be the code's first Sydney club to have a woman president.

  • by Harry Hollinsworth
French philosopher Voltaire would have applauded the decision to ban Donald Trump on social media.

Freedom of speech: Voltaire would applaud Trump Twitter ban

The social media ban on President Donald Trump is consistent with the principle of preventing harm to others.

  • by Josh Bornstein
Twitter has banned Donald Trump.

Capitol rioters led to their deaths by a false prophet

The Trump supporters who stormed the Capitol were deplorables. But they were also victims.

  • by Julie Szego
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Not all face masks are created equal 

A year into the pandemic, there still isn’t any clear labelling or regulations around the selling of masks.

  • by Alice Clarke
Novak Djokovic takes in the view from his quarantine hotel in Adelaide.

Novak Djokovic's demands land wide

If it seems Djokovic is acting like he runs the sport of tennis, it is only because he does.

  • by Chip Le Grand
Column 8 Granny dinkus with mask.
Opinion
Column 8

Steer clear of silver bullets near the orange poles

A tree in millimetres, still hoping for apples.

Peter V'landys.
Opinion
NRL 2021

'Complete crap': V'landys comes out firing on first day back at work

The ARL Commission chairman's stocks are sky high after rescuing the game last year. But there's still a lot of work to do.

  • by Andrew Webster
The pressure will be on Tim Paine on the final day of the fourth Test.

Rain or shine, it's day of reckoning in world of Paine

The most unlikely of Australian captains has achieved all that could be reasonably asked of him since taking over after the trauma of Cape Town - but the halo has slipped.

  • by Andrew Wu
Mohammed Siraj of India fields as Pat Cummins of Australia makes his ground.
Analysis
Test cricket

Australia counts the bird in the hand

With tropical weather always likely to interfere with the fourth Test, Australia may have another agenda in mind.

  • by Greg Baum
Mining companies, which rely heavily on government contracts, are huge political donors.

Laxness on political donations reeks of self-interest

Private patronage of politicians corrodes faith in the integrity of decision-making and increases cynicism about government and our public institutions.

  • The Herald's View
Retail's dynamic duo - soon to part ways

From corporate kryptonite to retail rainmaker - Premier's McInnes leaves on a high

The terms of Mark McInnes' departure include two years' retail industry gardening leave during which Premier will pay him his base pay for both years - a total of $5.4 million.

  • by Elizabeth Knight
Belarusian tennis player Aryna Sabalenka practises in hotel quarantine at the Grand Hyatt in Melbourne.

Australian Open can't afford one miss after hotel quarantine scrutiny

Authorities are backing that the systems will work this time but in the community the appetite for the Australian Open is diminishing.

  • by Greg Baum
US President Donald Trump with Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2019 The Trump administration’s China policies were probably the most antagonistic of any US presidency since the height of the Cold War in the 1960s.
Opinion
Trade wars

The verdict's in on Trump's trade war with China

A year ago the US and China agreed a truce in their trade war. The latest data confirms that Donald Trump's attempt to slow China's export growth and lower the US trade deficit has failed.

  • by Stephen Bartholomeusz
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Opinion
Parenting

I'm cheering for the end of school holidays – and the guilt they bring

The general emotional wreckage that comes with parenting during the holidays has been playing out in families across Australia – but alas, only a week to go.

  • by Samantha Selinger-Morris
Australian businesses are facing a Bugs Bunny style cliff-hanger.

'That's all, folks': Should the government be pulling back fiscal support?

This is not the sky diving plummet from 10,000 feet it initially appeared to be.

  • by Jennifer Duke
On one of the rare occasions he wore a mask in public, President Donald Trump removes it to speak from the Blue Room Balcony of the White House to a crowd of supporters in October.

Social media platforms are harming our health

Twitter, Facebook and other social media platforms cannot continue to be allowed to peddle lies on COVID-19 and other health matters that are detrimental to human health.

  • by David Shearman
Tennis player Chan Hao-ching (also known as Angel Chan) gives the thumbs up from her hotel quarantine at the View hotel ahead of the Australian Open in Melbourne.
Letters
Letters

Tournament's COVID risk an Open and shut case

A message to the contestants in the Australian Open. If you can't stand being locked down for 14 days I will be willing to take your place.

In the Herald

In the Herald: January 18, 1959

A man and his son jumped into the Hunter River at Hexam today to escape a blazing fishing trawler.

  • by Harry Hollinsworth
The fight against the pandemic has entered a critical stage as countries around the world roll out vaccination campaigns.

Public must be kept in the loop on vaccines

With the boost vaccines will bring to our existing strategies to fight COVID-19, we have so much to gain by keeping the public informed and engaged.

  • by Julie Leask
A cleaner disinfects public transport. The Train station that connects to the bus staion at Bondi Junction.. Coronavirus, 24th May 2020. Photo: Edwina Pickles / SMH

Pandemic strips away the myth of equality

Crises have the power to reveal who we are. One of the things this pandemic has done is reveal just how much inequality there is around us.

  • by Tim Soutphommasane
Free speech is vital to our democracy but must be limited to prevent harm.

It's time for Big Tech to be held to account

Social media platforms need to be held to account as publishers. We can make this happen.

  • by Anne Webster
Adolf Hitler and other top Nazis in Munich in the summer of 1939 – just months before the attempt on the Fuehrer's life.

US cannot ignore the lessons of history

If history can ever repeat, it did on January 6 when Trump supporters marched on the US Capitol.

  • by Dennis Glover
Australians deserve as much information as possible about coronavirus vaccines.

Caution and questioning a vital part of vaccine rollout

State and territory leaders cannot be sure when vaccines will allow a change in approach on social distancing rules.

  • by David Crowe
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Column 8 Granny dinkus with mask.
Opinion
Column 8

Airborne pests conspicuously absent in the time of plague

A not entirely fruitless endeavour.

Shardul Thakur is bowled by Pat Cummins on day three of the fourth Test.
Analysis
Test cricket

Test narrative veers further from expectations

A record seventh-wicket partnership between a pair of Indian no-names stretched belief - and this series - to the wire.

  • by Greg Baum
Pablo Cuevas practises his backhand in hotel quarantine ahead of the Australian Open.

Don't shoot arrows, get creative in Australian Open lockdown

By this point the physical work should have been done in the recent off-season, and given this off-season happened after a year of pandemic disruptions every player has been well aware that situations can change on a whim. 

  • by Roger Rasheed
The fight against the pandemic has entered a critical stage as countries around the world roll out vaccination campaigns.

Clear messaging must be part of COVID-19 vaccine strategy

The public must be kept informed if a mass immunisation program, due to start in a month, is to succeed.

  • The Herald's View
Cheteshwar Pujara bats on day three of the fourth Test at the Gabba.
Analysis
Test cricket

Indian star Pujara remains 'key' wicket but has hit a wall

Indian star Cheteshwar Pujara hasn't had the series he would have liked but the reasons why he has struggled to have "aggressive intent" are nuanced.

  • by Jon Pierik
Joe the racing pigeon was thought to have 13,000 kilometres across the Pacific Ocean.
Opinion
Animals

Joe the pigeon might give us happy ending we all need

We should be wary about casting aside creatures that have survived against the odds.

  • by Charles Purcell
Merv Hughes gets familiar with the crowd at Old Trafford in 1993.

'If they're having a go at you, it's because you're good'

Interaction with the crowd is a part of the game, as long as it doesn't go over the top.

  • by Merv Hughes
Illustration Michele Mossop
Opinion
Yoga

Becoming a better man and finding myself through hot yoga

I may never be able to touch my head to the floor but gushing sweat for 90 minutes a day has taught me to be more comfortable with myself.

  • by Ben Mack
Members of the National Guard walk in the Capitol as the House of Representatives prepared to vote on impeaching President Donald Trump on Wednesday.

Farewell @RealDonaldTrump, we knew you far too well

The world had never devoted so much time to the stream of consciousness of a non-Kardashian.

  • by Dom Knight
India's Mohammed Siraj stops play during last week's cricket Test at the SCG to make a complaint to umpire Paul Reiffel about spectators.
Opinion
India

Australia must read the ball carefully when playing with India

Australian cricketers and fans help shape impressions about Australia across the subcontinent. So let's be savvy about it.

  • by Matt Wade
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Friday on our minds ... the Australia Day debate.

Doing your job well is great, but do you really need a medal with that?

"Ordinary Australians", the same ones that our politicians love to wax lyrical about, are often left empty-handed on Australia Day.

  • by Nicola Philp
letters
Letters

Trump was a false prophet to the working class

Parnell Palme McGuiness believes that Trump and his unprincipled popularism represent the working class in America.

Twitter has banned Donald Trump.

'Too angry, too political, too commercial': social media at tipping point

More regulation is coming for social media, but users are pushing the real agenda. Media savvy friends are becoming reluctant users of platforms and taking them off their phones.

  • by Stephen Brook
President-elect Joe Biden has already  discussed the importance of carbon emissions reduction technology with Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

Is Morrison ready for a Biden administration?

After years of navigating the Trump relationship, the Australian government now needs to move on from the most divisive US president in history.

  • by Anthony Galloway
Art or commerce? Netflix's Emily in Paris.
Analysis
Streaming

This boom in trashy television? It's a sign of ambition, not decline

Once temples to high-quality drama, streaming platforms are chasing bigger audiences with broader appealing content.

  • by Michael Idato
Alan Jones apologises over mining comments  (Video Thumbnail)

Raise a tinnie to the Coldest 100 and the dulcet tones of Alan Jones

The annual list compiled by former journo Andrew Sholl has become one of Twitter's most entertaining and anticipated offerings.

  • by Andrew Hornery
I will laugh and conspire with my siblings to plan the year ahead.

A (mindful) list of New Year's resolutions

The writer Annie Dillard reminds us that "how we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives".

  • by Ann Rennie
Illustration: Dionne Gain

New Year's money resolution that could change your life

Taking stock of your household spending is key to controlling your financial future.

  • by Jessica Irvine
Government economic stimulus payments are still available until March 31.

Your 2021 money survival guide

If you are experiencing financial hardship, there's plenty of help available. Here's where you can find it.

  • by Nicole Pedersen-McKinnon
If you are relatively young you can often more easily take on a long-term debt.

Do your sums before buying a second property

You may not be able to afford to live in your home while renting the other property.

  • by George Cochrane
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Cheteshwar Pujara at the crease on day two at the Gabba.
Analysis
Test cricket

Indians still refuse to follow the script at Gabba

Another Indian fightback and a tropical storm are tightening the timetable for Australia to win at the Gabba and claim back the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

  • by Greg Baum
Cameron Green is all concentration with the bat at the Gabba on day one of the fourth Test .

'Still finding his groove': Green searching for maiden Test wicket

Cameron Green has shown plenty of promise with the bat but is wicketless through four Tests, reinforcing how tough it is to find an all-rounder in the mould of an Ian Botham and Ben Stokes.

  • by Jon Pierik
Marnus Labuschagne is being seen as a contender to succeed Tim Paine as Test captain.

Labuschagne emerges as left-field option to replace Paine as skipper

Pat Cummins is seen as the primary contender, but do not discount the Queensland run machine, who has admirers at headquarters.

  • by Andrew Wu
Lyon is nicknamed the GOAT as Australia's greatest off-spinner of all time.

He may not be Warnie or Murali, but there's only one Nathan Lyon

At one stage Nathan Lyon wasn’t even the No.1 spinner on the SACA ground staff, now he is the best in the world.

  • by Geoff Lawson