Daily Crosswords
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Please Explain podcast
Expert daily insight into the stories that drive the nation.
Coronavirus newsletter
An update on the most crucial developments related to the pandemic.
COVID-19 CRISIS
Australia buys 25 million Moderna vaccine doses
Moderna has struck an agreement with the Morrison government to supply 10 million doses this year and 15 million booster shots in 2022.
WHO too slow and meek in declaring COVID-19 pandemic: report
The report, which urges world governments to allow WHO infection experts immediate access to inspect outbreaks anywhere in the world in an effort to prevent future cover-ups and delays, says too many governments dithered instead of acting to contain the virus.
Going viral: How a book on Amazon inspired the latest COVID conspiracy
The discredited theory that coronavirus is a bio-weapon created in a Wuhan lab is gaining new momentum. This is the conspiracy’s origin story.
Exclusive
Schools
Two-year sex ban on teachers, former students
Victorian teachers will be banned from having sex with former students for at least two years after they finish their secondary education under a shake-up of rules governing teacher behaviour.
Hunt accuses Victoria of misleading claim on hospital funding cut
Health Minister Greg Hunt says Victoria’s claim that $93 million has been cut from federal hospital funding is misleading as the state itself asked for less money.
Updated
AFL 2021
Jones could miss months as Saints mull Frawley debut
St Kilda are fearful injury-prone midfielder Zak Jones may be out until late in the season after he seriously hurt his quad at training on Wednesday.
Bulldog Hunter could battle with broken hand to face Power
Lachie Hunter broke his hand during the Bulldogs’ win over Carlton last week but played through pain to have a crucial role in the win.
Ellen DeGeneres to end her TV talk show next year
The talk show host, whose ratings dived after allegations of running a toxic workplace, has decided her upcoming season will be the last.
Inquiry into PM’s office about Higgins’ rape claim resumes
Prime Minister Scott Morrison confirmed on Wednesday night that an inquiry into who in his office knew what about Brittany Higgins’ rape allegations has resumed.
Exclusive
Federal budget
Workers bear brunt of budget tax burden at record levels
Workers will soon account for 52 cents of every dollar in tax raised by the federal government as the budget heavy lifting hits taxpayers.
‘Generations of budget deficits’: Debt will never end without tax, retirement overhaul
After the two largest deficits in history, Josh Frydenberg is forecasting another four record-breaking shortfalls and some economists fear the budget won’t recover from the pandemic spending splurge.
House Republicans oust Trump critic Liz Cheney from top post
Cheney was removed after she repeatedly rebuked Donald Trump for his false claims of election fraud, and the former president quickly responded that Cheney was a “bitter, horrible human being”.
Updated
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Dozens killed in escalating violence that bears hallmarks of Gaza war
Israel has killed a string of senior Hamas military figures and pounded three multi-storey towers as it hammered the Gaza Strip with airstrikes, and militants in the territory fired rocket barrages.
FEDERAL BUDGET 2021
Migraine relief on the way for sufferers with new drug added to PBS
Emgality, a drug which could previously cost up to $6800 a year, will instead cost $41.30 a script.
Housing boom ‘not expected to be sustained’ budget papers say
The Sydney and Melbourne property boom is facing a slowdown on federal government forecasts as closed international borders and the end of grants hit the housing market brakes.
Local
Primary schools dump ‘predictable’ picture books as reading tools
Schools are dumping literacy texts that let children learn new words with the help of pictures for ‘decodable readers’ that focus on sounds and letter patterns.
Court bid to oust Porter barrister from acting in defamation fight
A friend of the woman who accused Christian Porter of rape has made a court bid to stop one of his barristers from acting for him in his defamation case against the ABC.
Slain woman was like a little sister, says man who helped fund luxury lifestyle
A Melbourne accountant who lent thousands of dollars to Ellie Price before she was killed has denied being her pimp or sugar daddy, maintaining they were close friends.
Babysitters who hurt three-year-old will get to meet their baby daughter
A woman who inflicted a life-changing head injury on a three-year-old boy could soon be deported to China with her partner. Their child, taken at birth, lives there with grandparents.
Farewell to ‘King of Geelong’: Frank Costa honoured in state memorial
Geelong held its first state funeral for 15 years when the city and its people said goodbye to local legend Frank Costa, who died aged 83 on May 2.
CORONAVIRUS CRISIS
Victoria vows to crack down on businesses that flout check-in rules
Health Minister Martin Foley said the latest case should be a wake-up call to people fatigued by COVID-19 restrictions and not abiding by public health orders.
Singapore wins mRNA vaccine plant race as fresh dose delay threatens Australian rollout
Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine partner BioNTech has announced it will build a huge new mRNA vaccine plant in Singapore, while Novavax, which is making 51 million doses for Australia, has again delayed production.
Politics
Massive marine parks declared in Australia’s Indian Ocean Territories
Massive marine parks have been declared in Australia’s Indian Ocean but experts warn the devil will be in the detail of what environmental protections they offer.
Business
Inside Pictet, the secretive Swiss bank for the world’s richest people
Over more than two centuries, the Swiss institution has discretely tended to the assets of the very rich, led by a small crop of partners who form the most exclusive men-only club anywhere outside the Vatican.
Opinion
Inflation
Commodity boom adds to confusion about the outlook for inflation
Stephen Bartholomeusz
Senior business columnist
World
Internal emails reveal WHO knew of sex abuse claims in Congo
Young women working on the Ebola outbreak in 2019 claim they were offered or appointed to jobs in return for sex.
Opinion
Back to the future budget delivers jobs, but no pay rises
Jessica Irvine
Senior economics writer
Have we seen the last head of Australian foreign affairs who speaks Mandarin?
Ciara Morris
Policy officer and student of Mandarin
Explore
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Property bydomain
Burnt by the hot market: Aussie home-buyer sentiment dips
Rapidly rising prices and limited choice have begun to dampen buyer's spirits as their positivity about the market declines.
How first-home buyers can get a $10,000 tax break to buy property
Although it works better if you're on an average income and if you're not planning to buy just yet, it's free money from the taxpayer – here's how to claim it.
Life & Culture
What’s wrong with pie floaters, dancing and deejaying at 56?
Scottish polymath Alan Cumming has never stuck to the ‘rules’ about ageing.
Sport
Updated
AFL 2021
Jones could miss months as Saints mull Frawley debut
St Kilda are fearful injury-prone midfielder Zak Jones may be out until late in the season after he seriously hurt his quad at training on Wednesday.
‘Boutique quarantine’ best hope for Melbourne GP
The desperate COVID situation in Brazil, where the race is set down for November 7, has heightened concerns about the feasibility of Albert Park hosting the F1 drivers and their entourages a fortnight later.
Surgery for Demons young gun Jackson
The door has opened for Sam Weideman to play his first AFL game of the season with Melbourne young gun Luke Jackson sidelined following surgery to repair a broken finger.
Afghanistan Test to be Ashes warm-up for stars
Match against Test minnows Afghanistan will provide much-needed red-ball practice for Test stars Pat Cummins, Steve Smith and David Warner leading into Australia’s defence of the urn.
‘Standout’ tall set to raise his hand in draft boost for North
A highly rated forward-ruckman is set to be picked up by North Melbourne with first pick in the mid-season draft.
City says farewell to the ‘King of Geelong’
Geelong held its first state funeral for 15 years when the city and its people said goodbye to local legend Frank Costa, who died aged 83 on May 2.
‘Bats must consist solely of wood’: MCC rejects bamboo
A day after research suggested bamboo bats could replace willow, club that maintains cricket’s official laws has rejected the idea because bamboo is grass and not wood.
Have Your Say
Why Richmond aren’t punishing Bolton and Rioli
Once upon a time at Tigerland, the fact of Shai Bolton being a gun player coming off contract would probably have been grounds for cynicism about a non-penalty. Richmond aren’t that kind of club any longer.
