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Lockdown to end, schools, restaurants to reopen; new exposure sites added
The Premier says some restrictions will remain in place for months until the population is adequately protected by vaccination.
Updated
Coronavirus pandemic
Footy crowds? Masks? What are the new coronavirus restrictions for Victoria?
The 5km radius will be scrapped, but home visits will still be banned under the new rules. There will be no crowds at the footy for at least two weeks. Masks remain inside and outdoors.
Live
Tokyo Olympics
Japanese shock as Osaka out; McKeown wins gold; Aussie Jess Fox in the semis of the K1
Japan’s national hero Naomi Osaka has been eliminated early in the tennis tournament. As one of the fastest qualifiers for the semi-finals Jess Fox will be racing at the back end of the field.
Latest live posts
Loading‘I didn’t train for a typhoon’: Triathlete Emma Jeffcoat only Aussie to finish
The Australian was in disbelief as Bermuda won their first Olympic gold and a Briton rode for two kilometres with a flat tyre to win silver.
‘F-- yeah! I mean, woo!’: McKeown drops F-bomb on live TV after gold medal win
Kaylee McKeown’s mum is going to ‘have a word with her’ after the backstroke gold medallist joined some of sport’s most colourful characters in letting a swear word slip in the heat of the moment on live TV.
To imagine a life beyond loneliness, look to When Harry Met Sally
With over 13 million in lockdown and more single Australians living alone than at any other time, the romcom offers a comforting sense of hope.
★★★
Royal family
Frozen in time, retelling of Australia’s royal romance offers nothing new
Charles and Diana’s 1983 tour of Australia was a slick piece of public relations machinery. The documentary about it, however, struggles to get itself into the air.
Will Australia’s most hyped restaurant be worth the four-year wait?
Seven things you need to know about Society, the Melbourne restaurant that’s set to finally open this week - pandemic permitting.
No jail for man who sexually assaulted four women in public places
A man who sexually assaulted four women in public places has been spared jail despite the profound impact his “despicable” crimes had on his victims.
Exclusive
Secrets of War
Official photo of Roberts-Smith altered to hide Crusader’s cross
The former special forces soldier displayed a contentious Crusader’s cross on his uniform while on duty in Afghanistan.
Opinion
China
China wipes out $US100 billion industry as it widens crackdown
China sent shivers through its markets and demolished the wealth of many entrepreneurs with its crackdown on its private education sector.
Stephen Bartholomeusz
Senior business columnist
‘Don’t play for their lives’: Lloyd takes aim at Blues pair
The struggling Blues have been under attack for a variety of reasons this season and now star skipper Patrick Cripps has been accused of lacking on-field desperation.
Local
$200 fine for Sydney removalists who brought Delta to Melbourne
COVID-19 response commander Jeroen Weimar confirmed the Department of Health had issued a $200 infringement to one of the movers for failing to comply with mask rules.
As we celebrate gold in the pool, the pandemic worsens a dire shortage of swimming teachers
Figures show there is a shortage of 1800 instructors across the state and swim schools say they can’t find enough trained staff to meet demand for lessons.
‘Big soldier’ involved in killing of Afghan farmer, trial told
An Afghan man killed by Australian forces was a farmer and not a Taliban fighter, the former soldier’s Federal Court defamation trial has heard.
Melbourne to build inner-city battery network in green power push
The City of Melbourne project is part of efforts to accelerate emissions reductions after the council declared a climate and biodiversity emergency in 2019.
Updated
Tragedy
Child killed in Dandenong house fire remembered as cheeky, playful boy
A man has been taken to hospital with serious burns after attempting to save a five-year-old boy in a house fire in Melbourne’s south-east.
CORONAVIRUS CRISIS
Cricket Australia eyes Euros-style vaccine passport for Ashes summer
Cricket Australia boss Nick Hockley is hopeful players won’t have to submit to tight lockdown bubbles this summer, and has been encouraged to see fans getting back to events in the UK.
Updated
New York issues vaccine mandate for city workers to fight Delta strain
The announcements are the “opening of the floodgates” as more government entities and companies impose vaccine mandates..
Politics
One year on, MPs still can’t agree on laws to stop jailing 10-year-olds
NSW is sitting on the fence while Queensland has rejected calls to raise the age of criminal responsibility altogether.
Business
Online shopping in overdrive helps Temple & Webster sales soar
Digital homewares retailer Temple & Webster has said Australians remain voracious online shoppers 18 months into the pandemic.
World
Most 18- to 24-year-old Britons no longer wearing face masks in public
But one government adviser said public behaviour has changed more “gradually” and “cautiously” than expected post-“Freedom Day”.
Opinion
America’s recent military history points to strategic shortcomings
Peter Hartcher
Political and international editor
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Property bydomain
Meet the family putting a spin on multigenerational living
Does the family that buys together, stay together? Three generations are willing to find out, having all purchased new homes in the one neighbourhood.
'It's the opposite of who we are': Tradies blast stereotypes
At a time when home owners are spending a record $1 billion a month on renovations, tradies are furious that publicly they’re being castigated and devalued.
Life & Culture
Seven blasts streaming record out of the water with Tokyo Olympics coverage
A friendly time zone and a locked-down audience are conspiring to deliver big viewer numbers for the Olympics. But the real action is on 7plus.
Sport
Live
Tokyo Olympics
Tokyo Olympics LIVE updates: Japanese shock as Osaka eliminated; D-Day for Fox
Kaylee McKeown is Australia’s newest Olympic champion. She won the 100m backstroke final and broke the Olympic record in the process.
Collingwood told Clarkson isn’t available next year
Collingwood have been informed that Alastair Clarkson intends to coach Hawthorn next year and is not available for the Magpies’ senior coaching position.
No AFL crowds in Victoria for at least a fortnight, despite lockdown lifting
AFL matches will remain held behind closed doors for at least another two rounds, adding more intrigue as to whether the grand final will remain at the MCG.
Breaking
NRL 2021
Supercoach Bellamy to stay with Storm until 2026
Storm officials have nailed down the game’s best mentor for the next five years and Bellamy will decide each March whether he stays in the coaches box.
Updated
NBL
‘A watershed moment’: NBL confirms record broadcast rights deal
The NBL was a struggling competition in serious financial trouble a decade ago, but the confirmation of a major broadcast rights deal continues to change perceptions.
Breaking
Tokyo Olympics
‘Her dad would be so proud’: The force that drove McKeown to gold
Australia’s backstroke sensation Kaylee McKeown has won her first individual Olympic gold medal, less than a year after her father’s death.
‘Don’t play for their lives’: Lloyd takes aim at Blues pair
The struggling Blues have been under attack for a variety of reasons this season and now star skipper Patrick Cripps has been accused of lacking on-field desperation.
Have Your Say
AFL mark of the year battle rises to another level
Shai Bolton, Jack Riewoldt, Tim O’Brien, Cody Weightman and Isaac Heeney have taken some of the stand-out marks this year but who should win the top prize?