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Watch: Weimar gives update; Australia hits 70% double-vax target
Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt has announced that 70% of Australians over 16 are now fully vaccinated against COVID.
Publican born in South Africa lashes anti-vax ‘apartheid’ slurs
Ian Urquhart’s business has copped countless offensive comments on social media since he joined the COVID-19 vaccine passport trial. And he’s warned others to expect the same.
Opinion
Vaccination
Victorians want to know why the state’s not opening up as quickly as NSW
There is a fundamental starting point in science that seems to have been lost in Victoria’s approach to pandemic policy, and we desperately need it back.
Health department ordered to release briefings used to justify Victorian lockdown
The Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner said it was in the public interest to release the documents, which were part of discussions held before Victoria was plunged into lockdown in February.
Analysis
Travel tips
Airlines gear up, but how much will it cost?
Domestic and international airlines are gearing up for a flood of tourists, as well as thousands of people that have not travelled to see their families in almost two years, when borders re-open.
Emily Chantiri
Can my boss force me to work from the office?
When a boss refuses to let their staff work from home during the pandemic, despite being able to do their duties remotely, there are risks, warns Dr Kirstin Ferguson.
Opinion
Culture wars
Chappelle’s comedy controversy is a stoush about power
As a jihad against cultural elites, Netflix special The Closer starts with low-value targets and works its way up.
Julie Szego
Author and freelance journalist
★★★★½
Review
Near-perfect EP may make you believe in musical soulmates
Our music reviewers turned their attention to new tunes from Lior & Domini, Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello and Ziad Rahbani.
‘Not a pantomime’: Joyce names four Nationals to secure climate deal
The Nationals have already rejected a higher emissions target for 2030 and are holding out on the 2050 goal even though the policy has a majority in federal cabinet and support from Liberals.
Breaking
Mining
Green bidding war: BHP outbids ‘Twiggy’ Forrest in Canadian nickel miner battle
Mining giant BHP has raised its offer to buy Canadian nickel miner Noront, trumping Andrew Forrest, as the race for electric battery raw materials intensifies.
Cattle grid cameras, CCTV: Eyes watching WA’s remote north could help find Cleo
As the search for missing four-year-old girl Cleo Smith enters its fifth day, investigators are methodically painting a picture of who was in the area when she disappeared from a campsite.
Watch live: Former Mike Baird adviser gives evidence at ICAC
Nigel Blunden, the former director of strategy to then-NSW premier Mike Baird, is in the witness box at the ICAC before Baird takes the stand.
House price rises race ahead of units
It is getting harder for apartment owners to upgrade to a house as the price gap widens, particularly in Sydney and Melbourne.
No Australian Open for unvaccinated tennis players, says federal minister
Nine-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic must be double vaccinated if he wants a shot at a 10th title in 2022, with Immigration Minister Alex Hawke confirming there will be no special exemption for tennis players.
Teammates fume as Ben Simmons is suspended for season-opener
The Philadelphia 76ers suspended 25-year-old Australian All-Star Ben Simmons for conduct detrimental to the team, throwing him out of training.
Cultural barriers in club cricket impeding players of South Asian descent: Sthalekar
Former Australian captain Lisa Sthalekar explains the cultural differences which may be holding young South Asian players back.
coronavirus pandemic
Cheers to the real thing: pubs to reopen but virtual parties on
Online beer aficionados are preparing for the real thing too, beauticians will raise eyebrows, and restaurants are booking out fast. The alarm is set – Melbourne is waking up at 11.59pm on Thursday.
Burns victim among refugees testing positive in detention hotel
A man who suffered burns to more than half his body after setting himself on fire on Nauru is one of more than a dozen refugees believed to have tested positive to COVID-19 in the Park Hotel in Carlton.
Local
Indigenous
Indigenous justice
Indigenous cultural heritage ‘at risk’ until new protection laws pass
Inquiry committee chair Warren Entsch says he struggled to find any Indigenous cultural sites that are being adequately protected under current laws.
‘Someone has to know’: Mum of missing Cleo Smith’s plea
Carnarvon mum Ellie Smith has opened up on her family’s nightmare, waiting for news on the whereabouts of her four-year-old daughter who went missing from a remote beach camp in WA.
IBAC appearance of community leader accused of pocketing $75,000 pushed back
Somali Australian Council of Victoria founder Hussein Haraco has been handed a temporary medical exemption, as IBAC heard taped calls of factional leaders discussing plans to “go racism” in response to questions from reporters.
Exclusive
IBAC Labor inquiry
Suspect fundraisers attended by Andrews, Marles, Shorten
The head of the firefighters’ union raised the alarm in 2018 about fundraising events that he suspected may have been used improperly to pay for stacking Labor branches.
Exclusive
Gaming & wagering
Senior Star figures to be grilled at public hearings after alleged crime links were revealed
The NSW gaming regulator will hold public hearings into Star Entertainment’s treatment of alleged organised crime figures and money launderers after media revelations.
Politics
Migration rethink: Hike on the cards for post-pandemic recovery
The federal government is considering a rethink of the nation’s migration program to drive economic growth after the pandemic.
Business
‘We are the leading business bank’: CBA continues push
Business banking has become a key battleground in banks’ search for growth amid the historically low interest rate environment, with CBA launching new terminals to claw market share.
World
‘You’re only as old as you feel’: 95-year-old Queen declines Oldie award
Organisers of the annual tongue-in-cheek awards had approached the monarch to see if she would consider accepting the honour herself.
Opinion
Problems abound, but we could yet emerge as winners
Ross Gittins
Economics Editor
Is media coverage of COVID-19 too negative?
Liam Mannix
National Science Reporter
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Property bydomain
Passed-in auctions rise as 'greedy' vendors test the booming market
The number of properties failing to sell at auction rising in Sydney and Melbourne, as 'greedy vendors' test the market.
The neighbourhood that's a 'little slice of heaven' on Melbourne's doorstep
Life in these verdant surrounds is a world away from the city, but only 40 minutes’ drive away from the Melbourne CBD.
Lifestyle
Of course Kourtney Kardashian is on trend with her engagement ring
Oval-cut diamonds, more carats and shorter engagements are on the rise.
Culture
Online cabaret can be a ‘social boot camp’ to re-enter real world
It’s better late than never for cabaret favourite Queenie van de Zandt, who managed the pivot to digital and will perform an online show on Saturday ... two days after lockdown ends.
Sport
Teammates fume as Ben Simmons is suspended for season-opener
The Philadelphia 76ers suspended the 25-year-old Australian All-Star for conduct detrimental to the team and threw him out of training.
Shafali’s the man: Teen disguised herself as a boy to start her cricket career
Shafali Verma was 14 when she made the decision to cut her hair and pretend to be a boy. At 17, she’s playing Big Bash and has already starred in a World Cup.
No Australian Open for unvaccinated tennis players, with more than a third not jabbed yet
Nine-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic must be double vaccinated if he wants a shot at a 10th title in 2022, with Immigration Minister Alex Hawke confirming there will not be a special exemption for tennis players.
WBBL pair fined for misbehaviour as CA signals stricter stance
Cricket Australia insist there is no crackdown on player misbehaviour, but at the very least there appears to be a more stringent application of the code of conduct.
Updated
Concussion crisis
Coroner rejects call for ‘sins of the past’ to be examined in Tuck inquest
Shane Tuck’s widow has threatened to withdraw her participation in a proposed coronial inquest into the circumstances surrounding her husband’s death, as the AFL was warned it could face a class action as early as next year.
Messi, Salah star after City welcome back Champions League in style
Lionel Messi and Mohamed Salah scored doubles for PSG and Liverpool respectively while Manchester City, Real Madrid and Ajax all recorded big wins.
Pagan’s big chance for Cup shot is here. Will he take it?
Denis Pagan’s dream of saddling up a Melbourne Cup runner will hinge on Johnny Get Angry’s final lead-up run in Wednesday’s group 3 Geelong Cup.
Have Your Say
Cultural barriers in club cricket impeding players of South Asian descent: Sthalekar
Former Australian captain Lisa Sthalekar explains the cultural differences which may be holding young South Asian players back.
