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53,909 positive RAT results uploaded since 9am today
NSW Customer Service Minister Victor Dominello says more than 50,000 positive rapid antigen test results have so far been uploaded to the Service NSW app. The number stood at about 24,000 at midday.
Pfizer to make 100 million doses of Omicron-specific shot within weeks
The company is also testing hybrid combinations of vaccine to target multiple coronavirus forms, as well as larger doses.
Breaking
Australian Open
Djokovic admits attending interview while knowingly COVID-positive
The tennis star said he “felt obliged” to go ahead with the interview by French media organisation L’Equipe because he “didn’t want to let the journalist down”.
Fresh questions over positive PCR test results
Experts are posing questions over whether his COVID-19 positive result was manipulated after inconsistencies emerged about the timing and result of his PCR test.
‘It’s paradise’: Sydneysiders kick back to enjoy a day in the sun
Despite the threat of COVID-19, Sydneysiders and expatriates flocked to Nielsen Park on Wednesday as temperatures hit 29 degrees.
‘It’s a disaster’: Farmers plead for more RATs as supply chain crunch worsens
Farmers across the state have pleaded with the federal government to increase the supply of rapid antigen tests to the agriculture sector as the country’s food supply chain continues to buckle under the pressure.
Opinion
Coronavirus pandemic
‘Personal responsibility’ is no match for Omicron
I am a specialist doctor, triple vaxxed, healthy, in my early 30s – but my “personal responsibility” hasn’t protected me from COVID.
Annabelle Warren
Contributor
Opinion
Australian economy
Supply issues show healthy humans are key to our economy
Human beings getting out of bed and going to work every day - is the only thing that puts food on supermarket shelves, cares for sick people and teaches our children.
Jim Stanford
Economist
‘People don’t want Trump or Shane Warne’: Hybrid model proposed for Australian republic
The country’s head of state would be chosen by voters from a shortlist of 11 names selected by state, territory and federal parliaments.
Updated
Crime
Hunt for alleged kidnappers after Omar Elomar presents at hospital
Police are hunting for the alleged kidnappers of Elomar, who was abducted from his home on Sunday night before presenting at Bankstown Hospital 48 hours later.
Opinion
Inside China
China’s year of living less dangerously
With a property crisis, energy crisis, food shortages and a significant slowdown in economic growth, Xi Jinping is seeking to stabilise the country.
Stephen Bartholomeusz
Senior business columnist
★★★★
Review
Will Smith shines as the restless force behind the Williams’ sisters
This Hollywood biopic of Richard Williams, father of Serena and Venus Williams, portrays a gifted if insufferable ringmaster steering the early tennis careers of his young prodigies.
22 songs to instantly improve your summer of ’22
Omicron, La Nina, Novak Djokovic - 2022 has proven a summer bummer. These songs should help.
Elvis Costello is my music idol. Could I meet him and keep my cool?
At 67, the new wave icon shows no sign of slowing down (and doesn’t seem to mind me gushing).
DJOKOVIC VISA SAGA
Updated
Djokovic gets another day in Australia but faces investigation over travel form
Djokovic’s entry form into Australia is under scrutiny after he said he had not travelled in the previous 14 days, when social media shows he went from Belgrade to Spain.
Deported doubles player frustrated by Djokovic decision
Renata Voracova had been kept in the same deportation centre as Novak Djokovic before flying out of Melbourne last Saturday.
Sydney
Teen to face court charged over stabbing death of boy, 13, on Central Coast
Police are investigating whether the fatal school holidays stabbing was the result of an agreement to meet up and fight.
Exclusive
Development outrage
‘Appallingly handled’: Development sparks fury in Alexandria’s golden triangle
Allegations of bogus documentation and toilets appearing on top of garages have rankled neighbours in a usually tranquil inner-city street.
Holiday care programs scaled back, cancelled due to staff shortages
School holiday care providers are slashing hours and cancelling programs as COVID-19 staff shortages force educators into isolation.
Sydney couple celebrates every anniversary under one special tree
Don and Donna have celebrated 32 wedding anniversaries at the spot where they got married, even through the pandemic.
True scale of Omicron wave to be shown by end of week
The state government is expecting a surge in case figures as residents are required to register positive rapid antigen results from as early as Wednesday.
Politics
Exclusive
Coronavirus pandemic
Probe into outbreak on Border Force marine unit vessels
The inquiry into Border Force’s COVID-19 protocols was launched after a number of officials in the marine unit tested positive.
Business
Block’s Afterpay bid wins final approval from Spanish central bank
The US group led by Twitter founder Jack Dorsey has cleared the final regulatory hurdle needed to complete the biggest takeover in Australian corporate history.
World
‘Surreal’: Gas leaks blow up Canadian town, leaving residents wary
Wheatley residents have gone from shock to dismay to anger that more hasn’t been done to solve the mystery of the explosion or to start working on repairs.
Opinion
Iso reset: The downside of not catching COVID together
Laura Fayers-Pooley
Stakeholder engagement practitioner and mother
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Property
Where buyers splashed the most cash on sea changes last year
City dwellers poured cash into coastal property last year and the trend is showing no signs of slowing as Omicron prompts corporate Australia to set up the home office again.
Former Google CEO spends $90 million on vacant block
Despite the price it’s still considered a bargain by many, considering the original asking price of $209 million when it first hit the market in 2018.
Lifestyle
How to find friends (and lovers) when you’re over 50
Forming and sustaining important relationships can get trickier as we age, but that doesn’t mean you should give up hope.
Culture
Massive block of ice to be suspended above Sydney Harbour
Thaw features an acrobatic performer balancing, grasping and watching her frozen home melt away.
Sport
How Cummins cancelled Australia’s sledging culture
The new Test captain has built his team in his own affable image, with a little inspiration from England’s one-day leader Eoin Morgan.
Voracova ‘had done nothing wrong’: WTA supports deported Czech player
The Women’s Tennis Association will provide its strong support to the Czech tennis player deported from Australia after being caught up in the Novak Djokovic visa saga.
‘Fire in the belly’: Women’s Ashes team aims to match men’s dominance
Australia captain Meg Lanning says the men’s march to victory in the Ashes this series has inspired the women’s squad for their series.
Mighty Murray: Can the top Scot add new chapter to remarkable Open history?
The circumstances beg the question: could five-time Australian Open runner-up Andy Murray step in and snag another major title?
Pink ball wizard: Starc’s irresistible case for Hobart Test
Mitchell Starc’s spectacular record in day-night Test cricket looks set to ensure he becomes the only Australian fast bowler to play every Test this summer.
Meet Novak’s parents: The bristling father and ‘a saint’ who know how to feud
Like their son, Srdjan and Dijana Djokovic are steadfast in their views and have had a big role in the Australian visa soap opera.
Scott’s legal team slams NRL for blocking Eels deal ahead of court date
Scott will attend Sutherland Local Court on Wednesday after he was arrested last week over historic allegations of domestic violence.
Have Your Say
Why Tiley’s handling of Djokovic episode is raising eyebrows at IOC
The Tennis Australia chief questioned the COVID-19 protocols at the Tokyo Olympics, saying they were not as rigorous as those at last year’s Australian Open.
