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News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport sent every Monday.
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In-depth conversations with the people fascinating Australians right now, from sport to politics to the arts.
Daily Crosswords
Challenge yourself with today's quick and cryptic puzzles.
Exclusive
Swimming Australia
What Rinehart wanted in return for Olympic-sized sponsorship
The billionaire’s generosity to Olympians means she is adored by athletes. But her company’s demands to install Dawn Fraser to head Olympic swimming reveals a desire for something in return.
Filmmaker known for Super Size Me dies at 53
Morgan Spurlock’s film chronicled the detrimental physical and psychological effects of him eating only McDonald’s for 30 days.
World Court orders Israel to halt assault on Rafah
While the ICJ has no means to enforce its orders, the case was a stark sign of Israel’s global isolation over its campaign in Gaza.
Analysis
UK election
Sunak sitcom continues as British prime minister visits Titanic shipyard
As Rishi Sunak stood in the shipyard, his colleagues – acting as if it were every man and woman for themselves – jumped overboard en masse.
Former Nine News chief’s behaviour an ‘open secret’
Darren Wick, the recently departed head of Nine’s news and current affairs division, has been accused of engaging in drunken, lecherous behaviour by current and ex-staff.
How Donald Trump’s financial future became tied to his ‘worthless’ company
Trump has treated it as a sideshow, but a big portion of his wealth depends on its success.
‘A sick joke’: The leaf-covered man scaring joggers on a popular Sydney running loop
Amid heightened debate about women’s safety in Australia, the prank has prompted outrage from local runners and the mayor, who has reported the man to NSW Police.
New SmartGates at Sydney Airport are a schemozzle
“Arriving into Sydney recently, I found the familiar passport scanning machines replaced with banks of facial recognition devices.”
The friends coming up with a novel solution to the housing crisis
As rent and house prices rise, living close to friends and maintaining a sense of community is becoming harder than ever.
Analysis
Sydney house prices
The truth about immigration and Sydney’s housing crisis
How have fluctuations in population affected housing costs in Sydney? And are migration cuts the solution to Sydney’s accommodation crisis?
For the past year, Tony hasn’t paid a power bill. Here’s how he did it
Virtual power plant programs, and the retail offers being built around them, are coming at a critical moment in the energy transition.
Opinion
Political leadership
Five prime ministers in five years was dismal. But a new reality is unfolding
We’ve progressed from the era of disposable political leaders to a new era of relatively indispensable ones.
Peter Hartcher
Political and international editor
How Coles is changing self-serve checkouts to stop shoplifting
Supermarkets and other retailers are stepping up efforts to use new technology to prevent rising levels of shoplifting.
A crowd of expats descended on the pool, as one local swimmer looked on
Whether it’s an image of the most famous person on the planet, or a little-known victim of tragedy, a good photo has the power to stop you in your tracks.
Opinion
Racism
I’m not cancelling my favourite books, despite my dark skin troubling their authors
I can’t cancel the stories of my childhood. Great stories can survive the sins of their writers.
Satara Uthayakumaran
Writer, ANU student
‘I don’t know if I would be here if it weren’t for the pool’
Swimming is about more than exercise. It’s about solace, meditation, emotional sustenance – and, at this Sydney ocean pool, community.
Two casinos, may always have been a stretch for Sydney. The profitability of both is now in doubt
One casino has been approved to operate, but is laying off staff. The other has just emerged red-faced from an inquiry that may result in losing its licence.
WEEKEND READS
How a spicy midlife crisis launched The Unsatisfactory Spouses Club
When marriage trouble hit a group of Melbourne friends, they sought solace in each other.
Two of Us
‘You’re from the in-flight magazine’: How Tim Rogers and Alice Topp fell in love
After two failed attempts at a relationship, musician Tim Rogers and choreographer Alice Topp have made a home among the kangaroos in rural Victoria.
Sydney
Solar households handed payment incentive to boost battery uptake
A day after extending the life of the country’s largest coal-fired power plant, the NSW government is offering cash incentives for solar storage.
Exclusive
Courts
‘He didn’t have a chance’: Luke went to his new job in the morning. He never came home
Luke Bray, 24, wasn’t even supposed to be at work that day. His mother wants answers.
Bruce Lehrmann pursued by former landlord over alleged property damage
The owner of a luxury Sydney pad where Bruce Lehrmann lived rent-free under a deal with the Seven Network has appeared for the first time in a NSW tribunal.
Graphic content
Defamation
Vile voice messages to Alex Greenwich played in defamation case
The Sydney MP is suing ex-NSW One Nation leader Mark Latham for defamation over a tweet he says unleashed a wave of vitriol, including explicit voice messages.
Graphic content
Crime
Marrickville stabbing was premeditated, police allege
Police say a man planned the stabbing of his brother and mother in their inner-west Sydney home, the attack unfolding while their father was in the shower.
NRL 2024
Analysis
No-fault stand-down policy isn’t perfect, but NRL has little alternative
You can argue the stand-down rules are neither an effective deterrent nor a fair punishment – but that’s not the point of them.
Sea Eagles 26 Storm 20
Young star shines on debut as Sea Eagles snap three-match losing streak
Manly’s third-string fullback, teenager Lehi Hopoate, had an NRL debut to remember, lifting his team to a much-needed win against arch rivals Melbourne.
Politics
Aerial shooting culls thousands of horses in Kosciuszko
NSW government is ramping up the removal of feral horses from the alpine environment with a controversial technique.
Business
Winners and losers emerge at News Corp as staff brace for job cuts
News Corp is expected to unveil a flatter management structure, with casualties expected in middle management and senior editor ranks.
World
‘Influencer of God’: Teenager clears last miracle hurdle on road to sainthood
“Carlo was the light answer to the dark side of the web,” his mother said of the “patron saint of the internet” who will now be canonised.
Opinion
Britain’s best hope is a PM with the charisma of frozen peas
Nick Bryant
Journalist and author
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Property
Exclusive
Title Deeds
House bought for $325,000 in 1978 resold for more than $80m
The off-market sale makes it Sydney’s highest house sale this year, to date, and ranks in the city’s top five house deals of all time.
He sold his studio to Netflix for $700m. Then he went on a $120m property spree
The Animal Logic co-founder has taken to real estate in a big way in recent years, and his $12 million Byron Bay cash buy is just his latest acquisition.
Good Food
Recipe collection
Comfort food
Five marvellous meatball recipes to cook this weekend
Lifestyle
What does it say when Taylor Swift isn’t enough to save a brand?
Is a celebrity endorsement enough to drive sales? The recent shuttering of two high-profile fashion brands suggests not.
Culture
The biggest, weirdest and best Cannes films to keep an eye on this year
This year’s Cannes festival was largely defined by bold, daring and outright strange films. Here are six titles you should be across.
Traveller
Drivedrive
From Our Partners
Sport
Maguire’s super Saturday: Three games and 20 players who could make or break the Blues
The NSW coach will watch three matches involving no fewer than 20 NSW hopefuls in what amounts to their final Origin audition.
Matildas star has won two Champions Leagues but still hopes third time’s a charm
It has been both the shortest and longest four years since Ellie Carpenter signed with Lyon. This weekend, she will play Barcelona for a third Champions League winner’s medal.
Sea Eagles 26 Storm 20
NRL 2024
Young star shines on debut as Sea Eagles snap three-match losing streak
Manly’s third-string fullback, teenager Lehi Hopoate, had an NRL debut to remember, lifting his team to a much-needed win against arch rivals Melbourne.
Opinion
The Fitz Files
PNG league team is a great idea – but why should we pay for it?
Albo’s mob is talking about putting in $60 million annually for 10 years to sustain the Port Moresby team. Something does not add up here.
Peter FitzSimons
Columnist and author
This is the hardest Wallabies squad to pick in a decade, but there is a core to build around
After the World Cup car crash, the Wallabies squad is wide open for July’s Tests. From now on, every game in Super Rugby will be a virtual final, or a real one. There really are Wallabies jerseys up for grabs.
Analysis
NRL 2024
No-fault stand-down policy isn’t perfect, but NRL has little alternative
You can argue the stand-down rules are neither an effective deterrent nor a fair punishment – but that’s not the point of them.
Analysis
State of Origin
We asked data nerds to pick the NSW Origin team. Here is who they selected
The team have been in the lab crunching the numbers, our experts have their say and we also get AI on board for the NSW campaign.
Have Your Say
Maguire’s call on Tedesco will decide NSW’s Origin fate
He’s not only the fullback but also the incumbent captain, so the decision Maguire makes about the Roosters No.1 will have major implications for the Blues’ campaign.
Roy Masters
Sports Columnist
