Sport newsletter: Olympics edition
News, results and expert analysis from the Paris Olympics sent daily during the Games.
Trial by Water podcast
A new investigative podcast about one of Australia’s most controversial cases.
Interactive: Do you earn enough?
Take a guided tour of the median income in your profession, and your suburb.
Firefighter ban casts shadow over Sydney metro opening date
The powerful firefighters union has banned members from taking part in evacuation drills and other critical exercises, just three weeks before the planned opening to passengers.
Analysis
US Votes 2024
Shaky answers and gaffes: Biden’s latest showing won’t stem the bleeding
Joe Biden’s press conference wasn’t the train wreck many feared, but it won’t have been enough to stop calls for him to pull out of the race, either.
Opinion
Housing crisis
Why the cookie-cutter can’t fix Sydney’s housing crisis
Creating templated homes will degrade the suburbs further and leave councils and communities furious.
Tone Wheeler
Australian Architecture Association president
Exclusive
Naked City
Inside the campers’ murder trial: A daughter’s perspective
Debbie Hill witnessed the trial of Gregory Lynn, charged with murdering her father, Russell – and was shocked by what the jury did not get to hear.
Family speak out after Sydney couple killed in the Philippines
The family of the Australian couple killed in their hotel room have spoken out as police hunt for a man captured on CCTV.
Russian-born Australian soldier and her husband charged with espionage
Kira Korolev, 40, and her 62-year-old husband, Igor Korolev, are accused of using her defence force account to spy for Russia since December 2022.
Bleeding knees, burning abs: I spent a week living like David Pocock. It nearly killed me
How does Canberra’s most shredded politician stay fit? Angus Thompson underwent five days of pain involving heavy weights, burning abs – and a winter dip in frigid waters.
Exclusive
Construction
The Sydney apartment building found to have serious defects
The builder being prosecuted by the EPA over 10 tonnes of asbestos-riddled construction waste on his wife’s Southern Highlands property has been dealt a new blow.
Ex-Rex boss launches airline board coup attempt
The ex-chair and current director of Regional Express has launched an attempt to spill the board, forcing a general meeting which could see chairman John Sharp ousted.
Exclusive
History
Family makes shock discovery of unknown Captain Flinders portrait
The painting, worth more than $1 million, has gone on public display for the first time this week ahead of a reburial service for the explorer, the first man to circumnavigate Australia.
Opinion
Royal family
Breakdancing Charles cooler than Prince William will ever be
Sure, William dances to Shake It Off and rides an electric scooter around Windsor Castle, but nothing will rival his father’s valiant attempt to breakdance in 1985.
Kate Halfpenny
Regular columnist
Why so many of Bali’s foreign visitors don’t – or won’t – pay its modest tourist levy
Scepticism of scams, tightness and a sense of entitlement play their part, but that’s not the main problem.
Analysis
State of Origin
The Blues game plan produced Origin carnage. What’s to stop them doing it all over again?
NSW nailed 40 perfect minutes of Origin football in Melbourne. The trick will be to reproduce it for an entire 80 minutes in Brisbane.
‘We’re moving forward’: Diplomatic Slipper sidesteps retort to Eddie’s ‘no hardness’ jibe
Eddie Jones was caught in a documentary bemoaning a lack of Wallabies toughness to James Slipper but even after a win over Wales, the veteran prop isn’t biting.
Double, double toil and trouble: Can England, Blues and Rory shake off curses?
The fascination is gruesome, morally dubious but endlessly fascinating. You keep watching, but are you cheering for the competitors or for the curse?
Adam Liaw’s fish pakoras - plus his must-read guide to the art of deep-frying
Adam Liaw takes the fear out of frying with these Indian-inspired fritters and spiced yoghurt.
Modern Guru
Good Weekend
She wants to roam the planet. He wants to stay where he is and save it. Which argument flies?
Let her scratch that travel itch, writes our Modern Guru.
Tamworth to Washington: How Black Elvis’ grandson conquered the stage
The Tony, Grammy, Olivier and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical Hamilton returns to Sydney later this month, with refreshed cast.
Paris 2024
Balancing whacked: Wright must overcome head illness to chase gold at Teahupo’o
Seven screws in the champion surfer’s head from an off-season surgery have hampered her 2024 season. But she has no hesitation in taking on the heaviest wave in competitive surfing.
Three tonnes of tuna and 2400 pies: Australia’s Olympic team by the numbers
The Australian Olympic Committee has released a breakdown of quirky statistics about the team heading to France.
SEE & DO
Opinion
When was the last time a soap ad gave you spiritual pleasure?
Alphonse Mucha made the bold claim that his posters turned the street in “open-air art exhibitions”.
John McDonald
Art critic
An imaginary world that is a delight for fans of Japanese playfulness
Our critics deliver their verdict on the latest shows around town.
Sydney
Sydney councils that drag heels on housing DA claim there are good reasons
Councils pinged as the slowest in Sydney at assessing development applications say there are several reasons why they rank poorly on a new league table.
Exclusive
Drug reform
Bob Carr held a drug summit 25 years ago. NSW Labor is repeating history
NSW Labor Premier Chris Minns would have faced a backlash from party members if he had not locked in a date for this election promise.
Exclusive
Crime
Sydney businessman charged with sex crimes in case ‘unlike any other’
A venture capitalist from Sydney has been charged with dozens of counts of rape and abuse against 10 women in a major test of new consent laws.
Why Sydney needs to bring back this abandoned ‘missing train link’
The government has been urged to resuscitate a long-lost railway line from Port Kembla to south-west Sydney or risk wasting the potential of the city’s new airport.
The Scots College ‘cut-price Hogwarts’ castle is still not open
After years of blown deadlines and millions in additional costs, Scots College still won’t tell us when it will open its new castle-shaped library.
NRL 2024
Bennett’s Dolphins end Rabbitohs’ run with 36-28 win
The result keeps the Dolphins well in top-four contention, with points differential the only thing keeping them behind fourth place Cronulla and fifth place Canterbury.
‘All the attributes of a successful coach’: Eddie Jones backs Ryles’ Eels appointment
After working with Jason Ryles during recent rugby campaigns, the former Wallabies coach believes Parramatta are onto a winner with their new mentor.
Politics
Exclusive
International students
Chinese students outnumber others in asylum claims surge
Visas for Chinese students continue to be approved at much higher rates than other source countries. A former top immigration bureaucrat is urging the government to overhaul the system.
Business
Power-hungry data centres are booming in Australia. Can the grid cope?
An explosion in the number of data centres in Melbourne and Sydney, which will use vast amounts of electricity, is looming as a new test for the grid.
World
Israel admits ‘severe errors’ on October 7
The Israeli military has released the results of its first internal probe into the Hamas attacks on October 7.
Opinion
Renewables v nuclear: the facts point to one clear winner
Rod Sims
Professor, former chair of the ACCC
Explore
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Property
‘It’s not good’: How home buying hopefuls got knocked out of the market
Australian home buyers are taking on less debt when compared to their income, despite rising property prices across the country.
The type of home that’s more than twice as profitable as its neighbour
The gap highlights the “haves” and “have nots” even among those fortunate enough to be able to buy their own home.
Good Food
Lifestyle
I hired a male sex worker for my 70th. It didn’t go to plan
Mitch, in his 30s, seemed like a perfect gift to self. But then...
Culture
Want to buy an Archibald winner’s work for $100? This art show is your chance
The Incognito Art Show features works by Archibald winners and helps raise funds for artists with disabilities.
Traveller
Drivedrive
From Our Partners
Sport
Analysis
State of Origin
The Blues game plan produced Origin carnage. Here’s how Queensland combat it
NSW nailed 40 perfect minutes of Origin football in Melbourne. Can they reproduce it for an entire 80 minutes in Brisbane?
Double, double toil and trouble: Can England, Blues and Rory shake off their curses?
The fascination is gruesome, morally dubious but endlessly fascinating. You keep watching, but are you cheering for the competitors or for the curse?
‘We’re moving forward’: Diplomatic Slipper sidesteps retort to Eddie’s ‘no hardness’ jibe
Eddie Jones was caught in a documentary bemoaning a lack of Wallabies toughness to James Slipper but even after a win over Wales, the veteran prop isn’t biting.
Opinion
Paris 2024
Forget poos in the Seine. Doping is the biggest concern at the Olympics
Confidence in WADA’s ability stop drug cheats is at rock-bottom after it was cleared of mishandling of a case involving 23 Chinese swimmers.
Andrew Webster
Chief Sports Writer
You’ve probably never heard of Travis Bazzana. But he’s about to become a very big deal
A kid from Sydney’s upper north shore is tipped to become the top pick in the MLB draft and pocket a whopping $15 million signing bonus. Now he wants to make Australians care about baseball.
How Torrie Lewis became Australia’s fastest woman
She could have been a gymnast, and she could have represented England or Jamaica. But “sliding doors″ moments set Lewis to run for Australia in Paris.
‘In his saggy undies, ready to flatten me’: The making of Cronulla’s halves saviour
Unheralded utility Daniel Atkinson replaces one Sharks star and old roommate after a night terror and pre-season tangle with another.
Have Your Say
NRL’s rule change puts Cameron Smith in line to be next rugby league Immortal
Queensland’s generation of Origin champions will be front and centre of voting on the game’s 14th Immortal next month after a change to eligbility rules.