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Column 8
The unbearable silence of an empty flight-path
Is this the last sighting of a paper lobster?
From Orange CYMS to the Tahs: How Grant followed in famous father’s footsteps
The 27-year-old has taken the road less travelled to the Waratahs’ No. 9 jersey. His father – who scored a try in the famous 1989 NSWRL grand final – couldn’t be more proud.
- by Sam Phillips
Analysis
Olympics
Why a Brisbane Games means Australia can finally splurge on its athletes
When the rules changed, it was hard for the IOC to go past Brisbane as an Olympic Games host. Just don’t tell anyone yet.
- by Greg Baum
From fashion blogger to Vogue China editor-in-chief, Margaret Zhang’s meteoric rise
At 16, Margaret Zhang started her own fashion blog in Sydney. Now, aged 27, she will take control of the Chinese edition of the Vogue fashion magazine powerhouse.
- by Sarah McPhee and Melissa Singer
‘It’s such exciting news’: 11-year-old world record holder has 2032 Brisbane Olympics in her sights
Sydney schoolgirl Mia Guillergan says it is a “wonderful opportunity” for to athletes to aspire to compete at a potential Olympics in Brisbane in 2032.
- by Tom Decent
‘It would mean the world’: Table tennis prodigy dreams of home Olympics in 2032
Although it’s highly likely it won’t be Connie Psihogios’ first taste of the Olympics, with Paris set to host 2024 and Los Angeles the winning bidder for 2028.
- by Anthony Colangelo
Minister pushed to clear all trees along NSW highways after Black Summer bushfires
Transport Minister Andrew Constance pushed for his top bureaucrat to be sacked after his department did not follow an instruction to conduct mass land clearing along every major highway in NSW.
- by Tom Rabe
Maccas sauce makers go on strike as pay talks sour
Workers at McCormick Australia, which also makes KFC gravy and Aeroplane Jelly, have been negotiating with their employer for a pay rise for more than four years.
- by Nick Bonyhady
Exclusive
Workplace culture
‘Little support’: Survey found sexual harassment and bullying widespread in political offices
A survey of federal political offices found sexual abuse and bullying were widespread but nearly two-thirds of staffers feared for their careers if they reported it.
- by Katina Curtis and Anthony Galloway
NSW Government accused of replicating destruction of Aboriginal heritage sites
The NSW government has approved more than 400 applications to harm or interfere with Aboriginal heritage sites over the past five years, including 84 applications since last year.
- by Lucy Cormack
Man arrested after alleged assault of woman with sledgehammer at Sydney hotel
A man wanted over the alleged attempted murder of a woman at a five-star hotel in Sydney’s CBD has been arrested in bushland.
- by Sarah McPhee
Man who stabbed wife to death had psychotic disorder, court told
Mourad Kerollos, who has pleaded not guilty due to mental illness, heard voices of dead people and baselessly believed his wife was having affairs, doctors said.
- by Georgina Mitchell
Ley introduces national environment standards in pursuit of ‘one-touch’ development approvals
Critics say the national standards created to help streamline environmental approvals of major developments fall short of what’s needed to save threatened species.
- by Mike Foley
Trade dispute flares again as Australian wine blocked at Chinese ports
Chinese stores have been stocking imitations of popular brands over the past year, such as “Penfunils” and “Benfords”, and marketing them as Australian.
- by Eryk Bagshaw
Healthcare Australia boss stood down over COVID-19 vaccine bungle
Healthcare Australia’s boss has stepped aside after an investigation found the company misled the government over a doctor who bungled aged care vaccinations.
- by Rachel Clun and Paul Sakkal
A great-grandfather’s monumental life, memorialised in music
Sax player Matt Keegan has written a soulful tribute to his great grandfather.
- by Nick Galvin
David Jones back in black thanks to JobKeeper
Department store giant David Jones has swung back into profit thanks to a $39 million fillip from JobKeeper subsidies and rent relief.
- by Dominic Powell
Maguire gives hint to Tigers rookie’s NRL debut
The Tigers need a replacement for Adam Doueihi in the opening round. One of the most promising youngsters about to burst onto the NRL scene might be their man.
- by Adam Pengilly
RMIT University races to recover from cyber attack before students return
New enrolments have been suspended, casual wages are unpaid and academic staff have been told to defer their return to university as RMIT races to recover from a suspected phishing attack in time for the start of semester one.
- by Adam Carey and Rachael Dexter
Sorry Tassie, the AFL can’t afford to expand for a decade: Suns chair
The massive financial impact of COVID-19 on the AFL meant it could not possibly expand with two more teams for more than a decade, Gold Coast chairman Tony Cochrane says.
- by Michael Gleeson
Facebook to restore news in Australia as media code becomes law
News organisations around the world are hailing the passing of new laws to force Facebook and Google into commercial agreements with media companies.
- by Zoe Samios and Lisa Visentin
Government relied on limited cost-benefit analysis in axing diversion program
The analysis also noted the program to divert people with cognitive impairments out of the criminal justice system was in its “infant stage” and the figures were likely to improve, and some savings were not taken into account because they were difficult to quantify.
- by Michaela Whitbourn
Man wanted over alleged attempted murder at hotel posed with guns online
The manhunt continues for Matthew Donaldson who allegedly assaulted a woman with a sledgehammer at a luxury Sydney hotel.
- by Sarah McPhee
Analysis
Entrepreneur
From $100,000 to $1b in three years: The investor sitting on an Afterpay windfall
Starry-eyed Afterpay investors might not know that the buy now, pay later behemoth’s $38 billion market valuation is based on a business it doesn’t entirely own.
- by Colin Kruger
Recruits make Saints look better again, North’s new look will take time to click km
St Kilda’s climb up the AFL ladder in 2020 was significantly helped by their off-season recruiting and in their first pre-season practice match the recruits again caught the eye.
- by Anthony Colangelo
A2 Milk downgrades guidance as daigou-linked China sales sour
A2 Milk’s new boss is in for a challenge as one analyst questioned whether the milk and infant formula company had its ‘best days behind it’ after it booked a ‘disappointing’ first-half result.
- by Dominic Powell
Archibald-winning artist Vincent Namatjira installs largest work yet at MCA
“I’m trying to bring my neck of the woods to the city, to the Big Smoke, for everyone to see,” the artist said.
- by Nick Galvin
Opinion
Aviation
It’s a minor miracle Joyce didn’t front up with a worse result
Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce has just provided a corporate lesson in how to run a business in crisis.
- by Elizabeth Knight
How the Sydney Opera House plans to win back its crowds
The iconic venue hopes to halt a drop in audience numbers by wooing the public back with events that are optimistic, comfortable and escapist.
- by Linda Morris
‘Immensely reassuring’: 600,000-people test gives thumbs up to Pfizer vaccine
Researchers compared the people aged16 and older in Israel who were given shots in December or January to an equal number of people of similar age, sex and health who did not receive a vaccine
- by Marilynn Marchione
‘World of hurt’: Toxic blooms take over Lower Darling River as dam debate ramps up
A red-alert for toxic cyanobacterial blooms has been issued for almost the entire Lower Darling River, with fears another big fish kill is imminent without significant new flows.
- by Peter Hannam
Australia fall short in thrilling fightback as Finch’s run of outs continues
Marcus Stoinis and Daniel Sams plundered late runs but it was not enough to haul in New Zealand’s massive total.
- by Andrew Wu
WHO warns vaccinated holidaymakers could still spread COVID
The World Health Organisation says there are still “critical unknowns” so passports shouldn’t replace tests and quarantine for international travel.
- by Charles Hymas
NSW economy rebounds from COVID-recession faster than expected
The improvement, which the Berejiklian government says has “exceeded expectations”, comes as social distancing restrictions are significantly wound back and the vaccine roll-out is accelerated.
- by Alexandra Smith and Matt Wade
Analysis
Please Explain podcast
Please Explain podcast: When will we be able to travel overseas again?
Nathanael Cooper and business reporter Patrick Hatch explore whether there is a light on the horizon for international travel.
- by Nathanael Cooper
Anime is booming but its creators are living in poverty
The pandemic boom in video streaming has further accelerated demand at home and abroad, as people binge-watch Pokémon and cyberpunk extravaganzas like ‘Ghost in the Shell’. But their creators are earning as little as $US200 a month.
- by Ben Dooley and Hikari Hida
Opinion
Globalisation
Biden’s trade attack on China will reverberate around the world
The world is experiencing a significant turning point in what for decades has been the increasingly China-centric globalisation of manufacturing.
- by Stephen Bartholomeusz
‘I didn’t know what to do next’: the story behind the book of the moment
Meg Mason’s novel Sorrow and Bliss - about a woman living with an unspecified mental illness - has a film deal and momentum but getting there was painful.
- by Melanie Kembrey
T20 LIVE updates: Kiwis edge Australia in thrilling clash
It’s the second of the two T20 matches in New Zealand. The Kiwis host Australia at the University Oval in Dunedin.
‘Wake-up call’: Business Council urges increase to foreign aid to counter China
Jennifer Westacott warns Australia needs to scale up development assistance across the Indo-Pacific as developing countries are increasingly turning to China.
- by Anthony Galloway
Melbourne University weathers COVID downturn with $8 million surplus
Profit comes despite cutting hundreds of jobs, losing thousands of international students and weathering what the university predicts will be a three-year, $900 million revenue downturn.
- by Adam Carey
Rings of power: the main players behind Brisbane’s Olympic Games bid
The International Olympic Committee’s decision to name Brisbane as its preferred candidate for the 2032 Olympics puts the Queensland capital on a fast-track to victory before several expected rival candidates have publicly developed their plans.
‘Justice for Christine Holgate’: Hanson secures Senate inquiry into Australia Post watch fiasco
Pauline Hanson wants the inquiry to help reinstate Christine Holgate, who resigned as Australia Post CEO last year after spending $20,000 on Cartier watches for employees.
- by Lisa Visentin
Stockland boosted by retail bounce-back, surging land sales
Land developer Stockland will increase its distribution as a wave of housing settlements underpins its earnings.
- by Simon Johanson and Carolyn Cummins
Shattered bones, infection, muscle death: Tiger Woods’ long road to recovery
Infections, inadequate bone healing and, in Tiger Woods’ case, previous injuries, may make a months-long or even years-long recovery more difficult, say surgeons.
- by Gina Kolata
‘The game was completely ruined’: Atalanta coach slams referee after Real defeat
A lacklustre Real Madrid struggled to break down a 10-man Atalanta outfit in Italy while in Budapest Manchester City extended their winning run to 19 matches.
- by Karolos Grohmann and Peter Hall
Graphic content
Courts
Chiropractor removed woman’s underwear and performed unwanted sex acts, court told
Riaz Behi is accused of sexually touching a Japanese patient with limited English over the course of 17 sessions in 2019.
- by Jenny Noyes
‘Thing of the past’: Link to make COVID-19 flexible work permanent
ASX-listed Link is pursuing $75 million in cost cuttings for the year and plans to spin off its property settlements platform PEXA.
- by Charlotte Grieve
AFP tells MPs to report crimes ‘without delay’ as PM stands by Linda Reynolds
The AFP Commissioner has supplied guidance to MPs for when complaints or allegations are made to them.
- by Katina Curtis
Fortescue facing probe over fresh Aboriginal heritage site bungle
Twiggy Forrest’s Fortescue is facing an investigation after clearing land on an Aboriginal heritage site without traditional owners present.
- by Nick Toscano
A new generation of Wi-Fi to improve your home network
The technology, Wi-Fi 6, is designed to reduce congestion from devices. We put it to the test.
- by Brian X. Chen
‘Best opportunity for generations’: Brisbane named preferred 2032 Games host
Australia has become the strong favourite to host the 2032 Olympics after the IOC gave it the status of its preferred bidder early on Thursday morning.
- by Phil Lutton
Syrian spy who sought asylum jailed in historic torture trial
It is the first court case in the world over state-sponsored torture under Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
- by Loveday Morris and Sarah Dadouch
McKinsey votes out its boss as firm faces reckoning over opioid crisis
It is highly unusual for a sitting managing partner at McKinsey to be refused a second term, but the consultancy giant is still facing blowback over its role in fuelling America’s opioid crisis.
- by Michael Forsythe
Freight train carrying ‘dangerous goods’ derailed near Coffs Harbour
Carriages toppled into floodwaters and thousands of litres of fuel spilled at Nana Glen about 1.45am on Thursday after heavy rains drenched the Mid North Coast of NSW.
- by Megan Gorrey
Remaking ‘Made in the USA’: Biden orders review into supply chains to counter China
The administration will then take a closer look at six sectors: defence, public health and biological preparedness, communications technology, transportation, energy, and food production.
- by Josie Ensor
It’s on again: GameStop shares double after tumbling for weeks
The sharp move higher even left some members of Reddit’s WallStreetBets forum, which helped cheer its meteoric rise last month, scratching their heads.
- by Alex Veiga
Rembrandt, the original selfie master, was too honest for his own good
The Dutch master’s obsession with the self-portrait sits well in the Instagram age. But would you want him to paint your portrait?
- by Louise Rugendyke
Australia enters top 10 in global rankings of soft power
A survey of 55,000 people in 100 countries listed Germany as the most influential nation worldwide, while the US slipped down the rankings and NZ made gains.
- by Latika Bourke
Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger: Daft Punk’s 10 greatest moments
With a catalogue packed with club bangers, film scores, Kanye West and the Weeknd collaborations and dance chart No. 1s, Daft Punk enjoyed what was arguably the most influential and accomplished career in modern electronic music.
- by August Brown
Updated
Earnings season
Qantas pushes back plans for long-haul international flights to October
Qantas CEO Alan Joyce says the airline is planning to resume international flying at the end of October following the completion of Australia’s vaccine rollout.
- by Patrick Hatch
‘It must end badly’: Buffett’s right-hand man says Wall Street is showing bubble signs
Warren Buffett’s long-time business partner Charlie Munger says the US stock market is overvalued, but he doesn’t know when the bubble will burst.
- by Josh Funk
‘So much to like’: Australia makes ‘game-changing’ offer to host Lions
Rugby Australia’s offer of a minimum guarantee would ensure a profitable return for both the Lions and South Africa even if a match had to be played behind closed doors.
- by Gavin Mairs
Woods ‘agitated and impatient’ before LA car crash, according to witness
The golfer was reported to be annoyed to find his car blocked in by another vehicle at the resort he was staying at, then “took off fast”.
- by Richard Luscombe, Stefanie Dazio and Doug Ferguson
Zip upbeat on overseas growth as revenue jumps 130 per cent
Zip Co says it will accelerate its international growth in the year ahead and continue looking for offshore expansion opportunities.
- by Clancy Yeates
‘We stand together’: ethnic Chinese rally in Myanmar against coup
Eager to show opposition to Beijing meddling, the protesters gather outside the embassy, some displaying posters reading “Myanmar-born Chinese oppose the military coup”.
- by Thompson Chau
Updated
Melbourne Victory
‘A tough few weeks’: Brebner’s relief as Gestede powers Victory up the table
Lanky Frenchman Rudy Gestede was virtually unplayable every time the ball came in the air and his two headers were enough to give Melbourne Victory victory over Wellington Phoenix.
- by Michael Lynch
Updated
Earnings season
Afterpay targets US growth as it raises $1.25b
Afterpay chief Anthony Eisen says acquiring a bigger share of its United States subsidary for almost $600 million is a major win for the buy now, pay later juggernaut.
- by Clancy Yeates
Aussie hits fresh three-year highs against the US dollar, close to 80 US cents
Dovish testimony from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell bolstered bets of reflation and fears of inflation in the world’s largest economy, driving the US dollar to the lowest level against commodity-linked currencies such as the Aussie since early 2018.
- by Kate Duguid
First free coronavirus vaccines distributed
The arrival of 600,000 doses of vaccine in the West African country marks the beginning of one of the largest vaccine procurement and supply operations in history.
- by Francis Kokutse and Carley Petesch
Analysis
Media bargaining code
Domino effect: Facebook faces a year of reckoning
Facebook’s brief but tempestuous standoff with the Australian government over a world-first pay-for-news law is only the start of a string of battles that the world’s biggest social network faces in 2021.
- by Vlad Savov
Australian states tighten travel restrictions as New Zealand cluster grows
NSW, Queensland and Victoria have limited quarantine-free travel with New Zealand in response to a growing COVID-19 outbreak in Auckland.
- by Megan Gorrey
Husband must pay wife $US7700 for years of housework, Chinese court rules
The court in Beijing said this week that the husband was obliged to compensate his wife because housework carries “intangible property value”.
- by Javier C. Hernández
England frustrated with umpiring inconsistency in Ahmedabad Test
Close calls on a frantic opening day saw India gain the upper hand in a match likely to impact June’s World Test Championship final.
‘Unfortunately, anything goes’: Vladimir Putin warns of unnamed foreign efforts to destabilise Russia
The Russian president added that those activities by foreign powers, which he didn’t name, are aimed at “weakening Russia and putting it under outside control.”
- by Vladimir Isachenkov
Barbie’s revival gets the attention of Wall Street
One of the biggest consumer hits of the pandemic is a 61-year-old doll once mocked as outdated and sexist.
- by Kelly Gilblom
Italy’s mafia poised to exploit pandemic recovery projects: report
Agency director Maurizio Vallone said mobsters increasingly are investing in businesses weakened by COVID-19 lockdowns, with the goal of ultimately taking them over.
- by Frances D'Emilio
Top Republicans spar in public over Trump’s future in the GOP
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy fidgeted uncomfortably with his notes as Representative Liz Cheney, the No. 3 Republican in the House, spoke about Donald Trump.
- by Dave Goldiner
Tech giants are taking on China’s looming food crisis
The battle to supply 1.4 billion people with fresh fruit and vegetables is taking China’s e-commerce companies into the country’s hinterlands.
- by Coco Liu
Oxford starts work on potential COVID-19 vaccine pill
Avoiding labour-intensive COVID-19 vaccination programs could be a crucial factor in the world learning to live with the disease.
- by Bevan Shields
Updated
World markets
ASX to jump as Wall Street gets boost from Fed chief
Wall Street reversed losses and staged a rally as Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell reaffirmed his view that the economy needs support, a further signal interest rates will be left unchanged for a long time to come.
- by Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss
Analysis
Telecommunications
Upbeat Vocus moving in the right direction
Vocus Group’s latest crop of suitors may be in for an arm wrestle, if the takeover target’s bullish half-year results commentary is anything to go by.
- by Supratim Adhikari
Exclusive
Development outrage
‘Impossible to believe’: The maps at the heart of furore over developer’s land grab
Exactly what was public knowledge when a property developer snapped up land along a Sydney motorway?
- by Carrie Fellner
Calls to reform NSW road safety fund as black spot spending declines
Government spending from the Road Safety Fund on ‘black spot’ programs has halved in five years, prompting calls to reform the scheme, which is also spending millions on sporting partnerships and police wages.
- by Tom Rabe
Beyond the carrot and gun, the government has a new wildlife plan
The NSW government has now developed a five-year restoration strategy to help wildlife recover from devastating bushfires. It has been distributing carrots and shooting feral animals since last year’s massive firestorm.
- by Peter Hannam
Exclusive
Development
Minister says housing agency ‘mistaken’ if they think he’ll do their bidding for Waterloo
The shape and density of the redevelopment has triggered debate between the council and state government.
- by Angus Thompson and Megan Gorrey
Opinion
NRL off-field behaviour
In a league of their own: no one saw the glaring conflict in recruiting Police Commissioner
The most alarming point about the doomed plan to appoint the NSW Police Commissioner to rugby league’s national body is that none of the central figures saw there was a problem.
- by Alexandra Smith
Exclusive
Indigenous
‘Another Juukan Gorge’: First Nations leaders warn environment laws risk more destruction
First Nations leaders warn necessary protections for Indigenous heritage sites have been excluded from the Morrison government’s proposed environmental reforms, risking another Juukan Gorge.
- by Mike Foley and Nick Toscano
Exclusive
Welfare
JobSeeker recipients will be left $80 a week below the poverty line, research shows
The federal government’s lift in the fortnightly dole by $25 a week will leave the base rate still well below the poverty line.
- by Shane Wright and Jennifer Duke
Cocaine drives Victoria’s growing drug habit
Cocaine use in Victoria has doubled in recent years, new analysis reveals. The state has overtaken NSW to have the highest proportion of cocaine users in the country.
- by Tom Cowie and Craig Butt
Construction begins on northern beaches sea wall despite ‘vexed’ funding issues
Residents on the northern beaches have coughed up millions of dollars for a long-awaited sea wall to protect their properties.
- by Sarah McPhee
Exclusive
Secrets of War
Fight erupts over Defence moves to sack special forces whistleblowers
War crimes investigator Paul Brereton said the careers of some whistleblowers should “prosper” after they gave evidence to his inquiry, while certain others should not be sacked. But none have been promoted and some face termination.
- by Nick McKenzie and Chris Masters
Blast plans dumped for final stretch of WestConnex construction
The contractor tested the use of explosives to excavate parts of the underground M4-M5 Link from Haberfield to St Peters, which would have affected thousands of inner Sydney homes.
- by Megan Gorrey
Prosecutors drop drink-driving charge against Bruce Springsteen
The rocker’s blood-alcohol level was so low that it didn’t warrant the charges, prosecutors said, but Springsteen was fined $US500 for drinking alcohol in a national recreation area.
- by David Porter
Graphic content
Courts
US man accused of triple murder confessed to cooking neighbour’s heart with potatoes, police say
An Oklahoma man who had been released early from prison as part of a mass commutation effort is now accused of three killings, including the death of a neighbour whose heart he cut out, authorities say.
Johnson & Johnson’s one-shot COVID-19 vaccine effective and safe, FDA staff say
Johnson & Johnson’s one-shot COVID-19 vaccine appeared safe and effective in trials, US Food and Drug Administration staff said, paving the way for its approval for emergency use.
letters
Letters
Spiteful lack of empathy behind new ‘DobSeeker’
There must be something in the Coalition’s DNA which impels it to make life more difficult for the poor and vulnerable.
New standards imposed for rooftop solar panels to protect electricity grid
From December all new sales of solar panels and other technologies that connect to the electricity grid will have to comply with new standards.
- by Mike Foley
In the Herald: February 25, 1989
The cold rain fell as Japan buried the last of its living gods, the Emperor Showa, formerly known as Hirohito.
- by Harry Hollinsworth
From the Archives, 1991: Austen Tayshus is broke, and that’s no joke
In 1983, comedian Austen Tayshus released Australia’s best-selling single ever. Less than a decade later, he was filing for bankruptcy.
- by Richard Glover
ACT police investigate alleged assault in Parliament House
ACT Policing confirmed on Wednesday night it had received a report about an alleged assault in March 2019.
- by Sarah McPhee