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Environmental outlook for Blue Mountains downgraded due to fires, dam wall plans
The environmental outlook for the greater Blue Mountains area has been downgraded after last summer's huge bushfires, with issues such as the Warragamba Dam wall raising plan adding to the future threats, the International Union for Conservation of Nature says.
- by Peter Hannam
Letters
Letters
Cash for Cormann campaign not a savvy investment
May I suggest that the Mathias Cormann campaign outrage has nothing to do with ''country immaturity''.
'They need to talk to us': Leaked drug reforms reveal Coalition's city-country divide
National MPs say they were disappointed not to have received more consultation about a government proposal to introduce a three-strike drug possession policy.
- by Lucy Cormack
Exclusive
Cyber protection
How paper created a vulnerability for cyber criminals to steal 186,000 people's data
Passports, banking and Medicare details were potentially exposed in photocopied and scanned paper documents stored inside the email accounts of 47 Service NSW employees.
- by Lucy Cormack
Exclusive
Education
Fewer than one in five NSW teachers are trained for kids with disabilities
NSW government figures show in 2017 there were 150,000 children with disabilities, such as autism, ADHD and dyslexia, in the state's public schools alone and this is forecast to increase 50 per cent by 2027.
- by Caitlin Fitzsimmons
Demand drop closes coal mine as neighbour seeks approval to expand
The future of the two main coal mines digging under Sydney's water catchment hangs in the balance with one closing for two months because of weak demand and the other seeking approval to expand.
- by Peter Hannam
Exclusive
Emerald City
'Hanging out a bit': Meet the new man in Ian Thorpe's life
A year after Ian Thorpe split from his on-again, off-again boyfriend Ryan Channing, the Olympic swimming legend is on the cusp of a promising new relationship.
- by Lucy Manly
A slice of Sydney history immortalised as City Tatts marks 125 years
The book On A Winner by journalist Marea Donnelly will be launched on Tuesday by former governor-general Sir Peter Cosgrove.
- by Michael Koziol
Opinion
Agriculture
Cane toad invades Coogee - and that was before they opened the Queensland border
Watch out NSW, the border openings don't just mean an influx of human Queenslanders.
- by Helen Pitt
They were safe, now dozens of Australians are caught in war again
"It's OK to stop an election because of COVID, it's not OK to start a war." A tale of escape from Tigray, Ethiopia.
- by Lia Timson
Analysis
Coronavirus pandemic
Why Indonesia is losing the COVID fight while neighbours crush the virus
Vietnam, Thailand and even Cambodia have kept coronavirus at bay. But Indonesia has the worst virus rates in south-east Asia while not testing widely.
- by James Massola
Crash and Bash: Your club-by-club guide to BBL10
The BBL may be without some of Australia's biggest names but there is still much to look forward to you when BBL10 thunders into action on Thursday.
- by Daniel Cherny, Andrew Wu, Jon Pierik and Alisdair Belling
Tri Nations 2020 as it happened: Hodge misses last-ditch penalty as Wallabies, Argentina draw again
Reece Hodge missed a 45 metre penalty goal attempt to win the match for the Wallabies as they once again finished all square with Argentina.
- by Sam Phillips
Immediate quarantine alert for Sydney to Melbourne flight passengers
All passengers and crew who flew to Melbourne on VA 838 on Saturday are being asked to self-isolate after two international travellers boarded the flight in Sydney without quarantining in NSW.
- by David Estcourt
Landlord comes to the aid of Tennis Australia
Tennis Australia is receiving rent relief from The Melbourne and Olympic Parks Trust as the sport's governing body braces for the massive financial hit of staging an Australian Open during a pandemic.
- by Scott Spits
How her role in Wonder Woman 1984 changed Kristen Wiig
Playing a villain is no laughing matter, as Kristen Wiig well knows. Th e actor, known for her comedic talents, relished the chance to tap into her darker side while playing the super-evil Cheetah in the latest Wonder Woman movie.
- by Michael Idato
Melbourne housing estate engulfed by 'hairy weed invasion'
Voluminous tufts of grass have buried a housing estate beneath tangled strands widely known as "hairy weed invasion" in Melbourne’s north-west.
- by David Estcourt
Taylor warns teams not to abuse concussion sub rule after Boon-Langer clash
Justin Langer has avoided sanction for his animated clash with match referee David Boon on Friday night, but the incident has raised questions about concussion substitutes.
- by Andrew Wu
Two men drown at Teewah Beach on Sunshine Coast
Queensland Police said emergency services were called to Teewah Beach as a group of swimmers encountered difficulties on Noosa's North Shore.
- by Michaela Whitbourn
In the vaccine race, Chinese company Sinovac has a bribery problem
Sinovac is the hope of many nations battling coronavirus - but court documents reveal the company has a history of bribing Chinese officials for approvals.
- by Eva Dou
73-year-old man awarded $120,000 for defamatory Facebook posts by churchgoer
In the latest in a series of Australian defamation cases involving slurs on social media, the man sued a fellow churchgoer over a series of six Facebook posts branding him a scammer and will also receive $85,000 in legal costs.
- by Michaela Whitbourn
Millionaire who hosted Mehajer wedding fights 'unsuitable' kids' skate park
The owner of Le Montage has formed an unlikely alliance with Inner West Greens councillors who will try to overturn the skate park's approval.
- by Michael Koziol
Games blowout: Tokyo Olympics delay costs may reach $3.75b
The operational cost of the delay is roughly two thirds of that figure, with coronavirus countermeasures accounting for the rest of the blowout.
- by Stephen Wade
After injury-riddled early career, Pattinson hopes to play 'another five years'
Such an aspiration may seem ambitious for a bowler with his long injury history, but James Pattinson says he has never felt more confident about his fitness.
- by Andrew Wu
Finch sweats on scan results as Lyon drafted into T20 squad
Aaron Finch is in signficant doubt for Sunday's second Twenty20 international at the SCG but is awaiting the results of scans before a final decision is made.
- by Jon Pierik
British thirst could save Australian wine from China tariffs
In the 12 months to October this year, sales of Australian wine in Britain grew by 10 per cent to be worth $1.3 billion.
- by Latika Bourke
Heavy traffic, man arrested after multi-car crash on M1 at Ourimbah
A man has been arrested following a multi-vehicle crash on the M1 at Ourimbah on the Central Coast.
- by Michaela Whitbourn
Pentagon blocks top spy briefings for Biden transition team
California pledges 55 votes for Biden in the Electoral College, guaranteeing victory on December 14, but the Pentagon's top spy agencies refuse to meet his team.
- by Greg Miller and Missy Ryan
Gitanjali Rao, 15-year-old Colorado student and scientist, is named Time's Kid of the Year
Gitanjali Rao has used artificial intelligence and created apps to tackle contaminated drinking water, cyberbullying, opioid addiction and other social problems.
'Holy grail of vaccine research': Could a blood test show if a COVID-19 vaccine works?
A study in monkeys published in Nature reveals that a blood test could predict the effectiveness of a COVID-19 vaccine.
- by Carl Zimmer
NSW records zero COVID-19 infections despite quarantine hotel breach
NSW Health is free of new COVID-19 cases despite a cleaner at a Sydney quarantine hotel testing positive on Thursday.
- by Natassia Chrysanthos
'I want to win a medal': Simmons has Olympics in sight, if NBA permits
The 24-year old hasn’t played for the Boomers since he was left out of the 2014 FIBA World Cup side as a teenager.
- by Roy Ward
Woman posed as firefighter to claim almost $200,000 in relief pay, police allege
The Lithgow woman was charged after allegedly making 522 claims for payments over six months.
- by Natassia Chrysanthos
Two people dying every minute: US COVID-19 deaths shatter more records
US leaders urgently called on Americans to wear masks and threatened even more drastic stay-at-home orders after deaths from the coronavirus set another single-day record.
- by Doina Chiacu
UN warns 2021 shaping up to be a humanitarian catastrophe
"2021 is literally going to be catastrophic based on what we're seeing at this stage of the game," said the head of the World Food Program.
- by Michelle Nichols