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Australia news LIVE: Federal seat of North Sydney abolished; Defence Minister strips medals from ADF officers
Follow for today’s national headlines.
- by Jessica McSweeney, Nick Newling and Hannah Kennelly
Updated
World markets
ASX rises after Wall Street seesaw; Lithium stocks jump again
The domestic sharemarket was stronger on Thursday after most US stocks fell overnight, as traders reduced their expectations for Federal Reserve interest relief.
- by Penry Buckley
Lifting the veil on the mundane life of the royal family
Melanie Tait has unearthed a fascinating story about the British royals.
- by John Shand, Cassie Tongue and Peter McCallum
Updated
Around the clubs
Bradman Best to miss sudden-death Cowboys clash in blow to Knights
Newcastle have lost one of their biggest strike weapons ahead of their must-win clash in Townsville.
- by Adam Pengilly, Christian Nicolussi, Michael Chammas and Adrian Proszenko
Australia is a top gas exporter. Should it start to import it now too?
A plan for Australia to start importing giant shipments of liquefied gas will undergo a new assessment for approval amid worries of an east-coast energy crunch.
- by Nick Toscano and Mike Foley
China’s population keeps falling. This is why
The generation of women born in the era of the Chinese Communist Party’s one-child policy are having few, if any, children.
- by Lisa Visentin
Opinion
US Votes 2024
How Donald Trump’s ‘catastrophic’ debate shook up Wall Street
For much of this year, markets have been pricing in the implications of a second Trump presidency. After Wednesday’s debate, those “Trump Trades” started to unravel.
- by Stephen Bartholomeusz
Breaking
Crime
The heartbreaking statement from father of boys killed in Blue Mountains tragedy
Ben and Russell were allegedly killed at the hands of their mother. Their distraught father Nick Smith has remembered his “happy, funny and outgoing boys”.
- by Jessica McSweeney, Sally Rawsthorne and Amber Schultz
Wallabies’ spring tour in Suaalii’s sights but not before Roosters’ swansong
The 21-year-old $5 million man has been trading cross-code intel with new Roosters teammate and rugby convert Mark Nawaqanitawase in his final weeks at Moore Park.
- by Emma Kemp
Would you vote for a 19-year-old? These Gen Zs hope you will
One has been elected unopposed already, while the rest are hoping to win you over at Saturday’s local council elections.
- by Kayla Olaya
Opinion
Sydney landmarks
The Opera House is spectacular, but it’s not Sydney’s best building
In all its well-deserved glory, it gobbles up oxygen to such an extent that other wow-factor buildings don’t get the credit they deserve.
- by Gary Nunn
Opinion
Parenting
I thought our friendship could survive anything. Then I fell pregnant
We tend to assume that it’s parents who ditch their child-free friends when a baby arrives. For me, though, it’s been the other way around.
- by Zoya Patel
Everything you need to know about local council elections
And after weeks of rigorous debate, intense competition and some classic council chaos, it comes down to this. Here’s everything you need to know.
- by Anthony Segaert
Jon Bon Jovi helps talk woman down from ledge on Tennessee bridge
The Tennessean reported that Bon Jovi was filming a music video on the bridge, which remained open to the public during the shoot.
‘National shame’: Richard Marles strips medals from Afghanistan war commanders
Opposition defence spokesman Andrew Hastie choked with emotion as he said “our soldiers must tell the truth, and those in leadership must seek it out”.
- by Matthew Knott
Four, four, six, six, six, four: Head carnage destroys England in T20 opener
Travis Head was in a belligerent mood, taking 30 runs from one over as Australia won the first T20 match against England in emphatic style.
- by Daniel Brettig
Qantas forks out another $3.4 million for Joyce as executive pay revealed
Former Qantas boss Alan Joyce received $3.4 million for his last two months in the job. In his last two years, he took home nearly $20 million.
- by Amelia McGuire
‘No one wants vapes for our kids’: Qld passes nation’s toughest anti-vaping laws
“We know these vapes are being marketed at children, with flavours like fairy floss and bubblegum, and they’re hiding dangerous poisons,” the health minister says.
- by Catherine Strohfeldt
Exclusive
Courts
‘We were racing’: The six minutes of madness that left two kids dead
An eight-kilometre street race around the shores of Botany Bay ended in a horrific fireball that killed a nine-year-old boy and his 10-year-old brother.
- by Sarah McPhee
Nine boss Mike Sneesby steps down after ‘challenging’ year
Nine chief executive Mike Sneesby will depart the company at the end of this month after 3½ years in the role.
- by Calum Jaspan
Live
Music awards
VMAs 2024 LIVE updates: Taylor Swift makes VMAs history, wins seven awards
Follow our live coverage of the MTV Video Music Awards as Taylor Swift looks toward a record-breaking evening.
- by Robert Moran, Lauren Ironmonger, Thomas Mitchell and Meg Watson
Terrell May’s complicated relationship with rugby league
Rising Rooster Terrell May has an ambivalent attitude towards rugby league. There’s only one reason why he keeps playing it.
- by Adrian Proszenko
The Kid Laroi is heading home, where a footy grand final is a big deal
He zigged when many thought he should zag, but through hits and misses, the Kid’s all right still.
- by Robert Moran
A win for the funny people: Australia’s richest writing prize adds new award
The John Clarke Prize for Humour Writing, named for the legendary late comedian, will celebrate Australia’s funniest works from 2025.
- by Meg Watson
‘Lived in dread’: Caroline was the star witness in one of the biggest fraud cases in US history
Caroline Ellison is the former girlfriend of crypto wunderkind Sam Bankman-Fried who helped prosecutors unearth crimes they didn’t know about at FTX. Now she is pleading to be spared from spending a single day in prison.
- by Ava Benny-Morrison and Robert Burnson
Exclusive
Property market
Last home buyer concession touted to free up under-used family homes
The property industry says Melbourne’s existing stock of housing is being underutilised. Encouraging “empty nesters” to sell could be part of the solution.
- by Josh Gordon
Kamala Harris wants a second debate, Donald Trump is not so sure
As the dust settled on Tuesday’s debate, Trump and his allies went into damage control amid widespread dismay that the former president was repeatedly baited by Harris.
- by Farrah Tomazin
Opinion
NRL 2024
Bulldogs have had a great season – but this is why the party is about to end
This is one of the best weekends of the year – and I think the biggest winner will be one few are expecting.
- by Andrew Johns
‘Think I get orders from the CIA?’ Top Russian propagandist taunts US
Alexey Navalny lampooned Margarita Simonyan for years with the nickname “beaver-eater” after a 2012 social media post where she outlined her plans to boil up a beaver head for broth.
- by Robyn Dixon
Listen to the sounds of the suburbs as you’ve never heard before
Multicultural music producer Richard Petkovic is embarking on his most ambitious project yet.
- by Nick Galvin
Underwhelming and desperate: This much-loved kids’ yarn deserves better
Harold and the Purple Crayon has been adapted for live action for the first time.
- by Jake Wilson
James McAvoy buzzes with manic energy in this clever horror
Horror remake Speak No Evil is a clever but nauseating frightener about the consequences of remaining silent in the face of rampant domestic abuse.
- by Sandra Hall
Hugo Weaving rarely does TV. He made an exception for Slow Horses
The Australian actor steps into season four of the British spy thriller, playing the American leader of a mercenary group.
- by Louise Rugendyke
The most unbearable sound in the world? It’s silence
Forget peace and quiet. Give me peace and loud.
- by Robert Moran
Boxing drama Kid Snow is the kind of Australian film we used to make
Forget about political correctness, director Paul Goldman and the film’s writers have no desire to give us a revisionist version of the past.
- by Sandra Hall
‘Evidence not ideology’: Major overhaul of the NSW high school curriculum
Studying the Holocaust will be mandatory under a revised high school history syllabus that also include compulsory units on Aboriginal perspectives on colonisation.
- by Lucy Carroll
Home values declined in a third of suburbs. Here’s where they fell most
Thanks to higher interest rates and more homes on the market, buyers have increased choice this spring – and it’s showing.
- by Tawar Razaghi
Exclusive
Gambling
Why veterans want pokies clubs to remove ‘RSL’ from their names
RSL boss Mick Bainbridge made the call as analysis shows the $1.3 million that clubs donated to veteran welfare is about the same that one club donated to its own golf club.
- by Harriet Alexander, Andrew Taylor and Nigel Gladstone
What’s in and out for new ferry wharves along busy Sydney route
The state government is facing renewed calls to put on more services, stops and larger ferries to cater for growing populations along the Parramatta River.
- by Matt O'Sullivan
Northern Beaches deputy mayor Georgia Ryburn to take on teal in Pittwater
Ryburn’s preselection paves the way for a tough contest with teal candidate Jacqui Scruby, who narrowly missed out on claiming the seat in 2023.
- by Alexandra Smith and Max Maddison
Political lies to be captured in Labor misinformation regime
The plan will give federal authorities the power to force tech giants to act on alerts about damaging falsehoods.
- by David Crowe and Paul Sakkal
Her face was plastered on stamps. But her life was then ‘thrown upside down’
Two years after having her face etched on stamps, a champion hit rock bottom. Now, she is calling for change to ensure others do not suffer the same fate.
- by Nick Wright
Tom Papley crashed his car on his way to the SCG, then starred for the Swans
Tom Papley had a less-than-ideal build-up to his first game back for the Swans since suffering an ankle injury.
- by Vince Rugari
‘No needles’: Coach Cleary says son Nathan ready for Crichton challenge
Ivan Cleary says minor-premiers Melbourne deserve the tag of premiership favourites heading into the finals.
- by Adam Pengilly and Emma Kemp
‘Mean, hateful’: Magistrate scolds man who dumped ex-girlfriend’s snakes in Coogee
Justin Downs, 26, destroyed two python enclosures before releasing the pets Bagel and Mango in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.
- by Nick Newling
I had a miscarriage, but I couldn’t find the words to tell my mother
My mother’s dominant and exclusive language is Mandarin, a language for which I possess the vocabulary of a 10-year-old native speaker.
- by Jessie Tu
AFL Briefing
AFL 2024
Swans captain to miss preliminary final; Hawks unveil Frost replacement; NRL cashes in on lack of Melbourne AFL finals
The Swans announced on Wednesday night that skipper Callum Mills will miss the side’s preliminary final, while Hawks coach Sam Mitchell knows he can’t replace the dependable Sam Frost for the Hawks’ must-win final this week.
- by Jon Pierik, Roy Ward, Andrew Wu and Russell Bennett
Opinion
US Votes 2024
You need to calm down: Why Taylor’s endorsement hasn’t won Harris the election
Democrats may be dancing – metaphorically and probably literally. But is an Instagram post from Taylor Swift a signed, sealed and delivered election victory? Not yet.
- by Katy Hall
Political Sketch
Web culture
‘Catch a dub’: Fatima Payman tries to make ‘skibidi’ happen in the Senate
The senator made a play for the most new words in Hansard in a two-minute speech, in Gen Z language that came with a glossary for Boomers.
- by Nick Bonyhady
Texts to high-profile journalist about Bruce Lehrmann trial revealed
Janet Albrechtsen asked former judge Walter Sofronoff, KC, for a copy of potential adverse findings weeks before he delivered his report on Lehrmann’s prosecution.
- by Michaela Whitbourn
Hard truths of obesity should be faced head on
Jenna Price’s reaction to being told she is fat is a welcome intervention. She knew already but it took getting a balanced plan to deal with it – the Live Life Well program devised by Sydney University – to deliver the results she needs.
Updated
World markets
ASX slips as big four banks decline; lithium miners rally
The Australian sharemarket closed in the red, with banks and energy companies weighing on investor sentiment.
- by Jessica Yun
As it happened: National corruption watchdog investigating six current or former MPs; thousands of activists disrupt weapons expo
Read the national news headlines for Wednesday, September 11.
- by Josefine Ganko and Lachlan Abbott
An unflinching footy play is coming back. And so is a David Williamson classic
The MTC’s 2025 line-up includes a work that draws from Adam Goodes’ career, a play starring Sigrid Thornton and an award-winning musical.
- by Cameron Woodhead
Exclusive
Discrimination
Labor’s promised hate speech bill will not deal with ‘hate speech’
Albanese pledged to protect Australians from hate speech. Sources familiar with the legislation said it had been weakened in the final stages.
- by Natassia Chrysanthos
Updated
Crime
Police await doctors’ clearance to interview mother over death of her two sons
The woman who police believe stabbed her two young sons to death at their Blue Mountains home has written extensively about her own mental health.
- by Amber Schultz, Sally Rawsthorne and Riley Walter
The price of hope: Clubs feast on members’ hunger for grand final tickets
Geelong is charging fans $230, and Sydney’s charging $135, to join the ballot for grand final tickets – but fans lose their money if their teams lose the preliminary final.
- by Danny Russell
Editorial
US Votes 2024
Why Harris’ strong debate performance is good for Australia
The US presidential debate ushered Kamala Harris into American lounge rooms – and showed the world the election race has caught fire.
- The Herald's View
Anthony Albanese lists $1.9m Sydney investment property
When the tenant was issued with an eviction notice, he hoped to use it as a chance to spark debate about tenants’ rights. What followed was a media maelstrom.
- by Lucy Macken
‘No connection’ between man’s suicide and his UK talk show appearance: coroner
Inspired by Jerry Springer, Kyle, far more combative than his US counterpart, presided over domestic squabbles and teased out as much drama as possible.
- by Rob Harris
No access to fresh air: Children held in ‘inadequate’ adult watch houses for weeks
Children being held in adult watch houses for extended periods of time are using mattresses to surround themselves when using the toilet.
- by Keira Jenkins
Minor traffic accident that left two dead on Anzac Bridge
Sydney driver Adeeb Sukkar has been found guilty of dangerous driving causing the deaths of Amy Lim and Hongyi Zhang in 2022.
- by Sarah McPhee
Sydney man charged over ‘brazen’ fatal shooting
Ayman Manly allegedly shot two men on a Sydney street. One died at the scene.
- by Riley Walter
Analysis
US Votes 2024
Harris laid the bait and Trump took it on a bad night for the former president
It took only half an hour for Kamala Harris to bait Donald Trump, simply by saying people leave his rallies looking exhausted and bored.
- by Farrah Tomazin
Sydney teacher allegedly raped student three times
Maths teacher Roj Dalisay, who taught at a large Sydney Catholic school, allegedly assaulted a student for more than a year.
- by Jessica McSweeney and Clare Sibthorpe
‘Do you still want this?’ How Xerri fought back from the brink
The Bulldogs offered Bronson Xerri an out during pre-season. Now they want to extend his time in Belmore.
- by Daniel Lo Surdo
‘Context is important’: Waugh dismisses fears Wallabies will be easy meat for Lions
The Wallabies’ record loss saw one ex-England star bemoan the “proper dark” state of Australian rugby, and suggest the Lions tour South Africa instead.
- by Iain Payten
Eight great new reads to soak up in the sunshine
Our reviewers cast their eyes over recently published fiction and non-fiction.
- by Cameron Woodhead and Steven Carroll
Opinion
Industrial relations
Tickets on sale: It’s the Big Australian vs the Australian government
So intense has the standoff between BHP and the Albanese government become that the parties are even contesting who started the fight.
- by Elizabeth Knight
‘Extraordinary devastation’: Hunter bus driver to spend decades in prison
Brett Button has been sentenced to more than two decades in prison over the fatal crash that claimed 10 lives and injured dozens more.
- by Perry Duffin
US Presidential debate 2024 LIVE updates: Trump, Harris clash over abortion, immigration; Taylor Swift endorses vice president
It will be the first time the two candidates have met in person and with less than two months before election day, the stakes could not be higher.
- by Michael Koziol and Farrah Tomazin
King Charles drops cancelled word ‘walkabout’ from Australian tour
The King will drop the term “walkabout” from his October tour as Buckingham Palace seeks to avoid offending Indigenous communities.
- by Michelle Griffin
Can a family overcome infidelity? How to navigate the betrayal
After rock star Dave Grohl’s shock disclosure of fathering a child outside his marriage, what advice can psychologists offer families dealing with infidelity?
- by Frances Howe
‘Eating cats’: Fact-checking Trump’s false claims during the presidential debate
The Republican nominee and former president backed rumours about immigrants eating pets, then claimed he oversaw the most dynamic economy in the world.
Opinion
US Votes 2024
Kamala sliced Trump like sashimi, when he wasn’t doing it himself
Trump saved his best for last, but it was too late to recover from what will go down as a genuinely shocking performance.
- by Bruce Wolpe
Taylor Swift, childless cat lady, endorses Kamala Harris
The world’s most powerful pop star has made her decision ahead of the US presidential election.
- by Thomas Mitchell