Category Archives: Sydney

King Charles has arrived in Australia for his first visit as monarch. Here’s where to see the royals

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Sydney and Canberra are on the royal couple’s itinerary, with opportunities for the public to see them between official functions

King Charles and Queen Camilla have touched down in Australia for the couple’s first visit to the country since Charles became its reigning monarch.

They were last in Australia in 2018, when then Prince Charles opened the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast. This shorter, more compact tour will take in just Canberra and Sydney, with dozens of engagements packed into the pair’s four days on the ground.

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Rio Tinto praised for ‘breaking ranks’ to back revamp of environment laws – as it happened

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Queensland leaders to lock horns again in election debate

After their deputies traded blows, the Queensland premier and opposition leader are set to face off again ahead of the state election, AAP reports.

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Sydney’s Coogee beach closed after mysterious black balls wash ashore

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Beachgoers warned not to touch the material, which may be tar balls formed from oil spills or seepage at sea

Sydney’s Coogee beach has been ordered closed until further notice after “mysterious black, ball-shaped debris” washed up along its length.

Lifeguards discovered the debris on Tuesday afternoon at the popular eastern suburbs beach. Randwick city council environmental officers collected samples and have sent them for testing. In the meantime, beachgoers were advised not to touch or go near them.

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Potentially lifesaving Blue Mountains fire trails obstructed as bushfire season begins

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Exclusive: Residents who fought the black summer bushfires are concerned access tracks are not being maintained

Residents of a Blue Mountains town who were forced to defend themselves against an out-of-control backburn during the black summer bushfires are concerned fire trails in the area are not being maintained ahead of the fire season.

Guardian Australia has seen photographs of fallen trees obstructing two fire trails in Bilpin near the Tutti Fruitti cafe and surrounding homes, which were destroyed when the Rural Fire Service lost control of the backburn it lit near Mount Wilson in December 2019.

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NSW police union pushes back at premier’s suggestion pro-Palestine protests divert resources from crime

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Police association boss says vast majority of officers at weekend rally were ‘doing user-pay or cancelled rest day’ shifts

The head of the New South Wales police union has denied any suggestion that patrolling weekly pro-Palestine protests is making it difficult to respond to or investigate crime across the state.

Kevin Morton’s comments came as the premier, Chris Minns, was forced to deny he had lost control of the Labor caucus after several of his MPs expressed alarm at his statement that police should be able to reject a protest permit based on the cost of patrolling it.

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Revealed: University of Sydney spent millions more on consultants than repaying wages of casual staff

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Greens say revelations a ‘damning indictment’ that speak to a ‘broken governance culture’ at prestigious universities

The University of Sydney has spent millions of dollars more on external contractors and consultants – including PwC – for calculating and administering liability for wage underpayments and a review of its systems than it has paid out to staff, answers provided to the Greens have revealed.

In the answers to supplementary questions, provided to chair of the New South Wales education committee, Greens MLC Abigail Boyd, it was revealed the university had repaid 514 casual staff a total value of $2.8m as of last month, while across all “remediation work streams”, it had paid 10,692 professional staff a total value of $17.4m.

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Crumbl Cookies to open in Australia after viral unofficial pop-up at Bondi Beach turned stale

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US brand says it was ‘inspired’ by local fans flying in cookies from the US and selling them at the weekend – for $17.50 each

Popular US-based brand Crumbl Cookies has announced it will fast-track plans to open in Australia, after a rogue pop-up stand in Sydney created huge hype for the company’s kilojoule-filled products.

The announcement comes after unaffiliated fans of the American company flew in hundreds of cookies to sell at a temporary store near Sydney’s Bondi Beach, charging $17.50 a biscuit. The cookies usually sell for US$4.49 ($6.67) in the US.

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Man dies after being shot by police amid alleged theft of car belonging to Labor MP’s husband

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A 26-year-old man has died after he and another man, 34, were shot by police while allegedly driving a stolen car at officers

A man shot by police in Wentworthville in Sydney last week after an alleged car theft has died, NSW police said.

Two men were shot by police after officers were called to the scene at about 12.10pm on Friday, responding to a report of a stolen car in a Wentworthville car park in Sydney’s west. The officers fired their guns at the vehicle after it was allegedly driven at them.

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Controversial Sydney airport slot system faces government crackdown

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Carriers that cancel flights to block competition could face civil penalties in move against Qantas-Virgin duopoly

Airlines that strategically cancel flights to block competition at Sydney airport could face civil penalties as the Albanese government moves to crack down on the Qantas-Virgin duopoly.

A new bill, to be introduced on Wednesday, will focus on Sydney airport’s controversial slot allocation system, which restricts the airport to 80 takeoffs and landings per hour – known as slots. An overnight curfew to minimise noise further limits flight numbers.

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Curious koala survives close call at Sydney train station

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Marsupial caught on camera at Casula in city’s south-west, where urban development threatens wildlife

A curious koala has been captured wandering perilously close to a Sydney train line before the native animal was corralled to safety into nearby bushland.

The marsupial was caught on video crawling beneath a fence on to a platform at Casula train station, in the city’s south-west, shortly after 4am on Friday.

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Australian politicians mark 7 October anniversary – as it happened

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904 Australians and their immediate family members have now left Lebanon on assisted-departure flights – in addition to those who left on partner and commercial flights.

407 Australians left on 5 October, and 448 on 6 October.

Why so silent, Mark? This, I have been asked a lot. I have thought about it a lot too. I have said little in public about the Hamas-Israel war because I am not the foreign affairs minister. I am Australia’s first law officer. A minister, not a commentator. Just because I’m not talking doesn’t mean I don’t understand.

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Sydney woman allegedly killed and dismembered husband in ‘bizarre’ murder case, police say

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Police say the man was reported missing last year and alleged his body was cut up with power tools to hide the remains

A Sydney woman has been charged with murdering, dismembering and disposing of her husband in bins almost 18 months after he was last seen, in what one detective described as one of the most “bizarre” cases police have seen.

New South Wales police have alleged Nirmeen Noufl, 53, intentionally killed and cut up the body of 62-year-old Mamdouh Noufl last year at their family home of more than 10 years in order to hide his remains. The incident is being treated as a domestic violence murder.

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Australia news live: PM introduces Tu Le as Labor challenger for western Sydney seat of Fowler

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A joint police statement warns “there will be no tolerance for illegal behaviour or violence on any day of the year” in the lead-up to protests planned for the 7 October anniversary.

The statement comes from NSW police, Northern Territory police, the Queensland police service, South Australia police, Victoria police, Western Australia police, Tasmania police and Australian federal police.

Police respect the right to peacefully protest and assemble in Australia, however, there will be no tolerance for illegal behaviour or violence on any day of the year.

In Australia, there are offences that prohibit behaviour that incites or advocates violence or hatred based on race and religion, including the display of prohibited symbols in public under these circumstances.

The commission can confirm it carried out operational activity today at Parliament House. This was in relation to an ongoing investigation.

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High-profile Sydney man had guilty conscience as he allegedly lied to police about intimate video, court hears

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The man, who Guardian Australia cannot name, has pleaded not guilty to nine charges, including five counts of rape

A high-profile Sydney man lied to the police with a guilty conscience after he allegedly threatened to distribute an intimate video of a woman, a prosecutor has alleged.

The crown prosecutor Adrian Robertson on Thursday concluded his closing argument in a sexual assault trial at Sydney’s Downing Centre expected to wrap up this week. Robertson told the court how the woman’s boyfriend had allegedly gone to the man’s home to retrieve the intimate video after he threatened to distribute it.

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Man bailed over alleged arson attack at Friendlyjordies’ home

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Andre Stepanyan, one of two men charged over an alleged arson at the home of YouTuber Jordan Shanks-Markovina in November 2022, will fight the charges

A man charged over the brazen firebombing of a controversial YouTuber’s house has been granted bail after a judge heard he had cut ties with an outlaw motorcycle group.

Andre Stepanyan is one of two men charged over an alleged arson attack at the home of Jordan Shanks-Markovina – who posts under the name Friendlyjordies – in November 2022.

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Police allegedly pepper-sprayed 13-year-old at Sydney rally, legal observers say – as it happened

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Treasurer raised trade restrictions on lobsters with Chinese leaders

Asked about the trade restrictions on Australian lobsters by China, Jim Chalmers said:

We’ve got a bit more work to do on lobster, but I was able to convey directly to Chinese leaders that we want to see the speedy resolution of those issues.

It’s a really important part of stabilising the relationship, which is full of complexity and full of economic opportunity. And while I was there, the Chinese authorities announced some quite substantial steps when it comes to supporting growth in the Chinese economy. We’ve made it really clear that weakness in the Chinese economy has been a big concern for us. It’s a big part of the global economic uncertainty that we’re dealing with …

If you look at our Treasury forecasts in the budget, we’re anticipating the weakest few years of Chinese growth, really, since that economy opened up in the late 1970s [and] that’s been a big concern for us. We’ve been upfront about that, so any efforts to try and turn that around in China is a good thing for us.

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Peter Dutton says if Mark Scott had ‘any shred of integrity’ he would resign as University of Sydney vice-chancellor

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Call comes after Scott apologises for university’s handling of antisemitism complaints

The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, has called for the University of Sydney vice-chancellor, Mark Scott, to resign, saying he would do so if he had “any shred of integrity”.

The university has come under fire for its handling of protest camps set up on campus in opposition to Israel’s bombardment of Gaza after Hamas’s October 7 attack.

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Three charges including one of rape against high-profile Sydney man withdrawn during trial

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The man is accused of raping five women, with charges regarding a sixth withdrawn on Thursday. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges

A high-profile Sydney man has had three charges against him – including one count of rape – withdrawn for an undisclosed reason and the complainant will no longer appear before the court.

The complainant who alleged the man had assaulted her three times, which led to the charges, was set to be the sixth and final complainant to appear before the New South Wales Downing Centre district court.

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Man charged with murder after allegedly stabbing rugby league player in Sydney’s Marrickville

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Police arrest 31-year-old man in Concord after Sitaleki Filihiahekava died on Monday evening

A man will face court over the alleged stabbing death of another man on a busy Sydney street.

The 31-year-old was arrested at Concord in the city’s inner-west on Wednesday afternoon and is due to face Burwood local court charged with murder on Thursday.

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Man jailed for pretending to rob Sydney jewellery store in $2.8m insurance fraud plot

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Shanel Tofaeono tied up store employee whose hands were ‘shaking so much due to fear’, judge says

A man who pretended to rob a luxury jewellery store and tied up a terrified employee as part of an alleged $2.8m insurance fraud plot has been jailed for his crime.

Shanel Tofaeono, 39, was part of a wider scheme allegedly headed up by jeweller Michel Germani to stage a robbery of his Hilton hotel store in Sydney’s CBD in January 2022.

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