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The Drop podcast
Your weekly hit of the most interesting pop culture news, reviews and recommendations.
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This Sydney school science lab has shut down until there is money to fix it. How did it come to this?
The problems at one northern beaches school are just the tip of the iceberg as the state education system grapples with budget cuts and frozen funds.
Record surge in immigrants starts to slow
Australia’s population swelled by a record 651,200 people last year. There are signs migration is slowing and births continue to tumble.
Scott Morrison denied membership of Sydney’s all-male Australian Club
Australia’s 30th PM was nominated for the ultra-exclusive club by John Howard and Bruce Baird in 2022. But so far, he has had no luck.
Opinion
Climate policy
Dutton’s policy of astonishing weakness risks a Liberal wasteland
The opposition leader’s sudden shift caught Liberals off guard, and it may cost them dearly with voters.
David Crowe
Chief political correspondent
Exclusive
Religious freedom
A school parent discovered a teacher was gay. Days later, she was sacked
A Sydney Christian school fired their music teacher because of her sexuality in the weeks since the government threatened to shelve new laws that would protect LGBTQ staff from discrimination.
‘Lies and half-truths’: Top court rejects Dawson’s murder appeal
Lynette Joy Simms’ disappearance in 1982 became one of Sydney’s most enduring mysteries. Decades later, her husband was convicted of her murder.
Chalmers qualifies for third Olympics after injury from too much time on couch
Kyle Chalmers hurt his back so badly earlier this month he thought he wouldn’t be able to swim at Olympics trials. After four cortisone injections, he was able to get on the blocks.
Billionaires, politicians pay thousands to attend Holly Valance’s Trump fundraiser
Tickets started at $US10,000 when Holly Valance threw open the doors to her Chelsea mansion to help raise funds for the ex-president’s 2024 White House campaign.
Anti-corruption body decided against robo-debt probe. Now it is being investigated
Last week, the anti-corruption commission said it would not launch an inquiry into robo-debt. That decision is now the subject of an investigation by the NACC’s inspector.
ABC banks on Catherine Murphy and Tony Armstrong to rescue Monday nights
The popular pair will co-host Monday’s Experts, a sports entertainment panel show that is taking the place of Q+A.
Live
NRL 2024
Hynes misses kick to send match into extra-time, Dolphins prevail
The Dolphins have held on after a stirring Cronulla comeback, which included a try to Sione Katoa in the final 30 seconds.
Sam Kerr pranks Chelsea fans, hints at quitting club before re-signing until 2026
In an unusual announcement, Chelsea first posted a video on their social media account in which an emotional Kerr appeared to be saying goodbye to the club.
Pop star, Paris and poetry: The wild dreams of Cody Simpson
The self-proclaimed Prince Neptune is chasing an Olympic berth, but time is running out.
Opinion
Weight loss
Jelena Dokic has lost 20 kilos. If only she could shed the trolls
By deciding to lose weight, the former tennis champ turned commentator is still inundated with online body commentary.
Hannah Vanderheide
Contributor
Newly built Tokyo units to be demolished for obscuring Mt Fuji view
The 10-storey apartment building on Fujimi Street – which translates to “Fuji view” – has 18 housing units ranging from $670,000 to nearly $1million.
Netflix made us wait a month for more Bridgerton. Was it worth it?
The first half of season three reached all sorts of heights. But with the same old secret and a resoundingly boring man now at the centre of the story, how can it continue pleasing us?
NRL 2024
‘I’m not going anywhere’: Sullivan’s message to Tigers
Bud Sullivan’s goal is to play with, rather than be replaced by, Jarome Luai despite the Tigers allowing him to explore other options.
Opinion
One way to make sure Origin is not ruined again – stop hitting people in the head
The Origin contest might have been ruined, but the NRL can’t go soft on acts of foul play.
Andrew Johns
League columnist
Sydney
Webb tested again: Two police officers charged with assault of 92-year-old man
Police Commissioner Karen Webb has to deal with more allegations of police officers inappropriately using force after an elderly man was hospitalised with a fractured arm.
Exclusive
Vivid Sydney
Two dangerous choke points, two near misses. Vivid’s crowd problem
Vivid came close to disaster when thousands of people were trapped by a bottleneck. It wasn’t the first time the festival has ventured near catastrophe.
The neighbours desperate to stop building demolition
The battle over this building is seen as a landmark in the struggle between residents and developers over the future of Kings Cross, Elizabeth Bay and Potts Point and its continued gentrification.
Analysis
Courts
Why Hayne’s convictions were quashed – and why he might not face a retrial
A series of messages on social media were at the heart of Jarryd Hayne’s successful appeal against his sexual assault convictions.
Updated
Crime
Mystery surrounds death of well-known northern beaches surfer
Homicide squad detectives are appealing for information after Guy Haymes was found with serious head injuries in a Manly unit, later dying in hospital.
SEE & DO
This novel offers a bold feminist reimagining of Australian history
Our reviewers cast their eyes over new fiction and non-fiction releases, including a novel that delves into the silencing and suppression of women’s stories and a biography of “the Barrier Reef’s first martyr”.
★★★★
We’re used to horror in movies and on TV – but this is truly terrifying
Ian Michael’s production takes us deep into the nightmare of Jane Harrison’s acclaimed play, Stolen.
Politics
Exclusive
Healthcare
Health minister intervenes in chiropractors’ decision to allow spinal manipulation of babies
Mark Butler is seeking an urgent explanation from the Chiropractic Board of Australia after its controversial decision to allow practitioners to recommence spinal manipulations on babies.
Business
A big decision for Boeing: Is it time for a new plane?
Building a new plane soon could help the company regain ground it has lost to Airbus. But doing so would be difficult, and risky.
World
No, a remote Amazon tribe is not addicted to porn
An article by The New York Times about the arrival of Starlink internet in the rainforest took on a life of its own. In a few days, the web was rife with misinformation.
Opinion
Explore
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Property
Rents increase more than six times the rate of wages
Experts say other interim measures, such as rent caps and slowing immigration, are needed to ease the pressure on renters until 1.2 million needed homes are built.
Sydney’s market just slipped. Here’s which areas are strongest and weakest
Sydney’s property market has slowly come off the boil since the start of the year, but do the softer neighbourhoods spell what’s coming for the rest?
Good Food
Lifestyle
What are the health risks of using Ozempic for weight loss?
When Oprah was rushed to hospital, many assumed it was linked to her use of weight-loss drugs. But is that fair?
Culture
★★★★
Streaming
Truth is stranger than fiction in this Succession-like story of a theme-park magnate
The 86-year-old founder of Texas Renaissance Park is looking to the future in the oddball and delightful documentary Ren Faire.
Opinion
WordPlay
Umm-ahh! Whatever happened to this popular childhood taunt?
David Astle
Crossword compiler and ABC Radio Melbourne presenter
Traveller
Drivedrive
From Our Partners
Sport
‘Madge would be stupid not to pick him’: Tuqiri weighs in on Latrell debate
Lote Tuqiri will give his old coach Michael Maguire some selection advice at South Sydney’s 10-year premiership reunion on Saturday … but hopes he doesn’t take it.
Live
NRL 2024
Boosted by Hammer’s wonder try, Dolphins beat Sharks in thriller
Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow’s length-of-the-field effort proved the difference at PointsBet Stadium.
Australian swimming trials 2024 as it happened: Titmus snags three wins in three races, McKeown just shy of own world record in 200m backstroke win
Kaylee McKeown and Ariarne Titmus were among the winners on night four of the Australian swimming trials in Brisbane.
Titans want Gordon now, but Waugh plays hardball
Rugby Australia boss Phil Waugh says NRL-bound Carter Gordon will still be considered for Wallabies duties this winter.
Pop, Paris and poetry: The wild dreams of Cody Simpson
The self-proclaimed Prince Neptune is chasing an Olympic berth, but time is running out.
‘I’m not going anywhere’: Sullivan’s message to Tigers
Bud Sullivan’s goal is to play with, rather than be replaced by, Jarome Luai despite the Tigers allowing him to explore other options.
Dragons set to table two-year deal for Rabbitohs hooker
St George Illawarra are willing to offer Damien Cook a two-year deal but would require South Sydney to contribute to his salary in 2025.
Have Your Say
Our cricketers play to win, even if it means giving the old enemy a second chance
A mischievous suggestion that Australia could manipulate results to squeeze England out of the World Cup has prompted apoplexy. It’s unlikely to happen.
Greg Baum
Sports columnist
