The Western Bulldogs will defend their precarious top four spot against Port Adelaide without ruckman Stefan Martin, while Geelong and Melbourne have brought back a host of key players.

NSW Health has backflipped on a decision to cancel thousands of elective surgeries, as COVID-19 cases continue to be detected within wards at hospitals in Sydney’s hot spots.

There are fears NSW could soon record thousands of COVID-19 cases a day, Victorian health authorities are focusing on Melbourne’s southern suburbs and Australia has rescued its first batch of people from Afghanistan.

The Killing Eve star plays an ambitious and neurotic academic in the first series from Game of Thrones producers’ Netflix mega-deal.

Brett Ratten has spoken about a weekly check-in that matters to him and about some of the change coming to the Saints starting with the departure of Jake Carlile.

But there may be another twist in the seminal case before it opens in Darwin on Monday.

Coach John Longmire’s selection could be a pointer to Sydney’s longer-term plans, with out-of-contract forward Sam Reid dropped for their last game of the AFL season.

Son Minh Nguyen’s family offered up a $430,000 deposit to secure his release and a court heard the man’s trial might not take place until the end of 2022. 

Senator Eric Abetz has requested an audit of the ABC’s defamation payment to Liberal MP Andrew Laming over a tweet by a star reporter.

Neurosurgeon Charlie Teo faces an anxious wait after appearing before a special hearing of the NSW Medical Council.

Forget coworkers or homeschoolers, Andrew Kelly’s office view often includes waterbirds, turtles, platypuses and even dolphins.

Verry Elleegant will start her spring campaign as the best horse in the country and Winx Stakes favourite but her greatness has even snuck up on Chris Waller.

Icebath just missed in the Golden Eagle and the Doncaster, but Brad Widdup believes her turn will come this spring.

Luke Price is confident that Jamaea can match the better fillies in work in the Silver Shadow Stakes at Randwick on Saturday.

Battleground looks to lump big weight in the Highway Handciap to make a big statement for a Kosciuszko slot.

Just over half of all eligible Australians have received at least one dose as vaccination after a record 309,000 doses administered nationwide on Wednesday.

Melbourne City defender Rebekah Stott had been told the words she was longing to hear: that her treatment for Hodgkin’s lymphona had been successful.

Wests Tigers and Cronulla players will catch the same plane to Rockhampton on Saturday, which will no doubt be awkward on the way home.

Everything you need to know to find a winner on Murwillumbah Cup day.

Acclaimed young German violinist Jonas Zschenderlein’s Australian debut was cancelled while he was in quarantine. Luckily, it has been recorded for online.

The best photos from the international wire agencies as chosen by our picture editors.

A movie about opera star Marjorie Lawrence will have its world premiere in the Victorian town of Winchelsea, in the theatre her father built in 1925.

Witnesses said Taliban fighters killed at least three people and injured more than a dozen during a protest in Jalalabad just a day after promising a peaceful takeover of the country.

Melbourne man Stanley Bruce Early, 75, has been remanded in NSW custody until October, charged with the murder of Raymond Keam in 1987.

Mick Fuller has called upon the NSW Police Force to “go high-level enforcement” and prioritise enforcing health orders outside being first responders.

ASX chief executive Dominic Stevens says improving accountability is a key focus for the bourse operator, following a major outage last year and a delayed technology overhaul.

Australia is trying to secure landing spots to rescue more people after the takeover by the Taliban, but Afghans wanting to board flights still face a perilous journey to Kabul airport.

Geelong coach Chris Scott says playing finals at neutral venues would be the fairest way for the AFL to fixture the series, but the Cats will express their preference if GMHBA Stadium can’t host crowds.

A man accused of trying to elicit sex from a woman and threatening her, all while he allegedly posed as a health department official, remains in custody after withdrawing an attempt to get bail.

The National Archives recognises its cybersecurity isn’t up to scratch but says budget shortages have held it back.

Perpetual chief executive Rob Adams says there will be a permanent focus on environmental, social and governance issues in the financial markets.

Three former Netflix software engineers and two close associates were sued by federal regulators for profiting $4.1 million by trading on confidential information about the company’s subscriber growth.

In naming a full-strength T20 World Cup squad, selectors have made it clear they are not prioritising the urn over the only major men’s trophy to elude Australia.

The Taliban will have to negotiate with the US and their allies to gain access to $12.9 billion in foreign reserves needed to keep the country running.

Josh Frydenberg is expecting the economy to suffer at least a 2 per cent contraction due to lockdowns but remains confident of a sharp rebound.

Artist Atong Atem was commissioned to create a piece by property developer Beulah, who provided a broad brief based on the idea of an eco-conscious future.

Queensland’s Chief Health Officer said schools should honour students who isolated COVID-19, saying that it is due to their efforts that Queensland suppressed its recent virus cluster

As the business world rolls out incentives to encourage Australians to get vaccinated, life insurers are considering discounts for those who have received the jab.

The Star Entertainment Group’s boss Matt Bekier says he is still interested in taking over rival casino outfit Crown Resorts and will consider buying just its new Sydney casino, if the business is forced to break up.

Rachelle Elise Perry, 25, resigned from the police service last month and her charges went before the court on Thursday.

Star is getting its ducks in a row to cherry-pick from any juicy bits of the entrails of Crown - which could be served up if the Packer controlled group is broken up.

Gig economy startup Airtasker is keen to introduce COVID jab badges for people dealing with each other through its platform, and wants to know from the government who is vaccinated.

Manly owner Scott Penn loves what Tom Trbojevic is doing but says there is someone else who deserves more credit for having the club in striking distance of a top four finish.

After a bleak start to the pandemic, the New York actor was happy to decamp to Byron Bay with Nicole Kidman.

Federal Liberal politician Andrew Hastie has formally been added to a defamation lawsuit against WAtoday launched by an influential WA businessman.

The scam, falsely registering people as frontline healthcare workers, targeted Sydney’s Chinese community and was circulated on popular app WeChat.

People who work at an industrial precinct in Sunshine West and residents of Port Phillip and Glen Eira are being told to get tested even if they don’t have symptoms.

Australia’s gender pay gap worsened before the latest lockdowns, largely due to wages surging in the male-dominated construction industry.

The singer demanded absolute fealty from the many women and underage girls he recruited for sex in a two-decade racketeering scheme, the prosecutor said as the trial began.

Born in Osaka and raised in Sydney, these Paralympics have special meaning for Ricky Betar.