Tony Popovic’s side have been placed in Group D for next year’s tournament, facing one of the three hosts A showdown with host nation the USA awaits Australia at the 2026 World Cup but Tony Popovic’s side will need to wait until March to learn the identity of the European opponent they will play in their opening fixture. After a long and at times bizarre ceremony at the Kennedy Centre in Washington DC, the Socceroos were drawn in Group D, joining the co-hosts, Paraguay, and the winner of a European playoff featuring Turkey, Romania, Slovakia and Kosovo. Continue reading...

Plans that evolved over more than two decades are about to become reality as a 6km cycling, walking and nature corridor opens through Sydney’s inner west * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast About 25 years ago, Bruce Ashley was walking beside the Hawthorne canal in Sydney’s inner west when he stopped to chat with two men planting native species next to the footpath. Ashley, an environmental planning consultant, had been thinking about how to link paths and scraps of bush to create a “greenway” along the old goods line from Pyrmont to Dulwich Hill since the mid-1990s, when the state government had commissioned him to examine the potential for cycle rail trails throughout New South Wales. Continue reading...

Social media is driving a boom in the use of peptides to improve appearance and physical performance. Many are experimental and come with risk of serious side effects * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast On TikTok, a 21-year-old fitness influencer is spruiking a drug that hasn’t even finished clinical trials. “This stuff is actually hard to come by in Australia, so I’ll leave a reputable source in the description,” the Sydneysider says. “Obviously, not approved for human use, so do with it as you will.” Continue reading...

Aboriginal site featuring ancient quarry sits on transcontinental trading route connecting Gulf of Carpentaria to Flinders Ranges An ancient inland trade route connecting Australia’s northern coastline to the southern deserts runs through Aunty Lorraine McKeller’s country. For thousands of years tribes met, traded and conducted ceremonies around the semi-permanent waterways of Mithaka country in south-western Queensland’s channel country. It was a place of commerce, production and cultural exchange – and on Saturday it was added to the national heritage list. Sign up for a weekly email featuring our best reads Continue reading...

The changed outlook is a result of unwelcome inflation data, but could slow down the hot property market * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Financial markets are now pricing in a 100% chance the Reserve Bank will hike rates in 2026, in what would be a blow to mortgage holders but may take some steam out of an overheating property market. The latest forecasts represent a turnaround from just two weeks ago, when traders were factoring in an even chance that the next RBA move would be a cut by its May meeting. Continue reading...

A wave of redevelopment in Bondi, the inner city and lower north shore is pricing people out – even while governments profess to be focused on affordability * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Bondi used to be home to surfers, backpackers and artists. But the bohemian vibe of Sydney’s most famous beach risks being swamped by a wave of high-end developments. Older apartment blocks that provided affordable housing are being bought by companies and wealthy individuals, who are turning them into smaller blocks with fewer luxury dwellings, or sometimes single homes. Continue reading...

Ads to be removed from Adelaide Metro buses after advertising regulator rules they breach its environmental claims code * Sign up for climate and environment editor Adam Morton’s free Clear Air newsletter here South Australia’s transport department misled the public by running ads on buses claiming “natural gas” was “clean and green”, the advertising regulator has found. The SA Department for Transport and Infrastructure has agreed to remove the advertising that has been on some Adelaide Metro buses since the early 2000s after Ad Standards upheld a complaint from the not-for-profit organisation Comms Declare. Sign up to get climate and environment editor Adam Morton’s Clear Air column as a free newsletter Continue reading...

Using an already existing artificial tree until its bedraggled end will be more environmentally friendly than buying a felled pine every year, but the answer isn’t clearcut * Change by Degrees offers life hacks and sustainable living tips each Saturday to help reduce your household’s carbon footprint * Got a question or tip for reducing household emissions? Email us at [email protected] While it might be difficult to imagine the yuletide without one, Christmas trees are a relatively recent phenomenon: decorating trees only began in the mid-18th century. But what began as a quaint, sustainable custom has since morphed into a display of merriment that isn’t without consequence. Continue reading...

With Nuremberg out in Australian cinemas, we cast an eye over Rusty’s eclectic, varied and downright impressive oeuvre. Are you not entertained? Russell Crowe’s hair-raising performance as Hermann Göring in Nuremberg is the latest example of the veteran actor’s high-risk, high-reward approach. He has a knack for taking on difficult, baggage-laden roles that could have gone spectacularly badly – only to deliver the goods and make you want to stand up and yell “bravo!” You’ll struggle to find many other actors working today with an oeuvre as eclectic, varied and downright impressive as the Wellington-born star’s. Here are his 20 greatest performances. Continue reading...

Achieving good outcomes might be the difference between being a government of gestures and one of real substance * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast In a scrappy week of Senate estimates hearings, there was one criticism of the Albanese government that should have really stung Labor, delivered just after lunch on Tuesday. Greens senator Barbara Pocock was furious at the government’s decision to reject serious recommendations from its jobs for mates review, written by former public service commissioner Lynelle Briggs. Continue reading...

As it turns out, not that much * See more of Fiona Katauskas’s cartoons here Continue reading...

From El Jannah’s webpage dedicated to ‘health-conscious individuals’ to Habibi Chicken’s ‘Gym Bro’ pack, businesses are catering to the post-leg day crowd * Get our weekend culture and lifestyle email Popularised in Australia by Balkan and Lebanese immigrants, charcoal chicken has long been part of our comfort-food canon. But recently, the humble chicken shop has had a renaissance – driven by fresh takes on the classics, the expansion of longstanding chains and a surge of protein-conscious gym goers. In June, charcoal chicken chain El Jannah, which has more than 50 stores, launched a page on its website dedicated to protein and macros – complete with recommendations for the best post-leg day order – a clear nod to the fitness crowd. Continue reading...

As Australia’s batting linchpin helps hosts pull away, England’s premier paceman is yet to get him out in a Test Jofra Archer versus Steve Smith in 2019 is already Ashes folklore. The atmosphere at Lord’s that afternoon was charged in all senses, a huge slab of cloud bringing darkness to the day. Fresh off a match-winning World Cup final, Archer marked his Test debut with what was then the fastest spell recorded for England. Smith was in the middle of a Bradman-hued streak of 774 runs in seven innings. All that could pause him was a short-pitched attack of building ferocity, one that finally dropped Smith with a bouncer to the neck. It was a pure duel, the kind that cause spectators genuine fear. In the immediate aftermath, and again as Archer took six-fors in wins at Headingley and the Oval, one principal idea came up in every discussion: imagine, what might he be able to do in Australia? Imagine him on a fast and bouncy track in Perth or Brisbane. It was “I can’t wait to get you to the Gabba,” but born of admiration rather than antagonism. The show, we all imagined, might be a spectacle. Continue reading...

Netflix miniseries about wellness scammer lands 20 nominations, while Adelaide-made horror hit Bring Her Back dominates film categories * Get our weekend culture and lifestyle email Apple Cider Vinegar, Netflix’s acclaimed miniseries about the Australian wellness scammer Belle Gibson, has scored 20 nominations at the 2026 Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (Aacta) awards, while the horror movie Bring Her Back leads the film categories with 16 nominations. Apple Cider Vinegar stars the US actor Kaitlyn Dever as Gibson, who built an empire on false claims that she beat terminal brain cancer through her diet and alternative medicine. Dever is nominated for best lead actress for her performance, alongside her co-star Alycia Debnam-Carey, who plays fellow influencer Milla Blake. Continue reading...

* Achilles complaint stalls paceman’s recovery from hamstring injury * Pat Cummins to rejoin Australia squad for third Test in Adelaide Josh Hazlewood is racing the clock to play a role in the Ashes series after another injury speed bump on his road back to the bowling crease. It has been a case of one step forward two steps back for the 34-year-old paceman who had been making positive steps in his return from a hamstring injury, sustained while playing for NSW against Victoria in the Sheffield Shield. Continue reading...

The M4 shut for ‘emergency roadworks’ early Thursday and was still closed hours later. Repairs had made the tunnel safe to reopen in the afternoon – but not before drivers experienced considerable delays * Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Sydney’s M4 tunnel reopened in both directions on Friday morning after overnight emergency repairs. Bulges in the concrete – or “shotcrete”– lining of the tunnel led to fears of a collapse, forcing the closure of all westbound lanes on Thursday morning and leaving some stranded in the tunnel for up to four hours. Continue reading...

Do we even want or need all these datacentres? That is apparently none of your business * Sign up here to get an email whenever First Dog cartoons are published * Get all your needs met at the First Dog shop if what you need is First Dog merchandise and prints Continue reading...

Defence secretary appears to contradict previous assurances from Penny Wong that only conventionally armed submarines will visit Australian ports under Aukus deal * Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast US submarines carrying nuclear weapons could dock at Australian bases, defence officials have told the Senate, and the Australian government and people would not know. Senate estimates heard fierce debate over whether US Virginia-class submarines – set to “rotate” through Australian ports from 2027 as part of the contentious Aukus agreement – could carry nuclear weapons. Nuclear weapons are prohibited in Australia. Continue reading...

Vincent Tarzia makes surprise announcement as opinion polling suggests party headed for defeat at March election The South Australian opposition leader, Vincent Tarzia, has stepped down three months out from the state election, triggering the fourth Liberal leadership change nationally in less than four weeks. Tarzia announced the surprise decision on Friday, insisting he wasn’t pushed to quit despite opinion polling suggesting the Liberals were headed for a comprehensive defeat at the 21 March poll. Continue reading...

* James scored 10 or more in 1,297 consecutive NBA games since 2007 * Game-winning assist sets up Rui Hachimura’s 3-pointer * ‘You always make the right play,’ James says LeBron James knew his record streak of double-digit scoring efforts was in jeopardy. And in the moment, he didn’t care. The right play was to pass the ball – so he did. And with that, his streak ended. Continue reading...

A new blockbuster exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) juxtaposes two of the most important fashion designers of the past five decades. Rei Kawakubo and Vivienne Westwood’s work has never appeared side by side on this scale before, something NGV’s senior curator of fashion and textiles, Katie Somerville, describes as ‘a thrill for a curator’ * Westwood | Kawakubo is at the National Gallery of Victoria from 7 December to 19 April * Vivienne Westwood and Rei Kawakubo paired for the first time in blockbuster exhibition at the NGV Continue reading...

Tourists resume on 325-9 after Root century and late burst Play starts in Brisbane at 2pm local/3pm AEDT/4am GMT Ashes top 100 | Get the Spin newsletter | Email Angus Hello cricket fans! Welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage for day two of the second Test between Australia and England at the Gabba for the 2025-26 Ashes. This match is beautifully poised, with both combatants seizing momentum then letting it slide throughout a gripping opening day. England won the toss and chose to bat but it was Australia who drew first blood, Mitchell Starc working his magic with the rapid-fire dismissals of Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope to have the visitors two wickets down for five runs. Continue reading...

Will the ban be delayed or postponed, and how will age verification work? Platforms will need to deactivate accounts for users under 16 and stop teens from making accounts until they are that age, or face fines of up to $50m. Here’s everything you need to know * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Australia’s world-first social media ban for children under the age of 16 is just a week away. The tech platforms – large and small – are working on functionality that will kick off existing under-16 account holders and prevent any new ones from signing up. Continue reading...

Heatwave warnings in place for parts of New South Wales, the Northern Territory, Queensland and Western Australia * Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Temperatures have begun to soar as the east coast of New South Wales experiences its first heatwave of the summer, while in Tasmania fire authorities continue to battle several bushfires. Heatwave warnings were also in place for parts of the Northern Territory, Queensland and Western Australia on Friday, including an extreme heatwave warning in WA’s Pilbara region. Continue reading...

Wait, what? You mean … white? Are they trolling us? Emma Joyce explains all to Nick Miller Hi, Emma! I’m so pumped to find out what colour 2026 is going to be. Fill me in! Brace yourself, Nick. Every year since 1999 Pantone chooses a colour for the year, a representation of the zeitgeist – from how we’re feeling to what we’re wearing, how we’re styling our homes and even our eyebrows. Last year’s was the darker shade of beige “mocha mousse”, the year before that was the soft, warm “peach fuzz”. Continue reading...