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BusinessAustralian Associated PressWarning shot fired at hotel booking sites
Countless Australians turned to hotel booking platforms over the summer break to compare the best deals for their holiday destinations.While convenient for travellers, one senior politician is concerned the sites are charging accommodation operators hefty fees for what is essentially a payment processing service.
SportAustralian Associated PressProp Nemer banned for rotten banana gift
Italy prop Ivan Nemer has been suspended until June 30 for giving Benetton teammate Cherif Traore a rotten banana during the club's Secret Santa gift exchange.The Italian Rugby Federation said the sanction was imposed on the 11-times capped Nemer by the Federal Court and was in compliance with both its own regulations and World Rugby Rule 18.
NewsAustralian Associated PressRussian athletes a chance for Paris: IOC
Russian and Belarusian athletes can hold hopes of competing at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, but only under a neutral flag, International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said on Friday.The mission is to bring together athletes from all over the world, "especially when their countries are in conflict," Bach said during a press briefing in the German town of Oberhof.
SportAustralian Associated PressKookaburras suffer World Cup heartbreak
Australia's hockey men will have to wait until next year's Olympics to climb back to the hockey summit after the most agonising of World Cup exits for the Kookaburras in India.Coach Colin Batch's team looked shell-shocked as they trooped off the pitch in Bhubaneswar on Friday, beaten 4-3 by old rivals Germany with their dream of another global final appearance shattered by a goal just six seconds from the end.
SportAustralian Associated PressArcher and England toil on quick's return
Jason Roy has roared back into form with a masterful 79-ball hundred but England's batting collapse still saw a Rassie van der Dussen-inspired South Africa snatch an unlikely 27-run victory on Jofra Archer's international return.Roy has had a prolonged lean run but registered his first 50-plus score in 15 international innings with 113 off 91 deliveries in the first of three ODIs against the Proteas in Bloemfontein on Friday.
NewsAustralian Associated PressMore French rugby turmoil, Laporte resigns
French rugby has been thrown into further turmoil just over seven months before hosting the World Cup with Bernard Laporte resigning as president of the French rugby federation (FFR) amid legal trouble."I can confirm Bernard Laporte's resignation.
NewsAustralian Associated PressWA Opposition leader Mia Davies resigns
Western Australia's Opposition leader Mia Davies has announced her resignation, saying she doesn't have enough "fuel left in the tank" to go on.Ms Davies said on Friday she would also step down as the leader of the WA Nationals but would continue as the MLA for the seat of Central Wheatbelt until the 2025 election.
SportAustralian Associated PressSabalenka's transformation reaps rewards
She has ditched the psychologist, taken full accountability and now women's tennis' most unfulfilled talent is one tantalising win away from finally becoming a grand slam singles champion.Aryna Sabalenka's transformation from temperamental under-achiever to Australian Open finalist has been nothing less than extraordinary.
SportAustralian Associated PressImmelman tips Woods to play at Masters
Tiger Woods will not be at his favourite hunting ground of Torrey Pines this week but former Masters winner Trevor Immelman expects to see the 15-time major champion back at Augusta National in April.Woods has made few competitive appearances since last July's British Open as the former world No.
SportAustralian Associated PressPatience urged with teen soccer star Clegg
The meteoric rise of New Zealand soccer wunderkind Milly Clegg has her coach urging patience.Clegg scored her first A-League goal as Wellington Phoenix posted their first win of the season with a shock 5-0 hammering of Canberra United.
SportAustralian Associated PressFerrari's only target is a title: Vasseur
Ferrari have everything they need to succeed and will be chasing the title this season with Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz starting on equal terms, according to new team boss Fred Vasseur.Vasseur, who joined from Swiss-based Alfa Romeo on January 9 as Ferrari's fifth boss in less than a decade, told reporters via Zoom in his first media call since taking over the target was obvious.
NewsAustralian Associated PressUkraine considers Oly boycott over Russia
Ukraine sports minister Vadym Guttsait has warned the country will consider a boycott of the 2024 Paris Olympics if Russia and Belarus athletes are allowed to take part.The International Olympic Committee said on Wednesday it was continuing to work on a pathway which would enable Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete as neutrals, a move which has been criticised by the British Government.
SportAustralian Associated PressTaipans' NBL sponsor at odds with club
Isaac Humphries has expressed his disappointment at Cairns' decision not to wear jerseys celebrating the NBL's inaugural pride round while the club's major sponsor has also condemned the move.Vice-chancellor and president of naming-rights sponsor CQUniversity Nick Klomp confirmed he was not consulted before the team's late decision not to wear the themed uniform, featuring a small rainbow-coloured logo, in Wednesday's loss to South East Melbourne Phoenix.
SportAustralian Associated PressTaipans defy NBL pride jersey backlash
Cairns NBL coach Adam Forde has defended his players' decision not to wear a one-off jersey celebrating the league's inaugural pride round, arguing it was made to protect them and not oppose the concept.The Taipans confirmed shortly before Wednesday's away game to South East Melbourne Phoenix they would not wear the jersey, featuring a small rainbow logo on an otherwise regular playing strip.
SportAustralian Associated PressMabil feels love after taking out award
Buoyed by receiving the Young Australian of the Year award, Socceroos winger Awer Mabil hopes he can bring greater awareness to the plight of refugees as he looks to rediscover his love for football at new club Sparta Prague.Mabil arrived in the Czech capital earlier this month, reuniting with his former coach Brian Priske after struggling for gametime with Spanish outfit Cadiz.
NewsAustralian Associated PressIOC gives green light for Russia, Belarus
The International Olympic Committee has been criticised after it further paved the way for Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete at the 2024 Olympic Games.Last month, the Olympic Council of Asia gave its blessing for Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete in events under its jurisdiction in the run-up to the Paris 2024 games.
SportAustralian Associated PressSthalekar lauds record-setting women's IPL
Former Australia captain Lisa Sthalekar has thrown her support behind the record-breaking introduction of a fully fledged Indian Premier League-style Twenty20 tournament for women.Since 2018, the Indian cricket board (BCCI) has been staging a three-team Women's T20 Challenge alongside the hugely popular IPL for the men and faced demands to start a women's tournament.
NewsAustralian Associated PressTerror probe after Spain church attacks
Spanish authorities are investigating what they call a possible "terrorist" incident after a machete-wielding man attacked several people at two churches in the southern port city of Algeciras, killing at least one person.The man attacked clergymen at two churches - San Isidro and Nuestra Senora de La Palma, about 300 metres apart - just after 8pm on Wednesday evening in Algeciras, a spokesperson for the city said.
SportAustralian Associated PressFlawless Diamonds take Quad Series win
Australia's Diamonds want their world title back - and have laid down an emphatic marker with a Quad Series triumph at the venue where they intend to reassert their global netball supremacy in August.One of the world's most successful sports teams added another bauble to their groaning trophy cabinet on Wednesday, successfully defending their four-team crown without a single loss and beating their fiercest rivals New Zealand 56-50 in the final in Cape Town.
SportAustralian Associated PressAll-Belarusian final still live at Open
An unseeded Polish surprise packet and a Kazakh Wimbledon champion with Russian heritage stand in the way of the Australian Open women's final becoming an all-Belarusian affair.Big-serving Elena Rybakina, who switched allegiances from Russia to Kazakhstan in 2018, will attempt to claim her second grand slam in the space of eight months when she takes on Belarusia's two-time champion Victoria Azarenka.
NewsAustralian Associated PressGiant of music leads Indigenous honours
Archie Roach's song, Took the Children Away, became an anthem for fellow Stolen Generations survivors.The emotional lyrics, recounting the removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families, resonated with Australians whose lives were changed by the decades-long practice.
SportAustralian Associated PressCairns Taipans in NBL pride round drama
The Cairns Taipans have rocked the NBL's inaugural pride round, citing "abuse and harmful commentary" directed at some players as the reason for pulling out of plans to wear themed uniforms for the occasion.Earlier this week multiple Taipans players reportedly voiced concerns about wearing a rainbow logo on their jerseys due to their religious beliefs.
SportAustralian Associated PressSocceroo's tireless refugee work rewarded
Awer Mabil was forced to flee a war-torn African nation before spending his early childhood in a refugee camp.Eventually finding safety in Australia, he has since gone on to represent his new nation in the green and gold on soccer's biggest stage.
SportAustralian Associated PressSevens captain hopes to help Jones' raid
Australia's stand-in rugby sevens captain Henry Hutchison hopes his format of the game can help Eddie Jones lure the NRL's best young talent with the temptation of Olympic gold.Jones has made no secret of his desire to poach from rugby league since last week's return as Wallabies coach, with Joseph Suaalii expected to be the chief target.
SportAustralian Associated PressAdvantage Newcastle in League Cup semi
A goal from Joelinton has fired Newcastle a step closer to Wembley after an action-packed League Cup semi-final first leg at Southampton.The Brazilian, who also had an effort disallowed and was guilty of a bad miss, secured a 1-0 win for his side by burying a low cross from substitute Alexander Isak with 17 minutes to go on a breathless evening at St Mary's.
