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The ninth day of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham has ended with another nine gold medals for Australia, strengthening the nation's lead in the overall tally. Two Australians made it to the final in the table tennis women's singles classes 6-10, ensuring two medals for the nation. Qian Yang won gold and Li Na Lei took home the silver medal. Australia also won gold in athletics, lawn bowls, diving and gymnastics. You can check out how the latest batch of medals were won in our Commonwealth Games blog , or have a look at the medal winners and the top 10 medal standings by country below: Day nine medal results: Gold: Alexandra Kiroi-Bogatyreva, gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics Jemima Montag, athletics, 10,000 metre race walking Oliver Hoare, athletics, 1,500 metre run Maddison Keeney and Anabelle Luce Smith, diving, 3-metre synchronised springboard Ellen Ryan and Kristina Krstic, lawn bowls, pairs Aaron Wilson, lawn bowls, singles … [Read more...] about Nine more golds for Australia on ninth day of Commonwealth Games

There were no gold medals for Australia on the eighth day of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, but two silvers and seven bronze medals kept the nation at the top of the leader board. There were podium finishes for Australian athletes in diving, wrestling, gymnastics and athletics. You can check out how the latest batch of medals were won in our Commonwealth Games blog , or have a look at the medal winners and the top 10 medal standings by country below: Day 8 medal results: Silver: Brittany O'Brien, diving, 1 metre springboard Daniel Golubovic, athletics, decathlon Bronze: Sam Fricker and Shixin Li, diving, synchronised 3 metre springboard Esther Qin, diving, 1 metre springboard Alexandra Kiroi-Bogatyreva, gymnastics, rhythmic individual all-around Jayden Lawrence, wrestling, 86 kilogram freestyle wrestling Sam Carter, ahtletics, T53/54 1,500 metre Domonic Bedggood and Cassiel Rousseau, diving, 10 metre synchronised platform … [Read more...] about Australia still tops the Commonwealth Games medal tally with day eight’s silver and bronze haul

When Najat Janabi arrived in Australia with her 16-year-old son Ahmed Shalikhan in 2013, she thought they'd finally made it to safety. Their boat from Indonesia was the final leg in a decades-long journey, which included escaping persecution in Iraq under Saddam Hussein's regime and being stateless in Iran. In reality, it was the beginning of another nightmare. Nine years later, Ahmed is still locked in immigration detention — and there's no end in sight. "I lost hope, I lost my childhood, I lost my education. I always wanted to have a better life. This government. This department took everything from me," he told the ABC. Ahmed's case is complex. He last week returned to Sydney's Villawood detention centre after spending five months in the Mid North Coast Correctional Centre because he was charged with assaulting an officer in detention. He pleaded not guilty under the Mental Health Act, and the charge against him was dismissed. Body-worn camera footage from inside … [Read more...] about When Ahmed arrived in Australia he thought he was safe — he actually ‘lost his childhood’

Australia has taken out gold in both the men's and women's cycling time trials on day seven of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. The gold haul continues in athletics, with other medals won in gymnastics, weightlifting and diving. You can check out how the latest batch of medals were won in our Commonwealth Games blog , or have a look at the medal winners and the top 10 medal standings by country below: Day 7 medal results: Gold: Matthew Denny, athletics, discus Madison de Rozario, athletics, T53/54 1,500m Rohan Dennis, cycling, time trial Grace Brown, cycling, time trial Silver: Ashari Jesse Gill, Lidiia Iakovleva and Alexandra Kiroi-Bogatyreva, gymnastics, team rhythmic gymnastics Sarah Edmiston, athletics, F42-44/61-64 discus Shixin Li, diving, 1m springboard Bronze: Hani Watson, weightlifting, women's heavyweight Angela Ballard, athletics, T53/54 1,500m Birmingham 2022 medal standings: POSITION … [Read more...] about Australia’s gold haul continues with a double cycling gold and medals in athletics

Sport is often referred to as the great unifier and lauded for its ability to bring people together. Perhaps Indian cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar summed it up best when he said, "whatever language you may speak … the language of sport is common." As Pat Haden, Sue Bailey, Almena Theobald and Margaret Mumford cheer on the England netball team at the Commonwealth Games, they treasure every moment they get to witness their beloved Roses play as much as they simply cherish spending time together. Although they all speak English and don't have to worry about that barrier, this group of women have defied their own geographical challenges to keep showing up for each other. All four had volunteered at the 1995 World Championships in Birmingham and joined forces not long after that, when a mutual friend introduced them in the hope of gathering a group to attend the following tournament in Christchurch. In a way, they've now come full circle as they take their seats at the National … [Read more...] about The sisterhood of travelling netball fans comes full circle in Birmingham

I waved goodbye to my parents in October last year as I boarded a plane back to Bangladesh. There I'd spend a second year working with the United Nations World Food Programme in Cox's Bazar — a giant refugee camp where 855,000 Rohingya refugees rely on food assistance to survive. The plan was to visit Australia again in March, but the day before I was due to leave, I cancelled my ticket, too afraid I'd pick up the virus en route and carry it home to my parents' house and the wider community. I'd be lying by omission if I didn't tell you I panicked when the Australian borders closed and all international flights to and from Bangladesh were cancelled. I'm in one of the world's most densely-populated countries, with a very limited capacity for quality healthcare and COVID-19 cases growing exponentially. Irrational thoughts went through my mind and I wondered if I'd ever see my family again. Now, though, a month after Bangladesh announced a nationwide holiday and asked people … [Read more...] about If you find Australian lockdown tough imagine surviving coronavirus here