Upstart.net.au

A total of 257 of Australia’s best athletes are preparing to compete in the 23rd edition of the Commonwealth Games, starting in Glasgow this week. We are one sleep away from the opening ceremony, which kicks off at 5am AEST on Friday, 24 July. While these games were initially meant to be held on home soil in Melbourne, Victoria, an unfortunate withdrawal saw Scotland step up, agreeing in September 2024 to hold the games in Glasgow for the second time in 12 years.

Socceroos World Cup hero Nestory Irankunda may be on the verge of becoming Australia’s most expensive footballer, after reports emerged of a move to Portuguese club Sporting CP. Irankunda is reportedly closing in on a record-breaking move to Sporting CP, with the Portuguese club set to pay a fee that would make him the highest-paid Australian player. English club Watford and Sporting CP are in talks of a deal worth up to AUD$32.5 million, including bonuses.

Australia’s largest superannuation companies are heavily investing in gambling, a report has found. The Alliance for Gambling Reform has found that the Australian Superannuation funds hold $14.8 billion in gambling-related stocks. The largest fund, Australian Super, has currently invested $4.9 billion in the sector. Australian Retirement Trust, Colonial First State and UniSuper also held among the highest investments.

The sound of quiet conversations and clicking of keyboards echo throughout the La Trobe Reading Room. Light filters through the glass dome as tourists stop to take photos, while others sit among the long wooden desks, scrolling through laptops, reading books or just escaping the noise of the city. Hundreds of different stories lie within Melbourne’s State Library every day. What was once primarily a place for research and books has evolved into a shared space shaped by the people inside it.

Rachel, Ross, Phoebe, Chandler, Monica, and Joey gather on the lounges at Central Perk, coffee mugs in hand, slipping into one of their classic conversations about everything and nothing. To most people, Central Perk is simply a café, somewhere to grab a coffee, catch up with a friend or go on a date. But for these notorious “Friends”, Central Perk was more than just a café. It became a third place to pause the mundane for a couple of hours.

As the late afternoon sun glares down on Church Street in Whittlesea, the sound of roaring engines echoes throughout the town. Soon, the street fills with cars that are ordinarily hidden away in garages, kept under tarps and preserved for nights like these. It’s a homage to motoring history. Attendees set up camp for the evening alongside their cars, enjoying each other’s company.

In 2025, 1,314 Australians were killed on our roads. On average, that is over three people per day and a 1.7 percent increase from 2024. A lot of these road traumas were caused by what is known as the Fatal Five: speeding, alcohol and illicit drug use, not wearing a seatbelt, fatigue and distraction. The Australian Government launched the National Road safety strategy in 2021 to tackle the increasing number of road deaths.

“The thought of the cricket club folding completely after 150-odd years was pretty devastating.” Whittlesea Eagles Cricket Club secretary Blair Meaney was faced with the possibility of the now 160-year-old club closing its doors for good in 2023. The club situated in Melbourne’s northern suburbs is one of many local clubs across the country battling to survive, as grassroots cricket faces declining participation and volunteer shortages. AF Walker Recreation Reserve hosting a senior mens match.

The NBA Board of Governors has approved a new draft lottery system to help eliminate ‘tanking’ for teams who are unlikely to make the Playoffs. ‘Tanking’ refers to when a team loses games or fields a non-competitive side on purpose to place lower on the ladder which in return gives them a chance at a higher draft pick.

The final whistle at the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 did not feel like an ending. More than 70,000 fans had packed into Stadium Australia, riding every pass, every tackle and every near miss as the Australia women’s national soccer team fell just short of a long-awaited trophy. Across the country, watch parties spilled into pubs and living rooms and, for a moment, women’s football once again felt like the centre of the sporting world.