Good morning and welcome to your morning wrap of news, sport, and weather around Sydney for Tuesday, January 9. It will be cloudy today with a very high chance of rain and thunderstorms. Temperatures are expected to hit 31 in the city and up to 37 in the west. Enjoy your day!
Two more people contact police over Craig McLachlan's behaviour
At least two more people have contacted police about the behaviour of Gold Logie award-winning actor Craig McLachlan.
It comes in the wake of revelations by Fairfax Media and the ABC, which revealed that three cast members of the 2014 Rocky Horror Show allege they were abused, indecently assaulted, bullied and intimidated by the well-known entertainment personality.
Victoria Police have confirmed they are investigating allegations of indecent assault and inappropriate behaviour involving McLachlan, who will not continue in the 2018 tour of Rocky Horror in the lead role of Dr Frank-N-Furter. Read more
After near-record hot weekend, there's more on the way
Sydneysiders responded to the near-record heat with the highest water use in 15 years, with another bout of heat likely to build by the end of the week.
Unstable conditions after another scorcher on Monday prompted the Bureau of Meteorology to issue a severe thunderstorm warning for Sydney and a strip of along most of inland coastal NSW from near Taree down to the Victorian border.
The city's top on Monday of 31.9 degrees was again eclipsed by severe heat in the western suburbs, with 43.6 degrees in Richmond. Read more
Nurse struck off for sending patient explicit photograph
While on night duty at Concord Hospital, nurse Edward Keegan sent an explicit photograph to his partner.
Mr Keegan then left his personal mobile phone on the desk – and the photo of his penis on the screen – while he answered a call on the hospital ward phone.
A drug and alcohol detox patient saw the photograph and, according to Mr Keegan, began to pressure him into sharing the image. Read more
Man who shot Sydney pizza worker linked to four other robberies
Police are concerned about the increasingly violent behaviour of a lone gunman who shot a 21-year-old Sydney pizza shop worker and is thought to be responsible for armed robberies at four other takeaway outlets.
Detectives investigating the five robberies in Sydney's west over a seven-week period say the method and CCTV footage has led them to conclude they're all linked. Read more via SMH
Consequence of squeezing more out of Sydney train fleet
Efforts to squeeze more out of Sydney's rail fleet as a part of an overhaul of timetables has resulted in "smaller windows" of time available to maintain trains and tracks, putting more pressure on staff to carry out night-time work.
While extra weekly services will help the network cope with surging demand, a Sydney Trains document obtained by the Herald lists, among the challenges for carrying out train repairs, "reduced fleet maintenance windows" and an "increased demand on maintenance as [a result of the] fleet doing more kilometres". Read more via SMH
Australia's broadband is slower than Kazakhstan's
Australia’s fixed broadband is below Kazakhstan on a global ranking of internet speeds, with performance continuing to be below the global average.
The Ookla Speed Test Global Index ranked Australia as 55th in the world for fixed broadband in December, with an average download speed of 25.88 Mbps. Read more.
Australia deny England any reward in series they entered as equals
At moments like these, there is a temptation to let a fine achievement chew on its own tail.
Because Australia won the Ashes 4-0, England can't have been much good, can they? Bring on a real opponent – South Africa at home – and find out where these Australians really stand. Read more.
Victoria Azarenka withdraws from 2018 Australian Open
Former tournament champion Victoria Azarenka has withdrawn from this year's Australian Open less than a month after being awarded a wildcard.
Azarenka, a former world No.1 and a two-time winner in Melbourne, has been in a custody battle with her former partner over their son, Leo, who was born in 2016.
Azarenka has said she is not allowed to travel outside California with her son until the custody case is resolved. Read more.