Obese children will soon outnumber woefully underweight children worldwide, according to a major new study that typifies the changing silhouette of malnutrition.

An unsent text message with the words "my will" and a smiley face was a valid will cutting out a dead man's wife and son, a court has ruled.

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A Mosman property developer with links to an outlaw motorcycle gang ran a $3.5 million north shore money laundering ring, involving 20 separate drops of more than $100,000, police allege.

While Sir Michael said Britain would readily fly and sail through the Straits of Malacca, he was urged by a former junior Tory defence minister Sir Gerald Howarth to take a stronger line against China to reinforce the Five Power defence arrangement. That arrangement includes Australia as well as the UK's principle ally, the US.

Police are hunting a man who left a woman for dead after his out-of-control stolen car crashed in Melbourne's south-east on Monday night.

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Labor, the Greens and climate change activists have rounded on Tony Abbott for a "loopy" speech minimising the effects of climate change.

Postal service looks to make e-commerce more efficient for apartment residents.

Developer expects population to underpin a resurgence in Melbourne's apartment market.

"The important thing is for women to be taken seriously," says CEO.

Decades-old standards are fine for mines operating in Sydney's catchment, new bill suggests.

Strata values in Melbourne are doubling as businesses secure property with cheap debt.

Westpac says it will remove account and transaction fees to counter a lack of public trust.

The blame for the energy crisis could expand past gas producers to pipelines and beyond.

As the Mick McMahon-led Ingham's Group prepares for its first anniversary as a listed stock, he can at least breathe a sigh of relief over the fact that the chook stock has flown comfortably above its $3.15 IPO price.

The mayor and a councillor of a country Victorian municipality have suddenly resigned less within weeks a controversial decision not fly a rainbow flag from council buildings.

The best photos from around the world as chosen by Fairfax picture editors.

When Sharna Clemmett got into law, after many years of full-time work, she felt like she "was a bit of a fraud."

Social security systems that have underpinned Western economies since World War II will not be able to cope with changes, the IMF has warned.

Most of that was due to planned track maintenance closures. But unplanned cancellations due to Cyclone Debbie led to a bill of more than half a million dollars.

Laser pointers, posters, flares, spray paint and rude T-shirts are among the items to be banned at the Gold Coast event.

More than one in seven One Nation candidates have resigned or been dumped before the Queensland election has even been called.

The six-day jaunt will see Mr Barr and senior staff meet with major defence and space contractors.

The call was made at a Legislative Assembly inquiry into a new draft master plan for Woden.

Victims of the 'cruel' laws can now apply to expunge historical gay convictions from their criminal records.

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"This threat of nuclear attack against another country is arguably the most dire of our times."

Woolworths will pick up the tab for underpaid trolley collectors where the contractor responsible for ripping off the workers has gone under or disappeared.

An estimated $3.5 billion in revenue from large corporates and multinationals is at risk to the economy, but through audit activity this will reduce to $2.5 billion, according to the Australian Taxation Office.

When Australian girls are asked what change they want to see in the world, 50 per cent - unprompted - say gender equality.