What in the World newsletter
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Coronavirus pandemic
He has tested twice for COVID in India, but Tom doesn’t ‘feel stranded’
The Australian volunteer isn’t fazed by the Morrison government’s travel ban. He’s more worried about how his neighbours in a slum will survive.
Opinion
Property prices
Speculators, once in hiberation, are back in the game to push up house prices
Having kept a low profile during the pandemic, investors are now returning to the market with gusto. And that suggests only one thing.
Elizabeth Knight
Business columnist
RBA more bullish on economy as it holds rates at record low
Governor Philip Lowe says the central bank now expects the economy to expand by 4.75 per cent this year and 3.5 per cent over 2022.
Cockatoo Island to be transformed with shops and performances spaces
Sydney Harbour’s largest island would incorporate a creative precinct, eateries and waterfront parkland under plans to turn it into a “must-see destination”.
Updated
NRL off-field behaviour
Sam Burgess pleads guilty to driving charges after testing positive for cocaine
Former NRL star was pulled over by police and drug tested on the Hume Highway in February.
Ronald Brierley forfeits knighthood after guilty plea
The Sydney-based former corporate titan pleaded guilty to possessing child abuse material last month.
Bill and Melinda Gates’ divorce shakes health, philanthropic worlds
Their foundation has played a significant role in the global response to the pandemic, early vaccine candidates and helping shape COVAX.
Opinion
Divorce
The Gates are parting ways, but they’re not alone
The Gates’ split after 27 years of marriage makes them part of a statistical trend.
Kate Halfpenny
German authorities bust child porn site with 400,000 users
The site included forums where members from around the globe exchanged images and videos showing children being sexually abused
At least 15 people dead after Mexico City rail overpass collapses
Fifteen people were killed and 70 hurt when an overpass carrying Mexico City metro train cars partially collapsed on to a road on Monday night, authorities said.
Opinion
Body image
Does it matter what we think of Billie Eilish’s Vogue ‘pin-up’ transformation?
Whether we realised it or not, the breathless enthusiasm for the 19-year-old’s covered-up look underscored a weird sense of sexism.
Jenna Guillaume
TV rewrote the rules during COVID, but are the changes here to stay?
Actors and crews in the US have been forced to innovate while trying to create new content for a captive home audience. It has not been without risk.
Mac ‘n’ cheese? Puh-lease! Let’s make Aussie food great again
We should ditch the fake nostalgia for American foods and celebrate our own daggy childhood favourites.
Adam Liaw
2010 MasterChef winner and TV presenter
Sydney
Locals accuse government of rehashing plans over Harbour Bridge cycleway
The release of long awaited concepts upgrading Sydney’s busiest bicycle route was met with mixed and passionate reactions from Milsons Point locals as well as the city’s cyclists.
Exclusive
NSW ice inquiry
‘Disgrace’: Ice inquiry chief deplores lack of action
The commissioner who led the state’s ice inquiry has accused the NSW government of missing a once-in-a-generation opportunity for drug reform.
Researchers urge caution over use of unproven, costly IVF ‘add-ons’
Most women undergoing IVF are using add-on therapies for which there is no proof. Researchers warn the money would be better spent on more cycles of IVF.
Frog ‘love songs’ reveal a sad tale of amphibian decline
Who cares about the fate of Australia’s 243 known frog species? It turns out that many thousands of us do.
Barilaro’s vaccine complacency diagnosis misses vital points: expert
An Australian expert in vaccine uptake says confusion and confidence are likely to be stopping people in NSW having the AstraZeneca shot.
Politics
Analysis
China relations
Military commander tells dark story about the threat from China
Major-General Adam Findlay has provided the greatest level of detail ever publicly revealed on threats facing the nation. He says the military is about to enter a “valley of hell”.
Business
Mall giant says shoppers are staying for longer and spending more
Vicinity Centres says shoppers are spending more money on each visit to its centres, an early sign of recovery for the nation’s hard-hit shopping malls.
World
‘Imagine the memes’: After El Chapo, Mexico frets about another drug lord
Mexico is beginning to earn a reputation as a government that has released more drug lords than it has captured.
Opinion
Harbour Bridge ramps are a short-term fix for a long-term problem
Jilly Gibson
Mayor of North Sydney
What does Australia’s draconian decision say about its character?
Bevan Shields
Europe correspondent
Australia’s complacency, not racism, led to India ban
Peter Hartcher
Political and international editor
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Property bydomain
'Australia's hottest housing market': Where prices are up 34 per cent
Prices in this far-flung mining town have skyrocketed but they've bounced back off a very low base, having peaked at $900,000 in 2011.
'Utterly public': Living in a house above a pub, train-spotting optional
The upstairs of this hotel has been retrieved from sticky carpet status to a stylish home with one of the most public bathrooms imaginable.
Life & Culture
David Gulpilil and me: Margaret Pomeranz, Tony Briggs and more reflect on a pioneer
Gulpilil, the man who changed Australian cinema, offers something of a final testament in a new documentary. Here, his friends and collaborators add to the picture.
Sport
‘Benji is inspiring me’: The moment Karmichael Hunt targeted NRL return
It was while watching his beloved Broncos cop one of their biggest losses that the code-hopping star first got the itch to return to the club.
Updated
WTA Tour
‘Whether it’s one or 100, as a person, I couldn’t care less’: Barty extends lead at top of rankings
Ash Barty won the battle of the last two French Open champions after world No.2 Naomi Osaka crashed out of the Madrid Open, cementing the Australian’s spot as world No.1.
Parramatta part company with Michael Jennings
The Eels will now be able to replace the centre, who is provisionally suspended after testing positive to performance-enhancing substances.
Gymnasts now safe to speak up, says whistleblower
Mary-Anne Monckton was one of the first to speak up about abuse in the sport. She finds the AHRC report “confronting”, but welcomes its recommendations.
‘Nobody is coping’: Ex-Socceroo’s seven-month Indian hotel hell
For the last seven months, Erik Paartalu has only left his Bengaluru hotel room to train and play for his Indian Premier League side. And there is no end in sight.
Updated
IPL
Raft of positive tests plunges IPL into further turmoil
The Indian Premier League has been rocked by another COVID-19 scare, with Kolkata Knight Riders players and staff isolating after multiple players fell ill.
‘We don’t want him going anywhere’: Raiders will go extra mile to help homesick Williams
George Williams wants to return to England early as the Raiders try to make life more comfortable for him and his pregnant partner.
Have Your Say
Wright move: Why captain O’Connor can give Reds the edge in decider
Liam Wright’s return to the captaincy against the Force on Saturday merely showed how effective the Reds’ game plan has been under stand-in skipper O’Connor, who has matured into an intelligent leader.
