What in the World
Our foreign correspondents on what’s making headlines around the world.
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Exclusive
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Gaza conflict engulfs Melbourne Writers Festival, leaders quit over program row
The deputy chairman of the Melbourne Writers Festival has quit over what he says is “historically untrue and deeply offensive” material in this year’s program.
Exclusive
Political leadership
Coalition takes primary vote lead from Labor as Dunkley byelection looms
Voters have lifted the Coalition to its strongest position since the last federal election despite backing Labor on its overhaul of personal income tax cuts.
Analysis
Political leadership
There’s no roar of applause for Anthony Albanese, just a deafening silence
The PM has lost ground on some key measures of his performance as Labor drifts towards the unhealthy primary vote of the last election – enough to win, but not enough to feel safe.
Joyce to miss parliament after being filmed on floor
Barnaby Joyce has confirmed that he received upsetting news about the health of a family member around the time of the incident.
Driver ‘on rims’ charged with sparking spot fires in danger zone ahead of ‘catastrophic’ day
Victorians are bracing for the worst fire conditions in four years on Wednesday after at least six houses and about 18,000 hectares were burnt since late last week.
Breaking
Crime
Accused purchased angle grinder, weights after alleged murders, police say as dams are searched
Police divers are searching dams at Bungonia, 33 kilometres south of Goulburn, for the bodies of Sydney couple Jesse Baird and Luke Davies. Police believe Beau Lamarre-Condon took their bodies there after they were killed.
This is what happens to our mental health when we don’t get enough sleep
Poor sleep can make anxiety, depression and other mental health issues worse. Here’s what to do about it.
Are meat alternatives actually healthier than the real thing?
Plenty of us could do with less meat in our diets, but should we really swap it for plant-based products?
Opinion
Tripologist
Airlines are introducing non-reclining seats, even in business
You only have to Google “seat recline disputes” to see why some airlines are ditching reclining seats altogether.
Michael Gebicki
The Tripologist
‘It is a crisis’: How relationship status is affecting housing stress
Single people who are young or on low incomes are finding it harder to rent a home of their own, let alone buy a home, without a significant other.
Exclusive
City life
Melbourne’s only world heritage-listed site is being left to deteriorate
One of the state’s most historically significant buildings is in a state of disrepair after its government funding was slashed.
Australian tourist missing in Zimbabwe’s famous Victoria Falls park
Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management said the tourist went missing in the vast rainforest on Friday.
Exclusive
AFL 2024
Hardwick on why he left the Tigers and the Sun with licence to do a ‘Dusty’
After more than a decade at Richmond, Hardwick’s first senior game as Suns coach will be against the Tigers – a team that knows the game he’s trying to instil better than Suns players themselves do.
Opinion
University
If we want people to go to uni we have to stop screwing them over
By the time I started thinking about buying a house and raising a family, my HECS debt was cleared. It will be very different for my son and his graduating class.
Chip Le Grand
Chief Reporter
Exclusive
Crime
New Finks bikie gang boss is son of decorated police officer
Mark Balsillie survived an attempt on his life in 2017 and persuaded a judge in 2022 he would turn his back on the gangster lifestyle. Now he’s a bikie boss.
Explainer
Middle East tensions
‘Villainous forces’: How the US became Iran’s enemy No.1
Iranians go to the polls on March 1 for the first time since mass protests over headscarf laws. How did Iran get here – and can the era of the ayatollahs last?
Exclusive
Paris Agreement
‘They ain’t seen nothing yet’: UN boss names climate change impacts coming to Australia
Top UN climate official Simon Stiell says Australia will be “front and centre in resettling entire national populations” if climate targets are not met.
Ceasefire deal in works, would only ‘somewhat’ delay Rafah offensive: Netanyahu
The Israeli PM has confirmed that a ceasefire deal is in the works that would also see the release of dozens of hostages held in Gaza, as well as Palestinians, imprisoned by Israel.
Victoria
The Victorian towns where Peter Dutton is considering going nuclear
The Coalition is pushing the prospect of nuclear energy in old coal-mining towns. But do Victorians actually want them?
Calling time on wine o’clock: The hidden reasons working mothers use alcohol to cope
Mothers told researchers they struggled to meet expectations at work and home in the evening, which is when alcohol kicked in as a stress-relieving tool.
Melissa spent $10k on tutors for her daughter. She says there’s something seriously wrong
Parents are spending thousands on tutors and specialists while children are falling years behind, as outdated reading lessons fail to pick up on learning problems.
He watched Katy Perry perform at a lavish Kew mansion, but Albanese just wanted to talk jobs
While global superstar Katy Perry staged a private performance at billionaire Anthony Pratt’s mansion, Anthony Albanese said he was just there to talk about manufacturing.
Exclusive
Crime
Hotties, the must-have accessory for Melbourne’s criminals. First, the key goes
‘Hotties’, slang term used by the underworld to describe a stolen car, have become a crucial ingredient in serious criminal offending, whether it’s burning up a tobacco shop or turning a gun on an enemy.
Politics
HECS fee relief could flow by July under proposed university debt overhaul
Australians paying off university debts could save $1000 or more by mid-year under a fee overhaul that Education Minister Jason Clare calls a cost-of-living fix.
Business
Analysis
Earnings season
‘Too much optimism’: Investors nervous despite resilient recent earnings
Despite some cautious optimism over company earnings this month, some investors and economists have flagged tough times ahead.
World
31,000 Ukrainian troops killed since the start of war: Zelensky
Ukraine’s president warned the toll will rapidly rise unless promised military aid arrives at the frontline soon.
Opinion
As Morrison leaves parliament, we should honour his legacy
George Brandis
Former high commissioner to the UK and federal attorney-general
What China’s blossoming relationship with the Taliban says about its long-game
Amin Saikal
Professor of Middle Eastern, Central Asian and Islamic Studies
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Property
Beaumaris house sells for $2,325,000 in just seven bids
Two bidders slugged it out during the ultra-fast auction for the four-bedroom home, which was over in just a few minutes.
The type of Melbourne property that’s outperforming its neighbours
The conventional wisdom is that well-renovated homes in sought-after locations always sell well. But is that true?
Good Food
Lifestyle
I went looking for the family of my lung donor. It didn’t end as planned
“I hope they know who I am, that they know I’ve tried to make something of my life, which would not have been possible without their ultimate act of love.”
Culture
Zoe Coombs Marr thought her life was boring. Until she remembered that smell
The comedian was feeling at ‘odds with her existence’, so she took a personal stocktake of her life. “It matters and it doesn’t matter at all.”
Traveller
Drivedrive
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Sport
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AFL 2024
Hardwick on why he left Tigers, feeling reinvigorated and the Sun with potential to be ‘special’
After more than a decade at Richmond, Damien Hardwick has begun a new chapter at Gold Coast. He talks to Michael Gleeson about being reinvigorated by his new club, the young Sun with a licence to do a “Dusty” and why he doesn’t regret being open about his family life to build connections.
Analysis
Matildas
The Matildas don’t need Sam Kerr to win. But they do need a striker
The unexpected re-emergence of Michelle Heyman has given Tony Gustavsson a selection headache as he considers his 18-player Olympic squad with qualification all but secured.
Updated
ATP Tour
First ATP title and career-high ranking: Thompson’s Mexican ‘miracle’
Australia’s Jordan Thompson will rise to No.32 in the rankings after winning an ATP title in Los Cabos, but it took what the man himself described as a miracle to do it.
The English View
England
Ben Stokes’ Achilles heel: Passive batting against spin makes him a sitting duck
Just as Achilles had his heel, it is the one area of his game – his life? – wherein Ben Stokes is not his positive and proactive self: when he starts a Test innings against spin in India.
Analysis
Australian cricket
Why the fall of Test cricket would hurt Australia the most
Australian cricket has bet most of its chips on the health of Tests. Cricket Australia chair Mike Baird must lead the way to save them.
Aussies sweep series, but Smith’s failures put his World Cup spot at risk
While others enhanced their hopes of playing at the T20I World Cup, Steve Smith’s performances in New Zealand have had the opposite effect.
AFL briefing
AFL 2024
Cats midfielder unlikely for round one; Harley Reid quiet in first West Coast outing
The Cats were looking forward to having underrated midfielder Cam Guthrie back on the field in 2024, but he’s in doubt for round one, while Harley Reid’s maiden outing for West Coast did not live up to the hype.
Have Your Say
Bringing the heat: The next step in the Blues’ quest for greatness
For Carlton to really make the September running this season, Michael Voss has indicated his team needs to make a statement through the home-and-away campaign, a point Harry McKay is keen to back up.
