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What in the World

Our foreign correspondents on what’s making headlines around the world.

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Morning Edition newsletter

Our guide to the most important stories, analysis and insights.

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How plans to build 3900 homes shrank to just 414 houses

The Minns government has revised its plans to redevelop the Riverwood public housing estate near Bankstown, blaming market forces.

Exclusive
Education

Grade inflation puts uni integrity at risk

An investigation by Sydney University found a 234 per cent increase in the number of high distinctions awarded over a decade.

Exclusive
CCP influence

‘Priority target’: The man at the top of Australia’s intelligence hit list

Zhao Fugang.

The suspect’s identification by intelligence agencies raises big questions for one of Australia’s neighbours and about China’s attempts to wield influence.

Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke says he wanted to pass the right to disconnect last year.

Tony Burke steals the show at West Side Story opening night

The crowd loved hearing about the arts minister’s love for Leonard Bernstein’s musical. They were less thrilled that Scott Morrison was in the house.

Unstoppable electoral waves are approaching. Who will be washed away?

Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton are  both on the old pension scheme.

The politics of inequality are shifting rapidly, and the major parties are desperate not to get caught on the wrong side of the debate.

Sean Kelly
Sean Kelly

Columnist

The expert case for the government to go beyond stage 3 tax cuts

The stage 3 tax cuts start on July 1, but experts say Treasurer Jim Chalmers should go further to protect workers from bracket creep.

Sasha has a disease so rare, it doesn’t have a name

NEWS: Nadine and David with Sasha Lipworth (6) who was diagnosed in October 2023 with an ultrarare genetic mutation called SLC6A1 that causes epilepsy and dementia. She is one of only two people in the world with her particular mutation.

An ultra-rare genetic mutation has seven-year-old Sasha Lipworth regressing into infancy. Her diagnosis this month gives her a front-row seat to the future of medicine.

Exclusive
Crime

How a doomsday prophet allegedly ‘groomed a girl from prison’

William “Little Pebble” Kamm, right, on his South Coast property in 2000.

Documents reveal how police unearthed an alleged plot by William Costellia Kamm and his wife to revive his sickening “mission from God” – procreating with a child.

Nineteen arrested after blocking Israeli ship arriving at Port Botany

Hundreds of protesters, joined by Greens senator and deputy leader Mehreen Faruqi, began protesting close to the facility on Sunday evening.

Wholegrain oats are one of the best options nutritionally.

‘More like a bowl of lollies’: A dietitian ranks 10 popular breakfast cereals

Can that bowl of cereal be a good choice nutritionally? How do you choose a good one?

Ten great spots that want more tourists (and five that don’t)

Ksamil Beach in Butrint National Park, southern Albania. Albania has incredible natural beauty, from beaches to mountains and forests, as well as a unique history and a burgeoning modern culture.

While some places embrace huge numbers of visitors to the point that it’s a problem, some of the greatest destinations are crying out for more.

What happens to your relationship when one of you stops drinking?

Giving up alcohol can shift the dynamics in a relationship. Here’s how to navigate that change.

Analysis
Royal family

Harry’s hopes of reconciliation with William and Kate ‘likely to be thwarted’

Princess Catherine, Prince William, Prince Harry and Meghan Duchess of Sussex after the death of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022.

Sources close to the Waleses suggest that, with everything else the family is coping with, the “Harry problem” is the very last thing on their minds.

Victoria Ward

‘Mr Sydney’ of real estate set for major deal with global giant

John McGrath will stay on as chief executive of the division, and will take up the offer of unlisted shares for his majority stake.

Sydney real estate operator John McGrath is in talks to sell his listed agency to Knight Frank and Bayleys.

Second inquiry into Star to be made public

The NSW gaming regulator has been told the second inquiry it requested into ASX-listed Star Entertainment will be heard openly, after Adam Bell SC advised the matter was in the public interest.

You can’t simply walk into Hermes and buy a Birkin bag. This pair is suing instead

An auction house employee displays a  Bambou Swift Leather Birkin 25 bag in London.

The exclusivity of the item is very much part of its appeal – but a pair of California residents who have struck out in their attempts to buy the bags have decided that enough is enough.

Revealed: Winners and losers in Cricket Australia’s Test fixture

Perth and Brisbane have been vying to host the first Test of the summer, while Adelaide wanted the pre-Christmas Test.

Faith Hartley and her two girls, Aspen (left) and Bardot, who was conceived using in vitro fertilisation.

Why some families are choosing to skip sex and go straight to IVF

Some couples are motivated by health and want to screen embryos for harmful genetic mutations. In America, you can use IVF to choose the sex of your child.

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NRL 2024

The Benji Marshall Wests Tigers’ coaching era officially kicked off on Saturday.

Tigers singing a new song, but off the field the classics never die

Just hours before one of the Tigers’ most famous wins in what has been a barren run, the joint venture was reminded that drama is never far away.

Penrith Panthers Ivan Cleary.
Updated

Revealed: The first NRL team on the plane to Las Vegas in 2025

The governing body has held high-level discussions with the Penrith Panthers, who are all but guaranteed to head to the United States for the season-opener in 2025.

Sydney

Up to 60,000 commuters a day will be forced to take replacement bus services when the Bankstown line is closed for 12 months.

NSW fleet of Chinese buses ‘not ideal’, government admits

The purchase of diesel buses from a Chinese manufacturer conflicts with Minns government plans to build locally and to electrify the fleet.

Exclusive
Road safety

Want to help keep P-platers safe? Don’t buy them a car

P-platers who drive their own cars are more at risk of crashing.

A new study has found that young P-platers who drive a family car are much less likely to be involved in a crash than those who own a vehicle.

First of new ferries sails into Sydney weeks before starting services

The Frances Bodkin is tied up at Rozelle Bay after her three-day voyage from Hobart.

The Hobart-built ferries will carry fewer passengers than the vessels they are replacing, raising concerns they will be too small amid surging demand.

Sydney Metro hit with $200m bill for prime Parramatta CBD land

An artist’s impression of the proposed Parramatta metro station in the CBD.

In the latest fight over land acquired for the big-ticket rail project, Sydney Metro has been ordered to pay more than double its initial offer for the prized land.

This venue offers ‘fickle’ city something new. Will Sydney embrace it?

The Emerald Room.

Late-night hours and live entertainment are all the rage, but some ideas still fail. The key to success may lie in a property adage: location, location, location.

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Property

Sonia Kruger and her Mosman home.
Exclusive
Title Deeds

Mosman’s surge in high-end house sales draws Sonia Kruger into its slipstream

Mosman has clocked up at least 13 sales of $10m-plus this year, which wasn’t lost on MasterChef’s Jimmy Seervai and TV presenter Sonia Kruger.

Higher income earners and those who profited during the pandemic boom are poised to continue to dominate the housing market according to experts.

Sydneysiders were trying to buy a home. Then $400,000 evaporated

Some have been forced to lean on family for help, make a compromise, or delay their decision to purchase altogether.

Good Food

Lifestyle

Culture

Traveller

Sport

The Winx filly, also known as “Princess”, being paraded at the Coolmore Stud yearling barn.

Multimillion-dollar baby: How Winx’s near-death scare led to the world’s most sought-after filly

Winx smashed records aplenty as a champion racehorse, and now her firstborn foal is set to follow suit when she goes under the hammer over Easter.

Max Jorgensen takes on the Drua defence.
Analysis
Super Rugby

Kiwi sides are unusually weak. The Waratahs are blowing their chance

Perhaps the Waratahs haven’t had the results their Super Rugby performances deserved. But with New Zealand teams in a post-World Cup transition, Darren Coleman’s men are missing a great opportunity.

Cameron Green and Pat Cummins of Australia celebrate the wicket of Tagenarine Chanderpaul.

Winners and losers in Cricket Australia’s six-year Test schedule

Perth and Brisbane have been vying to host the first Test of the summer, while Adelaide wanted the pre-Christmas Test.

Joe Ofanhengaue tries to beat the Manly defence.

Eels honour brother of Reagan Campbell-Gillard in milestone match

The Sea Eagles have tasted defeat for the first time this season after coming out on the wrong end of a 28-24 Sunday afternoon epic.

The Drua held on for a tight victory in Fiji.

‘We’re close, but no cigar’: Waratahs enter last-chance saloon against Rebels

After another heartbreak, this time in Fiji, the Waratahs return home with their season on the line against the Rebels.

Benji Marshall sings the Tigers’ new team song.

Tigers singing a new song, but off the field the classics never die

Just hours before one of the Tigers’ most famous wins in what has been a barren run, the joint venture was reminded that drama is never far away.

The Panthers are going to Las Vegas in 2025.
Updated
NRL 2024

Revealed: The first NRL team on the plane to Las Vegas in 2025

The governing body has held high-level discussions with the Penrith Panthers, who are all but guaranteed to head to the United States for the season-opener in 2025.

Racing

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