The Morning Edition

This week, we’re talking about a visit from Narendra Modi to Australia and why Anthony Albanese wants to bask in the Indian prime minister’s limelight, despite questions around Modi’s human rights record. And in an environment where One Nation and the Coalition want to go hard on migration, Albanese’s friendship with Modi looks like it stands in stark contrast. But that&rsq...

China launched a rare ballistic missile from a nuclear-powered submarine into the Pacific on Monday. It wasn’t just putting nearby countries, like Australia, on notice. It was making a statement that has changed the world, says international and political editor Peter Hartcher. He joins Samantha Selinger-Morris to discuss why this missile launch differs greatly from the one China launched tw...

Allegations of cheating and sporting corruption have followed the revelation that Donald Trump intervened in the FIFA World Cup to overturn the suspension of an American player. But the ramifications of this unprecedented event might far outlast the tournament. Today,  Sydney Morning Herald deputy editor Nick Ralston and North America correspondent Michael Koziol on the politics of Trump's in...

Over the weekend, a particularly deadly strain of bird flu was confirmed in NSW for the first time. This takes the total of confirmed cases nationwide to six. Today, science reporter Angus Dalton on how much of a risk we’re dealing with. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The death of 17-year-old Thai girl, Thanchanok Donhomla, has shocked Australia, and sparked fear among sex workers in Pattaya. Thanchanok's body was found in a suitcase and dumped in long grass by a railway. The man accused of murdering her is 45-year-old Australian, Simon Peter Carman. He is being held in the Pattaya Remand Prison. Today, guest host Benjamin Preiss talks to Southeast Asia corresp...

The government's capital gains tax and negative gearing changes are now legislated, and this week there has been some early data on how these changes are hitting the property market. Plus, Labor's compromise on gambling advertising reforms and Angus Taylor's leadership of the Liberal Party. Senior economics correspondent Shane Wright and federal political correspondent Natassia Chrysanthos join Ja...

In December last year, Australia was confronted with its worst-ever incident of antisemitic violence when gunmen killed 15 people on Bondi Beach at a Hanukkah gathering. That came after the firebombing of the Adass Israel synagogue in Melbourne and an arson attack on the Lewis' Continental Kitchen in Sydney. The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, or ASIO, has now warned that hatred of...

The Victorian government has staked its reputation, to a large extent, on an ambitious infrastructure program – termed the Big Build by state Labor, the program includes major road and rail projects totalling billions of dollars.  Victoria Police however, say there is no doubt gangland-linked corruption has infiltrated the Big Build.  Today, investigative reporter Nick McKenzie joi...

Karl Stefanovic was the face of Australian morning television for 25 years. Lauded for wearing the same suit for a year to highlight sexism, laughed at for showing up drunk on air following the Logies. Now he’s agreed to part ways with Nine, the owner of our mastheads, after he featured far-right, anti-Islam British activist Tommy Robinson on his podcast. Today, columnist and senior journali...

For decades, neuroscientists have offered opposing theories for how our brains process the risks and rewards of daily life. Some thought our brains dedicate the most energy into managing everyday realities. Others have thought our brains fire up when we’re thrown something unexpected. Now we have an answer. And it might make you re-think how you live. Today, science reporter Angus Dalton on...

This week independent MPs Zali Steggall and Allegra Spender announced they would form a new political party, Community Strong Australia. Steggall was successful as the first teal candidate, winning the prize seat of Warringah on Sydney’s north shore from former prime minister Tony Abbott in 2019. Spender took Sydney’s blue-ribbon electorate of Wentworth from Liberal David Sharma in 202...

More Australians feel unsafe in the world than ever before, according to new research from the Lowy Institute. And it is this environment of fear – fear of a bad economy, of terrorism, of immigration – that makes for an environment ripe for a political party like One Nation to prosper. Today, international and political editor Peter Hartcher on how Australia is experiencing a moment he...

After months of criticism, and two significant scandals, Sir Keir Starmer has resigned as British prime minister. So, why is the country on the cusp of having is seventh prime minister in only 10 years? Today, Europe correspondent David Crowe on Starmer’s drastic fall, and on Andy Burnham, the unconventional politician who’s expected to take his place. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https...

With heritage-listed sandstone turrets and iron gates, the Redeemer Baptist School promises Sydney parents the private school dream: a prestigious, disciplined education for a fraction of the cost.  But its academic awards, state-of-the-art facilities and charitable works conceal a darker reality. Today education reporter Emily Kowal talks to The Morning Edition host Samantha Selinger-Morris...

For decades now, if someone died, there were two choices: burial, or cremation. But soon, Australians may get a third choice for how they choose to farewell their loved ones, thanks to a growing trend overseas. Today, senior writer Bevan Shields on human composting: a method of burial that may give you the ick, but that is giving many others profound peace of mind. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: http...

The hottest ticket in Australian politics this week was Pauline Hanson's first address to the National Press Club, which happened on Wednesday. The Press Club, set up in the early 1960s, has become a rite of passage for any aspiring political leader. But Hanson has been an outsider, and the Press Club represents the type of institution she rejects, so until now the One Nation leader has never made...

A big first-game upset over Turkey sets the scene perfectly for a grudge match in Australia’s crucial game against the World Cup hosts at 5am on Saturday morning (AEST). Behind the scenes, a fiery cocktail of history, spiteful friendlies, and straight-up disrespect from American soccer pundits has turned this Group D clash into a highly personal grudge match. In this bonus episode, host Sama...

What have Iran and the United States actually agreed to in the memorandum of understanding that the two countries announced over the weekend? Today, international and political editor Peter Hartcher breaks it down for us, to work out if it’s a peace deal, a ceasefire, or something else entirely. Background reading  Trumped-up peace deal at the mercy of another nation, and it’s not...

This weekend thousands of teenagers will sit the entry exam for one of four select-entry government schools for high-achieving students in Victoria. It’s a nerve-recking experience and the stakes are high. Many students will miss out on a place. In NSW, competition is also fierce for a spot at select-entry schools. Students in both states spend countless hours preparing for the exams. Today,...

They are one of the big four accounting firms. Government agencies and major corporations trust them to audit their books and ensure everything is above board. So what happens when one of these auditors is accused of a catastrophic failure of integrity? KPMG will face this question and many others when it fronts a Senate inquiry this week. The explosive claims emerged after a whistleblower brought...

Last week there were a couple of shocking crimes in Sydney. In one, a father and his 15-year-old daughter were forced to flee when a gunman approached them at school pick-up time. In another, assailants in a car filmed themselves as they sprayed bullets from a high-powered firearm into a funeral home. Today, crime reporter Perry Duffin discusses the gang war in Sydney, and how the underworld is st...

With the budget backlash era moving on to something like begrudged resignation, or budget fatigue, we’re expecting Treasurer Jim Chalmers to soon make a few announcements around the tax changes. While this bubbles along, the only story in politics continues to be One Nation. Inside Politics host Jacqueline Maley and chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal debate whether the media and the n...

Chinese leader Xi Jinping's visit to North Korea this week has put the world on notice that Kim Jong-Un's nuclear program, and ambitions, are stronger than ever. But has Donald Trump taken note? Today, international and political editor Peter Hartcher on how North Korea has gone from global pariah to earning the respect of some of the world’s great capitals.   Background reading The Chi...

Earlier this week, it looked as though tit-for-tat strikes between Israel and Iran had jeopardised a two-month ceasefire. The new hostilities threatened to once again place the Middle East on the precipice of a full-blown regional war. And then Donald Trump stepped into the fray. Today Middle East and security analyst Rodger Shanahan discusses what led to these strikes, and what they mean for the...

When one of Australia’s most infamous Victorian gangland figures was arrested last week over an alleged traffic infringement, it raised some eyebrows. So given Mick Gatto’s centrality in the building industry, was this the Victorian police pulling at straws in some last ditch attempt to crack down on suspected corruption? Today, investigative reporter Nick McKenzie on whether this arre...