The Sydney Morning Herald logo
The Sydney Morning Herald logo

Extra

Advertisement

Location, location: Why tiny island strongholds are so prized

The Indian and Pacific oceans cover roughly half the globe and are dotted with strategically valuable islands. Who has what where – and when can it get controversial?

  • Angus Holland

Latest

Prison education programs reduce the likelihood of ex-inmates reoffending.

The prison program that gave Josh a second chance at life on the outside

Research shows vocational and educational training can prevent former inmates from reoffending. But few receive the chance to take on such programs while incarcerated.

  • Emily Kaine

Going, going, gone: What it means to be a ‘failed’ state

The term has re-emerged as war rages in the Middle East. But what qualifies as a failed state – and why are they such a worry?

  • Angus Holland
Toni Rigby and Ivan Milat wrote to each other regularly.

Ivan Milat was Australia’s most notorious serial killer. Toni wrote him a letter

An inquiry is set to examine a string of unsolved murders and missing persons, many linked to Milat. One woman tells of her correspondence with him.

  • Perry Duffin
Rising taxes on tobacco over several years created a black market that became so lucrative that transnational crime gangs battled for control of it. One is led by Kazem “Kaz” Hamad.

‘We handed over billions to organised crime’: How official neglect and incompetence fuelled the tobacco war

Despite repeated warnings that rising tobacco taxes would hand a fortune to organised crime, governments watched a multibillion-dollar black market explode.

  • Chris Vedelago and Marta Pascual Juanola

‘We will hunt you down’: Is Pete Hegseth for real?

It’s been a busy year for Donald Trump’s unconventional pick for secretary of war. Now, with the war in Iran, he’s firmly in the spotlight. Where did he come from? How is he performing so far?

  • Angus Holland and Madeleine Heffernan
Advertisement
French bulldogs are cute but prone to health risks.

These popular dogs can’t breathe or give birth properly. Why do we breed them?

The difficulties that blight pugs and French bulldogs are common in other breeds. However, flat-faced canines trigger strong emotional feelings because they resemble human babies.

  • Angus Dalton
Protesters and police clash near Town Hall.

Anger, division, violence: Why is Sydney being torn apart?

New protest laws – designed to foster unity – failed miserably this week as the city was gripped by violent clashes between police and protesters.

  • Jordan Baker
ABC Radio National index

ABC’s Radio National report card: Have the big changes worked?

New shows, new hosts, a new name of sorts and a new tagline are just some of the changes the ABC’s new guard has made to its flagship radio station in the past two years.

  • Calum Jaspan
Index image for Antarctica story

In the Trump era of America first, scientists fear for the future of Antarctica

There are growing concerns the treaty that has protected the last great wilderness for nearly 70 years may not hold as the old rules-based world order disintegrates along with the sea ice.

  • Caitlin Fitzsimmons