‘Level of violence unheard of’: police suspect body in burnt-out car in Sydney was allegedly kidnapped woman

Woman’s two sons in hospital with one in induced coma, as police say they ‘strongly believe’ kidnapping was targeted

Police fear a body in a burnt-out car in Sydney’s south overnight is that of a Bankstown woman allegedly abducted from a home on Thursday, in what they have called a “horrendous” crime of “unprecedented” violence.

Emergency services attended a residential street in Beverly Hills at about 11.30pm on Thursday night, after reports of a car fire.

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Sydney hospital where two children died recently is at risk of failure, scathing report finds

Report accusing Northern Beaches hospital of not taking sufficient actions to stop risks comes as parents of baby who died after waiting for caesarean speak out

A controversial hospital where two children have recently died is accused of failing to meet healthcare standards and is at risk of failure.

In a scathing report from the New South Wales auditor general, the operators of Sydney’s Northern Beaches hospital are accused of not taking sufficient actions to stop clinical safety risks.

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Endangered greater gliders recorded in proposed great koala national park in NSW as logging continues

Conservation groups call for immediate action to protect wildlife as two-year wait for Labor’s promised creation of park continues

Government surveys have found tens of thousands of endangered greater gliders could be living within the proposed area for a great koala national park in New South Wales, prompting new calls for the area to be quickly protected from logging.

Data from aerial drone and ground-based surveys at 169 sites within the proposed park were used to model the likely presence of Australia’s largest gliding possum across the entire 176,000 hectares the NSW government is considering for protection.

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Man’s body pulled from water after car hits wife and plunges them both into Parramatta River

The 74-year-old woman is in hospital after being rescued by a man working nearby at Greenwich in Sydney’s north

A retired married couple were at their regular fishing spot in Sydney’s north when the man struck his wife with the car before both plunged into the water.

The 74-year-old woman was rescued from the Parramatta River in Greenwich by a man working nearby, and was in Royal North Shore hospital with non-life-threatening injuries where she was being supported by family and friends.

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Woman killed in late-night drive-by shooting in Sydney suburb

Police searching for perpetrators after multiple shots fired at home in Ambarvale, on the city south-west outskirts

A drive-by shooting has killed a woman in her 60s and left a suburban Sydney home peppered with bullet holes.

Those responsible remained on the run on Tuesday following the overnight attack in Ambarvale on Sydney’s south-west outskirts.

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NSW’s sole women’s-only clinic dedicated to trauma ends ‘gamechanging’ focus

Specialists at Ramsay Clinic Thirroul have reportedly resigned against backdrop of larger shortage of psychiatrists across state

In 2022 Ramsay Healthcare opened Australia’s first women’s-only hospital “dedicated” to trauma-related mental health issues in Wollongong.

Ramsay Clinic Thirroul was supposed to be a “gamechanger” designed specifically to provide women – often survivors of family and sexual violence – the safe environment needed to be able to escape the flight or fight stress response and begin to recover through a program of therapies.

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Tropical Cyclone Errol likely to form off north coast of Western Australia this weekend

Weather bureau predicts high-pressure system will bring above-average temperatures across south-east Australia

A cyclone is likely to form off the northern coast of Western Australia this weekend, the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) has warned, as south-east Australia prepares for unseasonably warm weather.

The bureau on Saturday morning issued a warning that a tropical low in the Timor Sea north-west of Darwin was moving south-west and was expected to intensify into a cyclone later in the day.

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Revealed: nearly 2m hectares of koala habitat bulldozed since 2011 – despite political promises to protect species

Guardian Australia is highlighting the plight of our endangered native species during an election campaign that is ignoring broken environment laws and rapidly declining ecosystems

Nearly 2m hectares of forests suitable for endangered koalas have been destroyed since the iconic species was declared a threatened species in 2011, according to analysis for Guardian Australia.

The scale of habitat destruction in Queensland and New South Wales – states in which the koala is formally recognised as being at risk of extinction – has continued despite political promises it would be protected.

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‘Science nerd’ who ordered radioactive materials to his parents’ Sydney home spared conviction

Emmanuel Lidden pleaded guilty to two charges after buying uranium and plutonium from US-based science website

A “science nerd” who ordered uranium and plutonium to his parents’ apartment has escaped conviction and been given a two-year good behaviour bond.

Emmanuel Lidden, 24, admitted breaching nuclear non-proliferation laws by ordering various radioactive samples through the internet.

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NSW solar farm to supply almost half energy needs of major gas company

Shift away from fossil fuels by BOC is expected to cut company’s Australian emissions 40% by 2035 and follows similar commitment by Rio Tinto

A major industrial gas company in Australia will shift its power use away from fossil fuels and instead meet nearly half its electricity needs across three states from solar.

BOC, owned by global gas and engineering company Linde, supplies speciality gases to large manufacturers, industry and oxygen to hospitals.

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‘A time of great anxiety’: renters fear surge in no-grounds evictions before NSW ban comes into force

Housing organisations welcome the new laws but are bracing for a spike in evictions before the change takes effect

Renters and advocates are worried there could be a surge in no-grounds evictions in New South Wales over the coming month as landlords act ahead of the law changing in mid-May.

The Tenants’ Union of NSW says it’s a “real risk” and the Minns government has dropped the ball by not putting interim measures in place to protect renters.

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NSW government considering buying back Northern Beaches hospital amid Healthscope debt crisis

Recent incidents, including the death of a newborn, have heightened concerns about the level of care at the hospital

The New South Wales government is considering buying back the public hospital component of Northern Beaches hospital, as its private owner, Healthscope, faces a looming financial crisis.

The government said on Thursday it had been notified of a proposal by Healthscope seeking to have the hospital returned to the NSW public system.

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Man charged after allegedly attempting to open plane door on flight to Sydney

Australian federal police say the man, 46, allegedly tried to open the rear emergency exit door of the plane from Malaysia on Saturday

A Jordanian national has been charged after he allegedly attempted to open the doors of a Sydney-bound plane mid-flight.

Australian federal police (AFP) said the man, 46, allegedly tried to open the rear emergency exit door of the plane, travelling from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Saturday night.

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Environment watchdog confirms Sydney’s mystery beach balls likely came from sewage treatment plants

NSW EPA investigation finds debris that washed up on Sydney beaches in 2024 ‘consistent with a land-based sewage source’

Authorities investigating mystery balls of debris that closed beaches in Sydney and the south coast in recent months have determined that they likely originated from Sydney Water’s land-based sewage treatment network, the NSW Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) said on Friday.

“The development comes after a comprehensive scientific and technical investigation found similarities between the makeup of the debris balls and samples taken from several of Sydney Water’s major wastewater treatment plants, including those at Malabar and Bondi,” the EPA said in a statement.

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RPA hospital closes HIV psychiatry clinic with 200 patients after staff resignations

Exclusive: Former staff tell Guardian Australia some HIV patients have since required acute mental health care, as hospital also loses specialist pain and eating disorder support staff

The resignation of psychiatrists from Sydney’s Royal Prince Alfred hospital has led to the closure of an HIV psychiatry clinic with 200 patients, as well as a loss of specialist psychiatrist services for patients in the pain clinic and the most unwell eating disorder patients.

Minutes from a Royal Prince Alfred (RPA) and Balmain hospital medical staff council on 10 February, seen by Guardian Australia, also contain slides from a presentation about psychiatrist resignations that state “there is no HIV psychiatry clinic”.

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‘Australia is a landlord’s market’: rents still at record high despite slow growth, report shows

Kingsford Smith, Bradfield, Sydney, and Warringah in New South Wales and Fadden in Queensland are the five most expensive electorates, data shows

Rents are growing at the slowest rate in four years thanks in part to increased supply, but are still at record highs, Domain’s March Quarterly report has revealed.

It comes as Anglicare Australia launches a heat map showing rental affordability in each electorate, with Kingsford Smith, Bradfield, Sydney, and Warringah in New South Wales and Fadden in Queensland the five least-affordable electorates in the country.

7.7% in Darwin to $700 per week;

6.2% in Perth to $690 per week;

5.1% in Adelaide to $620 per week;

4.8% in Brisbane to $650 per week;

3.6% in Hobart to $570 per week;

3.35% in Sydney to $775 per week;

2.2% in Canberra to $700 per week; and

1.8% in Melbourne to $580 per week.

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Passengers hold on as driverless Metro train speeds through Sydney tunnel with an open door

Rail union wants network temporarily shut down and an investigation into ‘one of the worst safety incidents we’ve seen’

Passengers held on to handrails after a door stayed open on a driverless Metro racing underneath Sydney, with a transport union later calling for the system to be shut down until safety measures were put in place.

A “door fault” was identified on a train travelling between Chatswood and Crows Nest stations at about 8.01am on Wednesday, the Metro Trains Sydney chief executive, Daniel Williams, said in a statement.

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Doctors in NSW public hospitals threaten three-day strike over pay dispute, defying ban

State government warns industrial action could halt elective surgeries, as doctors seek pay rise of up to 30%

Thousands of doctors in public hospitals across New South Wales are threatening to strike for the first time in decades as they seek a pay rise of up to 30%, as the state government warns the action could halt elective surgeries.

Doctors have threatened a three-day walkout from public hospitals from Tuesday. It marks the latest medical industrial dispute to potentially escalate into diminished patient care, after Guardian Australia on Wednesday revealed that the mass resignation of public psychiatrists over pay and conditions has led to the closure of the HIV psychiatry clinic at Sydney’s Royal Prince Alfred’s hospital.

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Melissa Caddick’s duped investors recoup another $3.5m after settlement with auditors

Investors defrauded by 49-year-old before her 2020 disappearance and death to get back portion of their $23m in losses

Investors defrauded by Melissa Caddick before her disappearance and death will recoup a portion of their $23m in losses after settling a class action lawsuit with her auditors.

Victims have already been repaid $7.25m after liquidators of the dead fraudster sold off her assets in 2023 and 2024.

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Unregistered Sydney practitioner ‘Injector Josh’ accused of administering Botox without qualifications

NSW Health Care Complaints Commission is investigating the man, who has been the subject of multiple complaints

An unregistered Sydney beauty practitioner who advertises unauthorised Botox injections and “butt lifts” via Instagram and Snapchat is being investigated by New South Wales health authorities.

The man, who performs injectable and invasive cosmetic procedures, goes by the name Injector Josh and uses the social media handles faisalbasim7 and injectorjosh_. He has been the subject of multiple complaints, the NSW Health Care Complaints Commission (HCCC) said in a public health warning on Tuesday.

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