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Education
Police warn unis to break up protests as staffer threatens to burn camp
Victoria Police told universities there is a strong likelihood of violence if they don’t break up pro-Palestine student encampments on their campuses, warning that agitators who are not students are inflaming tensions.
- by Sherryn Groch and Chris Vedelago
Latest
Police allege private bail program faked GPS tracking for suspected gangland client
An accused lieutenant in the tobacco wars was released on bail on the condition he wear a tracking bracelet, but police allege it was nothing more than a watch.
- by Chris Vedelago
Nobu, $270k cash and a number plate to taunt police: The high life of tobacco war accused
The flashy life and alleged crimes of an associate of exiled gangland boss Kaz Hamad have been laid bare during an application to revoke his bail.
- by Chris Vedelago
Man killed in drive-by shooting in south-east Melbourne
The man was found in a vehicle with a gunshot wound about 12.30am Saturday.
- by Najma Sambul and Chris Vedelago
Firebomb thrown at home of Burgertory’s activist founder
The Palestinian founder of Burgertory, Hash Tayeh, said his home “became a target of terror” after a Molotov cocktail struck just below his toddler son’s bedroom.
- by Chris Vedelago
Exclusive
Food safety
Imported mushrooms may contain deadly bacteria, but they are hardly being screened
Mushrooms imported to Australia have been linked to serious and fatal outbreaks of listeria and salmonella, but are going largely unchecked by federal authorities.
- by Chris Vedelago and Marta Pascual Juanola
Exclusive
Crime
Mushroom death mystery at wellness seminar triggers police probe
Police are investigating if psychedelic “magic mushrooms” were used in a drink consumed by a woman who later became unwell and died at a wellness event in Clunes.
- by Chris Vedelago, Marta Pascual Juanola and Lachlan Abbott
Exclusive
Restaurants
Melbourne’s ‘prince of pizza’ making dough in Norway after debts and drive-by shootings
Woodstock pizza chain founder Tony Cannata abruptly left Melbourne after his business collapsed, owing $8 million, but he’s continued to earn a crust at an exclusive ski resort overseas.
- by Cameron Houston and Chris Vedelago
Exclusive
Crime
When the head of a crime family found trackers on his car, he knew the game was up
A deal has been struck in Melbourne’s long-running tobacco war after rival gangs engaged in a relentless firebombing and extortion campaign across the city.
- by Chris Vedelago and Marta Pascual Juanola
Exclusive
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Roads, trains, ports: Major disruption warning ahead of planned pro-Palestine protests
The groups behind Monday’s global A15 Action protests have threatened to blockade “major choke points in the economy”, aiming to cause maximum economic impact.
- by Chris Vedelago and Clay Lucas
Toorak lawyer fights forgery conviction over $1.5m Greek seaside resort
John Velos, who is a former mayor of the City of Prahran, is appealing a forgery conviction in Athens after a family legal dispute over the control of a resort on the edge of the Mediterranean Sea.
- by Chris Vedelago