Good morning.

Buckingham Palace has this morning announced that King Charles III has been diagnosed with cancer.

The cancer was found while he was in hospital recently for a separate matter.

While he receives treatment, the 75-year-old will pause all public-facing duties.

Quote of the day
“There has been a marked increase in reports of racism and hate speech in recent months, and it is therefore vital that we amplify efforts to empower communities to address racism at its root.”
Australian Human Rights Commissioner Rosalind Croucher on the appointment of the new Race Discrimination Commissioner Giridharan Sivaraman.

Stat of the day
19
The number of World Cup gold medals Australian freestyle skier Jakara Anthony has now won, after victory at a U.S. event known as the ‘Superbowl of freestyle skiing’. The record-breaking win makes her Australia’s most successful moguls skier.

Today in history
1935
Monopoly went on sale for the first time as “Monopoly” sold by the Parker Brothers. Before this, it was called “The Landlord’s Game” which was developed by Elizabeth Maggie.

Some headlines from this morning:

• The Federal Government has announced plans to introduce fuel efficiency standards for new cars, which will come into effect next year if passed by Parliament. It means manufacturers will be required to meet emissions targets before their car models are approved for sale in Australia. The government said the measure will “push car makers to give motorists more choices” of car models that “use less fuel” and that have only been available in overseas markets.

• The ACT Government is launching an independent review into the Indigenous incarceration rate. Led by First Nations researchers, the inquiry will examine the over-representation of First Nations people in the justice system. Lead Professor Lindon Coombes described the issue as an “urgent problem”. The review’s first report is expected in May, with a final report handed down later in the year.

Australia’s first purpose-built, psychedelic-assisted therapy clinic is opening in Melbourne this week after the treatment was approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) last year.

The clinic will use psychedelics to support people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and treatment-resistant depression (TRD) — a type of depression that doesn't respond to antidepressant medication.

An estimated 700,000 Australians live with PTSD or TRD.

Background
A TGA ruling that came into effect in July 2023 allows eligible psychiatrists to prescribe MDMA for PTSD treatment, and psilocybin (mushrooms) for TRD.

Only formally authorised psychiatrists can prescribe psychedelics. The prescription of psychedelics must also be provided alongside psychotherapy (counselling).

The TGA said it was satisfied "the benefits to patients and public health... outweigh the risks".

Clinic
Psychedelic-assisted therapy will now be available at Melbourne’s Clarion Clinics after the TGA authorised its Head of Psychiatry to prescribe psychedelics.

No other clinic in Australia is believed to be specifically designed to support this type of treatment.

Eligible patients must undergo an extensive screening process to minimise potential risks before they can be approved for treatment.

Ketamine has also been approved for TRD in a handful of Australian clinics.

Low doses of ketamine have been found to “quickly and significantly” improve depressive symptoms.

According to the Black Dog Institute, one-third of patients with depression do not respond to antidepressants.

Australian writer Yang Hengjun has received a suspended death sentence from a Beijing court.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong made the announcement on Monday afternoon, saying the Australian Government was “appalled” by the decision.

Yang, a Chinese-born Australian writer, has been held in a Chinese prison for over five years. He was detained on spying allegations in 2019.

Background
Yang has published novels and commentaries across the world. He had occasionally criticised the Chinese Government in his writing.

He was formally arrested on suspicion of espionage in August 2019, after being detained eight months earlier. He had been awaiting a verdict since facing a closed trial three years ago.

The Australian Government has consistently raised concerns about Yang's welfare in detention and the management of his case.

The charge
In China, the death penalty can be handed to a person found to have caused serious harm to national security.

In some cases, a death sentence is announced with a ‘two-year reprieve’ condition — meaning a person will not be immediately executed. Today, Foreign Minister Penny Wong confirmed Yang has been handed this kind of death sentence.

It means after two years, Yang’s sentence could be ‘commuted’ (lessened) to life imprisonment. However, the court may still go ahead with an execution at the end of that period.

Wong’s response
Wong called the sentence “harrowing news” for Yang, his family and supporters, and said the Australian Government would be conveying its response to the sentence in the “strongest terms” to the Chinese Government.

Wong has asked to speak to the Chinese Ambassador to Australia so she can express her concerns about the sentence.

Wong said she was advised that “Dr Yang still has avenues for appeal available to him”.

Yang’s health
Concerns about Yang’s health have persisted throughout his five-year detention. His sons raised concerns in a letter to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese last year, saying they feared their father may die in detention due to his declining health.

When asked on Monday, Wong said she was “limited” in what she could share due to privacy reasons, but that she would continue to advocate for “appropriate treatment” of Yang while he’s detained in China.

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Last week, a group of demonstrators gathered outside Sydney's Newington College to protest against the school's plans to open enrolments to girls.

The decision by the prestigious boys’ school follows a trend of single-sex schools across the country going co-ed. TDA Reporter Chloe Christie spoke to Phillip Heath, the head of Barker College, about how the school fully transitioned from single-sex to co-education.

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Cancer patients in the UK are among the first to receive mRNA therapy, as part of a new global trial.

It comes after the medical technology from the Moderna and Pfizer COVID vaccines successfully reduced the risk of skin cancer recurring in a recent clinical trial. Researchers believe the mRNA treatment could have similar success in treating other cancers like lung cancer and tumours.

An influencer from India faked her own death to her 1.3 million Instagram followers over the weekend and people are… angry.

A post published to Poonam Pandey’s account said: “We have lost our beloved Poonam to cervical cancer.”

But a day later, a video post proved she was alive and well. In a bizarre turn of events, Pandey admitted that she staged a fake death to raise awareness for cervical cancer (the fourth most common cancer among women globally).

Once her followers realised she wasn’t dead, Pandey faced significant backlash.

She responded to the criticism saying: “Feel free to express your frustration — I understand… The deliberate effort made sure ‘Cervical Cancer’ got attached to 500 headlines in the same day.”