Good afternoon. Donald Trump is a step closer to being the Republican presidential nominee after winning the New Hampshire primary.
The win over Nikki Haley, who had briefly threatened to rein in the former president, suggests there will be a smooth path to the GOP nomination for Trump, who also won easily in the Iowa caucuses last week.
Despite her disappointing performance in New Hampshire, Haley insisted she would continue on to her home state of South Carolina, which will hold its Republican primary next month.
Top news
Cabinet approves changes to stage-three tax cuts | All taxpayers earning less than $150,000 will benefit from the Albanese government’s plan to reduce tax cuts for high-income earners, including workers earning less than $45,000 who were slated to miss out on stage-three cuts. The cabinet approved a plan that will also retain the 37% tax rate – unwinding the most controversial element of stage three. The original design of the tax cuts, legislated under the Morrison government, reduced the marginal rate of tax for everyone earning between $45,000 and $200,000 to 30%, which would have resulted in significant benefits for high-income earners.
US launches strikes in Iraq and Yemen | The US has carried out further strikes targeting three facilities used by Iranian-backed Iraqi militias as well as strikes against two Houthi anti-ship missiles in Yemen. Meanwhile, the UN secretary general, António Guterres, told a highly charged UN security council meeting that Israel’s “clear and repeated rejection of the two-state solution” is unacceptable. Speaker after speaker from around the globe, but especially the Middle East, lined up to call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and rapid pathway to a two-state solution.
Kim Williams, former News Corp CEO, appointed as ABC chair | Anthony Albanese announced the replacement for Ita Buttrose, who is departing from the role in March. The surprise appointment has come at a tumultuous time for the national broadcaster, which is facing scrutiny over its Middle East coverage and the firing of casual presenter Antoinette Lattouf.
Asbestos found in mulch at new sites across Sydney | The hazardous material has been found at railway substations in Dulwich Hill, Canterbury and Campsie and alongside Prospect Highway, authorities say. The Transport for NSW secretary, Josh Murray, said there was “clearly” a “problem in the supply chain that we need to tackle” and the Environment Protection Authority was investigating at Rozelle and the new sites.
Nick Kyrgios ‘contemplating retirement’ | The tennis star said he was assessing his sporting career after knee and wrist injuries sidelined him for a year, adding that he is no longer interested in representing Australia at the Olympics.
Australia’s greatest sporting moment | Cathy Freeman’s 400-metre dash to gold while carrying the weight of a nation at the Sydney 2000 Olympics has been voted the winner of the inaugural Guardian poll of Australia’s greatest sporting moments. Meanwhile, journalist Gideon Haigh writes that Pat Cummins may be good at “fighting Tories” but he is no culture warrior, in response to the cricket captain’s Australia Day comments.
Swifties lose $135,000 to scams in rush for Australian tour tickets | Scammers are taking control of social media profiles to sell fake Taylor Swift tickets for her upcoming run of shows by hacking accounts and then targeting the account’s list of friends.
LA Times fires 115 journalists | The 142-year-old newspaper said it was laying off more than 20% of its newsroom in what many of the paper’s journalists described as a chaotic and poorly managed process. The paper’s guild said young journalists of colour were “disproportionately affected”, with many Black, Asian American and Latino staffers laid off.
Turkish parliament approves Sweden’s membership of Nato | Sweden’s prime minister said the country is “one step closer to becoming a full member of Nato” after Turkey lifted its objections to Sweden joining the alliance. The vote leaves Hungary as the only country still to ratify the Swedish application made in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
In video
The moment before Sydney lawyer is shot outside his home
CCTV footage released by NSW police shows the moment criminal defence lawyer Mahmoud Abbas was shot in the driveway of his home last year. Police are appealing for information. Click here to watch the video.
What they said …
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“I have read incident reports of unfortunate incidents in our stores … People being rude and threatening our team.” – Bradford Banducci, Woolworths CEO
Banducci is calling on the public to “treat our team with the respect they deserve” this long weekend.
In numbers
The Labor senator’s comments came in response to news that Qantas wants to increase the number of Jetstar flights to Bali, but won’t guarantee an Australian-staffed crew. Jetstar says the hourly pay figure is “misleading”. It says “Bali based crew take home an average income of $23.50 an hour”, adding that this can also include bonuses, commissions and allowances in addition to base pay.
Before bed read
Junda Khoo, the Ho Jiak chef and restaurateur, shares a trio of noodle dishes from Malaysia – a stir-fry with curry-flavoured instant Maggi, his favourite har mee and a nostalgic loh mee.
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: EVES. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
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