Morning, everyone. There might be a cost-of-living crisis and a housing crisis, but Australia measures up as something of an economic paragon, with the country placed second in the world budget management rankings. We’re also reporting on the arrest of a man in relation to the riot in western Sydney, Israel is reportedly deploying more artillery to Gaza as fears grow of an offensive in Rafah, and Melbourne’s nimby v yimby controversy.
Australia
Picture perfect | A masterpiece by the Australian impressionist Arthur Streeton not seen by the public for 130 years has beaten expectations to sell for more than $1.875m in Sydney last night.
Budget boon | Australia’s overall budget balance is the second strongest among G20 nations, behind only Canada, according to the IMF latest fiscal monitor. Australia placed equal 14th in 2021 and seventh in 2022, when it was behind Korea, Russia and Saudi Arabia.
Wakeley arrest | A 19-year-old man has been charged with riot, affray and damage to property in connection with the unrest in the western Sydney suburb of Wakeley after a bishop was stabbed. He was denied bail and will appear to court later today. We’re also looking at why that stabbing has been declared a terrorism event while the killing of six people at Bondi Junction Westfield on Saturday has not.
Deportation warning | Asylum seeker advocates have warned that 375 Australian-born children could face orders to cooperate with their removal from the country under Labor’s deportation bill – because they’ve had protection claims denied under the controversial fast-track method.
Zone of interest | Inner Melbourne should shoulder the burden of new housing with 40,000 homes being built in the next 12 months, according to a new report which has set the nimbys up against the yimbys.
World
Gaza braced | Israel has reportedly deployed extra artillery and armoured personnel carriers to the Gaza Strip periphery, suggesting that the military is preparing for its long-threatened ground offensive on Rafah. The British foreign secretary, David Cameron, said Israel was “making a decision to act” in response to Iran’s weekend missile attacks.
Boeing risk | Hundreds of people could die if Boeing failed to address quality issues, a whistleblower has warned US Congress, alleging there was “no safety culture” and that employees who raise the alarm were “ignored, marginalised, threatened, sidelined, and worse”.
Ukraine attacks | At least 16 people have been killed and dozens wounded after three Russian missiles hit the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv, while the mayor of Kharkiv said the city was at risk of becoming “a second Aleppo” unless US politicians voted for fresh military aid to help prevent long-range Russian attacks.
Pay bonanza | Tesla has asked its shareholders to approve a record-breaking $56bn pay package for its CEO, Elon Musk, after it was rejected by a judge.
‘Enormous sum’ | Hugh Grant has said he settled a high court claim over phone hacking against the publisher of Rupert Murdoch’s Sun tabloid for what the actor called “an enormous sum”.
‘She knew he was dead’ | A woman has been arrested in Brazil after she wheeled her dead uncle into a bank to sign a loan document.
Full Story
Sydney church stabbing: how an alleged attack reignited tensions
Police have labelled the alleged stabbing of a bishop in Sydney as an act of terrorism. Mostafa Rachwani tells Nour Haydar why emotions are running high in both the Assyrian Christian and Muslim communities.
In-depth
Justice Michael Lee’s forensic breakdown of the tangle of the Brittany Higgins/Bruce Lehrmann “omnishambles” was a masterclass in dispassionate legal dissection which provides a “handy guide for judges” in future similarly complex cases, writes our political editor, Karen Middleton, today as the fallout continues from the high-profile case. The consequences will also be felt in journalism, she argues, with Ten and Lisa Wilkinson scolded for their basic failure to allow Lehrmann to tell his side of a tangled story.
Not the news
Brandy, tart, paste, syrup … whatever you choose to do with quinces, you always seem to have too many of the knobbly yellow fruit. In a wonderful piece for our rural network, Calla Wahlquist takes time out from her kitchen bench to contemplate why cooking with quinces can be defined as the art of delayed and slightly disappointed gratification.
The world of sport
Tennis | Alex de Minaur has become the first Australian to defeat Rafa Nadal on clay by dispatching the returning champion 7-5, 6-1 on his home surface in Barcelona.
Olympics | Australia’s chef de mission for the Paris Olympics, Anna Meares, has played down security fears with 100 days to go before the Games are declared open. But the head boxing coach won’t be going after he admitted to “disgusting” sexual misconduct involving female fighters.
Champions League | There were two heavyweight clashes in the quarter-final second leg games this morning as Manchester City hosted Real Madrid, and Bayern Munich looked to eliminate Arsenal.
Media roundup
Brittany Higgins will be allowed to keep her $2.5m compensation payment despite a judge questioning the basis of her claim, the Daily Telegraph claims. Breaking up the big two supermarkets would be a mistake, a comment piece in the Australian argues, because it would strengthen global giants such as Amazon and Nestlé. A 1,100km strip of Queensland’s coast is facing another “significant” rainfall event, the Courier-Mail warns. The notorious Don Dale youth detention centre could be repurposed as an adult prison rather than being demolished, the NT News reports.
What’s happening today
NSW | The findings of a inquest into the death of Baby Q who drowned in the Tweed and washed ashore on the Gold Coast, will be handed down.
Economy | Australian labour force figures will be released at 11.30am.
Sign up
If you would like to receive this Morning Mail update to your email inbox every weekday, sign up here. And finish your day with a three-minute snapshot of the day’s main news. Sign up for our Afternoon Update newsletter here.
Prefer notifications? If you’re reading this in our app, just click here and tap “Get notifications” on the next screen for an instant alert when we publish every morning.
Brain teaser
And finally, here are the Guardian’s crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow.
