Good morning. The Greens say they will stall passage of the government’s “help-to-buy” housing scheme in an effort to force Labor to reduce tax breaks on investment properties. The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, yesterday said the government had no plans to change negative gearing. But the Greens say they will use their balance of power in the Senate to compel Labor into action on negative gearing and capital gains tax discounts, in exchange for their support in the Senate on help-to-buy. “Pressure works,” the party’s spokesperson said.
Meanwhile, Australia’s private job agencies have been forced to hand back $8.5m in government payments, Nato has decried Trump’s inciting of Russia to attack member nations, and UK politics may be about to see the return of Boris.
Australia
Help-to-buy | The Greens are believed to want to limit negative gearing to a single investment property. The party is also urging the replacement of the capital gains tax discount with a more modest concession.
Employment agencies | Australia’s outsourced job agencies were forced to hand back more than $8.5m in government payments in one year – more than double the previous 12 months – after an apparent crackdown on faulty claims.
Mental health | A new study revealed a big rise in the number of Australians experiencing psychological distress, with loneliness rising sharply among young people during the pandemic.
Gambling ads | Children as young as 12 say celebrities and influencers who are paid to promote gambling are making their peers more likely to consider the activity normal, attractive and fun, according to a new study.
Housing | Governments should require landlords to reveal the energy performance of homes put up for sale or lease, the Australian Council of Social Service urged.
World
Trump v Nato | The Nato chief, Jens Stoltenberg, said any attack on the western military alliance would be met with a “united and forceful response”, after Donald Trump said he would encourage Russia to attack member countries that didn’t meet their financial obligations to the pact.
Israel-Hamas war | Benjamin Netanyahu appears determined to push ahead with a ground offensive against the Gazan town of Rafah despite denouncement from aid agencies, but claimed Israel would provide “safe passage” to the 1.3 million displaced Palestinians sheltering there. Meanwhile, a six-year-old Palestinian girl who called for help while under Israeli fire was found dead.
British politics | Rishi Sunak should “swallow some pride” and bring back the “electoral force” that is Boris Johnson, the former chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng said. It seems the “bring back Boris” voices are growing. Meanwhile, it was revealed that Sunak met Rupert Murdoch five times in 12 months.
Russia-Ukraine war | Chechen forces competed against elite police squads from the US and Canada in international Swat games, prompting questions among security experts and human rights observers.
Finnish election | Finland is headed back to the polls for a runoff vote in the country’s most high-stakes presidential election in a generation.
Full Story
How supermarkets make you pay more
A scathing report on price gouging last week, produced by competition expert Prof Alan Fels, said that supermarkets are hiking costs higher than they need to during the cost-of-living crisis. The investigation was the first in a number of inquiries to be held this year to examine how supermarkets set their prices and the tactics they use to increase profits. Senior business reporter Jonathan Barrett talks to Jane Lee about what can be done to reduce the costs of everyday items.
In-depth
In less than three years, between 1919 and 1921, the founding fathers of the Irish state killed and disappeared 94 people, five times more than the Provisional IRA would later do over 30 years, according to new research.
“It’s well known that people in the north disappeared during the Troubles,” said Pádraig Ó Ruairc, a historian and archaeologist who investigated the phenomenon. “What people don’t know and in some cases don’t want to admit is that the same thing happened in the fight for freedom in southern Ireland on a much wider scale over a much shorter period.”
Not the news
“Saving animals pretty much saved my life,” says Iain Jenkins, a raccoon rescuer who has become the go-to person if an exotic animal is on the loose in the UK. At present he is helping to lead the hunt for a fugitive raccoon, Meeko, in Sunderland.
Jenkins shares his semi-detached home with raccoons, a parrot and a friendly skunk named Stinky Pete – and previously, a crocodile.
The world of sport
Twenty20 cricket | Glenn Maxwell clubbed the fastest Twenty20 international century on Australian soil to propel his country to a series win against the West Indies.
Super Bowl | Will Patrick Mahomes win his third NFL title with Kansas City? Or will Brock Purdy help San Francisco capture the championship in Las Vegas? Here are our Super Bowl picks and predictions.
Premier League | Arsenal beat West Ham 6-0; Manchester United beat Aston Villa 2-1.
U19 cricket | Australia’s terrific teenage cricketers beat India to become champions of the world.
Media roundup
The Australian says bosses will end flexible working arrangements when the new right to disconnect laws come into effect. The Herald Sun has tributes for the Melbourne man who died during the Murray River waterski race. The ABC covers a Grattan Institute report that says one-third of Australian children can’t read properly. And a commemorative plaque has been placed at the site of Barnaby Joyce’s so-called footpath incident, the Canberra Times reports.
What’s happening today
Sitting week | The federal House of Representatives is sitting in Canberra.
Plestia Alaqad | The Palestinian journalist will be a featured guest at the Bankstown Poetry Slam.
Protester hearing | A hearing is scheduled for a teenage climate protester who glued herself to a railing in Newcastle.
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Brain teaser
And finally, here are the Guardian’s crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day – with plenty more on the Guardian’s Puzzles app for iOS and Android. Until tomorrow.
