Morning, everyone. Joe Biden is “discussing” possible Israeli plans to attack Iran’s oil industry, bringing a warning from Iran that it would make the US a “legitimate target”. Meanwhile, Israel signalled it may widen its ground war in Lebanon.
We have an exclusive story this morning about a raid by anti-corruption police on Parliament House in Canberra as part of “an ongoing investigation”. Civil liberties experts have criticised “undemocratic” protest laws in NSW, and Britain is handing back its last African colony.
Australia
Crime pledge | The LNP leader, David Crisafulli, would step down after one term as premier if he could not meet an ambitious crime target within four years, he said during the first of three televised debates with Labor’s Steven Miles in the lead-up to the Queensland election.
Exclusive | Officers from the National Anti-Corruption Commission have conducted a raid at Parliament House as part of an ongoing operation that does not involve any current or former member of parliament.
‘Undemocratic’ NSW | Protest organisers in NSW would be much less likely to end up fighting police in court for permission to hold rallies if the state had a charter of human rights instead of its “undemocratic” approvals system, a legal expert says.
Voice recognition | An Indigenous voice is “an idea whose time will come” because without a consultation body governments will struggle to create effective policies, the Uluru statement from the heart architect Megan Davis has argued.
Accused’s ‘lies’ | A high-profile Sydney man lied to the police with a guilty conscience after he allegedly threatened to distribute an intimate video of a woman, a prosecutor has alleged.
World
Israeli order | Joe Biden has said his administration has been “discussing” possible Israeli plans to attack Iran’s oil industry in retaliation for the Iranian ballistic missile attack on Tuesday. We assess the risks for the Israelis if they decide to retaliate against Iran. Israel has ordered the evacuation of the southern Lebanese city of Nabatieh in a sign that it may widen a ground operation launched this week against Hezbollah. Lebanese medics are fearing for their lives after more than 50 have been killed in Israeli bombings. And a 21-year-old Yazidi woman kidnapped by Islamic State militants in Iraq more than a decade ago has been freed from Gaza in an operation led by the US.
‘No compromise’ | Melania Trump doubled down in her first public response to news of her passionate support for abortion rights. But it’s not clear whether she is trying to help or hurt her husband. She also claims in a new memoir that she had forced Trump to drop his hardline immigration policy while in office.
Breakthrough bill | A bill to introduce assisted dying in England and Wales will come before parliament this month, giving MPs their first chance to vote on the controversial and divisive issue for almost a decade.
‘Flesh-eating’ injection | A GP worried about his inheritance disguised himself as a nurse and injected deadly flesh-eating poison into his victim, who thought he was getting a home-visit Covid booster, a British court has heard.
The last colony | The UK has agreed to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, ending years of bitter dispute over Britain’s last African colony.
Full Story
Newsroom edition: the right to protest and Peter Dutton’s strongman politics
Nour Haydar speaks to deputy editor Patrick Keneally and deputy editor Gabrielle Jackson about how Peter Dutton is dictating the terms of the political debate and the role of protests in our democracy.
In-depth
Almost one in five adults delayed or did not see a dental professional in 2022-23 due to cost, according to major report released today. For the past decade only half of adults have visited a dental professional every year, exposing a two-tier dental care system in which many people go without because it’s too expensive. Natasha May reports, and speaks with Tara, who lost her teeth in her 50s after undiagnosed gum disease.
Not the news
TISM burst on to the scene 30 years ago as satirical provocateurs but their seventh studio album, Death to Art, is missing the visceral thrill of their earlier work. Andrew Stafford gives his three-star verdict on a collection which includes tracks such as Cabal of Bozos aimed at “Australia’s laziest class, the Australian business class”, and others that don’t quite fit with our style guide.
The world of sport
T20 World Cup | Australia’s captain, Alyssa Healy, is expecting opposition sides to come at them “really hard” when they begin their defence of the trophy in UAE.
Europa League | Manchester United face a stiff test away to Porto this morning, while Tottenham have beaten the Hungarian side Ferencvaros 2-1.
Football | Fifa will investigate possible “discrimination” by Israeli football authorities after claims by the Palestinian FA.
Media roundup
The Sydney Morning Herald says police in Sydney are pleading for calm at this weekend’s pro-Palestinian protests. Victoria “desperately” needs 1,000 new police officers to fill a recruitment hole, the Herald Sun reports. The owner of a popular tourist resort outside Alice Springs has closed its doors to because of a “huge decline in numbers”, the NT News has learned.
What’s happening today
Religion | Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the leader of the Eastern Orthodox church, will arrive on a visit to Australia.
Crime | The accused in a fatal 2023 shooting in Greenacre are to be arraigned.
Sydney | There will be an inquiry into the convictions of the Croatian Six.
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Brain teaser
And finally, here are the Guardian’s crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow.
