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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Paul Gallagher

Morning Mail: Israel warns Gaza fighting could ‘last a year’; Nadal to miss Australian Open; injury blow for Sam Kerr

Israeli soldiers gather with their vehicles at a position on the border with the Gaza Strip yesterday
Israeli soldiers gather with their vehicles at a position on the border with the Gaza Strip yesterday. Photograph: Menahem Kahana/AFP/Getty Images

Good morning. Welcome to the first Morning Mail of 2024, happy new year and thanks for being with us. We lead today with Israel’s claim that fighting in Gaza could last another year as the top US diplomat returns to the Middle East as part of frantic efforts to prevent the spread of war, after an increase of fire across the Israel-Lebanon border.

The 22-time grand slam winner Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from the Australian Open due to injury. He’s headed to Spain for treatment after an MRI scan revealed he sustained a micro tear to a muscle at the Brisbane International.

And Sam Kerr is set for a long spell on the sidelines after the Matildas captain suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury during her club’s training camp. It’s a major blow for the Australian side who face Uzbekistan in Olympic qualifiers next month.

Australia

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson with James Ashby at Parliament House in 2017
Waiting in the wings? One Nation leader Pauline Hanson with James Ashby at Parliament House in 2017. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP

World

Antony Blinken speaks at a World Food Programme warehouse in Jordan
Antony Blinken speaks at a World Food Programme warehouse in Jordan. Photograph: Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters

Full Story

William McInnes walking on the Mornington Peninsula
William McInnes walking on the Mornington Peninsula. Photograph: Penny Stephens/The Guardian

William McInnes on his ‘perm of love’

When the actor and author William McInnes’s childhood crush turned up as his hairdresser, he felt compelled to listen to her advice. The makeover he received became McInnes’s “Everest” of 1979. The tale I dine out on is a summer series from 10 of our favourite storytellers – actors, comedians, writers and Guardian staff – in which they recount a story that never fails to entertain.

In-depth

A flat white
A flat white in repose. There is a very particular science of a good cup of coffee. Photograph: Gary Calton/The Observer

Making the perfect espresso is almost a high art, especially for those who practise at the elite level – and Australia has plenty of those. Ranked one of the biggest in the world, the Australian coffee market is worth more than $9bn and Australia coffee fiends sip and savour about 2kg of coffee beans on average each year. Understanding the hard science of coffee can help elevate even the cheapest bean and most basic equipment into something far greater than the sum of its parts.

Not the news

Book covers
Crime thrillers to keep you guessing Composite: PR/The Borough Press

As part of our series of ultimate summer reading lists, Guardian Australia’s staff and critics share with you 15 crime thrillers and mysteries that will keep you guessing. From Mick Herron’s Slow Horses and Ian Rankin’s Rebus to new books from Bret Easton Ellis and Emma Cline, these reads are guaranteed to get the heart racing with suspense – even as you try to relax.

The world of sport

Rafael Nadal during his quarter-final match against Jordan Thompson at the Brisbane International tennis tournament
Rafael Nadal during his quarter-final match against Jordan Thompson at the Brisbane International tennis tournament. Photograph: Tertius Pickard/AP

Media roundup

The Queensland government says it will take years to get storm-ravaged homes repaired after back-to-back natural disasters across the state, reports ABC News. The NSW government has been warned that trying to stop religious schools from hiring or firing staff because of their adherence to “Christian ethos” – including sexuality – would be a breach of religious freedoms, reports the Sydney Morning Herald. Investment in essential infrastructure is in the spotlight after Victoria’s water corporations were forced to take on more debt to prop up the state budget after hundreds of millions of dollars of funding was pulled, reports the Age.

What’s happening today

  • Victoria | A man charged after four stabbing attacks in Melbourne is due to make a court appearance.

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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.

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