Morning, everyone. Anthony Albanese has been holding talks with Joe Biden at the White House, with the Aukus defence pact, critical minerals, space and clean energy among the key areas under discussion. We have breaking news from their press conference. It comes on a busy news day in the US – Donald Trump has been fined for a “blatant disobeyal” of a gag order in his fraud trial and the Republicans have managed to rally behind a new House speaker.
We also have an exclusive story about how health organisations want terms such as “low carb” banned from beer bottles because they are misleading, and Glenn Maxwell has smashed a record-breaking 40-ball century in the Cricket World Cup.
Australia
Slicker city | More Sydneysiders would take the bus, saving the economy millions of dollars a year, if the city’s traffic light system were tweaked under a government plan to allow buses to go through junctions without queueing.
Albanese in DC | Joe Biden has reassured Anthony Albanese that the Aukus nuclear submarine deal will get congressional approval. The pair were speaking before an elaborate state dinner at the White House.
Exclusive | “Low carb” and “low sugar” labelling on alcoholic drinks should be scrapped, according to peak health organisations, who say the claims mislead consumers into thinking alcohol products are healthier.
Exclusive | About 3,500 women who were subjected to the forced adoption of their babies will be able to apply for compensation of up to $30,000 under a $138m state program in Victoria.
Queensland fires | Queensland firefighters are hoping a shift in wind direction today will push a deadly, out-of-control bushfire away from the town of Tara where about 350 people were forced into evacuation centres and some residents were told to leave immediately as their lives could be in danger.
World
Gaza crisis | The humanitarian crisis in Gaza is worsening by the hour, the UN says, as Israel blocks aid in case it is used by Hamas. Israel has retaliated by saying it will ban UN staff from the country. We also look at how bombing, blockades and bans have broken Gaza’s rudimentary water system, meaning 2.2 million residents trying to get by on three litres a day. Qatar is hopeful Hamas might release more Israeli hostages but the families of some are losing hope.
Trump fined | Donald Trump has been fined $10,000 for violating a gag order in his civil fraud trial after he briefly took the witness stand to take questions about the order. Earlier Trump’s legal team tried to portray his former fixer Michael Cohen as a liar during cross-examination at the former president’s fraud trial in New York.
Johnson’s city | Mike Johnson of Louisiana, a Trump loyalist, has been elected speaker of the US House of Representatives to end a standoff that has stretched on for three weeks. His supporters booed and jeered when a reporter tried to ask him why he supported attempts to overturn the 2020 election.
Elephant deaths | A little-known bacterium is believed to have caused the death of dozens of elephants in Botswana in 2020 that had left scientists baffled.
Wizard idea | Daniel Radcliffe has made a documentary about David Holmes, his former stunt double who sustained a spinal injury during filming of The Deathly Hallows: Part 1.
Full Story
Firebombs and threats in the tobacco store turf war
Almost 30 tobacco stores in suburban Melbourne and regional Victoria have been set alight in the last seven months. Nino Bucci explains how organised crime syndicates are infiltrating Australia’s tobacco industry.
In-depth
When fires destroyed two-fifths of Kangaroo Island in 2020, it didn’t seem very likely that less than three years later it would rated the world’s second-best place to visit. But Lonely Planet has done just that, lauding the the South Australian island for its beaches, food and wine, and wildlife. Only the Trans Dinarica cycle route in the western Balkans rated more highly.
Not the news
Not even the voices of Tim Minchin, Deborah Mailman and Sam Neill can save the new animated film Scarygirl from what Luke Buckmaster calls its “retina-straining shininess”. The adventure features a young girl overcoming her fears but it has what he calls “half-baked environmental messages” and “mistakes colour for creativity, pumping its surface full of vim and vigour but letting the writing wither on the vine”.
The world of sport
Cricket | Australia are really beginning to hit their stride in the World Cup after Glenn Maxwell smashed the tournament’s fastest century in a 309-run victory over the hapless Dutch in Delhi.
Netball | Australia have bounced back from successive Constellation Cup losses and a quick turnaround to score a 62-43 win over South Africa in Cairns.
Football | Newcastle United are taking on Borussia Dortmund, Milan visit Paris, and Manchester City are away in Berne in the Champions League games under way this morning.
Media roundup
The Courier-Mail says a second person has been killed in the fires that have swept through the state. More than 40 potential buyers are circling around the collapsed dessert maker Sara Lee, the Financial Review reports. The nation’s farmers have lashed out at what they call Labor’s “ideological” reforms, the Australian reports. A windsurfer tells the Daily Telegraph that he’s lucky to be alive after colliding with a breaching whale calf off Sydney’s northern beaches.
What’s happening today
Western Australia | Four people face court for the alleged murder of Cassius Turvey.
Melbourne | The Careers for Net Zero Fair will feature keynote addresses from the Atlassian boss Mike Cannon-Brookes.
Washington | Anthony Albanese is attending a state dinner at the White House.
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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.
