Good morning. Thousands of Australians are coming together for Anzac Day commemorations, which have returned to public spaces after two Covid-disrupted years. Parades and marches will take place across the country, with different Covid restrictions in each state. It will also be the first Anzac Day since forces withdrew from Afghanistan.
Scott Morrison is in Darwin today for Anzac Day commemorations as both parties tour to the Northern Territory. But as the Australian War Memorial continues pursue a new sponsorship deal from arms manufacturer Lockheed Martin, Paul Daley writes “on what should be a day of quiet reflection … it pays to think about whether the war memorial remains the appropriate place for national Anzac commemorations”.
The pro-European centrist Emmanuel Macron has won a second term as French president, becoming the first leader to win re-election in France for 20 years. Macron beat the far right’s Marine Le Pen by a decisive 58.2% to 41.8%. Macron addressed his supporters, and acknowledged those who voted for him but do not necessarily support him. “I also know that many French people voted for me to block the far right. I also want to thank them, and tell them that their vote places me under an obligation,” he said. He will use his win to bolster his push for an increased EU defence project, closer collaboration on immigration and more regulation to counter the weight of giant tech platforms such as Google. Here are some of the key challenges and priorities of the re-elected president.
The Coalition has accused Labor of “sewer tactics” over what Josh Frydenberg described as a “racist” attack ad targeting Liberal Gladys Liu, that accuses the Chisholm MP of spreading fake news and trying to trick voters at the previous election. But Labor frontbencher Penny Wong has rubbished claims her party was vilifying Liu, saying there were “legitimate” questions over her conduct.
Australia
Extinctions in Australia are expected to dramatically escalate in the next two decades, with 100 plants and animals facing imminent risk. But calls for political action are falling on deaf ears and the silence from the two major parties on what the next government will do to change the trajectory “reveals a lot”, environmentalists say.
Traditional owners in western New South Wales are divided over a decision to rebury Mungo Man and Mungo Lady without a public memorial or keeping place. A letter to the federal environment minister, Sussan Ley, says the reburial proposal for the 42,000-year-old remains has caused “immeasurable cultural harm and soul sickness”.
The Queensland government’s proposal to build luxury cabins in the Great Sandy national park for “eco-tourism” poses a threat to its pristine natural beauty and Aboriginal cultural heritage, locals say. The project has left locals and ecological experts concerned that the accommodation will devastate parts of the 102km coastal route.
The world
Russian forces continued heavy shelling of Ukrainian cities on Sunday as people in both countries observed Orthodox Easter and the US secretaries of state and defence prepared to make their first visit to Kyiv since the invasion.
Ten people are dead and 16 missing after a tour boat went missing in frigid waters off Japan’s northernmost island, the coastguard said.
Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk on Sunday threw some uncertainty into his plans for a takeover of social media platform Twitter by posting a message that said he was “moving on”.
An Italian train conductor who was sacked for issuing too many fines and accused of terrorising passengers by working with “uncommon zeal” has won a court ruling which found he was wrongfully dismissed.
Recommended reads
With this season of Mad as Hell finished, we celebrate some great moments and sketches from comedian Shaun Micallef: from Full Frontal to the time he hijacked a terrible morning TV show. The list is a mix of individual sketches, moments, ongoing bits, books, and the entire run of one television show spanning a decade. Keeping the list chaotic feels like the only appropriate way to honour Micallef’s legacy, and boiling down his Full Frontal run to one sketch simply wouldn’t be right.
“At the heart of Victorian efforts to negotiate a treaty with Indigenous Australians is a commitment to ensuring First Peoples have the freedom and power to make decisions that affect our communities, our culture and our country … but treaty needs to be more than that,” writes Marcus Stewart. “It also needs to deliver to our people the economic independence required to achieve self-determination.”
Set in the entrepreneurial early days of Australian surfwear, ABC TV’s eight-part, 70s-set series Barons is cast in a soft, warm glow that feels like an ad – and washes out the drama. “The writers of Barons (Liz Doran, Matt Cameron and Marieke Hardy) seem aware that the feuding entrepreneurs is the most interesting aspect of the drama, but the show drifts away from personal stakes and business machinations towards vague impressions of hippy life way back yonder – capturing a holy trifecta of drinking, drug taking and bonking,” writes Luke Buckmaster.
Beauty products generate vast amounts of waste, and experts say most of the onus is on consumers to mitigate the problem. Sustainability consultant Celeste Tesoriero describes the beauty industry as “super far behind the times” on sustainability and says the level of waste is “astronomical”. Before more robust programs are developed, there are a lot of simple and small changes you can make to tackle the problem at home.
Listen
Ukraine’s army held off Putin’s forces and stopped a Russian takeover of Kyiv in the first phase of the war. But, as Luke Harding reports for this episode of Full Story, Russia’s approach in this next stage looks very different. Now, Putin’s focus is largely on winning territory in the east of the country. In terms of military might, Russia appears to hold the advantage. But in the messy, grinding weeks ahead, will its forces be able to sustain the resources and willpower necessary to grasp victory?
Full Story is Guardian Australia’s daily news podcast. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or any other podcasting app.
Sport
The world tennis no 1, Novak Djokovic, remains without an ATP Tour title this season after losing against Russia’s Andrey Rublev 6-2, 6-7 (4), 6-0 in the Serbia Open final.
Media roundup
In an interview with SBS news, Liberal candidate Katherine Deves says she’s received death threats over the controversial comments she made on transgender athletes, which have forced her family to leave Sydney. The Sydney Morning Herald reports that Swimming Australia officials have threatened legal action against conservative activist group Advance after it used images of the sport’s stars in a campaign against transgender sport inclusion.
Coming up
Coverage of Anzac day commemorations across the country.
And if you’ve read this far …
A California family spent the winter dismissing odd noises that sounded a little like snoring, only to discover that five bears had spent the cold season hibernating under their house.
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