Good morning. World Cup excitement is building: Australians are abandoning everything from live gigs to restaurant bookings in favour of Wednesday’s Matildas’ semi-final showdown against England. Tonight is the appetiser: Sweden v Spain.
Meanwhile, there are fresh concerns over betting advertising after it was discovered that Microsoft’s advertising technology platform Xandr contains Australia specific categories including “heavy TAB gamblers” and “Spring Carnival Punters”.
And renters’ rights could be boosted by efforts to limit rent increases to once a year and ban no-fault evictions across Australia.
Plus: an indictment of Donald Trump over an alleged attempt at election subversion in Georgia appears closer amid an apparent false alarm about charges being filed.
Australia
World
Donald Trump | Election interference charges loom for Trump in Georgia as a court publishes – and then takes down – a key document. The former US president has praised a white nationalist conspiracy theorist as “terrific”.
Lost at sea | Four Australian tourists and three Indonesian crew are missing after their boat hit a storm on the way to a remote island resort.
Channel crossings | France has mobilised patrol vessels and a helicopter in anticipation of further attempts of migrant crossings to England, after at least six people died when a small boat capsized last week.
Climate crisis | In a landmark win for young activists, a judge has ruled that Montana’s failure to consider climate change when evaluating new energy projects was causing harm.
Maui wildfires | Hundreds of people remain missing in Hawaii as firefighters battle flareups and rescue teams scour the scorched remains of the historic town of Lahaina.
Full Story
Dear son, why I left you in Afghanistan
Two years ago, Guardian contributor Shadi Khan Saif fled Afghanistan for Australia, hoping his wife and young children would soon follow him. But he is still waiting to be reunited with them. On the second anniversary of the fall of Kabul, he speaks to Jane Lee about the heartbreak of being separated from his family and why he wrote a public letter to his son. Ben Doherty tells us why so many Afghans seeking safety in Australia are still separated from their families.
In-depth
Sam Kerr, Emily van Egmond and Caitlin Foord: this trio, the shining treasures of the Matildas’ golden generation, have been rightly recognised as the fuel for Australia’s attack. The whole squad is tight, but the strength of the bond between these three is something else. One that has been forged over more than a decade in the fires of international football. They know each other’s game inside out – and are now preparing for a semi-final at their fourth World Cup together.
Not the news
With knitting comes the legacy of women sharing a skill that can nurture, warm and soothe and feels powerful in a low-key feminist way – even when that knowledge is forgotten, then rediscovered later via friends, online tutorials or social media. Here, six knitters describe their love of the yarn – and their proudest projects.
The world of sport
Women’s World Cup | Why the stress of the Matildas’ penalty shootout can now make way for World Cup enjoyment; the Lionesses are “ready to fight”, as the England v Australia rivalry rears its head.
First semi-final | Tonight’s match between Spain and Sweden is tough to call, writes Jonas Eidevall. Jonathan Liew looks at the emotional journey of the Spanish team.
Football | Manchester United take on Wolverhampton in their Premier League season opener; Chelsea complete Moisés Caicedo signing; Barcelona fume at “disgrace” after 116 minutes of pure Bordalásball.
Basketball | Ten-time NBA All Star James Harden calls Philadelphia 76ers president Daryl Morey “a liar” as he vents frustration over failed trade talks.
Media roundup
Voters have cut their support for Anthony Albanese after a fierce political dispute over the Indigenous voice to parliament, slashing his net performance rating from 16 to just 2 percentage points over the past month, reports the Age. The University of NSW is urging students and academics to report any “foreign government interference” witnessed in class, says the Sydney Morning Herald. The costs of building a dwelling in Tasmania have risen by 40% in the past two years, reports the Mercury.
What’s happening today
ACT | A public hearing is scheduled in the inquiry into the extent and nature of poverty in Australia.
ABS | The Australian Bureau of Statistics is due to release a data snapshot of population and housing, and the Wage Price Index figures for June.
Western Australia | Climate activist Matilda Lane-Rose is due to appear in court in relation to a Woodside protest.
Women’s World Cup | The semi-final between Spain and Sweden will take place in Auckland, New Zealand.
Sign up
If you would like to receive this Morning Mail update to your email inbox every weekday, sign up here. And finish your day with a three-minute snapshot of the day’s main news. Sign up for our Afternoon Update newsletter here.
Prefer notifications? If you’re reading this in our app, just click here and tap “Get notifications” on the next screen for an instant alert when we publish every morning.
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.
