Morning everyone. A famous Labor dissenter has advised Fatima Payman to “stick to her guns” as her dispute with the party continues to dominate the discourse in Canberra. We have a full report, plus: Queensland health authorities are destroying sperm samples, a chart that helps explain why Australian houses are so cold and more calls for Joe Biden to go.
Australia
Sperm destruction | Queensland’s health ombudsman has ordered the destruction of thousands of frozen sperm donations after a report revealed 42% of all audited samples in the state were of medium or high risk of being misidentified.
Payman pressure | Harry Quick, the last federal Labor MP to vote against his party when he opposed Howard-era anti-terror laws, has urged Fatima Payman to be true to her principles as she faces intense pressure to toe the line on Palestinian statehood or leave Labor. The political strategist and so-called preference whisperer Glenn Druery has confirmed he was having “informal conversations” with Payman and Muslim community groups about the next election.
Nature degraded | A review of some of the areas chosen for nature restoration as part of Australia’s biodiversity offset system has found a third are in worse condition than before, prompting fresh warnings that the scheme is increasing the risk of animals going extinct.
Robotax denial | Older Australians who felt pressured into paying decades-old debts as part of the troubled “robotax” campaign have hit out at a government decision to deny refunds after describing the tax grab as coercive.
Image problem | Photos of children have been included in the dataset used by several AI image-generating tools without the knowledge or consent of them or their families, research by Human Rights Watch has found.
World
India crush | Dozens of people are feared to have been crushed to death at a Hindu religious gathering in northern India, police and media have said.
It’s his age, stupid | The veteran Democrat strategist James Carville – the man who coined the phrase “it’s the economy, stupid” – has joined calls for Joe Biden to be replaced as the party’s candidate to take on Donald Trump in November. The California governor, Gavin Newsom, is seen as the candidate most likely to run if the president gives way. Trump, meanwhile, got another legal break when New York prosecutors agreed to delay sentencing in his hush-money conviction.
Ukraine survey | A negotiated outcome with Russia, as opposed to an outright Ukrainian military victory, is now seen as the most likely outcome in most European countries, according to a poll of 15 countries.
Lucy Letby guilty | The former nurse Lucy Letby has been found guilty of trying to kill a two-hour-old baby girl on the hospital ward where she murdered seven other infants.
Scam heiress | A US-born woman who posed as an Irish heiress to scam thousands of dollars from several victims has been flown to the UK to face additional charges.
Full Story
How high inflation has changed what we eat
Jane Lee speaks to senior business reporter Jonathan Barrett about why we’re changing our eating habits in a cost-of-living crisis.
In-depth
With Australians experiencing one of the coldest starts to winter in years, many will be wishing their house was better insulated. Our data specialist Josh Nicholas has come up with one of his big charts to illustrate the problem – namely, that the average Australian home built before 2003 averages just 1.8 out of 10 for energy efficiency, and that’s 70% of Australian homes.
Not the news
Most people suffering terminal illnesses wish to die at home, but end up dying in an acute hospital. It’s expensive and disruptive, and honouring their wish would deliver both patient-centred care and societal gains. Unfortunately, our doctor-columnist Ranjana Srivastava argues, end-of-life care at home isn’t straightforward either.
The world of sport
Wimbledon | Marketa Vondrousova was dumped out in the first round by Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, a Spaniard who had never won a grand slam match before. Australian No 1 Alex de Minaur sailed through in straight sets against Britain’s James Duckworth but Andy Murray’s Wimbledon singles career is over after he pulled out with an injury.
Rugby union | The game’s power brokers will convene today to lock in the master plan for a crucial “golden decade” highlighted by the 2025 British & Irish Lions tour, the 2027 and 2029 home World Cups, and the 2032 Brisbane Olympics which will go a long way to deciding the code’s future.
Euro 2024 | The Netherlands are through to the last eight after beating Romania 3-0 overnight and Turkey were ahead early against Austria as they battle for the right to play the Dutch.
Media roundup
New South Wales will stop setting ambitious Naplan and HSC targets for schools and allow principals to set their own measures, the Sydney Morning Herald claims. Melbourne’s new lord mayor, Nicholas Reece, tells the Herald Sun he “loves fixing things” as he sets out his priorities. The death of an Indigenous prisoner at the hands of other inmates in 2019 was a “major failure”, a coroner has said, according to the West Australian. The Wallabies have a “shock new captain” in Liam Wright, a player who has yet to start a game for his country, according to the Australian.
What’s happening today
Politics | Australia’s local government national general assembly is set for today.
Canberra | Rosalind Croucher, the Australian Human Rights Commission president, will address the National Press Club.
Sydney | Directions in the NT Stolen Generations class action are due in the supreme court of NSW.
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Brain teaser
And finally, here are the Guardian’s crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow.
