Good morning. The Commonwealth Games is coming to a close, with Australia on top of the medal table; New South Wales politics is deep in the Barilaro inquiry; and Grease star and activist Olivia Newton John has died, aged 73.
A subsidiary of the supplements company Blackmores left a pregnancy multivitamin on shelves for nearly a year despite hundreds of complaints that it was contaminated with mould-like black spots, a former staff member has alleged. Peter Ellis alleged FIT-BioCeuticals brushed aside concerns about its products, including pregnancy vitamins and vitamin D drops being used by a children’s hospital, in potential breach of quality regulations. Blackmores said a Therapeutic Goods Administration investigation did not require stock to be quarantined or recalled.
The Department of Home Affairs rejected an Australian-born child’s citizenship application, which her lawyer says rendered her “stateless”, after her estranged Australian father couldn’t be reached to provide a DNA test. In a decision quashed by the federal court, the overseas-born mother of the child was told the department did not have proof of a biological link to the father – despite his name on the girl’s birth certificate, payment of child support and photos of the pair together.
Dominic Perrottet’s chief of staff Bran Black has been drawn into the ongoing saga over the appointment of overseas trade commissioners, as an explosive day in NSW politics saw John Barilaro tell a parliamentary inquiry he informed Perrottet of his desire to apply for a lucrative New York job, and ended with Amy Brown, the head of Investment NSW, offering a series of revelations about the equivalent London role. You can read Michael McGowan’s analysis of it all.
Olivia Newton-John has died aged 73. The musical star found enduring fame for her leading role in the film Grease, and devoted her later life to activism in support of cancer research. The news was confirmed by her husband.
Australia
A new Guardian Essential poll shows a clear majority of Australians are on board with an Indigenous voice to parliament, but also haven’t heard very much about it.
The agriculture minister, Murray Watt, will launch a new national biosecurity strategy on Tuesday, warning that climate change, Covid and online shopping have contributed to a biosecurity environment that is “more threatening than ever before”.
Research suggests Australia has a shortfall of over 520,000 social housing dwellings, set to increase to over 670,000 by 2032. It means Labor’s five-year plan to ease the housing crisis will deliver just 3% of the necessary housing over the next decade, the Greens have warned.
And Covid has become the country’s third-most common cause of death this year.
The world
Many areas in Gaza are still without water and electricity following three days of Israeli airstrikes that began without warning. “My home is gone, my grocery is gone,” said shopkeeper Safa Shammalakh. “We hope the ceasefire will hold, but there are never any guarantees. It always happens again.”
Ukraine says it has foiled a Russian plot to kill its defence minister and military chief. Two residents accused of working for Russian intelligence are said to be under arrest – though the assertions could not be independently verified.
China carried out fresh military drills around Taiwan on Monday, including anti-submarine attack and sea raid operations, a day after its major live-fire exercises targeting the territory were supposed to end.
Photos suggest Donald Trump blocked toilets with ripped-up White House documents – possible evidence of violations of the Presidential Records Act. Claims the former president periodically blocked up White House and other drains with wads of paper appear to be borne out in images leaked ahead of the publication of a new book. Another new book excerpt says Trump wanted Pentagon generals to be like second world war Nazis.
Recommended reads
Dotted with gorges, engravings, rock pools and red gum-lined creek beds, the rangelands of the Mutawintji national park in far-west NSW have been host to ceremonies and cultural gatherings for the Pantjikali, Malyangapa, Wilyakali and Wanyuparlku for millennia. Now traditional owners of the park have created a new celebration of food, music and art.
CSIRO researchers have identified 139 new species, including a blind cave-dwelling weevil, an ant that “babysits” the caterpillars of one of Australia’s rarest butterflies, and the first millipede to actually have more than 1,000 legs.
“In a world of endless sharing, I will not reveal my secret tattoo,” writes James Colley. “How infuriating is that? It’s not outrageous, elaborate or wild but it is special to me – you’d understand if I showed it to you, which I will not.”
Listen
Four years ago, the brutal assassination of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi stunned the world. It cast a long shadow over the Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, who the CIA later concluded had ordered the killing. But he has recently met with a host of world leaders, including Joe Biden, Emmanuel Macron and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The Guardian’s Middle East correspondent, Martin Chulov, explains the remarkable return to the global stage for the kingdom’s de facto ruler.
Full Story is Guardian Australia’s daily news podcast. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or any other podcasting app.
Sport
As the Commonwealth Games draws to a close, Australia has topped the medal table, with gold for the men’s hockey team.
And seven-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton has made the startling admission that he does not like driving on normal roads because he finds it too stressful.
Media roundup
Clive Palmer’s proposal for a “low-emissions” coal-fired power station is likely to be rejected by the Queensland government on environmental grounds, according to the Australian. The Greens will pursue a treaty with Indigenous Australians and a truth-telling commission in exchange for backing the voice to parliament, the Age reports.
Coming up
A NSW parliamentary inquiry into the flood response is due to be handed down. The national homelessness conference is on in Canberra.
And if you’ve read this far …
Britney Spears will make her return to the music scene by collaborating with Elton John on a new song, it has been confirmed.
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