Morning everyone. The Liberal party last night chose a management consultant called Simon to contest the byelection in Scott Morrison’s former seat of Cook – missing a chance to boost its relatively small number of women MPs. We have the full story, plus how we are further away from eradicating fire ants than we were five years ago.
Overseas, the US supreme court says Donald Trump was wrongly removed from the Colorado primary ballot, and there’s been an historic vote in France.
Australia
‘Shambles’ | A Senate inquiry into the spread of fire ants in Australia has heard that the government program tasked with their elimination is an “absolute shambles” and that an independent eradication body is urgently needed.
Cook’s tour | Simon Kennedy, a management consultant and former partner at McKinsey, will contest Scott Morrison’s seat of Cook for the Liberals in the byelection triggered by the former prime minister’s resignation. Kennedy, a consultant and the former candidate for Bennelong, beat off two other candidates at a preselection last night.
Trade plan | Anthony Albanese will announce plans today at the Asean summit in Melbourne for a $2bn fund to “turbocharge” trade and investment in south-east Asia, with a focus on clean energy and infrastructure.
Sporting chance | The Greens plan to compulsorily acquire Brisbane’s Eagle Farm racecourse site for $40m to make way for council-owned housing if elected at this month’s city mayoral election.
Hearing loss? | The average toddler is missing out on hearing more than 1,000 words spoken by an adult each day due to screen time, setting back their language skills, a first-of-its kind study has found.
World
Trump win | Donald Trump was wrongly removed from Colorado’s primary ballot last year, the US supreme court has ruled, overturning the state’s top judges. In a rare print interview, Joe Biden said he would beat Trump in a presidential election rematch although the polls suggest he won’t.
Versailles vote | The French parliament has enshrined abortion as a constitutional right in a historic joint session that saw 780 MPs and senators vote in favour of a guaranteed freedom to choose an abortion.
‘Victim blaming’ | The chief executive of oil giant ExxonMobil has claimed that the world will never meet its carbon reduction aims because people are not prepared to pay the real price for cleaner fuel, prompting a backlash from climate experts.
Twins killed | Five-month-old twins who were conceived after three rounds of IVF have been killed in an Israeli airstrike on their family home in Rafah, southern Gaza.
Shadow army | British soldiers are “on the ground” in Ukraine helping Kyiv’s forces fire long-range Storm Shadow missiles, according to a leak in Russian media of a top-secret call involving German air force officers.
Full Story
Can we fix our universities?
After a review found not enough young Australians have access to a university education, Caitlin Cassidy tells Jane Lee about the barriers to university and why we’re at a turning point for repairing higher education.
In-depth
This week marks the 10th anniversary of the disappearance of Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 on its doomed flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. But despite a massive search effort to find the plane in the Indian Ocean, its whereabouts remains one of the 21st century’s enduring mysteries. Now, the man who led Australia’s search effort says we must “go again” to find the Boeing 777 plane – but the government has to fund the new push.
Not the news
After the failure of the voice to parliament referendum, there is a renewed determination among Indigenous artists to air “the hidden histories, the untold stories, the truth-telling” of Australia’s history. It is especially strong in the ancient storytelling tradition of dance and, ahead of a Blak Futures conference at the Adelaide festival this month to discuss new opportunities, Steve Dow talks to pioneers about how the art form can “open people’s hearts and minds”.
The world of sport
AFL | The Giants will win the AFL flag this season, with Collingwood second and Port third, according to our expert’s ladder predictor.
NRL | Baffling rules, shorter breaks in the play and quite a lot of violence were the key takeaways for American sport fans after the NRL games in las Vegas at the weekend.
Premier League | Bruno Fernandes admits it is “going to be hard” for Manchester United to qualify for the Champions League after a painful defeat to local rivals Manchester City.
Media roundup
The cost of two contracts for the M12 motorway project to Sydney’s planned new airport has risen by almost $90m, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. Gangs have taken to arming themselves with military-grade weapons as Mebourne’s tobacco wars hot up, according to the Herald Sun. A judge is going to make a last-minute attempt to avert a costly defamation case by former Liberal minister Linda Reynolds against Brittany Higgins and her partner David Sharaz when the two sides meet in Perth today, the Australian claims. And the Adelaide Advertiser celebrates Matildas fever coming to the city after an absence of five years when the women’s football team play China in an Olympic warmup.
What’s happening today
Melbourne | Asean-Australia 50th anniversary leaders’ summit.
Sydney | Vigil at Waverley Park Bondi at 6pm calling for a truce in the Israel-Gaza war and the return of hostages.
Arts | Biennale of Sydney 2024 Ten Thousand Suns preview.
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Brain teaser
And finally, here are the Guardian’s crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow.
