Morning everyone. South Korea has been plunged into political turmoil after the country’s president declared martial law, prompting a furious response from opponents – and his own party – in parliament and on the streets of Seoul. We have the latest news for you.
Plus: private schools with some of the wealthiest parents in Australia continue to be handed millions in taxpayers’ money, how employment agencies are failing people with disabilities and a fascinating read on Gout Gout, Australia’s teenage sprint sensation who’s fast becoming … really fast.
Australia
Ham truths | The basic versions of many supermarket hams scored better than their fancier counterparts, according to the consumer advocacy group Choice – with one premium ham “smelling like a Frankfurt sausage”.
Out-classed | The 20 private schools with the wealthiest parent cohorts in the country received a combined total of $130m in government funding last year, new data reveals. Meanwhile, Naplan results show Auburn North public school in Sydney outperformed others, despite English not being the first language for 98% of students.
Not working | A handful of major employment service providers have failed to adequately support Australians with disabilities in the job market as the federal government hands down its first public report card on the industry.
Nuclear split | Men and women are sharply split in attitudes towards nuclear energy, with women much more likely to say they don’t support it or think the risks are too great, a poll of 6,000 people shows.
Poll woe | Just 38% of Australian voters have confidence in the federal government, a level approaching the lows before Scott Morrison was voted out of office in May 2022.
World
‘Anti-state forces’ | People massed outside the South Korean parliament to protest the shock declaration of martial law by the country’s president, Yoon Suk Yeol, in an unannounced late-night televised address (pictured). He blamed “shameless pro-North Korean anti-state forces” for trying to “plunder the freedom and happiness of our people”, but the opposition condemned the move with an emergency motion in the national assembly, which passed in a unanimous vote from the lawmakers present. Follow developments live.
Syria surge | Syrian insurgents have launched attacks in the central province of Hama, threatening to cut off government troops from a key route linking the capital, Damascus, with rebel-held Aleppo.
Oui ou non | French lawmakers will vote in about 24 hours on a no-confidence motion that is all but certain to oust the fragile coalition of Michel Barnier.
Tipping point | The fight by a computer expert from Newport in south Wales to recover around £500m worth of bitcoin (approx A$1.1bn) he says was accidentally thrown into a council tip has finally reached court, where he hopes to win the right to excavate the tip.
‘Truly sorry’ | The boss of the Japanese bank Nomura has apologised and taken a voluntary pay cut after a former employee was charged with robbery and attempted murder of a customer.
Full Story
Is Australia’s federal election closer than we think?
Nour Haydar speaks to Paul Karp about what the government achieved – and compromised on – in last week’s frenetic parliamentary session, and what Anthony Albanese could now be weighing up as he decides when voters will head to the polls.
In-depth
The return of Donald Trump to the White House is expected to have a vast impact both domestically and around the world, potentially reshaping everything from geopolitics to abortion rights and vaccination levels to the environment. Using charts and maps, our data team try to illustrate what’s at stake in another Trump term. Plus, can the world’s trade police – the WTO – survive another Trump term?
Not the news
In her column this week, Ranjana Srivastava reflects on her relationship with her father, a physicist, and how his tough choices were “the making” of her, especially in education. So, for his 80th birthday, the family have given him a gift that he seemed to like much more than swanky dinners and fancy laptops – a science award endowed in his name at an Australian public high school.
Sport
Athletics | Australia’s athletics community is getting very excited about a 16-year-old sprinter named Gout Gout who is already being compared with the great Usain Bolt and who could peak in time for his home Olympics in 2032.
Cycling | The Belgian double Olympic cycling champion Remco Evenepoel suffered fractures to a rib, right shoulder blade and hand after crashing into an open door of a postal vehicle while he was on a training ride.
Football | Ipswich take on Crystal Palace and Leicester entertain West Ham in the first of this midweek’s clashes.
Media roundup
The Catholic church is descending into civil war over the fallout from an anti-abortion speech at the Australian Catholic University earlier this year, the Sydney Morning Herald claims. Sellers are slashing prices amid a surge in homes going up for sale, the Financial Review reports. An exclusive in the Adelaide Advertiser claims children as young as 12 are becoming addicted to meth. Thousands of Victorians will be able to access robotic surgery after the state lifted a ban on the practice, according to the Age.
What’s happening today
Courts | High court judgments in a number of immigration detention cases are due at 10am.
Economy | National income figures will be delivered at 11.30am.
Education | The MySchool website will update with this year’s Naplan data.
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Brain teaser
And finally, here are the Guardian’s crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow.
