Morning everyone. Phew. The Ashes may have been merely retained, but the Matildas are still on track to enter Australia’s sporting pantheon after they progressed to the knockout stages in fine style. We’ve got news and reaction to the football – and the cricket as Australia lost the final Test to draw a pulstating series 2-2. Away from the sporting world, UN advisers say the Great Barrier Reef remains under “serious threat”, the nation waits for the Reserve Bank’s latest rates decision, and how Australian law influenced a landmark murder case in Cyprus.
Australia
Reef reprieve | UN scientific advisers have recommended the Great Barrier Reef not be placed on a list of world heritage sites “in danger” but stressed the planet’s biggest coral reef system remains under “serious threat” from global heating and water pollution.
Yes ‘failing’ | The yes campaign for the Indigenous voice to parliament referendum is outspending voice opponents on social media, but has been criticised for failing to counter the no camp’s more targeted tactics.
Doctor’s orders | The peak body for training GPs is considering streamlining its system for approving medical graduates from overseas to help tackle the growing doctor shortage.
Seven order | Seven West Media chairman Kerry Stokes and his commercial director Bruce McWilliam have been ordered by a court to hand over thousands of emails exchanged with Ben Roberts-Smith’s legal team and other documents relating to the soldier’s failed defamation action.
Rate split | Analysts are split over the prospect of another increase in the cash rate at today’s Reserve Bank monthly meeting today, amid fresh signs the property price rebound is losing steam.
World
‘Wahre Kosten’ | Penny, a leading discount supermarket in Germany, has begun a week-long experiment to raise the prices of a selection of its products to reflect their real cost – “wahre Kosten” – to the environment, with some rising by up to 74%. In the UK, figures show the use of single-use supermarket plastic bags has fallen 98% since retailers in England began charging for them in 2015.
Climate cost | Environmental groups have warned the UK’s climate commitments are under threat after prime minister Rishi Sunak approved 100 new North Sea oil and gas licences to extract as much oil and gas from the North Sea as possible.
Copper pot | A senior Metropolitan police commander who wrote the force’s drug strategy regularly smoked cannabis before going to work, a UK tribunal has heard, and lived in a flat that was “like an Amsterdam coffee shop”.
Climbing death | A man identified as the French climber Remi Lucidi has been found dead in Hong Kong and is believed to have fallen from a high-rise building while attempting a stunt.
Zoo denial | A zoo in eastern China has denied suggestions that some of its sun bears could be humans dressed in costumes, after video of one standing on its hind legs was posted online.
Full Story
Why ugly food can help save the planet (and your pennies)
Nick Evershed and Mostafa Rachwani look at why it’s not necessarily cheaper to shop at the big two supermarket chains, and food waste researcher Lukas Parker on how “ugly food” can save you money.
In-depth
A British retired miner, David Hunter, has been sentenced to two years in prison for the manslaughter of his seriously ill wife in Cyprus but has been released from custody due to time already served. Lawyers for David Hunter used case law from all over the world – including Australia – to argue that he was not guilty of murder in a case that has forced the former British colony to confront euthanasia.
Not the news
Twenty years ago, Sydney police raided Balmain Town Hall and prevented the screening of the American film Ken Park, which had been deemed unfit for classification because of its sexual content. Simon Miraudo explains why the protest screening by revered film critic Margaret Pomeranz is a centrepiece of his book on film censorship in Australia.
The world of sport
‘We will win for you’ | The Matildas have silenced the doubters with an emphatic 4-0 hammering of Canada to turbocharge their push for the Women’s World Cup – and they didn’t even need Sam Kerr after promising to win for their still-recovering captain. A packed stadium in Melbourne saw Australia destroy the Olympic champions and set up a last 16 showdown next Monday night. With millions watching on TV and at fan sites, it looks like Australia has discovered a new way to come together.
The Ashes | Australia came close to pulling off a sensational run chase in the final Test at the Oval but fell short as their nemesis in England, Stuart Broad, took the final two wickets to seal a thrilling 49-run victory and square the series 2-2.
Formula One | After another Grand Prix victory at the weekend, the dominance of Max Verstappen and Red Bull is becoming a problem for the sport.
Women’s World Cup | Georgia Stanway is expected to step across to be England’s midfield pivot in place of the injured Keira Walsh when they play China later today. Avoid defeat and they also avoid the Matildas next Monday.
Media roundup
There’s a generational split on immigration, the Australian reports, with a poll showing the over-55s favour cutting the intake. Commuters on Sydney’s troubled Bankstown line face a whole year of replacement buses while it is converted to take driverless trains, the Sydney Morning Herald says. Police in Tasmania have appealed for help in identifying the remains of 71 people kept in a facility in the state – some of them for decades – the Mercury says. Herald Sun sticks the boot into the Logies, calling it a “four-hour snoozefest” with “D-list celebrities in rented ball gowns to incoherent presenters to hapless has-beens”.
What’s happening today
Economy | RBA board meeting and rate announcement at 2.30pm.
Canberra | Northern Territory chief minister Natasha Fyles speaks at the National Press Club.
Darwin | A man and women are in court over the death of an Indigenous pedestrian.
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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.
