Morning everyone. Donald Trump has ordered the US Navy to try to guide stranded ships through the strait of Hormuz, leading to reported clashes with Iranian vessels and Iranian rockets launched at the UAE. We have reports and analysis.
With more pain expected for borrowers today, we ask how long Anthony Albanese can hold back the groundswell in Labor ranks for taxes on gas exports, and deliver the second part of our deep dive into Labor’s time in power.
Plus: why we should think about stopping taking so many pills.
Australia
EV boost | Labor has opted to retain its electric vehicle tax break in full for another year as Australians rush to buy EVs amid soaring fuel costs.
Propertied class | Property investor borrowing rose at its fastest rate in a decade in March despite rate hikes and speculation about property tax changes.
Payback time | One in four humanities students will take more than 25 years to fully repay their student loans because of Morrison government changes to university fees, Treasury modelling reveals.
Keeping track | The New South Wales government will criminalise the secret monitoring of another person after a report found that a quarter of people who buy tracking devices are domestic violence offenders.
Back in black? | The Victorian budget is handed down today and Labor is boasting a modest operating surplus – but that doesn’t include infrastructure or other capital spending.
World
Leipzig deaths | Two people have been killed and two severely injured when a car ran into a crowd in the centre of the eastern German city of Leipzig, according to local media reports.
Freedom isn’t free | Donald Trump’s “Project Freedom” order to open a route through the strait of Hormuz for hundreds of ships trapped in the Gulf has brought the region back to the brink of full-scale war as Iran seeks to reassert its blockade. The world’s shipping industry has questioned whether vessels will be able to travel safely to and from the Gulf. Trump’s latest idea could turn out to be a fast track to a resumption of hostilities, our world editor predicts. Follow developments live.
Europe hope | Europe will not submit to a more “brutal world” and can instead be the base from which a new international order can be rebuilt, Mark Carney has told the European Political Community summit in Armenia.
Modi victory | Narendra Modi’s party has won a resounding election victory in West Bengal, a state that had been a rare opposition stronghold, expanding the Indian prime minister’s already significant power.
Dolly doubt | Dolly Parton has cancelled her Las Vegas residency over ongoing health issues, the 80-year-old saying she still had some “healing to do”.
Full Story
‘Hope shifted to grief’: the death of Kumanjayi Little Baby
Indigenous affairs reporter Douglas Smith speaks to Nour Haydar about the charges facing Jefferson Lewis and how the community is grieving.
In-depth
It looks increasingly remote that next week’s budget will include a tax on gas exports as the prime minister tries to maintain good relations with east Asian governments. But how long can he hold back the pressure for action, asks Dan Jervis-Bardy, who also examines how Labor’s Left have morphed from firebrands to centrists.
Not the news
In her weekly column, our resident doctor, Ranjana Srivastava, says that the next time you visit your doctor you should ask about “de-prescribing” medicines that are no longer needed.
Sport
Surfing | Steph Gilmore rolled back the years and sparked bedlam on her home beach in the Gold Coast when the 38-year-old was again crowned queen of Snapper Rocks.
Formula One | Formula One is under increasing pressure to consider immediate rule changes with the world champion, Lando Norris, saying: “Get rid of the battery”.
Football | Manchester City must win at Everton this morning as they seek to keep pace with Arsenal at the top of the Premier League. Earlier, Chelsea lost 3-1 at home to Forest and in Scotland Hearts moved a step closer to the title.
Media roundup
The Sydney Morning Herald boasts exclusive videos showing flooding at the troubled Snowy 2.0 project. A woman’s body has been found after a kayaking accident south of Cairns, the Post reports. NSW’s central west region is braced for its first snowfall of the year as a cold front hits, the Western Advocate reports.
What’s happening today
Courts | Pre-trial hearing for Alan Jones in Sydney.
Canberra | Climate activists protest at Parliament House for a tax on gas exports as the Japanese prime minister continues her visit.
Melbourne | Victorian budget handed down this afternoon.
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Brain teaser
And finally, here are the Guardian’s crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow.
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