Morning everyone. The Albanese government faces an uphill battle trying to push through changes to federal nature laws amid cross-party opposition – we have the latest on this political tug-of-war on a critical issue.
JD Vance has called the Israeli parliament’s West Bank plans an “insult”, we have incredible footage of an experiment showing how fast snakes can bite, and David Gulpilil’s extraordinary, 4,000km, 10-month Journey Home.
Australia
Snake strike | A study of 36 species of venomous snake, filming them at 1,000 frames a second as they struck an object made to resemble human skin and muscle, has revealed that snakes sink their fangs into prey as quickly as 60 milliseconds.
Law of nature | The Albanese government may need to cough up major concessions to either the Coalition or the Greens to overhaul federal nature laws after the two parties ruled out supporting the current plan.
Exclusive | About 44,000 Australians who have a debt with Centrelink have overpaid it, some by $20,000 or more, Guardian Australia can reveal. The average amount was about $5,000, said Economic Justice Australia, which obtained the figures from Services Australia.
Spycop ‘deceit’ | A British woman who now lives in Australia has told a public inquiry in London that she was left devastated and deeply mistrustful of police after a Met undercover officer deceived her into an intimate relationship at a young age.
Home win | A Westpac worker’s victory in a court case this week about her right to work from home could lead to more successful challenges to office working mandates. Jonathan Barrett explains what’s going on.
World
Vance warning | The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has ordered a halt to the advancement of parliamentary bills linked to the annexation of the West Bank after the US vice-president, JD Vance, described a vote in the Knesset as an “insult”.
Putin ‘pain’ | Vladimir Putin has said Russia will never bow to US pressure but conceded new oil sanctions could cause economic pain. The EU has agreed on its 19th set of sanctions against Russia, including its first-ever measures targeting Russian LNG.
‘Obviously unqualified’ | Donald Trump picked Kristi Noem as homeland security secretary as a favour to his former campaign manager despite objections that she was “obviously unqualified”, according to a new book. Meanwhile the president has pardoned the jailed Binance crypto boss Changpeng Zhao, and he has cancelled plans to send federal troops to San Francisco. Keep up to date here.
Historical verdict | The only British army veteran ever charged in relation to Bloody Sunday, a seminal moment in the Troubles in 1972, has been found not guilty of murder and attempted murder. The acquittal of “Soldier F” came despite the judge finding paratroopers had “lost all sense of military discipline” and shot unarmed civilians fleeing from them.
King’s prayer | King Charles has made history after becoming the first reigning British monarch to pray publicly with a pope since Henry VIII split from Rome. The joint prayer in the Sistine Chapel was a symbolic act of rapprochement.
Full Story
Newsroom edition: a win for Albanese, but when it rains it pours for Sussan Ley
Bridie Jabour talks to the editor, Lenore Taylor, the national news editor, Josephine Tovey, and the head of newsroom, Mike Ticher, about what Anthony Albanese and Sussan Ley’s two very different weeks tell us about the state of Australian politics.
In-depth
Over two days of inquiry in Victoria this week, cult survivors and experts have painted a disturbing picture of “high-control” groups, how they recruit and what impact they have on members. Benita Kolovos hears how people suffered emotional, physical and financial abuse, and the attraction of “simple solutions to complex problems”.
Not the news
Before his death in 2021, the Indigenous actor David Gulpilil asked that he be laid to rest in his ancestral home in remote East Arnhem Land. His family used planes, boats, vans and helicopters to transport his casket 4,000km on a journey that lasted 10 months. The result is Journey Home and it’s in cinemas from next week.
Sport
Cricket | Cooper Connolly, Matt Short and Mitch Owen produced career-best ODI knocks to steer Australia to a tense two-wicket win against India in Adelaide last night to give their side an unassailable 2-0 series lead. In the Women’s World Cup, India beat New Zealand to clinch the last semi-final place.
Rugby union | Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt has rested a host of stalwart campaigners and changed all but two of his starting side for Saturday’s Test against Eddie Jones’s Japan, which opens Australia’s end-of-season tour.
Basketball | The NBA has found itself associated with illegal gambling again after two prominent stars were arrested in a sweeping federal investigation into a poker operation linked to the mafia and a scheme to manipulate games.
Athletics | The women’s marathon world record-holder, Ruth Chepngetich, has been banned for three years after the Athletics Integrity Unit rejected her claim that her failed drugs test came from taking her housemaid’s medication.
Media roundup
The workplace tribunal system is being swamped by a huge increase in unfair dismissal claims, the Fin Review reports, as employers blame workers trying to win payouts rather than settle grievances. The Age claims an exclusive insight into what the US wants out of Aukus, other than $368bn. The Telegraph says “nimby objectors” have lost a battle to prevent Justin Hemmes turning CBD heritage-listed buildings into a nightlife precinct.
What’s happening today
Economy | The NSW premier, Chris Minns, and the RBA boss, Michele Bullock, headline the Bradfield Oration on Sydney’s role in the nation’s economy.
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Brain teaser
And finally, here are the Guardian’s crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow.
