Good morning. With those born between 1981 and 1996 becoming the first generation worse off than their parents – in the face of rising house prices, a decade of wage stagnation and ballooning student debt – Guardian Australia today launches the first two episodes of a new podcast series: Who screwed millennials?
Generational inequality is not a concocted culture war but a tangible economic and political divide which has the potential to worsen divisions, Jill Filipovic, author of OK Boomer, Let’s Talk: How My Generation Got Left Behind, says.
Meanwhile, Islamic State’s videos of its deadly Moscow attack corroborate the group’s claim of responsibility, and climate-conscious investors put nuclear energy at the bottom of their investment wish list.
Australia
Energy | Nuclear energy ranks dead last on the list of climate technologies to which big institutional investors want exposure, a survey of climate conscious investors with $37tn under management said.
Net zero | Western Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions are rising with little sign that the main power grid can decarbonise rapidly, leaving other states to make bigger cuts if Australia’s legislated carbon reduction goals are to be met.
Housing | Homeowners are facing legal action and bankruptcy, sometimes after just one missed payment, as strata managers increasingly use litigation as a first resort during a cost-of-living crisis.
First homes | Young couples would struggle to scrape together a 20% deposit for a home in Sydney or Melbourne even if they were allowed to completely drain their super, new research by super funds revealed.
Justice | Community legal centres turned away more than 1,000 people every day last year due to budget constraints and short staffing – twice the number they were able to help – as need for their assistance grew.
World
Moscow attack | Islamic State released videos of the attack on the Crocus City concert hall outside Moscow that left 137 people dead, corroborating the terror group’s claim to have masterminded the slaughter even as Russia sought to place the blame on Ukraine, which Kyiv denies.
Donald Trump | The former president’s hush-money trial over his payments to Stormy Daniels is becoming increasingly mired in delays. Meanwhile, seizing Trump’s New York properties – in lieu of a fine he says he can’t pay – will not be easy for the state’s attorney general.
Israel-Gaza war | Israeli forces besieged two more hospitals in Gaza, pinning down medical teams under heavy gunfire, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent.
Irish politics | Simon Harris, 37, will become Ireland’s youngest prime minister after the leadership race in his Fine Gael party ended without any other candidates coming forward.
Garçons! | 200 Parisian waiters speed-walked a 2km route carrying – in one hand – a tray holding a coffee, croissant and glass of water during the city’s revived Course des Cafés (cafe race).
Full Story
Who screwed millennials? A generation left behind
With rising house prices, a decade of wage stagnation and ballooning student debt, young people in Australia are living through what author Jill Filipovic describes as “a series of broken promises”. Guardian Australia today launches the first two episodes of a new series in which Jane Lee and Matilda Boseley investigate why young people are living in a time of such economic strain.
In their first episode, they consult the experts on how millennials became the first generation to be worse off than their parents. And in the second they ask: who screwed millennials out of affordable housing?
Meanwhile, series producer Miles Herbert says it took working on the podcast about what’s happening to young people for him to let go of the idealism about his future and face the sobering reality that the life his parents led would never be his.
In-depth
Since its launch 15 years ago, the dating app Grindr has become a lifeline for rainbow communities in countries where being gay or bisexual can be dangerous – as well as a “crash course” in objectification, according to one young British user.
As Grindr took off in the mid-2010s, gay bars in many cities around the world were closing at rapid rates. Now, it operates in 190 countries worldwide.
Not the news
In his new column, Fit for ever, Phil Daoust (pictured), poses the question: Can a late convert to wellbeing undo decades of beer and barbecues? After spending most of his 20s, 30s and 40s underactive and overindulging, Daoust – now 60 – says he’s chasing a (half-serious) resolution to be fit and happy until he’s 100.
The world of sport
Formula One | Carlos Sainz (pictured) has won the Australian Grand Prix as Max Verstappen retired early, while Lewis Hamilton lamented the race as the worst F1 start of his career.
Rallying | A rally car veered off the road and crashed into a group of spectators in Hungary, killing four and injuring several others, police said.
Women’s cricket | Australia (98-4) thumped Bangladesh (97) by six wickets as Sophie Molineux made a triumphant ODI return in the second game in Dhaka.
Sheffield Shield | Western Australia’s cricket team sealed their third straight Sheffield Shield win with 10 wickets in a lopsided decider against Tasmania.
Media roundup
The Mercury goes in-depth on Tasmania’s election results. The Australian’s latest Newspoll results say Federal Labor is drifting toward minority government at the next election. The ABC says 90,000 more construction workers are needed for the government’s goal of 1.2m new homes.
What’s happening today
Croatian Six | The second block of public hearings is scheduled in Sydney for a judicial inquiry into the convictions of the “Croatian Six”, who were arrested in 1979 over an alleged terror plot.
Veterans | The royal commission into defence and veteran suicide is conducting its final public hearings, winding up on 28 March.
Slavery | It’s the International Day of Remembrance of Slavery Victims and the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Here’s the Guardian’s 2023 reckoning with its role in the matter.
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Brain teaser
And finally, here are the Guardian’s crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow.
