Morning Mail: Border force ‘not safe for women’, spy chief’s privacy warning, Gaza ‘mass graves’ claim
Morning everyone. Our top story today is an exclusive on a secret report into sexism and bullying in the Australian Border Force that reaches the shocking conclusion that its marine unit is “not safe for women”. We have the full story coming up, plus: police and security officials go on the offensive over social media extremism in the wake of the Elon Musk stoush, as well as the three things that can help the country tackle cancer.
Australia
Out of India | The ABC’s south Asia correspondent, Avani Dias (pictured), has been forced out of India after her reporting fell foul of the Indian government, in a sign of the increasing pressure on journalists in the country under Narendra Modi.
Exclusive | The Australian Border Force’s marine unit is rife with “inappropriate workplace behaviours including sexual harassment and bullying”, meaning female officers are not safe, according to the human rights watchdog.
‘Privacy not absolute’ | Social media companies must do more to stamp out extremism and assist law enforcement to track criminals by opening encrypted communications, the heads of Australia’s federal police and security agencies have urged. With the government’s stoush with Elon Musk still fresh, Asio’s director general, Mike Burgess, will use a major speech to argue “privacy is important but not absolute”, while the AFP commissioner, Reece Kershaw, believes “there is no absolute right to privacy”.
Dutton dilemma | Peter Dutton may face a party room revolt if the opposition elects to support the government’s misinformation bill, with a number of conservative colleagues and lobby groups strongly opposed to the changes.
A-League | The Central Coast Mariners’ star striker Angel Torres has been stood down from playing in the A-League Men after he was charged with sexual assault.
World
Gaza graves | The UN human rights chief, Volker Türk, said he was “horrified” by reports of mass graves containing hundreds of bodies at two of Gaza’s largest hospitals. But Israel’s military has denied burying Palestinian bodies, saying it had exhumed corpses to try to find hostages taken by Hamas.
US protests grow | Senior Republican senators have waded into growing tensions at leading universities over the Israel-Gaza war, demanding the Biden administration send in federal law enforcement officers to curb pro-Palestinian protests that have led to hundreds of arrests.
Trump’s ‘eyes and ears’ | The National Enquirer’s boss, David Pecker, told a New York court about how his organisation acted as the “eyes and ears” for Donald Trump’s 2016 election campaign as the former president attended the second day of his criminal trial over hush-money payments to an adult film star. Judge Juan Merchan held off on deciding whether Trump should be fined $10,000 for violating a gag order designed to protect trial participants.
Russian advances | Russian forces have made significant advances in a narrow corridor in eastern Ukraine as an offensive by Moscow to take territory before western military aid arrives appears to be gathering pace. The UK prime minister, Rishi Sunak, says he is putting the country on a “war footing” by boosting defence spending to 2.5% of GDP as European leaders slowly realise the cost of long wars.
Voyager reboot | Earth’s most distant spacecraft, Voyager 1, has started communicating properly again with Nasa after engineers worked for months to remotely fix the 46-year-old probe.
Full Story
Why wasn’t the Bondi stabbings declared a terrorist act?
In the aftermath of the Bondi Junction and Wakeley stabbing attacks, our political editor, Karen Middleton, tells Nour Haydar why there are calls to redefine terrorism and responses to violence against women.
In-depth
Advocates want government action to enforce access for assistance dogs in public places such as ride-sharing services, with one guide dog user recalling a how an Uber driver sped off with her dog half in the car after refusing to take the fare. “He could have killed my dog,” she said.
Not the news
One in two of us will receive a cancer diagnosis by age 85 and the rest will feel the impact. Our columnist Ranjana Srivastava writes about the new national cancer plan which she helped to formulate, identifying three key planks: optimal care paths, a strong workforce and technological innovation.
The world of sport
A-League | Bayern Munich-bound Adelaide sensation Nestory Irankunda has started taking German lessons, but is happy to let his football do most of the talking for now.
NBA playoffs | LeBron James has rounded on the basketball’s video review system after the Los Angeles Lakers blew a 20-point lead against the Denver Nuggets to leave themselves 2-0 down.
Premier League | Arsenal are taking on Chelsea in a big game in the English league, while Liverpool are interested in appointing Feyenoord’s Arne Slot as their new manager this summer to replace Jürgen Klopp.
Media roundup
The Sydney Morning Herald argues that it’s time for Australia to put “big mouth” Elon Musk in his place in the row about images on X. An award-winning burger chain has become the latest victim of the hospitality industry crisis sweeping South Australia, the Advertiser reports. Sydney radio powerhouse Kyle Sandilands has vowed to conquer Melbourne within a year but it might not be that easy, reckons the Herald Sun.
What’s happening today
Sydney | A 17-year-old charged over last week’s Wakeley church riot will face NSW children’s court.
Social media | The eSafety commissioner and X return to court over a video takedown order, while Reece Kershaw and Mike Burgess address the National Press Club.
Courts | Sentence for two people for their part in a global paedophile ring are due.
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Brain teaser
And finally, here are the Guardian’s crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow.
