Morning Mail: grim find in Mexico sheds light on missing surfers; budget help for student work placements; Israel shutters Al Jazeera
Good morning. Mexican authorities say three men found dead in a remote well in Baja California – believed to be the two Australians and an American who disappeared on a surfing holiday – were killed by gunshots to the head. The bodies are expected to be formally identified today by family members. Guardian Australia will bring you the latest through the day as we learn more.
Meanwhile, there’s money in the budget to pay students on mandatory work placements, Facebook is turning off the news tap for Australians (and replacing it with memes), and Israel has shut down the local offices of Al Jazeera.
Australia
Whale song | Australian scientists who spent two decades listening to the distinctive songs and calls of Antarctic blue whales – the largest that have ever lived – are delighted by hints of a resurgence in the species after numbers dwindled to just a few hundred.
Placement payment | Student teachers, nurses, midwives and social workers will receive a $320 weekly payment during their mandatory placements under a new cost-of-living measure in this month’s budget.
Social media | Amid fears Meta might again enact a ban on news content on Facebook, Guardian data analysis suggests that engagement with posts from news organisations is already dead, as memes fill the space.
Deportation bill | The Greens are out to kill the controversial deportation legislation they hate while the opposition is yet to finalise its position – it could be a budget week blockbuster, writes Paul Karp.
Customer data | The Australian privacy commissioner warned that third-party suppliers are “a real weak spot” for protecting customer privacy after Australian user details were compromised in a leak of supplier data held by NSW and ACT clubs.
World
Al Jazeera | Israeli authorities shut down the local offices of Al Jazeera, hours after a government vote to use new laws to close the satellite news network’s operations in the country.
Murder in Mexico | The three bodies believed to be those of the two Australians and an American who went missing in Baja California were killed with gunshots to the head. María Elena Andrade Ramírez, the state’s attorney general, said the missing men may have been attacked by people who wanted to steal their car.
Gaza ceasefire | Israeli officials ramped up pressure on Hamas, threatening a new onslaught on Gaza “in the very near future” if the militant organisation did not accept newly proposed terms for a ceasefire.
Rishi Sunak | The UK prime minister will face pressure to adopt hard rightwing policies such as an immigration cap and scrapping European human rights law this week, with one of his MPs, Suella Braverman, saying he needs to “own and fix” disastrous local election results.
US politics | “I’m tired of politicians pretending to be what they’re not,” said the South Dakota governor and Republican vice-presidential hopeful, Kristi Noem, as she defended her admission that she once killed a dog.
Full Story
Why are Australian schools failing children with disabilities?
The number of disabled students recognised as needing greater learning support has grown to almost 1 million nationally. But these children are increasingly being suspended from schools, including some as young as five. Investigative reporter Sarah Martin explains to Jane Lee how Australia’s education system has reached crisis point.
In-depth
The 5,614km dog fence that runs from South Australia to southern Queensland has a 32km gap, and work to bridge it has prompted discussion about whether the tool to keep wild dogs and dingoes out is still essential and should even been extended – or is past its usefulness.
For farmers, the fence has become part of the landscape, a key plank in protecting livestock against dingoes and wild dogs. But some ecologists say the fence is a colonial legacy that is doing more harm than good – and it should be taken down.
Not the news
For the past five years, bragging rights over the world’s longest baguette have belonged not to the residents of a small village or a city in France, but rather (sacré bleu!) to a clutch of bakers 500 miles away in Como, Italy. It was an affront to France, where 320 baguettes are sold every second.
On Sunday a crop of 12 bakers from France set out to settle the score, spending 14 hours kneading, shaping and baking their way back to victory. The world record now stands at 140.53m. Hopefully they also had a really big bit of cheese.
The world of sport
AFL | As the Demons handed the Cats their first loss of the AFL season, Melbourne entertained as much as contained to beat Geelong with their own game, writes Jonathan Horn for Sportblog.
Premier League | Liverpool beat Tottenham 4-2 in a match marred by a half-time row between Spurs defenders that Ange Postecoglou claims not to be worried by. Chelsea beat West Ham 5-0; Brighton beat Aston Villa 1-0.
Athletics | A squad anchored by Australia’s fastest woman Torrie Lewis smashed the national 4x100m record for the second time this year to claim an automatic spot at the Paris Olympics.
Climate crisis | Here’s how the climate crisis is changing global sport, with nations such as Kenya among those worried about the effects of global heating – not only for their countries but also for their athletes.
Media roundup
The Herald Sun previews Victoria’s state budget on Tuesday. Private school boys in Melbourne were suspended after ranking female classmates, the Age reports.
What’s happening today
David McBride | The war crimes whistleblower will be sentenced after pleading guilty.
Meteor shower | If you missed it today, early morning tomorrow should be a good time to see the Eta Aquariids, the first of the year’s two main southern hemisphere meteor showers, when the moon won’t be brightening the sky.
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Brain teaser
And finally, here are the Guardian’s crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow.
