Morning Mail: Wong pushes two-state solution; warning over rightwing extremism; ancient pottery find
Good morning. Penny Wong says recognition of a Palestinian state is “the only hope to break the endless cycle of violence” in the Middle East – and that a two-state solution would help ensure Israel’s long-term security while undermining Hamas. The foreign minister used her speech to the ANU National Security College conference to again urge Israel to abandon plans for a ground invasion of Rafah and warned of imminent starvation among besieged Palestinians.
Meanwhile, the security agency Asio has informed a Senate inquiry of an uptick in activity from rightwing hate groups “who want to trigger a so-called ‘race war’” in Australia.
And: groundbreaking archaeological research may have upended the longstanding belief that Aboriginal Australians did not make pottery.
Australia
‘We have seen an uptick’ | Asio has warned a Senate inquiry of a rise in activity by rightwing extremists who are inspired by the Christchurch mosque massacre and want to trigger “race war” in Australia.
Diplomacy | The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, says the recognition of a Palestinian state is the only hope “to break the endless cycle of violence” in the Middle East, in a speech urging progress towards a two-state solution.
‘A new chapter’ | The discovery of 82 pottery pieces dated at up to 3,000 years old at a dig site on a Great Barrier Reef island may have overturned the belief Aboriginal Australians did not make pottery.
Education | Public schools will miss out on $13bn in the next five years if Scott Morrison-era “accounting tricks” are maintained in upcoming funding agreements, a major report has found.
Brew-haha | As the coffee industry grapples with pressure amid inflation, rising prices for beans and wages growth, should Australians be paying $5.50 – or more – for a cup of coffee?
World
Gaza crisis | The UK will not suspend arms exports to Israel, David Cameron says; Germany has defended accusations at the UN’s highest court that is aiding genocide in Gaza by arming Israel; and why is Joe Biden reluctant to stop sending arms to Israel?
Abortion rights | Arizona’s supreme court has reinstated a near-total abortion ban law from 1864, in a ruling that could make the state one of the biggest battlefields in the 2024 electoral fight.
Peter Higgs | The Nobel prize-winning physicist who discovered a new particle known as the Higgs boson, which helped bind the universe together by giving particles their mass, has died aged 94.
Landmark climate case | Europe’s court of human rights has ruled that Switzerland violated the rights of a group of older Swiss women through weak climate policies that left them more at risk from heatwaves.
‘Deepfake’ porn | The US congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has described the resurfacing of trauma and recounted her horror at seeing explicit materials with her image transposed on to them.
Full Story
What is Reddit really worth?
Reddit is one of the last mainstream social media platforms that still resembles something of how the internet used to be. A place where humour abounds, niche interests are obsessed over, gossip is traded and viral videos are spread. But for how much longer? Alex Hern talks with Helen Pidd about the possible impacts of its listing on the New York Stock Exchange.
In-depth
Liability, imputations and truth: when Justice Michael Lee hands down his decision in the Bruce Lehrmann v Ten & Ors defamation case, it will say whether the defendant has established, on the balance of probabilities, that Lehrmann raped Brittany Higgins in then defence minister Linda Reynolds’ office in 2019. We take a look at the steps he must take to reach a verdict.
Not the news
While hitchhiking to Darwin in 1987, Anna Broinowski was kidnapped and assaulted by truckies drunk and high on amphetamines along a desolate stretch of road known as Death Highway. For 30 years she saw the attack as character-building, and didn’t identify as a victim. But the author of Datsun Angel shares how #MeToo gave her a crucial new perspective.
The world of sport
Football | Nestory Irankunda having agency over his future is a good thing for Australian football, writes Joey Lynch.
Champions League | Real Madrid took on Manchester City and Arsenal faced Bayern Munich in the first leg matches of the competition’s quarter-finals.
‘There’s a risk’ | The president of the Paris 2024 Olympics has admitted the triathlon swimming leg could be cancelled due to the Seine’s water quality.
Media roundup
Insolvencies in the retail sector have more than doubled in the past two years, with more retailers shutting up shop for good as the cost-of-living crisis cripples household spending, reports ABC News. A man who lost his nose to cancer has been given a “new sense of freedom” after doctors in Sydney harnessed 3D printing technology to create a prosthesis for him, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. A long-awaited investor compensation scheme offering up to $150,000 to consumers who have experienced misconduct is now operating, reports the Age.
What’s happening today
NSW | Hearings continue in a case involving a transgender woman suing a social media site for alleged discrimination.
Eid al-Fitr | Celebrations after the end of Ramadan.
ABS | The Australian Bureau of Statistics is to release its latest data on building activity and causes of death.
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Brain teaser
And finally, here are the Guardian’s crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow.
