Morning everyone. Our exclusive top story this morning is that Sally Faulkner, who was detained in Lebanon in 2016 with a 60 Minutes crew, has had her children returned to her in Australia, US court documents show. We also preview what looks likely to be a “nasty, toxic” Victorian Liberal council meeting, examine Lachlan Murdoch’s inbox, and look forward to some big football finals.
Australia
-
‘Nasty, toxic’ | The beleaguered Victorian Liberal party is preparing for what could be the “nastiest, most toxic” state council in years tomorrow amid leaks and infighting brought to a head by the Stuart Smith texting scandal.
-
Exclusive | Sally Faulkner, an Australian mother who was detained in Lebanon in 2016 along with 60 Minutes presenter Tara Brown and a Channel Nine crew after a botched “child retrieval”, has had her children returned to her after winning temporary custody in a US court. Faulkner returned to Queensland in January this year with her daughter and son nearly a decade after she last saw them in person, US court documents released to the Guardian show.
-
Autism services | Labor is facing a growing revolt by the states over plans to provide early intervention autism services through a new $2bn national scheme, with Victoria’s disability minister warning children’s rights must not be traded away “for 30 pieces of silver”.
-
‘No apology’ | After spending 1,671 days in prison and almost 30 years trying to clear his name, Queensland’s supreme court decided yesterday that Terry Irving was owed $130,000 in compensation for the ordeal that has consumed his life.
-
‘Bone-headed’ | The former Labor foreign minister Gareth Evans has sent a scathing email to the chief executive of Melbourne University Publishing, lambasting its decision to scrap the literary journal Meanjin as “bone-headed”.
World
-
Shooting find | An urgent hunt is continuing for the shooter who killed rightwing activist Charlie Kirk at an event in Utah the day before, as authorities shared a photograph of the suspect and reported that they believe they have found the weapon used. The shooting has shocked all sides of politics, while MSNBC fired senior political analyst Matthew Dowd after he suggested on air that Kirk’s radical rhetoric may have contributed to his death. You can follow developments live here.
-
Jair Bolsonaro | A majority of Brazil’s supreme court judges have voted to convict the country’s former president of plotting a military coup, leaving the far-right populist facing a decades-long sentence for leading the criminal conspiracy.
-
Mandelson sacked | Keir Starmer has sacked Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the US over his association with Jeffrey Epstein after new detail emerged about Mandelson’s comments that the convicted child sex offender’s first conviction was wrong. It is the latest scandal to beset Mandelson’s political career – and has put the spotlight on Starmer’s political judgment.
-
Lachlan’s inbox | Lachlan Murdoch’s victory in the family succession battle leaves him holding some big questions about key corners of the empire assembled by his father over seven decades, such as a British TV drama about phone hacking and Donald Trump’s lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal.
-
Eurovision boycott | Ireland’s national broadcaster, RTÉ, has decided not to take part in next year’s Eurovision song contest if Israel is a participant.
Full Story
Newsroom edition: is Coalition chaos making life easier for Albanese?
Bridie Jabour talks to Guardian Australia editor Lenore Taylor, deputy editor Patrick Keneally and head of newsroom Mike Ticher about who is holding Labor to account when the Coalition is constantly in chaos.
Full Story
Newsroom edition: is the Coalition chaos making life easier for Albanese?
In-depth
Health ministers will meet in Perth today to debate the future of Australia’s fertility clinics after a series of scandals in Queensland. Among the issues is sperm donations dating back years being used for many women, leading to some people such as Jessica Hamilton discovering they have dozens of half-brothers and sisters.
Not the news
Five years after wowing critics with her album of Bob Dylan covers, Australian singer-songwriter Emma Swift is back with her first collection of original material. She tells Andrew Stafford about her huge success, fall into obscurity and now her long-awaited return.
after newsletter promotion
Sport
-
Rugby league | The NRL finals begin tonight with the Storm taking on the Bulldogs and if you don’t know your Jaylan De Groots from your Jaiyden Hunts, Alex McKinnon has this guide to each team.
-
AFL | If the Adelaide Crows can beat Hawthorn in their elimination final tonight and go on to win the flag, it would go some way to heal the pain of losing coach Phil Walsh 10 years ago, writes Geoff Lemon.
-
Premier League | Ange Postecoglou said he knew Tottenham would sack him in advance of their Europa League triumph as he spoke ahead of his first match in charge of Nottingham Forest.
According to the Australian, the economic consultancy that modelled Labor’s 43% 2030 emissions reduction target expects the government to release a 2035 target in the “low to mid 60s”. Muslim groups are calling for a rethink of religious discrimination and approaches to counter-terrorism ahead of the release of along-awaited Islamophobia report, per the ABC. Behaviour in council meetings is the worst one veteran has ever seen, according to the Adelaide Advertiser. And more towers are planned for Palm Beach despite the scrapping of the light rail extension, the Gold Coast Bulletin reports.
What’s happening today
-
Diplomacy | Pacific Islands Forum leaders’ meeting.
-
South Australia | Public hearing over toxic algal bloom.
-
North West Shelf | Decision due for application to protect rock art at Murujuga.
Sign up
If you would like to receive this Morning Mail update to your email inbox every weekday, sign up here, or finish your day with our Afternoon Update newsletter. You can follow the latest in US politics by signing up for This Week in Trumpland.
Brain teaser
And finally, here are the Guardian’s crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow.