Good afternoon. Alex Hawke, an ally of Scott Morrison and a sitting federal MP, could be expelled from the Liberal party over a bitter preselection feud in the lead up to last year’s federal election.
A motion submitted to the NSW Liberal state council claims Hawke delayed preselections, harming the Morrison government’s chances at the 2022 election.
And Twitter and Fox News face fresh lawsuits.
Top news
Australia’s wealthiest couple split | Nicola Forrest is set to become Australia’s second richest woman behind iron ore magnate Gina Rinehart, after her three-decade marriage to Andrew Forrest, the executive chair at Fortescue, ended. Andrew is listed among the world’s 100 wealthiest people, with US$20.3bn (A$29.7bn), according to Forbes.
Federal MP death threat | A 39-year-old homeless man has been charged with sending a death threat to the federal Nationals MP Anne Webster. The man, of no fixed address, was arrested by the Australian federal police at Brisbane international airport on Tuesday.
Microplastics in Australian lake | Brisbane’s Forest Lake was the sixth most polluted lake among 38 tested across the world when it comes to microplastics, with an expert warning others are likely to be in a similar state. Forest Lake has about three plastic particles per cubic metre of water.
First home buyers slash spending | People who bought their first home during the pandemic have cut spending by 30% as interest rates rise, the Commonwealth Bank head, Matt Comyn, says. Comyn told a federal parliamentary inquiry that many households were clearly feeling the strain, hauling in their discretionary spending and dipping into savings.
Suicide link to unemployment | About 10% of suicides are linked to unemployment or low work hours, according to a study by the Brain and Mind Centre at the University of Sydney. The lead author, Adam Skinner, said policymakers should be aware of the link as they pursue inflation targets that could lead to higher unemployment. “Using unemployment as a means of reducing inflation is unethical,” he said. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14.
First Australian witness in White Island trial | An Australian survivor has told a court how her nails were cracked and her skin bubbled in the aftermath of the 2019 eruption on New Zealand’s Whakaari/White Island. The Auckland district court began its third day of hearings for a prosecution brought by New Zealand’s labour inspectorate relating to the eruption, which resulted in the deaths of 22 people, including 14 Australians.
Twitter lawsuit over alleged unpaid severance | Twitter allegedly refused to pay at least US$500m (A$734m) in promised severance to thousands of employees who were laid off after Elon Musk acquired the company, a lawsuit filed in San Francisco claims.
Russian spy chief’s call with CIA director | Russia’s foreign intelligence chief, Sergei Naryshkin, has said that he and his CIA counterpart, Bill Burns, discussed the shortlived mutiny a week earlier by Russian mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin and “what to do with Ukraine” in a phone call late last month. Meanwhile, a senior Russian official says that Sergei Surovikin – the missing Russian general who has not been seen in public since the Wagner mutiny – is “resting”.
Fox News faces new defamation lawsuit | Trump supporter Ray Epps lodged the lawsuit after the former host Tucker Carlson repeatedly called Epps an undercover FBI agent who orchestrated the January 6 insurrection at the US Capitol. Carlson said Epps, an Arizona resident and former marine, “helped stage-manage the insurrection” – a conspiracy he broadcast in nearly 20 episodes.
Full Story
The Matildas’ chance at World Cup glory
The 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup kicks off next week with Australia and New Zealand playing host to 32 teams from around the globe. Guardian Australia’s sports editors Mike Hytner and Jo Khan talk about the fans, the friendlies and fair pay.
What they said …
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“People want to see a bit of gratitude [from Ukraine] … you know, we’re not Amazon.” – Ben Wallace, UK defence secretary
Wallace was responding to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s complaints at not being presented with a formal invitation to join Nato. Jake Sullivan, the US national security adviser, echoed Wallace’s sentiments, arguing that “the American people do deserve a degree of gratitude”. The Ukrainian leader appeared to change tack after the remarks, later saying he was “grateful to all leaders of Nato countries” for their support and help.
In numbers
CEO pay at the 100 largest listed firms averaged at $5.2m in the 2022 financial year – or 55 times more than the typical worker – the Australian Council of Superannuation Investors said in a new report.
Before bed read
A common kitchen irritant: getting stuck with a bunch of spring onions when the recipe only calls for a sprig or two. Well, one tip around this is effortlessly growing your own spring onions on the windowsill and snipping them at your leisure.
Read this for more tips on how to make use of a whole bunch before they get slimy.
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: HAM. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
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