Afternoon! The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has criticised the pro-Palestine protests outside Labor offices, claiming these “actions to intimidate have no place in democracy”.
Protest actions have included vandalism at Bill Shorten’s office, a storming of the Victorian Labor conference, and a sit-in outside Albanese’s Marrickville office in New South Wales.
The Australia Palestine Advocacy Network, which has no role in organising the protests, accused the prime minister of putting more effort “into discrediting protesters, [and] silencing dissent … than into addressing the root causes of public discontent – Israel’s genocide and Australia’s inconsistent … response to it”.
Meanwhile, San Francisco police arrested up to 70 pro-Palestine protesters after they occupied the lobby of a building that houses the Israeli consulate. They have since been released from San Francisco county jail.
Top news
Arrest warrant issued for Aboriginal activist who says he is not an Australian citizen | A Hobart magistrate issued the warrant for Jim Everett-puralia meenamatta after he refused to attend court on protest-related charges because he does not consider himself an Australian citizen. The activist was charged with trespassing in March over an anti-forestry protest in Tasmania’s Styx Valley of the Giants.
Foreign nationals to be eligible for ADF, beginning July | The Labor government has expanded ADF eligibility to include permanent residents who have been in Australia for 12 months, starting from July 2024. New Zealanders are first up and from January 2025, UK, US and Canadian-born permanent residents will become eligible to apply. The opposition’s defence spokesperson, Andrew Hastie, described the plan as a “half-baked idea”.
P&O Cruises Australia to shut down early next year | After nearly a century of voyages, P&O will cease to exist come March 2025. Its parent company, Carnival Corporation & plc, says it will integrate P&O into its sister line, Carnival Cruise Line.
NSW police urged to improve mental health training | A parliamentary inquiry into mental health care across NSW made the recommendations after finding police involvement in mental health crises could cause further distress and had been harmful in a “significant number of cases”.
Italy to send air defence system to Ukraine | The Italian-French Samp/T system, also known as Mamba, can track dozens of targets and intercept 10 at once. It is the only European-made system that can intercept ballistic missiles.
X changes porn policy | Elon Musk’s X now officially allows pornographic content on its platform but says it will block adult and violent posts from being seen by users who are under 18 or who do not opt in to see it. The decision comes after regulator pressure around the world to better protect children from inappropriate content.
Brazil floods made worse by burning fossil fuels and trees | The unusually intense, prolonged and extensive flooding that has devastated southern Brazil was made at least twice as likely by human burning of fossil fuels and trees, a study has shown. The record disaster has led to 169 deaths, ruined homes and wrecked harvests.
Far-right outlet Epoch Times accused of money laundering | The US justice department announced an indictment of the media company’s chief financial officer, accusing the firm of being at the centre of a fraudulent money-laundering and cryptocurrency scam involving tens of millions of dollars.
In pictures
‘No one sees us’: shining a light on New York’s homeless LGBTQ+ community
Dutch photographer Ernst Coppejans captures an often forgotten subculture. “These people are so strong, in spite of all the difficulties,” he says. “It makes me emotional to think about it. They’re beat in every way possible, but they’re there and surviving, and they have hopes and dreams.” Click here to read the piece.
What they said …
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“Anthony Albanese’s new 15% passport tax will make the Australian passport the most expensive in the world at $398, ahead of Mexico at $346 and the United States at a comparatively modest A$252.” – Simon Birmingham, Liberal senator
The shadow foreign affairs minister was responding to the Labor government’s 15% increase to passport renewal costs, to come into effect from 1 July.
In numbers
Meanwhile, Peter Dutton’s disapproval rating is at 42% compared to 41% approving, according to our latest Essential poll.
Before bed read
“They’re kind of lone operators out there, very isolated, but for many people they’re a mystery.”
A shocking new book sheds light on the many long-hauler killers in the US who operate close to many Americans yet remain dangerously undetected. Read more.
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: SILL. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
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