Morning everyone. Australia’s time-honoured government inquiry process is in danger of being undermined by AI-generated misinformation that means policymakers could be making decisions based on false pretences.
The area of Nepal where the majority of missing Australians were last heard from is almost completely cut off after the flash flood, we report on the bankruptcy crisis facing Australian businesses, US and Iran exchange fire again in the Gulf, and a Collingwood star’s partner plans to boycott the Brownlow ceremony.
Australia
-
Nepal search | After last week’s disastrous landslide and flood in Nepal and Tibet, the region near Gyirong Port where 33 Australians are missing is still almost entirely cut off, covered in metres of silt and debris, Cait Kelly reports from Kathmandu. The death toll from the disaster yesterday rose to more than 930, with 4,400 people missing on both sides of the Nepal-Tibet border. This is what we know so far about all of the 43 missing Australians.
-
Exclusive | Misinformation and AI hallucinations are infiltrating Australia’s parliament, Guardian analysis reveals, with dozens of policy submissions from across the political spectrum incorrectly summarising real research and inventing or wrongly citing sources.
-
Brownlow boycott | Dee Salmin, the partner of Collingwood star Darcy Moore, is boycotting next month’s Brownlow medal ceremony in the wake of the sector’s response to the alleged sexual assault at the Sydney Swans’ team hotel.
-
E-regulated | Queensland has introduced age limits and licensing requirements for e-vehicle riders. We look at why the government wanted to do it, what the law says, and whether other states will follow suit.
-
Icac insight | The New South Wales anti-corruption hearings have shone a new light on the links between politics and developers, and also exposed claims by the star witness, Charles Perrotet, to sharp scrutiny.
World
-
Iran squeeze | The US and Iran have exchanged fire for the first time in a month, with missiles and drones fired at Iranian rocket launchers on an island in the strait of Hormuz, and Iran targeting US military bases in Jordan and the United Arab Emirates in response. Iranians meanwhile are facing runaway food inflation as the US new sanctions bite. Pete Hegseth regularly receives formal objections from senior commanders and proceeds anyway, the Pentagon’s top spokesman has said, as he tried to discredit a Washington Post report that four generals and admirals had advised against prolonging the war in Iran.
-
Canyon flood | A flash flood yesterday claimed the lives of two people in the Grand Canyon in Arizona and left 15 others missing or unaccounted for – with scores of visitors evacuated and the only water pipeline for tourists and residents destroyed.
-
Anthropic suit | The AI company Anthropic is being sued over the alleged theft of “tens of thousands” of copyrighted songs to train Claude models.
-
Kyiv bombardment | Kyiv is enduring hours of daytime air raids and air raid warnings as Russia has fired 800 jet-powered drones into Ukraine in four days, using the faster weapons to sustain prolonged waves of attacks.
-
Wing play | A pre-game stunt involving two passenger jets flying dramatically low over Cape Town Stadium before the South Africa v New Zealand rugby union match on Saturday has sparked a major debate over safety risks.
Full Story
What One Nation’s latest victory means for the major parties
One Nation claimed victory in the Western Australian seat of Secret Harbour on the weekend, delivering a massive blow to a safe Labor stronghold.
Tom McIlroy joins Reged Ahmad to unpack One Nation’s rise and how Labor is struggling to respond.
In-depth
Australia is in the middle of a tidal wave of insolvencies as firms fail to cope with a “cost-of-doing-business crisis”. One restaurateur tells Patrick Commins that since Covid “the whole world has changed and it’s not clear what it takes now to be a successful business”.
Not the news
The Chinese-Australian artist Badiucao and the Chinese-American journalist Melissa Chan don’t want to lecture so-called Chinamaxxers. But their new graphic novel, You Must Take Part in Revolution, is a dystopian riposte to the sugarcoating of the “faraway, communist country”.
Sport
-
Football | Lionel Messi has announced his retirement from international football duty after winning 207 caps for Argentina, along with the World Cup in 2022. Bradley Barcola has completed his move to Liverpool from Paris Saint-Germain for an initial £106m, which could rise to £123m. And it’s Aston Villa v Arsenal in the Premier League.
-
Tennis | Venus Williams has joined Novak Djokovic in exiting the US Open at the first hurdle after her match with Sofia Kenin made history as the latest ever start at the tournament of 12.13am. Follow today’s action here.
-
Cricket | Pakistan have taken instant and dramatic action after back-to-back thrashings by England, ousting their head coach, Sarfaraz Ahmed, and sending seven squad members home.
Media roundup
The Albanese government’s tripling of visa application fees for foreign students has helped to make visas become the budget’s fastest-growing source of tax revenue, the Financial Review reports. New rules to combat AI misuse will limit NSW year 12 students to one take-home assignment counting towards their HSC mark in each subject, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. A seal and a dolphin washed up near Geelong have fuelled the region’s fears over bird flu, the Advertiser reports. And the ABC reports that Queensland has recorded its highest ever number of unintentional overdose deaths.
What’s happening today
-
Diplomacy | Pacific Island forum leaders are meeting at 10am.
-
Economy | Building approval figures are released at 11.30am.
Sign up
Sign up for the Breaking News Australia emailIf 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.
Contact us
If you have a story tip or technical issue viewing this newsletter, please reply to this email.
If you are a Guardian supporter and need assistance with regards to contributions and/or digital subscriptions, please email [email protected]
