Afternoon Update: Australians in Syrian camp would accept children returning separately; remains found in Baghsarian search; and a viral Ikea monkey

Children at al-Roj camp in Syria on Sunday. Photograph: Baderkhan Ahmad

Good afternoon.

Some of the 11 Australian women detained in north-east Syria over ties to Islamic State fighters said they would accept separation from their children if it meant the children could return to Australia.

“I have continuously asked for my children to be saved from this camp and from this continuous fear,” said Zahra Ahmad, a mother of three from Melbourne who has been in detention camps since at least 2019. Others in the group said they would be uncomfortable having their children taken away and did not want to be separated.

Guardian Australia has also revealed that Syrian government officials warned a convoy of Australian families linked to Islamic State fighters that they would be fired upon if they continued towards Damascus last week, according to a Kurdish official.

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In pictures

After an abandoned monkey named Punch at a Japanese zoo bonded with an Ikea orangutan toy, both went viral. Reporter Caitlin Cassidy, braving the Ikea queues in Sydney to see the “Djungelskog” for herself, reflects on the sweet melancholy of this social media obsession.

What they said …

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“They don’t represent working people. And of course, One Nation’s greatest supporter … is Gina Rinehart. Last time I looked, [she’s] not a working-class hero, but someone who’s advocated cuts to wages and cuts to working conditions.” – Anthony Albanese

The prime minister took a swipe at Pauline Hanson’s working-class credentials in a freewheeling interview with Karl Stefanovic for the TV personality’s podcast.

Full Story

The UK reckons with Epstein, but when will Trump’s America?

Britain is now debating removing Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor from the royal line of succession after the former prince was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office in relation to the Epstein files. He denies all wrongdoing. In the US, however, “the Epstein class” has faced little legal or political reckoning.

The Guardian’s Washington DC bureau chief, David Smith, speaks to Reged Ahmad about how Mountbatten-Windsor’s UK arrest highlights a lack of action in the US on the Epstein files.

Listen to the episode here.

Before bed read

Arousal may be spontaneous, or arise in response to sensory stimulation, memory, fantasy or emotional connection. In the latest in our secrets of the body series, Joel Snape explains how to understand the differences.

Daily word game

Today’s starter word is: SILE. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.

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