Morning everyone. Anger at the police handling of the Sydney protests continues with an exclusive report on a group of Labor members voicing their “disgust” at the scenes, and sharp criticism of the aggressive tactics from a policing expert who attended Monday’s rally.
A former Florida police chief claims Donald Trump suggested 20 years ago that Jeffrey Epstein’s activities were common knowledge. Drawings of fossils have inspired a series of stamps. And is a Mont Blanc the summit of caffeinated drink products?
Australia
Stamp of quality | Prehistoric fossils from Kangaroo Island have been transformed into vibrant creatures of the deep for a series of artworks, which in turn have been made into a series of stamps.
‘Disappointing’ | The police response to protests at the visit by Israel’s president in Sydney were “disappointing”, according to a New South Wales policing expert who participated in the rally, who added that the clashes with protesters could have been prevented. It comes as a group of pro-Palestine Labor members have voiced their “distress and disgust” at the police response, accusing the NSW government of overseeing a “terrible erosion of civil liberties”.
AI ‘slop’ | The independent senator David Pocock says he is “deeply concerned” that a report sent to politicians by a University of Sydney-based institute to support a $20m funding request for gambling education “appears to just be slop written by AI”.
Liberal party | Sussan Ley’s allies want the Liberal leader to demand her rivals put their names to a petition calling for a spill, forcing Angus Taylor’s backers to publicly reveal themselves as plotting to oust her.
Job cuts | More than 200 Telstra jobs are expected to be cut as the telco rolls out AI capabilities and sends some jobs to India.
World
Epstein claim | A former Florida police chief claims Trump told him in 2006 that “everyone” knew what Epstein was doing. A US Democratic congressman has said he and a Republican colleague Thomas Massie forced the justice department to disclose the “hidden” names of six wealthy men they say are “likely incriminated” by their inclusion in the so-called Jeffrey Epstein files. And new documents show the late child sex offender plotted to attempt to arrange the deportation of a woman who was an inconvenience to an associate.
Burnham backing | Manchester’s Labour mayor, Andy Burnham, has publicly backed Keir Starmer after days of political turmoil in the UK, while calling for him to show more boldness and be more willing to accept contributions from others within Labour.
Israel | An Israeli court has rejected an appeal to allow a five-year-old Palestinian boy with an aggressive form of cancer to enter Israel for life-saving treatment, citing a government policy that bars residents registered in Gaza.
Ice freeze | An Irish man who has been held in the US for five months despite having a valid work permit and no criminal record says he fears for his life and has appealed for help from Ireland’s government.
US | The FBI has released new photos and video footage of “an armed individual appearing to have tampered with the camera at Nancy Guthrie’s front door the morning of her disappearance”, as the search for the mother of TV host Savannah Guthrie continues.
Bulgaria mystery | Bulgaria is gripped by a grim fascination after the mysterious deaths of six people in the middle of the mountains. A police chief said the deaths were “a case without comparison in our country”.
Full Story
An update on the Lake Cargelligo triple murder
In Lake Cargelligo in central west NSW, police are hunting for an alleged triple murderer.
Reged Ahmad speaks to Nino Bucci about the past domestic violence offences of alleged murderer Julian Ingram, and the questions that linger while he is still at large.
In-depth
There’s a trend across Australia for elaborate toppings and foams on our caffeinated drinks. The peak of this fashion is the Mont Blanc (filter coffee lavished with orange-zested, nutmeg-sprinkled cream, in case you didn’t know) and is “arguably the biggest thing to happen to Australian cafes since smashed avocado”, one expert tells our correspondent in the cafes, Lee Tran Lam.
Not the news
Ranjana Srivastava uses this week’s column to recount how an elderly patient who had requested not to be resuscitated survived against expectations, leaving the hospital team with complicated feelings. “In the days ahead,” Ranjana writes, “I feel a jumble of doubt, lament, guilt and worry … a friend points out that this is how vicarious trauma occurs.”
Sport
Winter Olympics | The Norwegian Sturla Holm Lægreid broke down in tears after winning bronze in the men’s 20km biathlon, apologising for having an affair and saying: “It has been the worst week of my life.”
Cricket | Former England white-ball captain Jos Buttler has backed Brendon McCullum’s coaching despite the Ashes disaster.
Football | Another round of Premier League matches kickoff this morning including Tottenham v Newcastle, while West Ham host Manchester United. Follow it live.
Media roundup
Towers up to 20 storeys and large areas friendly to townhouses have been slated for Melbourne’s south-east, the Age reports. One of the Gold Coast’s busiest roads was completely blocked at peak hour by a multi-vehicle crash, the Bulletin reports. And per the Financial Review, the ASX chief executive Helen Lofthouse is stepping down, amid pressure from Asic.
What’s happening today
Canberra | National Press Club address by the Ukraine ambassador at 11.30am.
Economy | Fireside chat by RBA deputy governor Andrew Hauser at 11.30am and lending figures from the ABS.
Protest | Demonstrations against Israeli president Isaac Herzog in Canberra and Melbourne.
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.
