Good morning. The ATO has been heavily criticised after it fined a 97-year-old Brisbane woman $1,650 for filing a late tax return after her husband died – and only backed down after the issue was made public.
Electoral officials have told a neo-Nazi group that it can’t become a political party while it hides the identities of its members – after it included a redacted list of almost 1,800 names in its application.
And there’s diplomatic outrage over footage depicting Israeli security forces’ abuse of Gaza flotilla activists.
Australia
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‘Marginal change’ | Paul Keating has rubbished Coalition claims that Labor’s proposed reforms to capital gains tax will undermine entrepreneurship, insisting the changes are badly needed.
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‘They fail to see the human being’ | The ATO fined a 97-year-old Brisbane woman $1,650 because she had not “prioritised her tax obligations” despite the recent death of her husband.
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White Australia | A neo-Nazi group has been told it cannot become a political party if it continues to redact the names of its potential members.
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‘Indefensible’ | The government’s $2.5bn deal with Nauru, under which hundreds of non-citizens will be sent to the Pacific island, is facing a legal challenge from an alleged child abuse survivor.
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Grogonomics | Conservatives are stoking fear about the collapse of the housing market and death taxes. If the PM wants an easy win, he should prioritise a popular tax on gas exports, Greg Jericho writes.
World
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Beijing summit | Xi Jinping said the world was at risk of regressing into the “law of the jungle” and hailed the China-Russia relationship as a stabilising global force as he hosted Vladimir Putin in Beijing.
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Middle East crisis | Israel’s security minister has stirred diplomatic outrage with a video showing abuse of Gaza flotilla activists; the US and Israel had “hoped to install Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as Iran’s leader” in efforts to topple the regime; why would the US and Israel choose Ahmadinejad to lead Iran, Robert Tait asks.
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Ebola outbreak | Doses of the “most promising” potential vaccine against the virus that is causing an Ebola outbreak in central Africa will not be available for six to nine months.
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Cuba tensions | The US has issued a federal criminal indictment against Raúl Castro, Cuba’s former president, escalating the Trump administration’s efforts to oust the country’s communist regime.
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Russia-Ukraine war | A Russian jet was involved in a “dangerous” near miss after flying close to British spy plane; Lithuania’s leaders were rushed to underground bunkers after a drone violated the country’s airspace.
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Wires crossed | A radio station in the UK has apologised for “any distress caused” after a computer error meant that it accidentally announced King Charles had died.
Full Story
Decoding America: Who really writes Trump’s Truth Social posts?
Reged Ahmad and Jonathan Yerushalmy examine Republican Thomas Massie’s loss in the Kentucky primary after a vicious attack campaign fuelled by Donald Trump. They also look at the US president’s penchant for posting directly to social media – and the woman who pens the posts.
In-depth
Labor’s budget announced a suite of measures intended to help young Australians gain a foothold in the housing market. In good news for buyers, but bad news for sellers, economists say home values are set to fall. Experts say the post-budget conversation about capital gains tax and negative gearing has put off prospective buyers, adding to existing concerns about rising interest rates and broad economic pessimism.
Not the news
For the 10th edition of Melbourne Design Week, more than 100 chairs by even more designers are on display in an exhibition curated by Friends & Associates. Each designer’s chair had to meet two criteria: made in Australia, and able to be sat on. The chairs range from traditional timber dining chairs to the more experimental: one transforms into a table, another is a horse, and one is just a little Satanic … So, take a seat!
Sport
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Football | Socceroos players’ African heritage offers a timely reminder of Australia’s diversity, Jack Snape writes; Aston Villa have beaten Freiburg 3-0 in the Europa League final to win their first trophy in 30 years; how Mikel Arteta overcame setbacks, crises and boos to defy the doubters at Arsenal; Pep Guardiola leaves Manchester City as one of the game’s greats – and someone who knows its dark heart, Barney Ronay writes.
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Exclusive | Tennis players plan a “work-to-rule” French Open media protest over a prize money dispute.
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Cycling | Jhonatan Narváez stormed past Enric Mas to win stage 11 of the Giro d’Italia as Afonso Eulálio kept the pink jersey.
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Rugby league | Jai Arrow dropped a NRL retirement bombshell after a motor neurone disease diagnosis.
Media roundup
Tuvalu is racing to build land to hold back rising sea levels as the majority of its population applies to relocate to Australia, ABC News reports. Neighbours of medium-density construction projects in NSW would receive only seven days’ notice before work began under proposed changes, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. Critical evidence about the oldest-known complex life forms in the universe has been unearthed from Australian mudstone, the Age reports.
What’s happening today
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VIC | A public hearing is scheduled in Melbourne in the federal parliamentary inquiry into the integrity of the NDIS.
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TAS | State budget to be handed down in Tasmania.
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ABS | The Australian Bureau of Statistics is set to release its latest labour force data.
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Brain teaser
And finally, here are the Guardian’s crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow.
