Morning everyone. It’s top marks for Australia’s tertiary education sector today after three universities made the top 20 of the world’s best for the first time – thanks to a revised method of calculating the rankings. Australia also scores highly overall for the sustainability of its universities. In addition, we’re looking at some potential dark clouds over the property market; Vladimir Putin’s attempts to put a positive spin on the weekend’s mutiny; and a horrific attack on a busy Ukraine pizza restaurant. Plus: how to cook vegetables.
Australia
‘How dare they?’ | The logging of native forests in Tasmania is threatening the habitat of the critically endangered swift parrot, according to a wildlife photographer arrested for trying to block the felling.
‘Outstanding results’ | A high ranking in academic reputation, employment outcomes, international research and sustainability have helped the University of Melbourne (14th), and the universities of Sydney and New South Wales (joint 19th) crash into the world’s top 20, according to the prestigious QS World University Rankings.
Loss leaders | The number of properties being sold at a loss in Australia increased in the March quarter with almost one in six units offloaded for less than the owner paid, according to analysis of 76,000 homes by CoreLogic.
PwC backtracks | PwC has backtracked on a report claiming the nature repair market could be worth $137bn and which was used by the government to spruik its offset bill. In a Senate submission, the consultancy accepted the amount spent on “threatened species conservation, with clear outcomes, is likely much less”.
No Frisbees, please | Fifa have warned football fans in Australia and New Zealand not to take Frisbees, inflatables or hard hats (among many other items) to Women’s World Cup matches as it tries to manage crowd behaviour.
World
Prigozhin ‘in Belarus’ | Belarus president Alexander Lukashenko confirmed Yevgeny Prgozhin had arrived in his country and claimed he talked Vladimir Putin out of killing the leader of the weekend mutiny in Russia. The Russian president earlier told assembled members of his security services (pictured) that they “prevented a civil war” during the Wagner boss’s rebellion, although his positive spin on the uprising is proving a hard sell on Russian talkshows. In Ukraine, a missile strike on a busy pizza restaurant popular with foreign journalists has raised fears of a high death toll.
‘Ideological crusade’ | Actors, novelists and leftwing politicians have voiced support for strike action at France’s flagship Sunday newspaper, Le Journal du Dimanche, in protest at the appointment of an editor with links to the far right.
Trump tape | A tape recording of Donald Trump talking about a “defense department” document on Iran casts doubt on his claims that the material he was referring to were not classified paperss but merely news clippings.
Epstein ‘neglect’ | A “combination of negligence and misconduct” enabled the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein to take his own life at a federal jail in New York City, the justice department watchdog said.
Pizza alfresco | A still life fresco that archaeologists suggest resembles a pizza has been found among the ruins of ancient Pompeii – although the dish seems to lack the essential ingredients of tomato and mozzarella.
Full Story
What the Wagner mutiny means for Putin
Our Moscow correspondent, Andrew Roth, explains what was behind Yevgeny Prigozhin’s move against Moscow and what it means for Russia – and its war in Ukraine?
In-depth
The rental crisis has been front and centre in the political debate this year and a summit meeting in New South Wales today featuring government ministers and state officials hopes to find some solutions to what is a national problem. Rent caps are often suggested as one of the measures that could fix the crisis so our urban affairs reporter Elias Visontay has been looking at whether they would work.
Not the news
In her latest food column, cook and author Alice Zaslavsky shares some rules about cooking vegetables (basically, if they grow overground start from hot; if they grow underground start from cold) as she takes us through how to make a delicious-looking root vegetable tian.
The world of sport
AFL | Three-time Geelong premiership heroes Jimmy Bartel (pictured) and Corey Enright, along with Hawthorn triple winner Sam Mitchell, were among the greats to be inducted into the AFL’s hall of fame last night.
Men’s Ashes | England have decided to go with an all-seam attack for the second Ashes Test against Australia starting later today, with Ben Stokes saying he would never play for the draw.
Skateboarding | Arisa Trew, a 13-year-old Olympic skateboarding hopeful from the Gold Coast, has made history by becoming the first female athlete to land the holy grail of tricks, a rare 720.
Media roundup
No police officers will be charged with using lawyer Nicola Gobbo as an informant, ending the Lawyer X saga, the Age reports. Trade unionists are being urged to campaign for the voice to parliament in workplaces, universities and online in order to bolster support, the Australian reports. The Daily Telegraph claims Alen Moradian, the man shot dead in a Bondi Junction car park yesterday, was a “Mr Big” identity in Sydney’s underworld. Scientists in Queensland are leading the world in the development of an oral drug for long Covid, according to the Courier Mail.
What’s happening today
Sydney | Judgment in Chris Dawson trial for carnal knowledge of a schoolgirl.
New South Wales | State ministers and officials to speak at housing summit.
Economy | May inflation figures released at 11.30am.
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Brain teaser
And finally, here are the Guardian’s crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day – with plenty more on the Guardian’s Puzzles app for iOS and Android. Until tomorrow.
