Good morning. In the wake of last week’s Ben Roberts-Smith defamation ruling, human rights and legal groups are urging the government to deliver a compensation plan for families of victims of alleged war crimes in Afghanistan. Lack of progress on the compensation issue is “a glaring weak spot” in the official response to the landmark Brereton inquiry into the actions of Australian special forces soldiers, they say.
Also, the consumer watchdog warns there are few incentives for Qantas and Virgin to deliver cheaper airfares as the airline duopoly stunts competition. And people who force migrants into breaching their visa conditions could face jail time in new laws aimed at tackling exploitation in Australia.
Australia
Migrant workers | Australian employers who exploit migrant workers will be banned from hiring other visa holders and will face new criminal penalties as part of a government crackdown.
Compensation considered | The government is looking for “a way forward” to compensate families of victims of alleged war crimes in Afghanistan, the defence minister has told legal advocates.
‘A critical juncture’ | Qantas and Virgin Australia have fewer incentives to offer attractive airfares, develop more direct routes or operate more reliable services, warns the consumer watchdog ACCC.
‘Last resort’ | Australian mothers and children held in a Syrian detention camp will take the Australian government to court in an attempt to compel officials to bring them home.
Housing crisis | Despite adding millions of people and dwellings over the past decade, Australia’s cities are well behind globally in terms of population density – and it could hold the key to easing housing pressures.
World
‘We’re half a million here’ | Hundreds of thousands of people have marched through central Warsaw to protest against Poland’s rightwing populist government before a delicately poised election.
Russia-Ukraine war | A two-year-old girl was found dead under the rubble of a house near the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro after the latest missile attacks by Russian forces.
Rail tragedy | As the death toll from a devastating train collision in India rose towards 300, families are still hunting for relatives and authorities have blamed a signalling error.
‘Breaching the peace’ | Hong Kong police have detained more than 20 people, including prominent pro-democracy figures, on the 34th anniversary of the bloody Tiananmen Square crackdown in China.
Gustavo Petro | Two close allies of the Colombian president have resigned as his office is embroiled in a bizarre scandal involving a nanny, illegal wiretaps and a missing briefcase full of cash.
Full Story
How Jordan Neely’s killing on the New York subway exposed a broken system
When a homeless Michael Jackson impersonator died at the hands of a fellow passenger last month on a New York City subway train, it shocked the world. It is a death that has revealed deep divides in the US and laid bare a crisis in mental health and homeless care. Wilfred Chan speaks to Nosheen Iqbal, Anthony Almojera, and Gloria Oladipo about Jordan Neely’s death – and what it says about the US.
In-depth
A pact between editors, a blank front page and a Labor minister hellbent on confronting the press – what happened on the night when the Sydney papers stood up to the censors? Sydneysiders woke on Monday 17 April 1944 to find there were no morning newspapers on their doorstep or at newspaper kiosks dotted around the city. People were baffled. The only indication of what had happened were street posters saying: “TELEGRAPH BANNED: POLITICAL CENSORSHIP.”
Not the news
It’s been almost a quarter of a century since Australian actor Anthony LaPaglia won a Tony award as Eddie Carbone in A View From the Bridge. The Los Angeles-based actor is returning to Australia to begin rehearsals on another Arthur Miller classic: the 20th-century masterpiece Death of a Salesman. In taking on the tragic, delusional Willy Loman, he is ticking off a bucket list role shared by many a celebrated character actor – including Philip Seymour Hoffman and Dustin Hoffman.
The world of sport
Football | Manchester City win the FA Cup, Ange Postecoglou edges closer to a move to Tottenham after striking again with Celtic, and Central Coast make history in the A-League.
Rugby league | After the Blues got Marooned in Adelaide, there were one-point wins for the Raiders and Roosters, and big wins for the Broncos, Rabbitohs and Warriors.
AFL | Port walloped Hawthorn, the Suns made Adelaide eat Crow, Richmond and GWS fought out a thriller and the Cats clawed down the Dogs. Plus, Essendon kicked the winning goal within minutes of the siren against the Roos.
Cricket | David Warner announces his retirement (soon), and England beat Ireland while England Stokes the fire for the upcoming Ashes.
Media roundup
The Macquarie Island marine park between Tasmania and Antarctica will grow to cover 475,465 sq km as it triples in size, reports the Canberra Times. Australian banks are helping to finance deforestation across hundreds of thousands of hectares of crucial habitat for endangered animals, reports the Age. The national science agency CSIRO has joined forces with a fund manager to build a framework to help investors identify “responsible” AI, reports the Sydney Morning Herald.
What’s happening today
Courts | The full reasons in the Ben Roberts-Smith defamation ruling are expected to be published.
Fair Work Ombudsman | Hearings are due to begin in underpayments lawsuits against Coles and Woolworths.
Sydney | A sculpture on Bondi Beach is highlighting the amount of waste being dumped in the ocean, to mark World Environment Day.
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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.
