Good morning. That’s a wrap! As the Paris Olympics says au revoir with a star-studded and spectacular closing ceremony, the athletes are celebrating and reflecting on their achievements as Team Australia takes home its best-ever results. More medals were added to the tally on the final day of competition: Matt Richardson took silver and Matt Glaetzer snared bronze in the keirin final at the velodrome and the Opals took the basketball bronze medal after beating Belgium in a thrilling encounter.
At home, as the Amber Haigh murder trial nears its end, court exhibits – including a handwritten notebook – have revealed the young mother’s feelings of loneliness and hurt in the days leading up to her disappearance.
Meanwhile: scientists have developed a “smart” insulin that responds to changing blood sugar levels in real time – and there are warnings that any arrival of a strain of bird flu could lead to a “massacre” in some of Australia’s wild bird populations. And in breaking news, a helicopter has crashed into the roof of a Cairns hotel overnight.
Australia
Amber Haigh murder trial | Documents tendered to court suggest the new mother was ringed by chaos and confusion, being pushed and pulled between three houses and feeling she belonged nowhere.
‘When, not if’ | A bird flu strain – H5N1 – is causing havoc in wild bird populations across the globe and experts have said there is a chance it could arrive in Australia this spring.
‘Mind-boggling’ | Frontline drug workers in Victoria say a legal hurdle prevents them from administering the lifesaving overdose drug naxolone without first calling triple zero.
National security | Australia’s spy boss, Mike Burgess, says Iran is one of “at least three or four” countries involved in foreign interference in Australia’s diaspora communities.
Helicopter crash | A helicopter has crashed into the roof of a hotel in the centre of Cairns, leading to the evacuation of the building.
World
Middle East crisis | Thousands have fled Khan Younis after Israel warned of a new offensive; Palestinians have spoken of the devastation left by an Israeli missile attack on a school in Gaza City that killed at least 80.
‘Holy grail’ | Scientists have developed an insulin that responds to changing blood sugar levels in real-time and could revolutionise treatment for millions of people with type 1 diabetes worldwide.
Russia-Ukraine war | Ukrainian sources indicated thousands of its troops had been committed to its incursion into Kursk, with fast-moving attacks now reaching up to 18 miles inside Russia.
US politics | Joe Biden says it was his “obligation to the country” to drop out of presidential race; JD Vance lashes out at Kamala Harris and Tim Walz as he attempts to seize back momentum.
Venezuela contested | Opposition leader María Corina Machado has accused strongman president Nicolás Maduro of unleashing a horrific “campaign of terror” in an attempt to cling on to power.
Full Story
Who cared? The disappearance of Amber Haigh – part seven
Last week the supreme court of NSW heard the voices of both accused of murdering Amber Haigh; this week, you get to hear them too. Robert and Anne Geeves have both pleaded not guilty and have not testified in court but reporter Ben Doherty was there to hear their original police interviews. He talks with Bridie Jabour about the interviews from June 2002.
In-depth
Voluntary assisted dying laws have passed in all Australian states and territories except the Northern Territory. A new report is providing the first national snapshot of how those laws are operating – and has revealed that provisions intended as safeguards are instead operating as barriers to access for eligible people. Doctors are now taking aim at “unprecedented” gag clauses in Victoria and South Australia prohibiting them from starting conversations with patients about VAD.
Not the news
Kate Ceberano is Australian music royalty. In a 40-year career she has released 30 albums, including her smash 1989 solo debut, Brave. In the latest in our ongoing series focussing on the importance of objects, she tells us about the instrument she wears as a second skin, how a treasured object became someone else’s junk – and a portrait that’s “too strong” for the dining room.
The world of sport
Olympics | Silver and bronze for Australian track cyclists in the keirin final; the Opals return to Olympic podium with basketball bronze; the US finished the Paris Olympics at the top of the medal table once again; Australia outshone Great Britain at the Paris Games, writes Kieran Pender. And check out our live blog of the closing ceremony.
AFL | An extraordinary 24 hours of football proved format tinkering is not required, writes Jonathan Horn.
Football | Manchester City have rising stars to replace Julián Álvarez from within; the Arne Slot era at Liverpool is under way with calmness and control.
Media roundup
A range of secret options were seriously considered for Sydney’s $21.6bn metro rail line in the project’s early days, including another rail line on the Sydney Harbour Bridge, reports the Sydney Morning Herald. A nurse’s union has declared an unofficial code yellow amid claims patients are being “parked” in hallways at Tasmania’s Launceston general hospital, reports the Mercury.
What’s happening today
NSW | Closing arguments are set to begin in the trail of Robert and Anne Geeves, accused of the murder of Amber Haigh.
Queensland | The Reserve Bank’s deputy governor, Andrew Hauser, will deliver a speech at an Economic Society of Australia event in Brisbane.
Queensland | The inquest into what appeared to be an ambush of police by three extremist Christian conspiracy theorists at Wieambilla continues.
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Brain teaser
And finally, here are the Guardian’s crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow.
