Morning everyone. The forecasts coming out of the Bureau of Meteorology’s climate models in the coming months are “mind blowing” and “astounding” as they predict the newly formed El Niño could make 2027 the hottest year ever.
We look at how the killings of two women and two girls in Australia last week show that there is so much more to do to tackle domestic violence, and that we keep failing to learn important lessons.
Plus: there are fewer smokers in the country than ever before, the US and Iran continue to trade missile strikes, and we track the rise and fall of the AFL Steve.
Australia
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Bike bite | A woman in her 60s is recovering after being bitten by a 2-metre eastern brown snake that had become entangled in her bike chain in northern New South Wales.
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‘Mind blowing’ | The El Niño climate phenomenon linked to record global temperatures could develop into the strongest on record, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.
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MS hope | Australians living with multiple sclerosis will continue receiving cheaper access to life-changing medical treatments, after an expert advisory panel decided to maintain taxpayer subsidies for key drugs.
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‘So horrific’ | The alleged murder of two women and two girls in Australia last week has led to calls for a royal commission into domestic violence. But campaigners tell Ben Smee that we already know what policies are needed, they’re just not being implemented.
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Smoking low | Daily smoking rates have fallen to a historic low and vaping rates have stabilised, according to the largest nationally representative survey on tobacco use.
World
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Earth-like planet | Researchers have discovered an atmosphere around an Earth-like planet 49 light years away that could have liquid water on its surface, with the potential to support life.
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Middle East attacks | The US has intensified its attacks on Iran, hitting targets near Tehran and striking a ship it accused of trying to break its blockade, while Iran retaliated by firing missiles and drones at US allies in the region.
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Gaza plan shrinks | The Gaza recovery plan being pursued by Donald Trump’s Board of Peace has shrunk dramatically from an ambitious blueprint for the reconstruction of the whole territory to a small pilot project.
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Kyiv rift | Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has defended his decision to dismiss the country’s popular defence minister and confirmed relations had broken down between the ministry and the country’s top army leadership.
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Grok abuse | Elon Musk’s startup xAI has sued a South Carolina man, alleging he misused the company’s AI system Grok to create child sexual abuse material.
World Cup
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Match catchup | Ahead of their third-place playoff against France on Sunday, England can ponder how they had Lionel Messi under control, until one subtle change. They can also reflect on their four passes in the 19 minutes before Argentina’s equaliser.
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Off the pitch | Britain’s prime minister, Keir Starmer, wants Fifa to investigate Argentina players who displayed a banner touting their country’s claim to the Falkland Islands after their win against England. Our rugby writer is in Buenos Aires and found himself in the middle of Argentina’s World Cup fever dream.
Full Story
The highs and lows of a very American World Cup
Nour Haydar speaks to football writer Sam Lewis about her final predictions and how this World Cup has changed the tournament for ever.
In-depth
We have a long read from our UK office today on how one man, Paul Dacre, former editor of the Daily Mail, radicalised Britain’s press by selling readers an angry rightwing perspective. Today, as Andy Beckett writes, most of Fleet Street is run by his disciples.
Not the news
Our data expert Josh Nicholas has been combing through AFL player lists and discovered there is now only one Steve in the league after a peak of more than 25 in the early 90s.
Sport
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Rugby union | Outgoing Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt will be hoping for a win against Italy in Perth this weekend or face leaving the role with a win-loss record of below 36%.
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Cricket | Joe Root has hit an unbeaten 99 as England levelled their ODI series with India.
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Women’s football | Sam Kerr’s return to the NWSL in a 1-0 win for her Gotham FC over Washington Spirit drew the league’s second biggest crowd ever (42,175).
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Golf | Dan Brown, the son of a pig farmer, is the UK’s leading home hope on -4 after the first day at the Open at Royal Birkdale.
Media roundup
Victoria’s premier, Jacinta Allan, would lose her seat if the state election was held today, a poll in the Fin Review shows. The Queensland premier, David Crisafulli, has met NRL boss Peter V’landys as he tries to win a fifth franchise for the state, the Telegraph says. Santos will drill three production-ready wells at its Beetaloo Basin prospect during the next year, NT News reports.
What’s happening today
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Canberra | Telstra bosses to face a parliamentary inquiry into triple zero outages.
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Alice Springs | Public hearing for parliamentary inquiry into racism and hate speech toward Indigenous people.
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Perth | Pre-inquest hearing for a mother and daughter murdered in their home in 2024.
Sign up
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Brain teaser
And finally, here are the Guardian’s crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow.
