Morning everyone. Molly Ticehurst’s murder last month, allegedly at the hands of her former partner, shocked the nation. But today her parents say she was “let down” by a New South Wales scheme which is supposed to protect abused women. That’s our powerful lead story this morning; plus, interviews with the subjects of a 34-year study into social inequality, the shark that swallowed an echidna, and how the Blues self-destructed in Origin 1.
Australia
‘Just got snapped’ | Scientists in Queensland think they have recorded a world first after a tiger shark that they caught for tagging vomited up a whole, intact echidna. “It just got unlucky and got snapped,” said one.
Exclusive | “They just sucked the guts straight out of her,” Tony Ticehurst says as he and his wife Kate describe how they believe their daughter Molly was let down by the body running the NSW government’s Staying Home Leaving Violence scheme. She had been promised help to “intruder-proof” her Forbes home with security bars and lights, they said, but nothing was done – and two weeks later, she was dead. They say the program should be reviewed and funding cut to the local provider.
Nuclear strike | Peter Dutton has complained that the government’s scrutiny of his yet-to-be-announced nuclear power plan is “childish” as Labor seeks to emulate a successful anti-nuclear push from Kevin Rudd’s 2007 campaign.
Wage cut ‘plan’ | Anthony Albanese used a speech at the ACTU conference in Adelaide last night to accuse the Coalition of “secret” plans to cut wages through changes to industrial relations laws.
NSW apology | The NSW premier, Chris Minns, will deliver a formal apology today to thousands of LGBTQ+ people who were convicted under anti-homosexual laws taken off the statute book 40 years ago.
World
Bowel breakthrough | UK researchers have discovered a major driver of inflammatory bowel disease and several other immune disorders that affect the spine, liver and arteries, raising hopes for millions of people worldwide.
Hezbollah fears | Benjamin Netanyahu has threatened an “extremely powerful” response to recent attacks by Hezbollah on northern Israel, as the prospect grows that the prime minister could authorise an offensive into Lebanon. In Jerusalem, Israelis have clashed with Palestinians after a flag day parade through the Muslim quarter.
European tensions | Politicians in Germany have pleaded for calm before this weekend’s European elections after a candidate for the far-right AfD party was stabbed in Mannheim, less than a week after a police officer was killed in a knife attack in the city. And French anti-terror prosecutors are investigating the death of a Russian man who appears to have accidentally set off an explosion in his Paris hotel room.
‘Planetary destruction’ | Fossil fuel companies are the “godfathers of climate chaos” and should face a global advertising ban, the UN chief has said while delivering dire new warnings about global heating.
Knox verdict | An Italian court has upheld a slander conviction against Amanda Knox for wrongly accusing a bar owner of murdering Meredith Kercher – the latest twist in the legal saga that saw the American return to Italy for the verdict.
Full Story
Australia’s response to the ICC’s case against Netanyahu
Foreign affairs and defence correspondent Daniel Hurst tells Nour Haydar why the government’s response to the ICC’s pursuit of senior Israeli and Hamas leaders over war crimes has been cautious, and subject to criticism by the Coalition and Greens.
In-depth
We have a fascinating report today about a groundbreaking inequality study which picked 164 newborn babies back in 1990s Melbourne and tracked their life progress. With the subjects now reaching the age of 34, the Life Chances study comparing housing, income, family structure and education among other factors is wrapping up, but our inequality reporter Stephanie Convery has spoken to three of the participants – Nick, Alan and Isabel – to hear their stories.
Not the news
“Leaving Midnight Oil behind was like being cut adrift from a monumental ship but still subjected to its weight and pull,” band member Jim Moginie once wrote. With their farewell tour in the rearview mirror, a new documentary five years in the making seeks to capture something of that weight and pull. Toby Creswell, a writer who has followed the band from the beginning, tells the story of a group “woven into Australian history”.
The world of sport
State of Origin | A hat-trick by Queensland’s Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow (pictured) left the NSW Blues with a familiar sinking feeling in Sydney last night as they went down 38-10 after seeing Joseph Sua’ali’i sent off for a high hit on Reece Walsh eight minutes in.
Tennis | Alex de Minaur carries the nation’s hopes in the French Open this morning as he takes on Alexander Zverev in their quarter-final. Follow the action live. Overnight, there were stunning wins for Jasmine Paolini and Mirra Andreeva in the women’s singles.
Women’s Origin | NSW will hope to wrap up the women’s series in front of a sell-out crowd of 30,000 in Newcastle tonight after taking the first leg last week.
Media roundup
Staff at Country Road were in open revolt at a town hall meeting called by global boss Roy Bagattini, the Australian reports. Sydney private schools receive up to four times as much government funding as public schools, says the Telegraph. A uranium-rich deposit in the heart of Kakadu national park could be left in the ground following decades of activism by traditional owners, NT News reports.
What’s happening today
Centrepay | AGL is in court for closing submissions.
Sydney | There will be a formal parliamentary apology for NSW laws against homosexual acts.
Sport | Australia take on Oman in their opening game of the Men’s T20 World Cup this morning, and the Socceroos play Bangladesh in a World Cup qualifier at 8.45pm.
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Brain teaser
And finally, here are the Guardian’s crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow.
