Morning, everyone. “The longer you work on the climate change beat, the less surprised you are when the very bad things scientists warned would happen, start to happen ... But this year has felt different.” So writes our environment reporter, Graham Readfearn, as he kicks off the first part of a special series – The weight of the world: a climate scientist’s burden – in which he has talked to Australia’s pioneering experts about what it feels like to have tried – and often failed – to warn about the need for action on the crisis.
In other news, tensions are building about state funding, there’s still hope for a hostage deal in Israel, and we’ve spoken to the Palestine football coach before their match against Australia tonight.
Australia
Funding fury | Tensions between the NSW and federal Labor governments are rising with the state’s premier, Chris Minns, unhappy about infrastructure spending cuts and demanding more funding for policing Israel-Hamas war protests.
Weight of the world | Our first subject in the weight of the world series is Graeme Pearman, who in 1974 travelled the world with six flasks of air to help prove C02 levels was rising. Almost 50 years later Pearman asks himself: “Where did I go wrong?”
Lobby denial | Convenience and grocery stores have refused to tell a Senate inquiry how much they receive in tobacco and vaping industry funding as parliament seeks to bring in more graphic warnings on packaging.
Broadcast news | Free-to-air broadcasters say claims by the subscription media lobby that the “government wants to control your TV” through new laws for smart TVs are “highly misleading”.
Six and out | Gareth Morgan, the Mudgeeraba Bushman third grade captain, wowed the cricketing world by taking six successive wickets last week. A crowd gathered on Saturday to see if he could make it seven but he disappointed his new fanbase by not even bringing himself on to bowl.
World
Hostage hope | Joe Biden thinks a hostage deal between Israel and Hamas is near while the families of the people captured on 7 October have clashed with far-right Israeli politicians who want to bring in the death penalty as a possible sentence for captured Palestinian militants.
Open revolt | Hundreds of OpenAI staff members have threatened to quit en masse if the board overseeing the ChatGPT developer does not reinstate its ousted chief executive, Sam Altman, then step down.
Johnson ‘bamboozled’ | The UK should have gone into lockdown at least a week before it did, the former chief scientist has told the UK’s Covid inquiry, adding that the former prime minister Boris Johnson was “bamboozled” by the scientific modelling used to make the decision.
Chauvin appeal rejected | The US supreme court has rejected a conviction appeal for Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer who murdered George Floyd.
Fiery debate | Albania’s opposition has set off smoke bombs and started a small fire in the middle of parliament in a failed attempt to stop the chamber from voting on the 2024 budget.
Full Story
The climate scientists who saw the crisis coming – Weight of the world, part one
In part one of this three-part series, three climate change scientists reveal the moment they realised the planet was heading for certain catastrophe. What did they do when they found out? How did they think the world would respond? And how do they feel today, looking back on that moment of cognisance?
In-depth
The Socceroos continue their World Cup campaign in Kuwait in the small hours tonight but it’s far from being a routine qualifier – because their opponents are Palestine. The match was meant to have been played in the West Bank town of Ramallah but the Hamas attack on Israel in October changed all that and now the team – minus three players still stuck in Gaza – have decamped to neutral territory. John Duerden has been speaking to their coach, Makram Daboub (pictured centre), about what the match means to him, Palestinians and the players.
Not the news
Melbourne Frocktails was started by a group of 30 sewing friends 10 years ago when they decided to go out for dinner wearing outfits they’d made. After photos of the evening were shared on social media, other sewing fans wanted to join in. Now they have to issue tickets and it’s been copied the world over. Lucianne Tonti finds out about an event where “it’s not weird to touch each other’s clothes and talk endlessly about pattern numbers”.
The world of sport
Cricket | Everything was stacked against Australia winning the World Cup but they took on the challenge and won. There’s no place for Travis Head in our writers’ team of the tournament but Pat Cummins is the captain and he has Glenn Maxwell and Adam Zampa alongside him.
Football | The Socceroos are determined to stay focused when they face Palestine in their away World Cup qualifier, says Harry Souttar.
Golf | Dutch player Joost Luiten took mislaying equipment to another level when he lost three of his clubs up a tree at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.
Media roundup
The Sydney Morning Herald thinks Gladys Berejiklian has a shot at becoming the next boss of Optus after the resignation of Kelly Bayer Rosmarin. A Tasmanian nurse has lifted the lid on the abuse of health workers as the state government launches a respect campaign, the Mercury reports. The number of arrests and hospital admittances at Gold Coast schoolies has plummeted as the event continues to reform its reputation, the Bulletin claims. The AFL draft is big news in Victoria, especially for the Riverine Herald, which celebrates the move by No 1 pick and local Tongala boy Harley Reid to West Coast.
What’s happening today
Economy | The RBA monetary policy meeting minutes could give some clues about next month’s rate decision.
Energy | Chris Bowen will speak at the Lowy Institute.
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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.
