Good morning. Anthony Albanese will head to France today for a meeting with the French president in Paris on Friday.
Anthony Albanese will have an easier time mending relations with the French “because he is not Scott Morrison and that’s a big advantage”, the former leader Malcolm Turnbull has told journalists in Paris. Turnbull said Albanese was honest and “never had a reputation for being deceitful and untruthful”. This would help in thawing the freeze in relations between Canberra and Paris that followed Morrison cancelling a A$90bn (£48bn) submarine deal with French defence contractor Naval Group last September. Albanese himself said the damaged relationship hurt negotiations for a “critical” trade deal with the EU.
Senior public servants believed that John Barilaro’s New York City trade commissioner job needed to be approved by cabinet. Ahead of today’s public inquiry into Barilaro’s appointment to the $500,000-a-year job that he created before leaving parliament last year, emails reveal that senior officials inside the department responsible for filling the position expected it to need cabinet sign-off. On 24 June last year, the agency’s senior HR officer wrote in an email that “all” of the six trade commissioner jobs created by the government would need cabinet approval.
Donald Trump knew members of the crowd at his rally near the White House on 6 January 2021 were armed, but demanded security apparatus be removed to allow them closer then instructed the crowd to march on the US Capitol, key witness Cassidy Hutchinson told the January 6 committee. Hutchinson, the first former Trump White House employee to testify in person, alleged the Trump later attempted to assault a security aide who refused to permit the president to go to the Capitol too.
At least 21 people are still missing after a Russian missile hit a crowded shopping centre in the central Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk, which president Vlodymyr Zelenskiy described as “one of the most defiant terrorist attacks in European history”. Meanwhile, Finland and Sweden are set to join Nato after Turkey dropped its opposition. And western leaders ended the three-day G7 summit in Germany promising to increase the economic and political costs to Vladimir Putin and his regime of Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Australia
Australians waiting for passports face long, slow queues outside Sydney’s passport office as wait times show no signs of improving. Some travellers have been waiting for more than 16 weeks since lodging their applications.
The Judith Neilson Institute’s plans for a “massive vanity project” – in the form of a $10m a year international prize for ideas – was the final straw for the billionaire philanthropist, who intervened over concerns about direction of her proposed prize for ideas, sources say.
Census data and the election of the Albanese government have given fresh impetus to a push to double the Australian Capital Territory Senate representation from two senators to four, the territory’s chief minister says.
More than three in four Australians believe the alliance with the US makes it more likely Australia would be drawn into a war in Asia against the national interests, a new poll shows.
The Queensland Labor MP Milton Dick is the frontrunner to take on the coveted Speaker role in the House of Representatives, despite a split within the right faction that will determine the position.
The world
Ghislaine Maxwell was sentenced to 20 years in prison in her New York sex-trafficking case for procuring teenage girls for Jeffrey Epstein for him to abuse.
Fears over police violence and attacks by anti-abortion activists have been growing after a wave of incidents at demonstrations against the US supreme court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade.
The deaths of 50 people crossing into the US from countries south of the border on Monday prompted an outpouring of compassion, from some while others criticised American immigration policies.
Airbnb is making its global party ban permanent. The company said it believes the ban has worked to reduce violence, rules violations and health concerns. It says reports of parties at listed properties has dropped 44% from a year ago.
Recommended reads
Anna Spargo-Ryan lived in Melbourne for 20 years, but it took six lockdowns for her to fully realise what she loves about the city. “It was during that time, while I watched virtual concerts and ordered groceries online, that I realised something that might sincerely have changed my life forever: I love Melbourne. This city is adorably up itself. I love that it thinks it invented laneways. I love that it retains its old architecture by building new architecture directly on top of it. I love that it thinks it’s the only place with baristas and sourdough, and that there’s a running joke about everyone wearing black but, actually, everyone does wear black.”
You may know Felicity Ward from her appearances on TV programs like Spicks and Specks, or one of her many comedy stage shows. Admittedly, however, it’s been a while since Ward got behind the mic in her homeland. But this month she will make her return to Australian stages; she’s bringing her new show to Sydney, Hobart and Melbourne. But before the her return to the stage, she shares with us the stories of three personal belongings.
All children grow up, except one. And almost 20 years since this adaptation was released, PJ Hogan’s film Peter Pan still charms the youngster in all of us, writes Maddie Thomas. “Revisiting this 2003 film, you may expect its special effects to appear outdated, but Tinkerbell’s fairy dust, Pan’s shadow (at times playfully independent of its master) and ticking crocodiles remain as real as make-believe can on screen. The dialogue is rhythmic and whimsical, and the twinkle in the eyes of the entire cast only adds to its enduring quality.”
Listen
Months after the former NSW deputy premier John Barilaro quit politics, he was appointed NSW’s trade commissioner to New York City – a role he created while he was in office. As the first of two inquiries into Barilaro’s appointment begins today, Guardian Australia’s NSW state correspondent, Michael McGowan, explains to Jane Lee what we know so far about how he was selected for the job in today’s Full Story.
Full Story is Guardian Australia’s daily news podcast. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or any other podcasting app.
Sport
Rafael Nadal survived a fourth set scare to advance at Wimbledon at the expense of the extremely game Francisco Cerundolo, winning 6-4, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4. Serena Williams is back on court in her eagerly anticipated Wimbledon campaign against 24-year-old Harmony Tan. Follow our live blog here.
Media roundup
The head of St John Ambulance in Western Australia, Michelle Fyfe, has resigned after months of intense scrutiny of the state’s ambulance service and the deaths of at least three people waiting for paramedics, reports the West Australian. The Courier Mail says that Peter Coaldrake’s report calls for Queensland’s public service and political processes must be overhauled to improve confidence in the Palaszczuk government’s integrity.
Coming up
Chris Bowen will address the national press club today.
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