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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Martin Farrer

Morning Mail: ‘unusual’ Jam Land meeting revealed, Liberals to defy Howard on voice, Japan shock Germany

Native grassland in the Monaro
Native grassland in the Monaro was cleared by Jam Land, bringing an ‘unusual’ meeting of officials, the NFF and the company. Photograph: Rainer Rehwinkel

Morning, everyone. In April 2019 a meeting took place involving senior government officials, the chief executive of the National Farmers’ Federation and the director of a company called Jam Land to discuss the latter’s clearing of native grasslands. But a briefing note obtained by Guardian Australia reveals that this meeting was described by officials as “unusual”. Find out why below.

Also today: there are more concerns that some remote NSW communities could be cut by flooding off until December, there’s been another World Cup upset, and the Scots have been told they can’t have another independence referendum.

Australia

Sheep and lambs rescued by helicopter from flooded areas near Condobolin
Sheep and lambs rescued by helicopter from flooded areas near Condobolin. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

World

A demonstrator holds a Scottish flag outside the supreme court in London
A demonstrator holds a Scottish flag outside the supreme court in London. Photograph: Alberto Pezzali/AP
  • Scotland ‘denied’ | The Scottish parliament cannot hold another referendum on independence without consent from the Westminster parliament, the UK supreme court ruled. Scotland’s first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, said democracy “will not be denied”.

  • China protest | Hundreds of workers have protested at Foxconn’s huge iPhone factory in Zhengzhou, China, with some men smashing surveillance cameras and windows amid growing anger at the country’s ultra-strict Covid policies.

  • Virginia shooting | Six people were killed when a gunman opened fire in a meeting room at a Walmart store in southern Virginia, according to local authorities. The shooter also died.

  • Syria bomb | An Iranian Revolutionary Guards colonel has been killed by a roadside bomb near Syria’s capital, Damascus, with Tehran media blaming Israel for the attack.

  • Putin ‘snub’ | Families of drafted Russian soldiers have accused Vladimir Putin of snubbing them, while a maternity ward in a hospital in Zaporizhzhia was hit in another wave of Russian bombing, killing a newborn baby.

Full Story

Iran fans protest at the World Cup
Iran fans protest at the World Cup. Photograph: Robbie Jay Barratt/AMA/Getty Images

World Cup 2022: chaos, protests and a glimmer of hope for the Socceroos

Guardian Australia’s deputy sports editor, Emma Kemp, reports from Doha about human rights in Qatar, the chaos on the ground so far and the road ahead for the Socceroos.

In-depth

A tram passes Flinders Street station in Melbourne
Promises have been made about cheaper transport in the lead-up to the Victorian election. Photograph: Go Australia/Neil Sutherland/Alamy

Victorians can choose this weekend between two parties determined to spend their way into power, financial analysts argue, with a lot of promises about new hospitals and cheaper transport. Our reporters pick five issues that should have been discussed but which haven’t: bail reform, community health, child protection, housing and Covid.

Not the news

Shigeru Miyamoto at the Nintendo headquarters in 2014
Shigeru Miyamoto at the Nintendo headquarters in 2014. Photograph: Edge Magazine/Getty Images

“Few people alive today could say that they’ve brought more happiness to more people than Shigeru Miyamoto has, through his games and his influence.” So says our video games editor, Keza MacDonald, who pays tribute to the Nintendo designer and brains behind Super Mario, Zelda and many other games, as he turns 70. Happy birthday, Miyamoto-san.

The world of sport

Takuma Asano of Japan celebrates with teammates after scoring their team’s second goal against Germany
Takuma Asano of Japan celebrates with teammates after scoring their team’s second goal against Germany. Photograph: Amin Mohammad Jamali/Getty Images

Media roundup

More than 150,000 Queenslanders are in housing distress, the Courier-Mail says, while people in Mannum are packing up their valuables and leaving their homes as the Murray River threatens to flood their homes, the Adelaide Advertiser reports. The NT News says the territory’s police chief will send an extra 40 officers into the centre of Alice Springs to combat street crime. The Geelong Advertiser reports that new multi-storey car parks and a flexible payment system are two of the options being proposed to solve the city’s parking problems.

What’s happening today

  • Juukan response | Tanya Plibersek will give the government’s response to the northern Australia joint select committee report into the destruction of Juukan Gorge.

  • Airbnb hearing | The first case management hearing is due in a case brought by the ACCC against Airbnb over settomg prices in US dollars for users in Australia, leading to confusion about charges.

  • Aria awards | The 2021 Aria awards will be staged at Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion with performances by the Kid Laroi, Amy Shark, Genesis Owusu and others.

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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.

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