Good morning. Welcome to the first Morning Mail for 2025 – thank you for reading, we love having you with us. Today we lead with news the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, is embarking on a blitz of battleground seats as he tries to build momentum ahead of this year’s election, having ended 2024 with a series of lacklustre poll results.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces have launched a surprise new push into Russia’s Kursk region with footage showing troops on the offensive.
And there’s renewed alarm over the rise of antimicrobial resistance around the world – amid warnings it could claim tens of millions of lives over the next 25 years.
Australia
New South Wales | An Invasion Day marcher knocked down and injured as police tried to arrest a man in 2017 has been stripped of $800,000 compensation after a duty of care ruling was overturned.
Election looms | Anthony Albanese will move to an election footing this week, travelling to key battlegrounds across Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia – signalling the unofficial start of the 2025 election campaign.
Beach rescues | Victoria’s tourism agency has removed a social media post calling an unpatrolled beach on the Mornington Peninsula a “pristine swimming spot” after almost 150 rescues on the state’s beaches.
Sydney festival | Siegfried & Roy: The Unauthorised Opera, co-written by director Constantine Costi and composer Luke Di Somma, is one of the centrepieces of this year’s Sydney festival.
Escaping the heat | Southern Ocean winds should bring relief on Monday to parts of Australia sweltering through a three-day heatwave, after a weekend of “particularly hot” conditions in South Australia, NSW, Victoria and Tasmania.
World
Russia-Ukraine war | Footage suggests that Ukrainian forces are once again on the offensive in Russia’s Kursk region, as images show armoured columns advancing towards the village of Bolshoe Soldatskoe.
‘Don’t feed the troll’ | The German chancellor responded to Elon Musk’s comments backing the far-right AfD party; on X, Musk turned on Nigel Farage and called for a new leader of the UK’s rightwing Reform party.
Gaza crisis | Social order in Gaza will collapse if Israel goes ahead with its threat this month to end all cooperation with the UN refugee agency for Palestinians, a top Unrwa official has warned.
Drug resistance | England’s former chief medical officer says antimicrobial resistance “could claim 40 million lives in the next 25 years” as superbugs spread across the globe.
US politics | Italy’s Giorgia Meloni met with Donald Trump in a flying visit to Mar-a-Lago; fears grow for voting rights as Trump plots to reshape the US justice department; convicted January 6 rioters anticipate gaining pardons from Trump, saying “we have our country back”.
Full Story
Karima Hazim on how to cook for a crowd
Whether we like it or not, some of us will have to host friends and family at home this holiday season. Karima Hazim, co-author of cookbook Sofra: Lebanese Recipes to Share, takes Reged Ahmad through her essential hacks for putting on a spread to impress – without all the stress.
In-depth
Victorians have long been known as the biggest devotees of the Sunshine Coast resort town of Noosa. But in recent years the Queensland coastal paradise has been grappling with traffic snarls, a population boom and rising rents – so why are these interstate tourists still clamouring to visit? Joe Hincliffe looks at how even in the face of overtourism and a housing crunch, Noosa continues to keep its magic.
Not the news
In the latest of our Away with weekly interviews with prominent Australians about travel, the TV and radio presenter Zan Rowe reveals the pasta dish from a hole-in-the-wall restaurant in Rome that took her to “heaven”, how she resets while on holiday, the destination that had her in tears every day, and a famed culinary region she’s keen to visit but hasn’t quite made it to – yet.
Sport
Football | Premier League leaders Liverpool were held to a 2-2 draw by old foes Manchester United at Anfield; Raúl Jiménez’s spot-kick double gave Fulham a late 2-2 draw against Ipswich; Socceroo Martin Boyle scored twice for Hibernian in a 3-3 thriller against Rangers in the Scottish Premiership.
Tennis | USA won the United Cup in Sydney as Coco Gauff laid down a marker against Iga Świątek; Elena Rybakina defended her suspended former coach as the WTA investigate claims of misconduct.
Cricket | Australia’s bowlers battered India to keep the home fires burning for a World Test Championship tilt, writes Geoff Lemon; Australia have won the Border-Gavaskar series 3-1 after beating India by six wickets in an SCG thriller.
Media roundup
Soaring caravan park rates at some of Victoria’s most popular holiday destinations are putting camping out of reach for families, reports the Age. The botched launch of a new health records system in NT emergency departments has put patients at risk, according to the NT News. The largest mass digitisation of a natural history collection in the southern hemisphere has been completed at the Botanic Gardens of Sydney after five painstaking years, reports the Sydney Morning Herald. Australian researchers say social media is driving the “explosion” in popularity – and increased risks – of Antarctic tourism, reports ABC News.
What’s happening today
Fiji | A man charged over the alleged sexual assault of a Virgin Australia crew member is scheduled to face court in Nadi.
NSW | The search for hiker Hadi Nazari, missing in a hazardous part of Kosciuszko national park, enters its twelfth day.
Queensland | A court appearance is scheduled in Maroochydore for a man charged over the sudden death of a Sunshine Coast woman.
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Brain teaser
And finally, here are the Guardian’s crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow.
