Good morning. Iran is warning that its forces are “waiting” to resist any assault by US troops, as Tehran accuses Washington of secretly planning to put boots on the ground despite publicly seeking diplomatic talks.
The impacts of the Middle East conflict are hitting home for Australia’s economy, with Labor under pressure to take more action over the fuel crisis as vital sectors, including farming, call for help.
And we look at the plight of NDIS participants who have been left waiting months for vital disability support, as internal documents reveal how the processing of changes to plans have been beset by “devastating” delays.
Australia
Exclusive | Internal NDIS documents have revealed that hundreds of participants in the disability support scheme have waited more than 100 days for vital support due to delays in processing plan variations.
Fuel crisis | Farmers are calling on the government for help with tax breaks and fertiliser purchases to survive the fuel crisis, with today’s national cabinet expected to discuss ballooning petrol prices.
Analysis | The government doesn’t expect the fuel crisis to suddenly resolve itself. Calls for help are increasing – and soon, Josh Butler says, the PM will have to make some tough choices.
Liberal ructions | Moira Deeming has been dumped from the Victorian election ticket – losing her spot on the ballot for the state Liberal party after a challenge by a moderate-backed candidate.
Cyclone Narelle | Communities are cleaning up after Cyclone Narelle left a trail of destruction in the Pilbara and North West Cape, with Exmouth effectively cut off.
World
Middle East crisis | Iran has accused the US of plotting a ground assault while publicly seeking talks, as US lawmakers warily stand by and Tehran warns its forces are waiting for US ground troops and will “set them on fire”. As the world’s gaze stays fixed on Iran, exhausted Palestinians are struggling to put their lives back together; the oil price is on track for a record monthly surge as the war disrupts markets; and here’s what the Houthis’ entry means for the conflict.
US politics | The annual US Conservative Political Action Conference is usually a place of optimism, if not triumph. But Maga anxiety over Iran was on full display as Donald Trump skipped the event.
No Kings marches | Police arrested dozens of protesters and shot teargas into a crowd at a No Kings protest in Los Angeles – part of a nationwide repudiation of Trump’s chaotic second administration.
Epstein files | A top modelling industry activist has called for business leaders to be hauled before US lawmakers to investigate which role modelling agencies may have had in the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.
Health | Decades after the web of nerves inside the penis was plotted out, the same mapping has finally been completed for one of the least-studied organs in the human body – the clitoris.
Full Story
What’s behind the push for more Australian babies?
When the new Nationals leader, Matt Canavan, addressed the media earlier this month, he shared a vision of a “hyper” Australia with “more Australian babies”. The statement drew headlines but it’s not the first time a politician has let it be known they want people to get busy in bed. Krishani Dhanji speaks with Reged Ahmad about why governments are pushing for more babies – and whether the policies even work.
In-depth
The inaugural First Nations children’s commissioner, Sue-Anne Hunter, carries the stories of thousands of children with her as she works to hold Australian governments to account. The Wurundjeri and Ngurai Illum Wurrung woman calls herself a “reluctant leader” but is determined to speak truth to power. She talks with Sarah Collard about finding courage, her ultimate dream for her new role – and the boy she can’t forget.
Not the news
In the latest of our Kindness of strangers series, we hear from a reader who found themselves facing financial ruin when their car began overheating. After a series of mechanics failed to diagnose the problem, they instead turned to online forums to find an affordable solution. They were left flabbergasted when a total stranger offered to pay for a radiator and ship it to their house – repairing both the car and their faith in humanity.
Sport
AFL | Kysaiah Pickett has turned Carlton inside out with his presence, power and raw talent, Jonathan Horn writes.
Football | Curacao meet the Socceroos in the Fifa Series tomorrow with more than World Cup hopes in common; Sam Kerr was among the scorers as Chelsea went back up to second in the Women’s Super League; and Igor Tudor has left Tottenham after just 44 days, with the club mired in relegation trouble.
Cycling | Australian Brady Gilmore won the final stage of the Volta a Catalunya, as Jonas Vingegaard keeps up his “amazing start” to season with an overall triumph.
Motorsport | Kimi Antonelli won the Japan Grand Prix to become the youngest F1 championship leader, while Australian Oscar Piastri came in second place; and F1 drivers are demanding urgent action after Oliver Bearman’s “scary” crash.
Golf | Tiger Woods’s latest brush with the law should leave us questioning why golf remains so beholden to him, Ewan Murray writes.
Media roundup
Canberra-based communications and tracking systems will help astronauts orbit the Moon for the first time in more than 50 years in Nasa’s Artemis II mission, ABC News reports. Music festival attendees, cocaine users and the affluent were among the few beneficiaries of a scheme meant to divert low-level drug users away from the courts, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. Australia is firmly in the sights of North Korea’s aggressive thousands-strong army of agents posing as remote IT workers, the Age reports. And per the West Australian, WA looks unlikely to follow Victoria and Tasmania in announcing free public transport to relieve fuel shortages.
What’s happening today
Politics | National cabinet is meeting today with an expected focus on the impacts of ballooning fuel prices.
Strike action | A Fair Work Commission hearing is scheduled today over the ongoing industrial dispute involving the ABC’s journalists.
ACT | The minister for trade and tourism, Don Farrell, is scheduled to give an address to the National Press Club in Canberra.
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Brain teaser
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