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| | | | 16/05/2025 Eighty dead in Gaza bombing, Coalition talks begin, doctors’ gene genius |
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| Martin Farrer |  |
| | | Morning everyone. Israeli bombing of targets in Gaza have left 80 people dead overnight while talks on a possible ceasefire faltered during Donald Trump’s Middle East tour. The first talks between the new Liberal leader, Sussan Ley, and the Nationals have begun with sticking points including the rural party’s opposition to net zero and demand for more representation in the shadow ministry. We assess the task ahead of another new leader, Larissa Waters for the Greens, and examine what the new brooms might mean for Australian politics. In more cheerful news, doctors have edited the genes of a baby born with a severe genetic disorder. |
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Australia | |
| Puggle puzzle | When echidna mothers nurse their young, known as puggles, the microbiome of their pouch changes to protect their babies in their first weeks of life, new research has found. | Net loss? | The opposition leader, Sussan Ley, says progress on a new cooperation agreement with the Nationals will take time, promising productive talks amid an internal push to ditch net zero policies and even end the longstanding coalition with the Liberals. | Cruelty crisis | A surge in cruelty to horses in the past 12 months has brought warnings from the RSPCA that it can’t investigate the complaints unless it receives more funding. | Snapchat abuser | An 11-year-old Australian girl added random people on Snapchat as part of an informal competition with her best friend to get a high score in the app. One of the people she added went on to sexually abuse her. | Logging off | The New South Wales forestry agency’s forest logging division has posted a half-yearly loss of almost $15m, prompting renewed questions about the industry’s economic viability. |
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World | |
| Gaza bombing | Israel launched a new and intense wave of airstrikes and artillery shelling on targets across Gaza overnight, killing at least 80 people, as faltering talks on a new ceasefire continued in Qatar and Donald Trump said he wanted to see the US “make” the devastated territory “into a freedom zone”. Celebrities are leading the opposition to Trump, it appears, with Ben & Jerry’s founder Ben Cohen arrested (pictured) for protesting about US complicity in the Gaza blockade and Robert De Niro telling the Cannes film festival “we have to stop” Trump. Finally, Bruce Springsteen launched a tirade against the president at his opening UK show in Manchester. | Gene genius | Doctors in the US have become the first to treat a baby with gene-editing therapy after diagnosing the child with a severe genetic disorder in what the team said would “utterly transform the way we approach medicine”. | Recession risk | The boss of JP Morgan has said a US recession is still possible amid the fallout of Trump’s tariffs, while Walmart said it would have to raise its prices to cover the costs of the tariffs. Trump, meanwhile, has admonished Apple over the firm’s reported plans to source production of US-bound iPhones from India. | Rights wrong | A group of leading lawyers has submitted an official complaint to Fifa alleging football’s governing body has failed to follow its own human rights rules in relation to the 2034 World Cup in Saudi Arabia. | Barbie downsize | Barbie dolls have seen their high heels shrink to flatter shoes over the years amid the advance of women in work, according to a study by podiatrists in Australia and the UK. |
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Full Story | |
| Newsroom edition: three leadership contests and the future of Australian politics Reged Ahmad talks to head of newsroom Mike Ticher, national news editor Jo Tovey and chief political correspondent Tom McIlroy about whether changes in leadership for the Liberals and Greens could mean a change in our politics. | | |
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In-depth | |
| It’s said that Larissa Waters was reluctant to become leader of the Greens ahead of some more high-profile names. But she is regarded by colleagues as smart, warm and friendly, and – perhaps crucially – is seen as pragmatic by Labor counterparts with whom she will have to deal if she wants to help the government be bolder. Our chief political correspondent, Tom McIlroy, assesses where she might take the party. |
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Not the news | |
| Next Wednesday, more than 1 million children across Australia will read The Truck Cat as part of the annual National Simultaneous Storytime devised to improve children’s reading habits. Clare Miller talks to the book’s author, Deborah Frenkel, and illustrator, Danny Snell, about their delight in being chosen. “It’s mind-blowing, really … it’s hard to get your head around how big it actually is,” Snell says. |
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Sport | |
| Women’s Origin | Two tries from Olivia Kernick have helped NSW claim the women’s State of Origin series with a game to spare after powering the Blues to a 26-6 victory over Queensland in a rain-soaked Sydney last night. | Cycling | Australia’s Kaden Groves won the sixth stage of the Giro d’Italia in a sprint finish overnight but he won’t get any points after the stage was neutralised following a huge crash in wet conditions which also involved his compatriot Jai Hindley. | Women’s A-League | Emily Husband, one of only two female coaches in the league, can create history when her unfancied Central Coast team take on Melbourne Victory in Sunday’s grand final. | Women’s rugby union | Ilona Maher, the American rugby union star and one of the most influential figures in women’s sport, is in Canberra this week as the USA Eagles face the Wallaroos in the Pacific Four Series tomorrow. | Golf | The US PGA is under way in North Carolina with Kiwi Ryan Fox among the early frontrunners. At the time of sending the Morning Mail, Australian golfer Cam Davis was leading at 6-under, with three holes still to play in his first round. Follow the action live. |
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Media roundup | Jacob Greber has emerged as the favourite to replace Laura Tingle as presenter of the ABC’s 7.30, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. Credit agencies have warned Victoria’s government to rein in spending or risk a downgrade, the Fin Review reports. Concern about dangerous driving around schools in Canberra is leading to calls for the speed limit to be reduced to 30km/h, the Times reports. The family of AFL legend Robert Walls has opened up to the Herald Sun about his decision to use Victoria’s assisted dying laws to end his own life after a cancer diagnosis. |
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What’s happening today | Sydney | Judgment expected at 10.15am in Ben Roberts-Smith’s appeal against defamation findings. | Bundaberg | Second court mention for man charged with helping caravan “terror plotter” flee Australia by boat. | Dubbo | NSW public hearing into the impact of renewable energy zones on rural communities and industries. |
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Brain teaser | And finally, here are the Guardian’s crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow. | |
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A message from Lenore Taylor editor of Guardian Australia I hope you appreciated this article. Before you move on, I wanted to ask whether you could support the Guardian’s journalism as we face the unprecedented challenges of covering the second Trump administration.
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| Lenore Taylor
Editor, Guardian Australia |
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