Good morning. There’s been a heap of drama and controversy around Australia’s victory at Lord’s in the men’s Ashes – read all about it below. Back home, the idea of charging gambling companies a levy to fund support for addicts – recommended by the recent parliamentary inquiry – is gaining support, though public health experts warn that it should be set high enough to change industry practices.
Plus violence sparked by a police shooting continues in France, and two people are dead, with dozens injured, in a mass shooting in Baltimore.
Australia
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Childcare | As the Labor government’s childcare subsidy scheme takes effect, parents warn that early learning centres are raising their prices.
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Gambling levy | Gambling companies should be forced to pay for addiction rehabilitation centres, new consumer rights groups and legal services, via a levy on their earnings, according to harm reduction advocates.
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NSW politics | The NSW premier, Chris Minns, does not believe “Sydney is full” – but he’s going to rebalance development away from the city fringe toward the CBD. Minns sat down for an interview after his first 100 days in office.
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Inequality | Demand for Australia’s support services helping with food, rent and mental health has rocketed as the cost of living bites.
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Referendum rallies | Thousands turned out nationally on Sunday to back the Indigenous voice to parliament as organisers hoped to build momentum and reverse a decline in support shown in the polls.
World
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Baltimore | Two people were killed and 28 wounded in a mass shooting at a block party in Baltimore, including three who are in critical condition, police said.
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France | The grandmother of a teenage boy whose fatal shooting by police sparked five nights of rioting in France, called for calm. Meanwhile, simmering anger boiled over in a poverty-riven French district.
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Russia | Two British peers were among 50 people who attended a party organised by the Russian ambassador to the UK at his opulent residence in west London last month, to mark the creation of a Russia independent of the Soviet Union.
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Afghanistan | Eighty Afghans may have been victim of summary killings by three separate British SAS units operating in the country between 2010 and 2013, lawyers representing the bereaved families told a public inquiry.
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‘Boil in the bag’ | For anyone uneasy at the thought of their body being consumed by flames or interred in an insect-teeming grave after they die, a new funeral choice is about to become available: water cremation.
Full Story
The Albanese government and the Top End carbon bomb
The Albanese government has committed $1.5bn to Darwin harbour’s Middle Arm precinct – a project that has been sold as sustainable and a contributor to decarbonisation. Environment reporter Lisa Cox explains what the expansion of the gas industry in the Northern Territory could mean for Australia’s emissions – and for traditional owners, some of whom fear the initiative will lock Australia into gas production for 50 more years and endanger priceless Indigenous rock art.
The Albanese government and the Top End carbon bomb
In-depth
The rapid and controversial rise of semaglutide – commonly known as Ozempic – for weight loss and diabetes has brought increasing reports from patients and doctors about the drug’s dampening of other addictive or compulsive behaviours. Here’s what scientists know so far.
Not the news
It’s that time of year again when many choose to lay off the booze and go dry for July. Conveniently, the Australian drinks industry has seen a surge in upmarket cordials, shrubs, sodas, spritzes and fermented beverages competing for your attention – and your wallet. But are these bougie beverages any good?
Over two-plus hours, Guardian Australia’s Thomas Carr (pictured) and sommelier Samantha Payne sampled almost 100 upmarket non-alcoholic options – and picked some winners.
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The world of sport
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Ashes cricket | Australia beat England in the second test to take a 2-0 lead, despite a dazzling century from Ben Stokes. But it came amid controversy over the dismissal of Jonny Bairstow, stumped as he wandered from his crease when he thought the over was complete. Stokes (and many others) thought it was against the spirit of the game – the MCC offered an apology to the touring side for alleged verbal abuse and “physical contact” of players by club members as Australia returned to their dressing room at lunch.
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AFL | Is Collingwood’s Nick Daicos the best young AFL footballers of his generation? The Brownlow medal contender boasts shades of his father and he could become the game’s dominant player for years to come, Jonathan Horn writes.
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Formula One | Max Verstappen continued his one-man victory parade with an Austrian F1 Grand Prix win.
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Coming up | Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson names his 23-player squad for the Women’s World Cup this afternoon. While you wait, here’s our recent interview with Hayley Raso.
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NRL | Questions abound at Wests Tigers after the struggling NRL team’s crushing 74-0 loss to North Queensland.
Media roundup
It’s wall-to-wall Ashes at nearly every news outlet but beyond that: the Financial Times reports that Joko Widodo will push for an Indonesia-Australia partnership on electric vehicle battery production during his visit here this week. The Australian has analysis predicting that the nation faces a lost year-and-a-half of economic stagnation, with turbocharged migration the only thing preventing the economy from plunging into recession.
What’s happening today
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State visit | The Indonesian President, Joko Widodo, visits Sydney today.
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NSW hearing | A special commission of inquiry is looking into the unsolved deaths of LGBTQ+ people (or people presumed to be LGBTQ+) that may have been hate crimes, between 1970 and 2010.
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Scammers beware | The Albanese government will today launch the National Anti-Scams Centre.
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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