Morning Mail: ‘unholy alliance’ targets pokies, Trump threat...

Good morning. The Greens and the Australian Christian Lobby – typically polar opposites in political debates – have set aside their long-held animosity to push for a clampdown on late-night pokies in NSW.

As Israel and Hamas prepare to discuss Donald Trump’s peace plan, new polling suggests that a majority of Australians would support the imposition of tough sanctions on Israel over its relentless attacks on Gaza.

Feathers will fly as voting opens in this year’s bird of the year poll. Plus: Brisbane celebrates a rugby league double crown, Ange Postecoglou’s Nottingham Forest woes continue, and Oscar Piastri’s F1 title hopes have taken a dent at the Singapore Grand Prix.

Australia

Cast your vote! | Voting is now open in the 2025 Australian bird of the year poll, a celebration of our extraordinary native wildlife – and an antidote to a grim news cycle. As Adam Morton explains, this avian popularity contest has a deeper purpose.
Exclusive | Less than impressed with the NSW government’s actions to combat gambling harms, the Greens and the Australian Christian Lobby are forming an “unholy alliance” to target late-night pokies.
Sanction calls | New polling suggests that more than half of Australians support placing tough sanctions on Israel and its leaders over its bombardment of Gaza, with 58% of respondents agreeing that a genocide is unfolding in the territory.
Triple zero fears | Telecommunications bosses will be grilled over the reliability of triple-zero services as the bushfire season looms, with Labor fast-tracking laws to protect the emergency call system.
Sussan Ley | The opposition leader faces an emboldened conservative backbench bloc, Liberal MPs claim, amid frustration over Andrew Hastie’s resignation over immigration policy.

World

Gaza crisis | Israel is continuing its Gaza bombardment as truce negotiators arrive in Cairo; Donald Trump has warned Hamas that it faces “complete obliteration” if it refuses to cede power; weary Israelis in Tel Aviv greeted Trump as a saviour as a hostage release deal inches closer.
Russia-Ukraine war | Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused the west of “zero real reaction” to Russia’s escalating bombing campaign against Ukraine, after a massive drone and missile attack killed six people.
US politics | Donald Trump’s online behaviour grows increasingly odd, Adam Gabbatt writes; the House speaker says Democrats are not serious about negotiating as the government shutdown continues; Ohio’s sole national forest could be wiped out in a Trump logging plan.
Alpine peril | Rescue efforts are under way on Mount Everest after a snowstorm trapped nearly 1,000 people in campsites on the eastern side of the mountain, according to Chinese state media.
‘No one will escape responsibility’ | Georgia’s prime minister, Irakli Kobakhidze, has announced a sweeping crackdown on dissent after Tbilisi protests – and blamed the EU for interference in his country.

Full Story

The Taliban’s war on the internet

Last week for 48 hours, and without any warning, Afghanistan was in a total internet blackout. It was a telecommunications shutdown imposed by the Taliban – and one that had an immediate and profound impact on the population. Shadi Khan Saif speaks with Reged Ahmad about the regime’s calculated effort to silence dissent.

In-depth

Amid growing threats to Sydney’s urban tree canopy, the NSW government is expected to introduce new legislation, including bigger fines, later this year in an attempt to curb illegal tree destruction. It comes as some councils and advocates call for even stiffer punishments – including jail time for serious offences. So, Penry Buckley asks, do Australia’s “tree wars” need a new solution?

Not the news

With his grandmother Djandjay having passed away, it only felt right to Aria-winning rapper Baker Boy that he name his sophomore record after her. “She was the reason I fell in love with hip-hop,” he says. Djandjay is also the name of a Yolŋu octopus spirit that guides souls forward. And that means guiding audiences towards new expressions of his art: an album containing his most overtly political music yet.

Sport

Rugby league | The Brisbane Broncos broke a 19-year NRL premiership drought in a thriller against the Melbourne Storm; earlier, the Broncos also won the NRLW premiership after surviving a Sydney Roosters fightback.
Motorsport | George Russell won the F1 Singapore GP as Lando Norris nibbles at an angry Oscar Piastri’s championship lead.
Football | Newcastle’s Bruno Guimarães added to Ange Postecoglou’s Nottingham Forest crisis; Erling Haaland’s early strike gave Manchester City a win at Brentford.
Rugby union | The Wallabies need to find something special on the road to finally deliver on their promises, Angus Fontaine writes.

Media roundup

There are claims Victoria could profit from leasing its cells to other states as the rest of Australia struggles to find space for prisoners, the Age reports. Despite some improvements, Australian women remain less likely to receive life-saving heart attack treatment than men, ABC News reports. Soldiers based in the Northern Territory are testing a new device that could help the ADF combat extreme temperatures, NT News reports. Tasmania faces a worsening “brain drain” of young talent, the Mercury reports.

What’s happening today

Public holidays | Today is a public holiday in NSW, SA, ACT and QLD.
Victoria | A hearing is scheduled for two men charged over the death of Melbourne teenager Isla Bell.

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Brain teaser

And finally, here are the Guardian’s crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow.