Good morning. Muslim Votes Matter, an organisation aiming to invigorate the Islamic community’s participation in Australian politics, is taking Labor to task over what it called “almost farcical” attempts to discredit the movement. It follows fierce debate sparked by Senator Fatima Payman’s departure from the Labor party.

Meanwhile, as the Republican national convention rolls on in the US, a senior Democrat has reportedly told donors that the party will lose with Joe Biden as its nominee. And Jack Black has put his Tenacious D rock duo “on hold” after his bandmate’s onstage comment about Donald Trump. Plus: we dive into the best (and the worst) hot chocolates on offer in Australian supermarkets.

Between the climate crisis, natural disasters, the rising cost of living and the never-ending housing crises, it can feel like there’s nothing but bad news out there. But on many measures things are actually getting better for Australians. Take our quiz to see how well can you pick the trend for 10 measures ranging from youth crime to daily commute times.

Nicholas Jordan recently embarked on a blind taste test involving 13 supermarket hot chocolates and seven of his friends, making each hot chocolate based on the packet’s suggested recipe and scoring them based on aroma, texture, taste and chocolatey-ness. With one smelling “like pencils” and another “almost devoid of aroma”, they found little to froth about. Were there any diamonds in the rough?

With just 2,000 sheep shearers left in Australia to keep a $3.5bn export industry alive, the race is on to entice new blood into the shed, reports ABC News. One in 10 cafes, coffee shops and restaurants could go broke over the coming year due to impacts of inflation and high interest rates, reports the Age. A new mental health facility is planned for a site in Hobart, but there’s a potential hiccup – hundreds of orphans were buried there in the 1800s, reports the Mercury.

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