| | 05/02/2025 Sweden’s worst mass shooting, DeepSeek banned from government devices, Sam Kerr trial continues |
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| | | | Morning, everyone. Police have said “10 or so” people have been killed and at least five others wounded in a campus shooting in the southern Swedish city of Örebro, in what Sweden’s prime minister has described as the worst mass shooting in the country’s history. Amid a scramble by Australian officials to reorientate policy in the wake of Donald Trump’s election win, Kevin Rudd seemed to sum it up best. “Interesting times. Too interesting,” he said in an email which is part of FoI cache obtained by our reporters. The full story is coming up, plus the latest on the Sam Kerr trial, what Australians really think about migration and the definitive corn chip taste test. |
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| Australia | | Exclusive | Ministers have urged calm over Donald Trump’s shifting tariffs as newly obtained documents reveal how Australian officials grappled with the incoming US president’s “unclear” trade proposals in the wake of his election victory. | Migration mystery | Australians have a nuanced view of migration, according to a new study, with the majority saying they would like lower levels, but supporting more skilled entrants and opposing decreasing international students numbers. | DeepSeek dumped | DeepSeek will be banned from all federal government devices as the Albanese government cracks down on the Chinese AI chatbot, citing unspecified national security risks. | New South Wales | Police are investigating after a one-year-old girl was found dead in a car in Earlwood, in Sydney’s inner west, on Tuesday afternoon. | Stem sell | The University of Sydney is now the largest beneficiary of philanthropy in NSW after the tech billionaire Robin Khuda donated $100m to drive young girls into Stem subjects. |
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| World | | Kerr trial | The Metropolitan police officer at the centre of Sam Kerr’s criminal trial did not mention that being called “stupid and white” by the footballer had upset him when he made his first statement about the incident, a court has heard, and only included it in a further statement 11 months later. | Sweden shootings | Police have said “10 or so” people have been killed and at least five others wounded in a campus shooting in the southern Swedish city of Örebro, triggering a massive emergency response. The “primary perpetrator” is believed to be among the dead. | Polar melt | Temperatures at the north pole soared more than 20C above average on Sunday to just above freezing, crossing the threshold for the ice to melt. | Gaza | Talks on the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal have started, a spokesperson for Hamas has said. They come as Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, gets ready to meet Trump in Washington today. | ‘Default gone’ | Elon Musk has proposed a “wholesale removal of regulations” in an intensification of his crusade to slash US federal government spending. In a call aired on X, the platform he owns, Musk said: “If it turns out that we missed the mark on a regulation, we can always add it back in.” |
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| Full Story | | | Australian imports allegedly linked to Uyghur forced labour in China Our chief investigations correspondent, Christopher Knaus, tells Nour Haydar how goods have been imported into Australia from companies blacklisted in the US for alleged links to the forced labour of Uyghur people. | |
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| | | | | | | | | The most important news from Australia and the globe, as it breaks |
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| | Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties |
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| In-depth | | Residents in Townsville have been allowed back to their homes after two days in makeshift centres set up as the town faced being inundated after days of torrential rain. But they tell Joe Hinchliffe they know they were lucky this time – they “dodged a bullet” in the words of Queensland’s premier, David Crisafulli – after a downpour that Sonia Pollock (pictured) says “came from nowhere”. |
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| Not the news | | What makes a good corn chip? Given Australia’s predilection for pre-prandial platters, this is a key question. Jess Ho crunches through the evidence to find the best brand available in our supermarkets. |
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| Sport | | Cricket | Usman Khawaja’s position in the Australia team has been questioned after a poor summer against India but, with the Ashes next summer, his double century against Sri Lanka was very well timed. | Football | Arsenal’s manager, Mikel Arteta, has admitted disappointment with a lack of signings in the transfer window, acknowledging they will have to be “flexible” to cope with the shortage of attacking options. | Tiger Woods | The former world No 1 announced on Tuesday that his mother Kultida, had died, paying tribute to her as “my biggest fan”. |
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| Media roundup | The Courier-Mail has a further dispatch from “inside the Ingham armageddon” after the flood-hit north Queensland town was left without electricity and facing a shortage of diesel and groceries. A Sydney council will spend $20,000 on a two-night workshop at the luxurious Hydro Majestic hotel in the Blue Mountains, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. And despite her legal troubles, Sam Kerr is on track for a Matildas return but, asks the Age, will it be as captain? |
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| What’s happening today | Canberra | Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton co-host the UN Women Australia’s annual parliamentary breakfast. | Western Australia | The stage government enters a caretaker period before the election in four weeks. | Sydney | Antoinette Lattouf’s alleged unfair dismissal case against the ABC continues in the federal court. |
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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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| Contact us | | If you have a story tip or technical issue viewing this newsletter, please reply to this email. If you are a Guardian supporter and need assistance with regards to contributions and/or digital subscriptions, please email [email protected] |
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| Lenore Taylor
Editor, Guardian Australia |
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