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| | | | 13/05/2025 Liberal showdown, toxic algae spreads, Trump backs down on China tariffs |
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| | | | Morning everyone. All eyes will be on the Liberal party room in Canberra today as Sussan Ley and Angus Taylor vie for the leadership. Whoever wins, it’s going to be a tough task to rebuild the party. We also take a look today at the cabinet reshuffle, the victorious PM’s latest polling and what the machinations in both parties mean for Australian politics. We also report on Trump’s tariff “capitulation day”, Keir Starmer’s “island of strangers” – and watching every Nicolas Cage film. |
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Australia | |
| Northern light | Stunning scenes such as a crocodile taking a wallaby feature in The Kimberley, a new ABC documentary starring and narrated by Mark Coles Smith, beginning tonight and showcasing the vast north-west region of Australia. | Liberal showdown | Sussan Ley may emerge as the first woman to lead the federal Liberal party from today’s showdown with Angus Taylor. With Ley representing the more centrist faction and Taylor standing as the Dutton continuity candidate, the contest will determine the party’s direction after this election defeat. | Essential poll | Anthony Albanese’s personal approval rating has spiked after his election win – but an overwhelming majority of Australians wants Labor to push ahead with reforms on health, housing and energy, according to our new Essential poll. | Property push | Buying interest in Australia’s housing market has surged in the aftermath of Labor’s election victory, preliminary data shows, and analysts say an anticipated string of rate cuts should see the trend continue. | ‘Horror movie’ | More than 200 marine species, including deepwater sharks, leafy sea dragons and octopuses, have been killed by a toxic algae off South Australia, with one expert describing it as a “horror movie for fish”. |
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World | |
| ‘Total reset’ | Donald Trump has hailed a supposed “total reset” in relations between China and the US after the countries agreed to a 90-day pause to their deepening trade war, with tariffs to be lowered by 115 percentage points. Our economics editor calls it “capitulation day” as Trump has been forced to negotiate. | ‘Island of strangers’ | The UK risks becoming an “island of strangers” without tougher controls on who enters the country, Keir Starmer has said, as he unveiled a set of policies meant to significantly drive down net migration. | Rap sheet | Prosecutors in the high-profile racketeering and sex-trafficking trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs said in opening statements that the hip-hop mogul “ran a criminal enterprise” and three women would testify about alleged coercion and/or sexual misconduct. | Hostage release | Edan Alexander, the 21-year-old Israeli-American who was kidnapped from his military base in southern Israel during Hamas’s attack on 7 October 2023, has been released by Hamas. Follow live. | Biennale mourns | Koyo Kouoh, the Swiss-Cameroonian curator who was to become the first African woman to lead the Venice Biennale, has died suddenly aged 57. |
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Full Story | |
| | How this week will shape politics for years to come Anthony Albanese’s reshuffle contains four important elements, according to our chief political correspondent, Tom McIlroy. There’s continuity for the big six portfolios, major changes in the second rank, there’s new blood and then there’s Tanya Plibersek. All of which, Tom argues, shows it’s still safety first for Albanese. In today’s pod, Tom talks to Nour Haydar about the reshuffle and the Liberal leadership battle – and what both tell us about the state of Australian politics. | | |
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In-depth | |
| Keeping mosquito-borne diseases such as the potentially deadly Japanese encephalitis out of Australia is a serious business. But it’s child’s play for two-year-old Tommy Parker, who helps his mother Bec look after a flock of 15 sentinel chickens for NSW Health as part of its arbovirus monitoring program. Daisy Dumas investigates the Wagga Wagga “chicken whisperer”. |
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Not the news | |
| Nicolas Cage can divide opinion, but to find the definitive view, would you sit and watch all of his more than 100 films? Susie Creagh, a doctor, decided to do just that – and concludes that despite friends worrying about her mental state, “it’s really nice to turn creative consumption into its own creative act”. Find out which she liked and which she didn’t. |
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What’s happening today | Business | Asic is suing Rex airlines and its directors in the NSW supreme court over alleged serious governance failures. | Indigenous affairs | Prof Eleanor Bourke will address the Melbourne Press Club on the Yoorook final report. | Sydney | A class action hearing resumes for NSW music festival strip-searches. |
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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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| Lenore Taylor
Editor, Guardian Australia |
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