Billionaire brands country the home of ‘censorship’ after court order
Musk’s ‘censorship’ jab at Albanese, Trump on trial accused of election fraud, confusing supermarket labels | The Guardian

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Elon Musk, owner of X, formerly Twitter, has hit back against an Australian court order against the site.
23/04/2024

Musk’s ‘censorship’ jab at Albanese, Trump on trial accused of election fraud, confusing supermarket labels

Martin Farrer Martin Farrer
 

Morning everyone. The skirmish between the Australian government and Elon Musk over extreme content on his social network has continued, with the tech billionaire using his X platform to accuse the prime minister of censorship. A court in New York has heard that Donald Trump tried “to corrupt the 2016 election” as his hush-money trial began in earnest, and at home the consumer group Choice has stepped up its campaign against supermarket pricing.

Australia

A combined image shows (left) signage at a Woolworths Supermarket in Melbourne and (right) signage at a Coles supermarket in Sydney

Tough Choice | Consumer advocacy group Choice has called on the competition regulator to stop supermarkets using slogans, designs or colours that imply a discount is on offer when it is not a genuine deal.

Musk move | The Australian federal court has ordered Elon Musk’s X to hide posts containing videos of a stabbing at a Sydney church last week from users globally, after the eSafety commissioner sought an injunction. But the billionaire hit back, describing X as the home of “freedom” and branding Australia as the home of “censorship”.

Fatal failing | Relatives of a dead 15-year-old Indigenous teenager with a significant cognitive impairment say they were not told he had left his residential care facility days before a fatal car crash outside federal Parliament House.

Murder charge | A man has been charged with murder after a 28-year-old woman was found dead in a home in Forbes in New South Wales after concerns were raised for her welfare with police.

Essential poll | Voters have backed Anthony Albanese’s Future Made in Australia plan according to the latest Guardian Essential poll, but are under the misapprehension that renewables are the most expensive form of power, illustrating the difficulty for Labor of selling the energy transition to voters.

World

Former U.S. President Donald Trump appears at court in New York

Trump on trial | Donald Trump “orchestrated a criminal scheme to corrupt the 2016 presidential election” in his efforts to cover up an alleged affair with the adult film star Stormy Daniels, the prosecution said in its opening statement in the former president’s criminal trial overnight. The defence countered that “there’s nothing wrong with trying to influence an election”.

Protest problems | The Met police chief has defended an officer who stopped an antisemitism campaigner at a pro-Palestinian march in London and warned that officers had been “set up” by activists using “fakery” to undermine the force. In the US, Columbia University announced that classes would be held remotely after more unrest on the New York campus following the arrest of pro-Palestinian protesters there last week.

Flights jammed | Flights in and out of Britain are among thousands that have been affected by suspected Russian jamming of GPS systems.

‘Moscow Marjorie’ | The pro-Trump Georgia congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene has been mocked by the rightwing media in the US for her opposition to the now passed Ukraine aid bill, with the New York Post depicting her wearing a Soviet cap.

Black Dog day | Taylor Swift fans have flocked to a London pub after they decided that it was the subject of song of the same name on the singer’s new album.

Full Story

Australia’s James Magnussen celebrates after winning the men’s 100m freestyle final during the World Swimming Championships at the Sant Jordi arena in Barcelona August 1, 2013. REUTERS/Gustau Nacarino (SPAIN - Tags: SPORT SWIMMING)

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In-depth

Nikki Malone sits for a portrait in front of her home on New City Road in Mullumbimby

Just one homeowner out of 336 applicants in the New South Wales northern rivers has received a grant to elevate their house more than two years after disastrous flooding hit the region. Hundreds have had their homes bought back by the government but it has spent less than half of the $700m recovery funding it committed to the region. One Mullumbimby resident, Nikki Malone (pictured), said accessing help felt like a “lottery”.

Not the news

Tanzyn Crawford and Cliff Curtis in new SBS drama Swift Street

A hard-hitting new SBS drama series, Swift Street, follows Elsie (Tanzyn Crawford), a street-smart 21-year-old and her father, Robert (Cliff Curtis), as they embark on a hair-raising attempt to pay off his $26,000 debts. Set in Melbourne’s inner north, it is written by Zimbabwe-born Tig Terera and explores what he describes as the “nuances of being black Australian”.

The world of sport

Coventry City v Manchester United, Emirates FA Cup, Semi Final, Football, Wembley, London, UK - 21 Apr 2024EDITORIAL USE ONLY No use with unauthorised audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or “live” services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Mandatory Credit: Photo by Kieran McManus/REX/Shutterstock (14441884io) Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag shows a look of frustration Coventry City v Manchester United, Emirates FA Cup, Semi Final, Football, Wembley, London, UK - 21 Apr 2024

Football | Erik ten Hag remains safe as Manchester United manager until the end of the season despite the increased pressure on him following Sunday’s alarming FA Cup win over Coventry. In Italy, Milan host Inter in the city derby this morning.

Golf | Scottie Scheffler has matched Tiger Woods’s record of four wins in his last five tournaments after taking out the RBC Heritage overnight.

Snooker | The former world champion Shaun Murphy has made an emotional intervention in the row brewing about the historic Crucible Theatre which was described as “smelly” by Hossein Vafaei on Sunday.

Media roundup

Economists have told the Financial Review that they haven’t ruled out the chances of the Reserve Bank raising interest rates again as the economy picks up. “Fed-up powerbrokers” are plotting to overthrow the entire board of Rugby Australia, the Australian claims in an exclusive. Melbourne city council is pressing pause on the construction of new CBD bike lanes, the Age reports. A man shot dead by police at a rest stop in central Queensland had pulled a rifle on officers and fired first, according to the Courier Mail.

What’s happening today

Sydney | There will be a NSW parliament committee hearing into the Rozelle interchange.

New South Wales | Inquest findings at Bourke local court into the deaths of two First Nations teenagers in a 1987 car crash.

Sport | Rugby league legend Wally Lewis addresses the National Press Club in Canberra about living with probable chronic traumatic encephalopathy.

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Lenore Taylor

Editor, Guardian Australia

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