Liberals dumbfounded by Taylor; France’s hottest day on record; and a levitating penguin

Good afternoon.

Angus Taylor has attempted to clarify comments on multiculturalism after his five non-answers on Tuesday, which left colleagues dumbfounded and questioning the opposition leader’s approach to One Nation.

Senior Liberals lined up to endorse Australia’s cultural diversity on Wednesday, while the outspoken backbencher Andrew McLachlan went further.

“If you aspire to lead our nation you should embrace the reality of modern Australia,” the Liberal senator told Guardian Australia.

“It is a prerequisite of a leader to fight for the aspirations of each and every member of our community.”

Top news

Bird flu confirmed in second Australian state as infected petrel brings deadly H5N1 cases to three

Woman attacked by shark at Coogee beach wakes briefly from coma to say three words

Artist accused of winning prize with ‘imitation’ won Australian award with piece ‘influenced’ by Basquiat

Nine considers Karl Stefanovic’s future after podcast with UK far-right activist Tommy Robinson

Multiple Airbus A380 planes to be grounded for urgent inspections after cracks found in wings

Admiral fired in Pete Hegseth purge wins Democratic primary in South Carolina

France records hottest day ever as 40 people drown across country

Socceroos face selection dilemma for Paraguay game with changes expected

World Cup 2026

After a flying start to their tournament, England came back down to earth with a 0-0 draw against a resolutely defensive Ghana. The Africans could well have had a penalty to claim the win although England skipper Harry Kane missed a chance he would usually convert near the end.

Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo answered his critics in emphatic style with a double in Portugal’s 5-0 defeat of Uzbekistan.

Croatia’s Luka Modric joined a select group of four players (including Ronaldo) to reach 200 games for his country in a 1-0 win over Panama, while Colombia left it late to beat DR Congo and advance to the knockout stages.

In pictures

One hundred incredible images have been shortlisted by the South Australian Museum as part of this year’s Australian Geographic nature photographer of the year competition. In its 23rd year, the competition attracted 2,129 entries from 501 photographers in 17 countries.

The photographer of this image, Mat Bell, describes his work. “Huddled in a Zodiac boat in icy waters off the Antarctic Peninsula, I waited patiently for an Adélie penguin to propel itself from the water to the safety of an iceberg. “Persistence delivered as I captured this penguin in an almost levitational-like state, as if posing for the camera.”

What they said …

“Illness freaks him out; he perceives illness as weakness, usually, and he certainly perceives any sense that he is having an issue as a projection of weakness.” – Maggie Haberman.

Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan cracked the White House Situation Room, unearthing secrets from the heart of a secretive administration in their blockbuster new book, Regime Change, on Donald Trump’s second term.

But they ran up against a wall when reporting on one issue surrounding the 80-year-old US president: his fitness for office.

Podcast

Today in Focus: Britain, Brexit, Burnham: how was it for EU?

It’s been 10 years since the UK woke up to the shock of the Brexit referendum result, which upended British politics and rattled the establishment to its core.

The Guardian’s economics editor, Heather Stewart, and Nosheen Iqbal examine the long shadow that decision cast over the country. From economic friction and the toxic immigration debate to the endless churn of prime ministers, the UK just can’t seem to get over Brexit.

Listen to the episode here

Before bed read

As a society we are constantly looking for ways to look, feel and even act younger. From nasal sprays filled with stem cells to useless supplements to various injections, there are almost endless ways to attempt to keep your body as close to your 20s as is possible for as long as you can.

Most of them, of course, don’t work.

One of the popular ways to try to embrace eternal youth is microneedling.

But is stabbing yourself really based on science?

Daily word game

Today’s starter word is: MERE. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.

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