Aged care ‘signature’ fees trigger class action; McCartney’s gift to Taylor Swift; T20 glory for Australia

Good morning. A new class action against a leading aged care firm claims it charged some residents for services they could not use – for example, high teas for people on restricted diets, and Foxtel for unconscious patients.

In other news, Queenslanders may end up paying to clean up abandoned mines, and we look at Spectacle Island in Sydney Harbour, off-limits for decades and now for sale in the big Defence property selloff.

Plus: Australia have crushed England to win the Women’s T20 World Cup final.

Australia

Dirty legacy | Queenslanders are being warned they could be left to pay for the cleanup of abandoned mines if rehabilitation laws are weakened, after the government announced a plan to cut “red tape”.

Aged care fight | Residents at an aged care provider have launched a class action lawsuit alleging fees for services such as high teas and exercise classes were illegally charged to clients who can’t use them.

Analysis | In 2020 Australia’s biggest super fund dumped its shares in Whitehaven. Now it is the coalminer’s single biggest investor. What happened to AustralianSuper’s net zero pledge?

Fish deaths feared | A plan to improve river flows after catastrophic fish kills in the northern Murray-Darling Basin is in doubt after the federal government refused a $360m funding request.

Mystery debris | Suspected space debris found washed up on north Queensland beaches could be “space balls” left over from rocket launches.

World

Middle East crisis | Beside the coffin of the assassinated former Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei at a packed prayer hall in Tehran there were calls for the killing of Donald Trump; and Iran seeks to tighten control over strait of Hormuz alongside Khamenei’s funeral, Patrick Wintour writes.

A golden age? | Donald Trump has hailed the “unmatched achievement and unlimited potential” of the US in a triumphalist address marking the country’s 250th anniversary.

Russia-Ukraine war | Sweden’s young military conscripts are being readied should Vladimir Putin hope to test Nato’s resolve.

Autism research | The scientist who pioneered the “extreme male brain” theory of autism says he regrets using the phrase because it lends itself to misunderstandings.

Tying the knot | Paul McCartney performed the beloved Beatles’ I Want to Hold Your Hand for the first time in 60 years at Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding in New York.

World Cup

Socceroos latest | Despite Australia’s shootout loss to Egypt, Tony Popovic has received Football Australia’s backing. But is he the right man to take the Socceroos forward, Jack Snape asks?

Match catch-up | Canada’s coach, Jesse Marsch, says his side was the better team despite losing to Morocco; Kylian Mbappé says France had to ditch their “tuxedos” to beat Paraguay; and Folarin Balogun can play for the US against Belgium as Fifa rescinds his suspension.

Off the pitch | Football has limited traction in North America but it is at the centre of the universe in Brazil, Rodrygo writes.

What to watch today | Brazil are facing Norway. And at 10am England take on World Cup co-hosts Mexico after a rough night’s sleep.

Full Story

Will the Mamdani effect make 2028 the year of the leftwing president?

Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani, the popular new mayor of New York City, is now endorsing candidates that topple established Democrats. Will his new way of doing politics connect with US voters? Nour Haydar speaks with David Smith about whether the Democrats are still fit to take on Trump.

In-depth

From the water, Spectacle Island sits in Sydney Harbour like the setting of an Agatha Christie novel: abandoned buildings decay in the sun. But now the defence department wants to offload Spectacle Island along with other historic properties across the country.

Not the news

Technological interventions may be the only tool left to remediate the climate crisis. Humans have long sought to geoengineer the Earth’s environment, writes Tim Flannery, and some ideas from the 20th century were pretty wild.

Sport

Cricket | Australia stormed to a ruthless seven-wicket win against England in the final of the Women’s T20 Cricket World Cup; England were stifled by nerves as Australia seized glory, Tanya Aldred writes.

AFL | Collingwood’s Brayden Maynard is a robust player opposition coaches would love to have, Jonathan Horn writes.

Tennis | Novak Djokovic broke a Wimbledon record with a win over Roman Safiullin to reach the quarter-finals; Aryna Sabalenka wants “to get drunk and forget” Wimbledon.

Motorsport | Charles Leclerc held off George Russell and Lewis Hamilton to win a chaotic British F1 Grand Prix.

Cycling | Isaac del Toro won stage two of the Tour de France with the help of teammate Tadej Pogacar, as Jonas Vingegaard stayed in yellow.

The RBA has been printing billions of dollars’ worth of banknotes, year after year, for decades – so where are they all going? ABC News asks. One Nation is scooping up donations from people who have previously only donated to the Liberal party before the Victorian state election, the Age reports. New South Wales figures have revealed how AI is fuelling a steep rise in HSC cheating, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.

What’s happening today

NSW | The royal commission into antisemitism and social cohesion continues in Sydney.

Diplomacy | Anthony Albanese is making an official visit to Fiji.

Nationwide | Naidoc Week events will take place across the country.

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