Morning everyone. A National Audit Office report has flagged the process behind the appointment of a union boss to Labor’s national construction fund. Israel has launched waves of Gaza airstrikes after new displacement orders, the Trump administration is stepping up efforts to strip naturalised residents of their citizenship, and a heatwave is gripping Europe – and Wimbledon, where Alexei Popyrin has crashed out on day one.
Property boost |Australian property pricesare accelerating againthanks to lower interest rates enticing more bidding at auctions. Despite cost-of-living pressures on households, national home values rose by 1.4% over the June quarter, according to Cotality data.
Union question |A trade union leader was appointed to the board of the federal government’s $15bn National Reconstruction Fund despite not being shortlisted for the role or subjected to a formal“due diligence”check from private recruiters.
Exclusive |Victoria will havea permanent Indigenous voiceto state parliament, with the progressive crossbench throwing their support behind a plan to allow the First Peoples’ Assembly’s work to continue following treaty.
Super ‘guarantee’ |Paul Keating says the 12% rate of compulsory super contributions from 1 Julywill “guarantee”a young Australian joining the workforce today will have more than $3m in savings by the time they retire. But not everyone agrees.
Weather watch |Authorities along Australia’s east coastare still preparingfor dangerous weather conditions today and tomorrow, even though the system has not yet met the criteria for an “east coast low”,as had been widely predicted.
Israel offensive |Israelramped up its offensivein Gaza with new displacement orders sending tens of thousands of people fleeing the north of the devastated territory and waves of airstrikes killing about 60 Palestinians, according to local officials and medical staff.
Out of tune |Police in the UK have formally opened a criminal investigation into comments made by Bob Vylan and Kneecapabout the Israel-Gaza warat Glastonbury after reviewingvideo and audio footageof the performances.
Citizen threat |The Trump administration has codified its efforts tostrip some Americans of their US citizenshipin a recently published justice department memo that directs attorneys to prioritise denaturalisation for naturalised citizens who commit certain crimes. The Senatecontinues to debateTrump’s “big bill” and you can follow its progresshere.
Cold justice |A 92-year-old man who evaded justice for almost 60 years has been convicted of raping and murdering a woman in Bristol, after areview by a cold case police team and scientists.
AI match |The first robots-only football match has been staged in China, with footage of the kick-about showing humanoidsstruggling to kick the ballor stay upright.
What does Zohran Mamdani’s triumph tell the Democrats?
Washington DC bureau chief David Smithtells Nour Haydarabout the rise of New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani and what it means for the Democrats.
Sorry your browser does not support audio - but you can download here and listen $https://audio.guim.co.uk/2025/06/30-26516-FS_MAMDANI.mp3
In may be set to be wet and windy for a lot of Australians, but it’s extreme weather of a different kind in the northern hemisphere where a ferocious heatwave hasengulfed southern Europewith temperatures reaching highs of 46C (114.8F) in Spain and placing most of France under alert. Wildfiresare raging in Turkey. We also have a picture gallery from the sweltering continent. In the UK, two train lineshad to moderate speedsbecause of overheating tracks and Wimbledon sawthe hottest opening day ever,with the mercury hitting 34C in south-west London.
From a novel about Italian immigrants to Australia in the 1950s by Moreno Giovannoni, to a book by Madison Griffiths exploring the real-life sexual relationships between university professors and their students,our critics have selectedthe best Australian books coming out this month.
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Tennis |One of Australia’s biggest Wimbledon hopes, Alexei Popyrin, has crashed out to a British player ranked No 461 in the world, while only acomeback from Jordan Thompsoncould rescue a poor start for the Australian contingent. Another British outsider, Oliver Tarvet, the world No 733, upset Switzerland’s Leandro Riedito set up a clash with Carlos Alcaraz, who survived a scare of his own on day one.
Formula One |Lando Norris has urged fans at Silverstone not to cast his Australian rival and McLaren teammate, Oscar Piastri,as a villainat Sunday’s British Grand Prix.
Rugby union |The British & Irish Lions’ first first-choice half-back pairing of Jamison Gibson-Park and Finn Russellwill unite for first timein the tourists’ match against Queensland.
Police are planning to use tactics usually deployed against “serious gangsters” tocombat youth crime, according to theSydney Morning Herald. Victoria’s truth-telling commissionis spliton what its conclusion should be, theAgeclaims. Residents on NSW’s south coast are braced for heavy rain and high windsbringing waves up to 7m high, theBega Newsreports. And theGold Coast Bulletinreports that a pill to treat dementiacould catapult its Australian developerson to the world stage.
Brisbane |Unions rally against state’s delay to anti-discrimination reforms.
Adelaide |Australian Antarctic Program researchers give a media briefing at the Australian Science Media Centre on record low sea ice in the Antarctic.
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And finally, here are the Guardian’s crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow.
Quick crossword
Cryptic crossword