Morning Mail: anger over gambling logos ban delay; Canada and US plunge into trade war; classroom digital detox debate

Good morning. The Labor government has banned gambling logos on sports jerseys – but there’s a catch. A long transition period allows teams’ betting sponsorships to remain on full view until 2032, and those who argued for the ban are unimpressed.

Property investors are stepping back as rising interest rates and tax changes make their impact felt, but new data suggests first home buyers are spying an opportunity to get off the sidelines.

Elsewhere, a fractious new trade war is brewing between Canada and the United States. And we weigh up the arguments for whether Australia’s school kids need to take a digital detox.

Australia

Exclusive | Amid interest rate rises and tax changes, first home buyers are still taking out a large number of loans – even as investors step back from Australia’s property market. Meanwhile, a new analysis shows renting the median apartment in some cities would be too much of a stretch for someone earning the median wage.

‘Absurd situation’ | Children across Australia will continue to see gambling logos on professional sport jerseys until up to 2032, despite Labor’s pledge to weaken the link between sport and betting.

‘Unique and distinct’ | Leading marine scientists are urging the government for stronger protections for marine ecosystems as a once-in-a-decade review of marine parks gets under way.

In pictures | Once the economic lifeblood of the region, Latrobe Valley’s coal industry is in terminal decline. Jesse Thompson’s photographic project examines its legacy.

‘A mismatch’ | Halloween: The Game has been banned in Australia due to “incentivised drug use” rather than its gruesome depictions of violence: academics say this highlights incoherent standards.

World

Trade war | Donald Trump has hit back at Canada after a breakdown in negotiations plunged the two countries into a trade war – with Mark Carney vowing to match US tariffs “dollar for dollar”. The lesson from Canada’s collapsed trade talks with the US? Negotiation may be futile, Olivia Bowden writes.

Poll warnings | A series of moves by the Trump administration to sow doubt in the integrity of US elections have intensified concern among voting experts that it could declare a national emergency.

Russia-Ukraine war | Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said holding elections in Ukraine during wartime would risk splitting the country at a time when Russia is amassing new stocks of ballistic missiles.

Middle East crisis | Iran’s foreign minister has dismissed the threat of new US economic sanctions as a “desperate” ploy, even as its president admits that Iranians face “many problems”.

Marriage vow | Andy Burnham has surprised Manchester newlyweds with a video message confirming some good news: the new British PM would not come to their wedding.

Full Story

Who is Natalie Harp? Trump’s most devoted aide is in the spotlight

Natalie Harp is President Donald Trump’s most devoted aide: she travels the world with him, types Trump’s Truth Social posts, and even pens him “adoring” letters. David Smith speaks with Reged Ahmad about Harp’s journey into Trump’s inner circle – and how one Democrat senator put her in the global spotlight.

In-depth

More than 15 years after laptops were marched into schools across Australia, many teachers and parent groups think it may be time to rethink screen time in classrooms. Is it time that schools had a digital detox?

Not the news

In the latest of our Kindness of strangers series, we hear from a reader who found themselves facing an increasingly aggressive taxi driver. Two men stepped in to help and began a friendship that would last for years.

Sport

Football | Liverpool’s Dominik Szoboszlai was spot on with a late, late leveller to salvage a point at Newcastle; late goals from Marc Guéhi and Josko Gvardiol earned Manchester City a dramatic win against Bournemouth; Brighton hammered Aston Villa as a João Gomes red adds to Unai Emery’s pain.

Cricket | Mitchell Starc ripped through Bangladesh – again – as Australia sealed a dominant Test win in two days. Meanwhile, the ECB is investigating footage of England’s Brydon Carse being handcuffed by police outside a nightclub.

Motorsport | Lando Norris denied Kimi Antonelli in the F1 Dutch Grand Prix after Max Verstappen crashed out of his home race.

Cycling | Britain’s Matt Brennan left Tadej Pogacar in his wake to win stage two of the Vuelta a España.

AFL | Sydney Swans fans turned out in record numbers for the AFLW match, but hundreds walked out before the men’s fixture.

Running | Sydney Marathon admitted an “unfortunate error” as the finisher’s medal depicts Munich stadium as a race highlight.

Media roundup

A $130m state government plan is aiming to help ease overcrowding and shorten wait times in Sydney’s busiest emergency rooms, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. As it continues to clean up vandalism, a Melbourne council says the government should refund the costs of removing graffiti on state-owned infrastructure, ABC News reports. Nearly half of teachers at a Melbourne public school are regularly working from home in a bid to prevent burnout, the Age reports.

What’s happening today

NSW | The trial of veteran broadcaster Alan Jones continues in Sydney.

NSW | The Icac hearings into the NSW Liberal party are continuing.

SA | An inquest into a Port Lincoln boy’s death involving a skip bin is scheduled to continue in Adelaide.

NSW | Hearings in block nine of the royal commission into antisemitism and social cohesion are entering their final week in Sydney.

Sign up

If you would like to receive this Morning Mail update to your email inbox every weekday, sign up here, or finish your day with our Afternoon Update newsletter. You can follow the latest in US politics by signing up for This Week in Trumpland.

Brain teaser

And finally, here are the Guardian’s crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow.

Click here to read article