Morning mail: army bullying complaints, Peta Credlin honoured, Netanyahu ousted

Good morning! Netanyahu has been ousted, the G7 has concluded and Australian authorities are investigating alleged bullying in the army. It’s also been a busy weekend for sport, with an on-field cardiac arrest and a new swimming world record.

The Australian army is investigating allegations of bullying and harassment of officer cadets at the Sydney University regiment. The allegations include claims of verbal abuse and inappropriate comments by superiors; men conducting searches of women’s rooms, including their underwear drawers; and a nearly three-month period in which cadets were forced to work seven days a week with no days off. Tasmanian senator Jacqui Lambie said the allegations were sufficiently serious that they should be investigated by the joint military police unit to ensure the exercise was seen as independent.

Peta Credlin, Tony Abbott’s former chief of staff and current Sky News host, has been appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in the Queen’s birthday honours. The controversial broadcaster, columnist and veteran Liberal staffer was appointed to the second-highest rank under the honours system for her contribution to Australian politics. This year, 947 people in total were honoured in the Order of Australia and 44% of recipients were women, the highest in history. Other people appointed to an AC are diplomat Frances Adamson; Barbara Baker, a former lawyer who is the incoming governor of Tasmania; geophysics professor Kurt Lambeck; actor Chris Hemsworth; and David McAllister, the former artistic director of the Australian Ballet.

Israel’s longest-serving leader, Benjamin Netanyahu, has been ousted from office after 12 years in power by a loose coalition of rivals from across the political spectrum. The opposition leader, Yair Lapid, won a confidence vote by a razor-thin advantage of 60-59 seats on Sunday evening. Under a power-sharing agreement, Lapid’s former foe and far-right advocate for the settler movement in the Palestinian territories, Naftali Bennett, was sworn in as the country’s leader.

Australia

The Victorian government has launched an inquiry into On the Line, a mental health organisation alleged to have falsified suicide helpline data so it could receive state government funding.

Potentially preventable hospital admissions are up to eight times higher for people with intellectual disability, a new report has found, indicating an urgent need for improved preventative healthcare.

AFL stars have quickly joined Indigenous player Paddy Ryder in condemning a racist Twitter post directed at the ruckman after St Kilda’s loss to Adelaide.

Dr Samantha Crompvoets, the military sociologist whose work triggered the explosive Brereton war crimes inquiry, has faced a torrent of abuse and criticism. She says the torrent of vitriol in recent weeks has taken a toll.

The world US president Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden join the Queen at a ceremony after the G7 summit. Photograph: Matt Dunham/AP

Joe Biden has revealed the Queen asked him about his Russian and Chinese counterparts, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping, during their 45-minute talk over tea at Windsor Castle in the aftermath of the G7 summit on Sunday.

Germany’s Green party have backed Annalena Baerbock for the chancellorship despite a dip in the polls ahead of the autumn election.

About 25,000 people have rallied in Madrid to protest against the government’s moves to pardon the 12 Catalan independence leaders convicted over the failed secession attempt four years ago.

Four Afghan youths have been given 10-year jail terms each for starting the fire that destroyed the Moria migrant camp in Greece last year. The prison sentences have been described as a “parody of justice” as their age was not taken into consideration.

Recommended reads ‘What we go through emotionally and mentally on this show is massively underestimated,’ says Brent Draper, who left MasterChef Australia in Sunday night’s episode. Photograph: Network Ten

There was shock, tears and a reminder last night that some things are more important than nailing the brief on MasterChef. Fan favourite Brent Draper made an emotional exit, and said he was left in a dark place by a combination of the pressures of the show and the separation from his family. After the show aired Draper told Guardian Australia that he is doing better now back at home with his wife Shonleigh and baby boy Alfie. “We need to ask our workmates if they’re OK if we can see they aren’t. Especially in the food and hospitality industry where it’s a team sport, it’s a team effort; on the footy field everyone’s got each other’s back so why should it be any different in the kitchen?”

It’s an inane premise: an amnesiac schoolteacher discovers she used to be an assassin and must use her newly remembered skills to stop a terrorist plot in order to save her daughter. But The Long Kiss Goodnight is a 90s action movie, and inane premises are par for the course, writes Greta Parry. “It doesn’t matter that by the end, the plot is almost nonsensical – something about a government conspiracy at Niagara Falls? – because by this point we are completely invested in the survival of our two central characters.”

Most Australians receive an alarming robocall at some point, but experts warn fraudsters are becoming “unusually sophisticated”. Australians lost a whopping $851m to scams in 2020, with phones still the most common method for scammers to contact people. So how can you spot a phone scam? And what can you do to protect yourself? We spoke to the experts to find out.

Listen

Will Tokyo really host a pandemic Olympics? Justin McCurry, the Guardian’s Tokyo correspondent, tells Anushka Asthana why the movement to cancel the Games is facing an uphill battle in the face of vast financial pressure.

Full Story Will Tokyo really host a pandemic Olympics?

Sorry your browser does not support audio – but you can download here and listen https://audio.guim.co.uk/2020/05/05-61553-gnl.fw.200505.jf.ch7DW.mp3

Full Story is Guardian Australia’s daily news podcast. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or any other podcasting app.

Sport Kaylee McKeown after setting a new world record in the women’s 100m backstroke final. Photograph: Dave Hunt/AP

Australia’s Kaylee McKeown has broken the 100m backstroke world record at Australia’s Olympic trials in Adelaide on Sunday night. The 19-year-old clocked 57.45 seconds in the final, bettering the previous world record of 57.57 set by American Regan Smith in 2019.

Novak Djokovic has claimed his 19th grand slam title after beating Stefanos Tsitsipas in an epic French Open final.

Danish footballer Christian Eriksen had a cardiac arrest and “was gone” before being swiftly resuscitated on the pitch, Denmark’s team doctor has revealed. Eriksen collapsed during the first half of the Euro 2020. The game resumed after news he had regain consciousness is hospital. Finland won 1-0.

In the land of the AFL rebuild, Geelong are serial renovators, and finally they have it right, says Scott Heinrich. “But while outsiders might snigger at Geelong’s almost petulant endeavours to keep the party going, in 2021 there looks to be method to their madness.”

Media roundup

The Herald Sun says Victoria is on track for more eased Covid restrictions if residents continue to follow guidelines, but the Age says the lack of confirmation from health authorities over which restrictions will be eased is causing anxiety for tourism operators and families ahead of the school holidays. Australian swimming’s “degrading and abusive” culture has been exposed in research conducted by former elite swimmer Jenny McMahon, which details incidents where young female swimmers are “oinked at”, told to get “boob reductions” and dubbed “lard arses”, reports the the Australian.

Coming up

The inquest into 15 deaths in a nightclub fire at Whiskey Au Go Go in 1973 will begin today.

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