Israeli missile strike on Hamas leaders in Qatar, NSW reveals childcare reform, Trump’s cheque mate

Flag dispute | Queensland transport officials will meet Aboriginal groups this week to resolve a standoff over unauthorised flagpoles flying the Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and Palestinian flags on Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Island).

‘Nation-leading’ | Large childcare providers found in breach of safety directives will face $500,000 fines – an increase of 900% – under new laws to be introduced by New South Wales parliament today.

Stokes’ bill | Seven West Media’s chair, Kerry Stokes, has been ordered to pay $13.5m in legal costs to the media companies unsuccessfully sued for defamation by disgraced former soldier Ben Roberts-Smith.

ANU questions | David Pocock, the independent ACT senator, has called on the federal government to urgently intervene in the leadership crisis at the Australian National University as pressure mounts on the chancellor, Julie Bishop, and vice-chancellor, Prof Genevieve Bell, to resign.

Groth mistake | The Herald Sun failed to seek a response from Brittany Groth, the wife of Sam Groth, the Victorian Liberal deputy leader and former tennis star, before wrongly outing her as a victim of child sexual assault, the couple allege in federal court documents.

Trump’s cheque mate | The White House has denied that Donald Trump wrote a lewd card for Jeffrey Epstein’s 50th birthday book as attention turns to a photo of the late disgraced financier holding a novelty cheque suggesting that Epstein “sold” Trump a woman for $22,500. The Democrats are succeeding in needling Trump about the book: here’s who’s in it and some of the pages in pictures. Follow developments live.

Doha attack | Israel has launched a strike on Hamas officials meeting in Qatar’s capital, Doha, reportedly including the group’s chief ceasefire negotiator, in an attack condemned by world leaders and which the White House said “does not advance Israel or America’s goals”. The attack, which Hamas says killed six of its members, was in retaliation for yesterday’s killing of six people in Jerusalem, Benjamin Netanyahu said. Earlier, Israel ordered all residents of Gaza City to evacuate ahead of a planned offensive to take over and occupy the city. Follow developments live.

Third time lucky | Sébastien Lecornu, a close ally of Emmanuel Macron, has been appointed as France’s third prime minister this year and faces the challenge of stabilising the government amid a political crisis.

The Boris files | Leaked documents have raised questions about whether Boris Johnson broke ethics rules by lobbying a top Abu Dhabi official to “secure his patronage” for a business venture that stood to make him millions. The cache also shows that Johnson contacted Elon Musk to get the US tech billionaire to support the ailing London Evening Standard newspaper.

Honey trap | A Canadian beekeeper has described fending off thousands of “robber bees” as they raided her shop in a brazen attempt to steal honey.