Morning Mail: One Nation candidates pay their own way; Albanese’s message at Cop; and the Finnish embassy goes viral

Morning everyone. Our exclusive top story reveals how One Nation candidates standing in the Victorian election have been forced to fund their own campaigns and will only be reimbursed if they win more than 4% of the primary vote.

Anthony Albanese spruiked Australia’s renewables record in his speech to the Cop31 summit but failed to mention fossil fuels at all, and we explore how a post about the opening hours of the Finnish embassy went viral. And a cameo by David Walliams has been cut from an upcoming Australian film based on one of his books.

Australia

• Fossil fail | Anthony Albanese said governments had a “solemn responsibility” to act on climate change in a historic speech to the UN’s climate summit, but one which failed to mention the fossil fuels driving the crisis. The president of the embattled Marshall Islands told delegates “the world we know is over” without urgent climate action.

• Exclusive | One Nation candidates in a number of winnable Victorian seats say they have been left to fund their own campaigns, with several questioning the party’s strategy ahead of the election. A One Nation candidate in Victoria has apologised for a series of offensive comments about Australian-Indians, Muslims, and women.

• Walliams cut | The distributors of an upcoming Australian film based on a book by children’s author and television personality David Walliams have confirmed he will be removed from the film and its publicity run after sexual harassment allegations were made public. In the UK, pressure is on the entertainment and publishing industry to improve protections.

• Closing time | David Jones is set to close 19 of its 38 department stores with the loss of hundreds of jobs under a sweeping restructure, the appointed receivers said.

• Alcohol warning | Rising numbers of young Australians are suffering severe, irreversible liver disease as alcohol-related hospital admissions remain above pre-pandemic levels after peaking during Covid.

World

• Spain protests | Millions of people across Spain have joined the country’s first general strike in 14 years, setting up picket lines to protest against soaring housing prices before an election in which the far right could be catapulted into power.

• Democrat fury | Democratic lawmakers expressed outrage at nearly a dozen of their colleagues for missing a vote Tuesday evening to impeach the defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, allowing Republicans to squash the effort. Follow developments live.

• Hoax threat | Hundreds of schools in Scotland and Northern Ireland were hit by a fresh wave of hoax bomb threats on Wednesday, with some sites evacuated as a precaution.

• Ukraine exchange | Russia and Ukraine have agreed to the “largest prisoner exchange” of the war at their first US-brokered talks since February but made little progress towards a broader peace agreement.

• Marxist escape | A 74-year-old former member of Italy’s radical Marxist group the Red Brigades has escaped from house arrest in Argentina, the country’s security ministry confirmed on Wednesday.

Full Story

A ‘spy’, a billionaire and an affair of global consequence

Our US tech reporter Johana Bhuiyan speaks to Matilda Boseley about the global consequences of the Nvidia scandal, what it means for US national security, and whether Jensen Huang can hang on to his job.

In-depth

When a post by the Finnish embassy in Canberra about a staff training day went viral and was seen by millions around the world, the ambassador confessed that he was a “bit surprised”. So what was behind the mysterious popularity of the humble diplomats?

Not the news

Nicholas Jordan and friends search for the sweet spot this week as they taste test supermarket honey brands, concluding not for the first time that price is not always the best gauge of quality.

Sport

• Rugby union | As Eddie Jones prepares to take his Japan team to Twickenham this weekend, there are still mixed feelings about his legacy with the England squad.

• Cricket | Usman Khawaja’s promotional book tour has been subject to “adjustments” after the former Australia Test batter was grilled about certain claims made in the autobiography.

• Football | Manchester United have reached a framework agreement with Mauricio Pochettino for him to become their head coach if Michael Carrick, as is expected, gets the sack.

Financier Mark Bouris has the told Australian that we should brace for the worst housing downturn in the nation’s history. Victoria’s school exams authority has confirmed its website was hacked last night, the Age says, but denies claims in the Herald Sun that the hackers were trying to promote mass cheating.South-east Queensland was hit by a supercell storm overnight, the Courier Mail reports, with people trapped in houses and cars.

What’s happening today

• Canberra | Officials from Marrickville golf club front a Senate inquiry into their $6m grant.

• Conservation | Federal court in Melbourne to deliver landmark ruling on threatened species habitat.

• Victoria | Victorian One Nation leader Warren Pickering presents the party’s policies to Melbourne Press Club.

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 Guardian Australia’s Politics, really newsletter, where our political team brings you up to speed on the stories that really matter and what they mean for you. 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.