Good morning, this is Richard Parkin bringing you the main stories and must-reads on Tuesday 21 August.

Top stories

The Liberal leadership saga takes centre stage again today at a tense party room meeting, where Malcolm Turnbull faces unrest over his national energy guarantee surrender to conservative hardliners, which yesterday drew anger from the business community.

The swirling leadership talk took a dramatic turn on Monday evening with claims Peter Dutton could be ineligible for parliament, due to an “indirect pecuniary interest” he has in two childcare centres that receive direct commonwealth subsidies. A spokesman for Dutton said he had legal advice that “clearly states” his business interests are not in breach of the constitution, but legal experts believe “there are at least questions to be answered”. Follow all today’s developments in our live blog from 8am.

Pope Francis has released a remarkable statement condemning sexual abuse within the Catholic church, expressing “sorrow and shame” at what he’s called a “culture of death” within the institution. The pontiff has promised sanctions and a zero-tolerance attitude, admitting the church failed to “act in a timely manner”, following sexual abuse scandals across the world. But survivor groups have dismissed the letter as “recycled rhetoric” and “too little too late”, with protests expected during the Pope’s trip to Ireland this week.

The Queensland government is fighting a domestic violence victim in court, in an attempt to avoid a compensation payout believed to be around $100,000. The woman’s personal details were leaked by a police officer to her former husband, leading to her family needing to move house. The woman told Guardian Australia she felt “intimidated” by the government’s attempts to brief a senior counsel in the supposedly “accessible” and “inexpensive” Queensland civil and administrative tribunal.

The World Health Organisation has blamed low vaccination rates for a huge surge in measles cases across Europe. More than 41,000 cases of measles were reported between January and June, and at least 37 people have died. Last year there were nearly 24,000 for the whole 12 months, which was the highest count in any year of the last decade. “We are seeing a dramatic increase in infections and extended outbreaks,” said Dr Zsuzsanna Jakab, the WHO regional director for Europe.

The Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro, has raised the minimum wage by 3,000%, as the South American nation’s economy and currency rapidly crumble. “We are going to begin a process of recovery in the coming days, weeks and months,” the 55-year-old leader vowed in a live Facebook broadcast. “It is a revolutionary formula … unique in the world!” IMF economists predict Venezuela’s inflation rate could hit 1m%, with parallels being drawn to Weimar Germany hyperinflation levels.

Sport

A penalty from James Milner just before half-time and an injury-time Sadio Mané strike have given Liverpool a 2-0 win at Crystal Palace, continuing their positive start to the Premier League season. Palace’s Aaron Wan-Bissaka was sent off in the second half.

A century from captain Virat Kohli has placed India in a commanding position in the third Test against England, with the hosts needing a record run chase of 521 to avoid defeat. England lead the five-Test series 2-0.

Thinking time

The winners of this year’s bird photographer of the year have been announced, with Pedro Jarque Krebs from Peru taking the top prize for a vibrant image of American flamingos. This image of northern gannets off Scotland’s Shetland Islands, by Richard Shucksmith, won the bird behaviour category and took out the people’s choice award.

“The single biggest boast the Liberal party has been able to cling to has been strong employment growth,” writes Greg Jericho. “This year the talk has mostly been about the record growth of 2017, and such a line would get a tad tired by the time 2019 comes around.” Leaving aside the leadership shenanigans, “the election may very well hang on whether the government can convince voters their policies have made getting a job easier”.

What does Beyoncé have in common with Botticelli’s Renaissance masterpiece Madonna of the Pomegranate? The artistic echoes are undeniable, writes Jonathan Jones, because great art is universal. A Twitter account, Tabloid Art History, documents such incidents. “Is this a lazy reduction of great works of art to the status of memes to snigger at? No, it’s a fresh and insightful way to look at art – and at life. We’re surrounded by great art all the time, these iconographic couplings reveal.”

What’s he done now?

Donald Trump has maintained his attack against former CIA director John Brennan, despite 177 former national security officials signing an open letter against his decision to revoke Brennan’s clearance. The president also tweeted against the import of synthetic heroin from China.

Media roundup



The front pages almost universally lead with the ructions surrounding Malcolm Turnbull’s leadership, with the Advertiser headline reading “Malcolm in the muddle”. Fairfax mastheads write that the Turnbull government has also been in furious but fruitless last-minute negotiations with One Nation in a bid to pass its company tax cut legislation. And the Daily Telegraph reports a former Nomads bikie gang leader and self-described “Lebanese gangster Doctor Phil” has called for peace on Sydney’s streets between feuding gangs.

Coming up

As the Liberal party goes to war with itself in one corner of Canberra, Australia’s first female Muslim senator, Mehreen Faruqi, will give her maiden speech to parliament.

Former treasurer Wayne Swan and Guardian Australia’s editor Lenore Taylor are among the speakers at the National Press Club reflecting on the global financial crisis 10 years on.

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