Morning Mail: Coalition threatens to raise taxes if savings not passed, gun lobby's $350k political donations, Trump adviser Flynn quits

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Guardian Australia's Morning Mail Wednesday 15 February 2017 g Unrealistic budget plan will increase income tax burden Good morning, and welcome to the Morning Mail. Among the stories  leading our website this morning: the Committee for Economic Development of Australia says the Turnbull government's approach to returning the budget to surplus is unrealistic, and the burden will be borne disproportionately by individuals paying a higher share of their income in tax. Keep reading for the rest of the top stories this morning, with more news from around Australia and the world.

Headlines Gun lobby donated $350,000 to Australian political parties in a year Groups made contributions at a time of intense focus on firearms regulation in wake of the Sydney siege Coalition threatens to raise taxes if savings are not passed – politics live As Labor, Greens and majority of Senate crossbench rule out passing omnibus savings bill, Mathias Cormann warns the government will have only one option Trump knew for weeks Michael Flynn misled over Russia contact White House says resignation a result of 'eroding level of trust', not potential violation of law, as GOP divided over inquiry into Flynn's calls with ambassador Kim Jong-un's half-brother dies after 'attack' at airport in Malaysia Police launch investigation over death of Kim Jong-nam, who was tipped to succeed father as ruler of North Korea before he fell out of favour Fairfax chief appoints 10 men and just one woman to steer company into the future Greg Hywood, himself a male champion of change, dismays staff by bringing in new management team that sidelines women Australian news and politics Australia would save $3.4bn if junk food taxed and fresh food subsidised, says study Health experts tout health gains of taxing saturated fat, salt and sugar and subsidising fruits and vegetables, with no dent on household food budgets Barnaby Joyce on a federal One Nation preference deal: let the policies decide Nationals leader says he never subscribed to the Howard view that One Nation should be put last Missing German tourist: second body found in remote Northern Territory Police searching for 73-year-old Gisela Thor find woman's body a day after discovering that of her husband, Wilfred Geelong Grammar took no steps to protect students after abuse reports, says inquiry Royal commission releases report into prestigious Victorian private school criticising headmaster who went on to Eton College Labor calls for new Indigenous body and consideration of reparations Malcolm Turnbull announces Indigenous commissioner to Productivity Commission in response to Closing the Gap report Hamid Kehazaei was metres from care unit that could have saved him, inquest told Doctor who treated Manus asylum seeker said a cascading litany of mistakes led to the Iranian's death, and if he had been moved just 10 metres away, he could've survived Canberra gave WestConnex $3.5bn without proper assessment, audit finds Abbott and Gillard governments were warned project was not yet suitable for government support, says auditor general Around the world Greece defies creditors over more cuts as economy shrinks unexpectedly Athens' refusal to further austerity intensifies standoff over €86bn aid package that requires government to implement economic reforms Why do we see so many different things in Rorschach ink blots? Devised as a method of psychiatric assessment over a century ago, the reason people see so many shapes and figures in the blots may finally be explained Antarctic sea ice shrinks to smallest ever extent Data contradicts climate change sceptics, who have pointed to earlier increases in areas of sea ice to support their views Venezuela vice-president denounces 'imperialist aggression' of US sanctions US Treasury hits Tareck El Aissami with financial sanctions as alleged drug 'kingpin', claiming he has links to Mexican and Colombian gangs Canadian judge rules in favor of forcibly adopted First Nations survivors Government is responsible for trauma of 16,000 indigenous children removed from families in 'Sixties Scoop' between 1965 and 1984, judge said

One last thing 'I love you the least of people I love': Your underwhelming Valentine's Day photos Crap cards, strange meat products and disappointing text exchanges dominate on what was, unequivocally, the most romantic day of the year. Have an excellent day and if you spot something I've missed, let me know on Twitter at @earleyedition.

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