Morning Mail: Trump ally steps down from inquiry, plan to pump cold water on reef, Syria chemical attack exclusive

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Guardian Australia's Morning Mail Friday 7 April 2017 g Fairfax journalists condemn latest cuts Good morning, and welcome to the Morning Mail. Among the stories on our website this morning: journalists at Fairfax Media have condemned proposed $30m job cuts and strongly rejected a "mission statement" in which the company stated an ideological position about being pro-business and pro market-based solutions. On Wednesday the company stunned journalists at the Age and the Sydney Morning Herald when it outlined a new political strategy in a five-page document about an editorial restructure: "Our pro-investor, pro-consumer view of business is central to our influence in the economic and business community. We believe in the merits of market-based solutions to economic challenges," the company said. The response from editorial staff was swift: "We reject any ideological direction [..] We call out the company's pernicious ideological interference and the fact that coercion was buried in their mission statement." Keep reading for the rest of the top stories this morning, with more news from around Australia and the world.

Headlines Devin Nunes steps aside from House intelligence committee's Russia inquiry Nunes said he would 'temporarily' leave the inquiry into Trump's connections to Russia, saying that 'leftwing activists' had filed ethics complaints against him Plan to pump cold water on to Barrier Reef to stop bleaching labelled 'band-aid' Former Barrier Reef authority director Jon Day says the idea such an approach would save the reef from bleaching is 'ridiculous' 'The dead were wherever you looked': inside Syrian town after gas attack Exclusive: Kareem Shaheen reports from Khan Sheikhun, where he was the first reporter from western media to reach the site of this week's devastating atrocity Trolls tear into Courier-Mail columnist after blasts from Bolt and Blair News Corp sticks up for comment moderators after columnists mock Paul Syvret, and gloom sets in for New York Times' Australia bureau chief Labor queries Coalition MP's eligibility after Bob Day high court ruling Day case raises questions over David Gillespie's ownership of shopping complex that includes Australia Post outlet, ALP says Australian news and politics What can be done to fix Australia's housing market? – Australian politics live podcast Concerns about housing affordability have given way to warnings about a housing bubble, but Coalition ministers appear unable to tackle the problem Plan for GST on all overseas purchases 'fails to understand online markets' Government plans to abolish concession for goods costing less than $1,000 bought online from overseas Malcolm Turnbull says 'we cannot and will not' stop cutting taxes PM says Coalition has 'delivered every tax cut promised for this term of government' but more needed to keep Australia competitive 'No link' between extradition stoush and China blocking Australian MPs Liberal MP Craig Kelly says clearly 'no relationship' between events as China cancelled visit the week before the Australian government pulled the treaty Sexual assaults on campus: universities to release survey results Students and support workers hail decision to disclose data collected last year by the Australian Human Rights Commission Terrorists may be targeting Anzac Day commemorations at ​​Gallipoli Veterans' affairs minister Dan Tehan says no further information available but ceremony will go ahead under high security Gender-diverse students 'could face delays to Centrelink payments' Disruption happens when university forms providing third gender option are processed, students and administrators say Around the world Chinese president Xi Jinping arrives for first meeting with Donald Trump North Korea and US-China trade will be high on the agenda, but can the Mar-a-Lago summit soothe relations after Trump's combative campaign talk? Senate invokes historic 'nuclear option' rules change to confirm Gorsuch The move teed up a final vote for Donald Trump's nominee for the supreme court on Friday and thwarted efforts by Democrats to block the confirmation Move over Suez, hello Stad – Norway to build world's first tunnel for ships Ambitious project will create 1,700-metre long passageway underneath rocky peninsula for cruise and freight ships by 2023 Israel sunk in 'incremental tyranny', say former Shin Bet chiefs Ami Ayalon and Carmi Gillon speak out ahead of 50th anniversary of occupation of Palestinian territories Thousands gather in Moscow to pay tribute to St Petersburg victims Russian police make eight new arrests in connection with bomb attack on subway that killed 13 and injured more than 50

One last thing Diet Woke: how Pepsi's ad backfired for Kendall Jenner The soda company missed the mark with its protest promo. But will no one think of how it soured the Kardashian brand, too? Have an excellent day and if you spot something I've missed, let me know on Twitter at @earleyedition.

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