Morning mail: US says North Korea is 'begging for war' Tuesday: The US ambassador to the UN has raised the temperature again over North Korea's nuclear test. Plus: Australia's high court hears challenges to the same-sex marriage survey US ambassador Nikki Haley talks to her Chinese counterpart, Liu Jieyi, before the UN Security Council emergency meeting in New York. Photograph: Kena Betancur/AFP/Getty Images Eleanor Ainge Roy @EleanorAingeRoy Good morning, this is Eleanor Ainge Roy bringing you the main stories and must-reads on Tuesday 5 September. Top stories North Korea is "begging for war", US ambassador Nikki Haley has told an urgent UN security meeting in New York as she called on the international body to enforce the strongest possible sanctions against the rogue state. The blunt statement by Haley came as Donald Trump spoke with South Korean president Moon Jae-in, and agreed that the North's latest nuclear test was an "unprecedented" provocation. "Enough is enough," said Haley, noting that an approach of incremental sanctions since 2006 had not worked. "The time for half measures in the security council is over. The time has come to exhaust all of our diplomatic means before it's too late." In a thinly veiled jab at China, Haley said the US would target countries trading with Pyongyang, a prospect also raised by Trump on Sunday. Patrick Wintour explains why there is little optimism about the prospects for diplomacy. But if the worst happens, at least we know who is likely to tell us – North Korea's "pink lady", veteran newscaster Ri Chun-hee. Will there actually be a postal survey on marriage equality? The high court starts hearing two challenges today to the government's plan to have the Australian Bureau of Statistics ask voters on the electoral roll whether they think same-sex marriage should be legal in Australia. If the court finds this not to be a valid use of $122mof public money, the survey will be stopped. . But the Coalition says it does not have a plan for any further action on the issue if the survey's challengers win. Follow the Guardian's live coverage of events in Melbourne from about 9am AEST. A committee dominated by senior Coalition senators is planning to recommend the government water down its proposed English language citizenship requirements. The report is also likely to recommend the government include some grandfathering arrangements for those who had applied for citizenship before the stringent new rules were announced. But the key recommendation is expected to be that the level six international English language testing system score required is too high. Most Australians want Australia Day to remain on the 26 January and 70% believe all Australians are able to celebrate the national holiday on that date, the latest Guardian Essential poll has found. Changing inscriptions on public statues in the event they do not give a complete history split the sample, with 29% approving of editing inscriptions and 42% disapproving. The poll found Labor was still in an election-winning position and registered 59% support for changing the law to allow same-sex couples to marry. An enormous black hole has been found hiding in a toxic gas cloud wafting around near the heart of the Milky Way. If confirmed, the discovery, which is estimated to be 100,000 times more massive than the sun, will rank as the second largest black hole ever seen in the Milky Way after the supermassive black hole known as Sagittarius A* that is anchored at the very centre of the galaxy. According to scientists' calculations, the Milky Way is home to about 100m smaller black holes, though only about 60 have been spotted. Still don't really understand what black holes are? Read up on them here. Sport Nathan Lyon celebrates taking five wickets against Bangladesh. Photograph: Robert Cianflone/Getty Images Nathan Lyon was the star for Australia, taking five wickets for the third match in a row, but Bangladesh fought hard to reach 253-6 at stumps on the opening day of the second Test against Australia in Chittagong. The Bangladesh captain, Mushfiqur Rahim, and Sabbir Rahman shared a century stand to initiate a fight back after the home side slumped to 117-5, with Lyon claiming the first four wickets, all lbw – a unique achievement in Test cricket. Follow our live blog of day two from 1.30pm AEST (2pm start). Ordinarily you would think a World Cup qualifying campaign that has featured just two defeats in 17 matches would be considered a success, writes Paul Connolly. But the Socceroos are still uncertain of their future ahead of the last round of games. The Australians need to win – and win big – against Thailand on what promises to be a nerve-shredding evening at Melbourne's Aami Park. Whatever the result, the Socceroos' fate will not be known until after the Saudi Arabia–Japan match, which does not start until 3.30am AEST Wednesday. Our live blog of the Socceroos will begin in plenty of time for the 8pm AEST kick-off. Thinking time It's every bargain-hunter's dream: a long lost painting signed by a revered artist, overlooked by dealers and listed for a song on a small art website. When he chanced upon the mysterious work signed by one of Australia's most treasured artists, Tom Roberts, Joe Natoli had found a lifeline that could lift him out of debt and depression – but proving it was genuine didn't come easy. And that's when the BBC got involved. The right has long argued that marriage equality was emblematic of much wider concerns. But in doing so, it may have created an unexpected problem for itself, Dennis Altman writes. "It has mobilised thousands of people, obvious from the size of demonstrations and the increased voter registration in the period leading up to the close of polls. Many young people have discovered protest politics through the large rallies called by the marriage equality movement." Greg Jericho is unimpressed by the sudden enthusiasm for "Waxit" from Western Australian Liberals. "The contest for most stupid political proposal is a toughly fought one, but on the weekend the bar was well and truly raised when the WA state Liberal party voted to 'examine the option of Western Australia becoming a financially independent state within the commonwealth'," Jericho writes. Media roundup The Sydney Morning Herald says a group of disgruntled Macquarie group clients has accused the bank of fostering a toxic culture of harassment and predatory behaviour, amid claims a male stockbroker cut off the ponytail of a female assistant, and another took an "upskirt" photo of a colleague. The Australian and the West Australian both delve into the long-running scandal over undeclared gifts facing Perth's Lord Mayor, Lisa Scaffidi, with the Australian saying it has left her career in more strife than the parlous West Australian economy. Coming up Labor and the Coalition will hold their regular party room meetings in Canberra, with all eyes on the same-sex marriage postal survey case in the high court. Defence minister Marise Payne is heading for South Korea for high-level security talks as the region scrambles for a strategy to avert disaster on the Korean peninsula. Supporting the Guardian We'd like to acknowledge our generous supporters who enable us to keep reporting on the critical stories. If you value what we do and would like to help, please make a contribution or become a supporter today. Thank you. Guardian News & Media Limited - a member of Guardian Media Group PLC. Registered Office: Kings Place, 90 York Way, London, N1 9GU. Registered in England No. 908396