Morning Mail: ‘Mind blowing’ El Niño forecasts, smoking hits record low, and where did the AFL’s Steves go?

Want to get this in your inbox every weekday? Sign up for the Morning Mail here, and finish your day with our Afternoon Update newsletterMorning everyone. The forecasts coming out of the Bureau of Meteorology’s climate models in the coming months are “mind blowing” and “astounding” as they predict the newly formed El Niño could make 2027 the hottest year ever.We look at how the killings of two women and two girls in Australia last week show that there is so much more to do to tackle domestic violence, and that we keep failing to learn important lessons.Bike bite | A woman in her 60s is recovering after being bitten by a 2-metre eastern brown snake that had become entangled in her bike chain in northern New South Wales.‘Mind blowing’ | The El Niño climate phenomenon linked to record global temperatures could develop into the strongest on record, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.MS hope | Australians living with multiple sclerosis will continue receiving cheaper access to life-changing medical treatments, after an expert advisory panel decided to maintain taxpayer subsidies for key drugs.‘So horrific’ | The alleged murder of two women and two girls in Australia last week has led to calls for a royal commission into domestic violence. But campaigners tell Ben Smee that we already know what policies are needed, they’re just not being implemented.Smoking low | Daily smoking rates have fallen to a historic low and vaping rates have stabilised, according to the largest nationally representative survey on tobacco use. Continue reading...