Happy Friday – and a warning to be careful as Covid cases shoot up in New South Wales and Victoria. There were a combined 48,267 new infections in the last reporting period, which means more hospitalisations and more deaths – 46 people died in Victoria and 39 in NSW, according to the latest weekly data.
We’re unlikely to see society-wide mask mandates, at least that’s what the federal health minister said today, but health experts are still urging masks be worn in indoor settings where safe physical distancing is impossible.
And who wants to be stuck with the virus this holiday season, after the last two Covid-spoiled Christmases?
Top news
Covid surging | NSW Health upgraded its Covid-19 risk rating to amber in response to the surge, meaning masks must be worn in all hospital areas. The federal health minister, Mark Butler, is hoping the current wave will peak around Christmas, but says there is “no evidence” statewide mask mandates will be issued over the course of this wave.
Albanese and Macron’s non-rift | Anthony Albanese denied there was a rift with Emmanuel Macron, after the French president said Australia’s Aukus submarine deal risked a “nuclear confrontation”. The PM shrugged off the remarks, saying Australia “has not decided to change strategy on the submarines” and Macron was “entitled to put forward the views he does in a very forthright way”.
Twitter turmoil | Hundreds of Twitter employees have responded to Elon Musk’s ultimatum to work “long hours at high intensity” or leave with three months’ severance pay by … leaving. Twitter later announced it was closing its offices and disabling employee badge access until Monday. Musk is now said to be trying to convince top employees to stay, with concerns among Twitter users that the site might simply shut down if there are too few employees left to run it.
Trumpist rejects results | Kari Lake, a pro-Trump election denier, is refusing to concede the Arizona governor race to Democratic rival Katie Hobbs. Lake made election denialism a centrepiece of her campaign and, in consistent form, posted a short video rejecting the results, saying “our election officials failed us miserably”.
Pelosi steps down | Nancy Pelosi, the first woman to lead the House of Representatives, is stepping down from leadership to make way for a new generation. The 82-year-old congresswoman from California has led the Democrats in the House under four presidents – George W Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump and Joe Biden. The decision comes less than a month after an intruder entered her San Francisco home and attacked her husband, Paul, with a hammer.
North Korea ICBM | Australia has joined Japan in condemning a North Korean intercontinental ballistic missile launch, which landed in Japan’s exclusive economic zone. The launch came a day after North Korea fired a short-range ballistic missile while warning of “fiercer military responses” to US efforts to boost its security presence in the region. Albanese said Pyongyang needs to “stop their aggression”.
Qantas appeal | The high court will re-examine whether Qantas unlawfully outsourced almost 1,700 ground handlers, after justices today allowed the appeal to proceed. Qantas lost a federal court appeal in May upholding a decision that found the airline had illegally outsourced the workers in 2020. Qantas recently returned to profitability after its pandemic slump, with the chief executive, Alan Joyce, walking away with $2.27m in the last financial year and another $9m of bonus shares.
Two new galaxies | Nasa’s James Webb telescope has found two of the oldest and most distant galaxies ever seen. Launched last December as a successor to Hubble, the Webb telescope is indicating stars may have formed sooner than previously thought. One of the galaxies is said to have formed only 350m years after the big bang.
AFL Tasmania team | Good news for footy fans in Tasmania. The state government and the AFL have reached an in-principle agreement on commercial terms for a new team, announced today in Hobart. The Tasmanian government has agreed to fund $12m a year over 12 years, plus $60m towards a high-performance and administration complex. There was no commitment from the AFL, however, to a timeline for a final decision.
Full Story
Is the cost-of-living crisis really a wages crisis?
Inflation is soaring, wages are plummeting, Australians’ living standards are falling and corporations are raking in the profits. But is lifting wages the only fix to the cost-of-living crisis? Our editors discuss in this 21-minute episode.
What they said …
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“If you’re still in parliament next year, I want a personal date with you in your office or my house … I’ve had a gutful.” – Peter Jones, a Eugowra resident
The former police officer got emotional when he confronted the NSW premier, Dominic Perrottet, over the response to a flash-flooding “tsunami” that devastated the central west town. One woman died, two men are missing and Eugowra’s 750 residents are facing months of recovery. Watch the exchange here.
In numbers
Before bed read
If you’re planning to tune in to the Socceroos at the World Cup, we have a guide to help, including the times for upcoming matches. We’ll also be liveblogging every Socceroos match, and our very own Emma Kemp will be one of 15 Guardian journalists filing daily reports from Qatar – so you’ll have plenty of coverage of Australia and everyone else. Beyond football, we have a series dedicated to the contentious issues around the tournament, such as Qatar’s human rights record.
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