Good morning, this is Eleanor Ainge Roy bringing you the main stories and must-reads on Wednesday 4 July.
Top stories
A gynaecologist banned from practising medicine after he performed surgery on women without their consent was allegedly fired from Mona Vale hospital on Sydney’s northern beaches more than a decade ago, the Guardian has been told. In 2007 Emil Shawky Gayed performed a laparoscopy on Ingrid van Baren-Davey at the hospital to remove fibroids. Afterwards, Van Baren-Davey said, she felt “immediately sick” and began vomiting after returning home. She said Gayed had told her she was experiencing a normal reaction to anaesthesia and a “psychological reaction” to the surgery. In reality, Gayed had perforated her bowel, and Van Baren-Davey had a severe infection.
The Health Care Complaints Commission says it received a complaint from Van Baren-Davey in 2007 but did not confirm what, if any, action was taken against Gayed at the time. An inquiry has been ordered by the NSW health department that spans five public hospitals.
Tony Abbott, the PM who signed Australia up to the Paris agreement, now says Australia needs to pull out of the treaty to end “the emissions obsession that’s at the heart of our power crisis”. In an escalation of his campaign against the national energy guarantee, Abbott used a speech to a group of climate sceptics to claim he would not have signed up to the pact had he known the US would withdraw from it. His intervention came as a energy market analyst warned that parts of the economy other than electricity would bear the brunt of Australia’s emissions reduction effort – driving up the costs of abatement for high-emitting energy, materials and industrial companies.
A forecast for monsoon rains to intensify in northern Thailand could force rescuers to try to get the 12 boys and their football coach out this week, despite every rescue plan being dogged with safety issues. A Thai navy Seal team has requested donations of small-size, full-face diving masks; fuelling speculation that an attempt is imminent. None of the children can swim or dive. They are in a weakened state but have consumed energy gels and meals of vacuum-packed pork and rice. “The evacuation must speed up,” the interior minister, Anupong Paojinda, told the Bangkok Post. Follow our live blog of unfolding events here.
Guy Pearce has suggested he was groped by Kevin Spacey when the pair appeared together in the 1997 film LA Confidential. In an interview with Andrew Denton on the talkshow Interview, Pearce was asked for his thoughts on working with Spacey. The actor replied: “Yeah … yeah. Tough one to talk about at the moment. Amazing actor; incredible actor. Mmm. Slightly difficult time with Kevin, yeah … He’s a handsy guy.” He added: “Thankfully, I was 29 and not 14.” Spacey has been the subject of multiple accusations of sexual assault and misconduct since 2017.
It was supposed to be the more efficient solution to recycling. Now, as governments and councils search for answers to Australia’s unfolding recycling crisis, the household yellow bin has emerged as both the prime culprit and a potential remedy. The recycling industry has been floundering since China stopped accepting 99% of Australia’s exported recycling owing to strict new rules on contamination. Jayne Paramor, from the environmental group Boomerang Alliance, says the commingled yellow bin has caused higher rates of contamination. “Commingling has made us complacent,” she says.
Sport
England have won a spot in the World Cup quarter-finals after another match decided in a penalty shootout. They defeated Colombia 1-1 (4-3 on penalties). And Sweden continues to defy expectations, defeating Switzerland 1-0 overnight. England and Sweden will face off against each other on Saturday.
Nick Kyrgios is leading the the revival of Australia’s Wimbledon challenge, with the No 15 seed beating Denis Istomin 7-6, 7-6- 6-7, 6-3. “I’m just in a lot better place. I came into Wimbledon last year injured, in a pretty bad mental state,” Kyrgios said. Overall it was a successful day for the Australian side with a total of seven wins: Matthew Ebden beat David Goffin, Alex De Minaur overcame Marco Cecchinato, and Sam Stosur, Ashleigh Barty and Daria Gavrilova all won in straight sets.
Thinking time
If you’ve been watching the Sarah Hanson-Young versus David Leyonhjelm sexism row with some bewilderment – and wondering why he won’t he apologise and move on – the answer is simple, writes Katharine Murphy. He’s milking this moment for all its worth. He’s doing what politicians do in our disrupted age: he’s narrowcasting; rallying his own supporters. Frankly, it’s the only card left to play for Leyonhjelm: an obscure senator facing re-election.
As Naidoc week approaches, Jared Field muses about the affect of the word “Aboriginal”, with its dual ability to bind and wound. “On the one hand, between Aboriginal people, it builds connection and breeds camaraderie … on the other, it ensures the continuation of a word often used to denigrate my grandmother, my mother and myself. It, and its repulsive diminutive, were uttered when children were taken.”
A private island for women to meet, chat and do yoga sounds like an intriguing idea, but the $6,000 retreat is elitist and wrong, argues Arwa Mahdawi. “What fresh faux-feminist hell is this? ... I find the trend for high-priced, women-only networking spaces nauseating, particularly as these often use feminism as a marketing device. This is not what feminism is. It seems to me that these spaces only set back gender equality.”
What’s he done now?
Donald Trump has made an unfounded claim that Barack Obama granted citizenship to 2,500 Iranians. The allegation was made by a hardline cleric and circulated by a news agency linked to Revolutionary Guard. The US president tweeted: “Just out that the Obama administration granted citizenship, during the terrible Iran Deal negotiation, to 2,500 Iranians, including to [sic] government officials. How big (and bad) is that?” Trump cited no evidence for the allegation.
Media roundup
Under the headline “Great white hope”, the West Australian reports on a plan by the federal government to introduce an electronic barrier of almost 180 non-lethal drum lines in an attempt to protect the state’s most popular beaches from sharks. The Australian reports that Melbourne’s South Sudanese community leaders have “no idea” how to help their youth, who they say need to be extracted from lives mired by crime and violence. And the ABC has a multimedia feature on a night in the life of a kangaroo shooter – warning: roo management features a lot of blood.
Coming up
The governor general, General Sir Peter Cosgrove, will start an official visit to Italy, the Vatican and Belgium. He will also attend the centenary of Hamel commemorations and lead a business mission to France, Spain and Portugal.
The banking royal commission will resume its hearings in Darwin looking at financial issues affecting Indigenous Australians.
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