Good morning, this is Tamara Howie bringing you the main stories and must-reads on Wednesday 23 September.
Top stories
The US has surpassed 200,000 Covid-related deaths – the highest death toll globally. But the figure was not mentioned by President Donald Trump in his pre-recorded address to the UN general assembly, where he called for Beijing to be held accountable for what he labelled the “China virus”. China’s UN representative responded by rejecting the accusations, with President Xi Jinping calling for cooperation in the face of the pandemic.
The Coalition will today announce a $3.5bn upgrade to Australia’s national broadband network, promising 75% of homes will have ultra-fast broadband speeds by 2023. The package, which will roll out fibre “deeper and closer to homes and businesses”, comes after the Coalition has faced criticism for abandoning the former government’s fibre-to-the-premises model and embracing a mix of technologies to deliver the NBN. The opposition’s communications spokesperson, Michelle Rowland, attacked the government, saying: “This has meant Australian taxpayers have paid more for a network that does less, and more money is now required to play catch up.”
UK residents are facing new restrictions for the next six months as Covid numbers surge. Boris Johnson told MPs the UK is at a “perilous turning point”, announcing new restrictions including a 10pm closing time for pubs, mandatory mask-wearing for retail and hospitality staff, as well as a return to home working. “After six months of restrictions, it would be tempting to hope the threat has faded and seek comfort in the belief that if you have avoided the virus so far then you are somehow immune,” Johnson said. “That sort of complacency could be our undoing.”
Australia
Labor’s draft new energy policy platform backs “science-based and safe” gas development amid internal party division about energy policies. The policy commits a future Albanese government to the “responsible” and “environmentally sustainable” development of gas, while recognising renewable energy as “central to our economic future”.
The major property developer Maas Group Properties has been penalised just $563 as an “administration fee” after being accused of dumping tonnes of asbestos-contaminated building waste at a site it was developing in Dubbo.
A conspiracy theorist who accused the Nationals MP Anne Webster of being “a member of a secretive paedophile network” on social media has been ordered to pay $875,000 in damages. A federal court judge labelled the claims “disgraceful and inexplicable”.
The federal government is down $100m in revenue as passport applications plummet due to Covid. Passport applications dropped by 400,000 in the first half of 2020 after travel restrictions were imposed early in the pandemic, meaning the government will miss out on revenue from application fees.
The world
Chinese authorities are dramatically expanding a mass labour program in Tibet, with reports of up to 500,000 rural workers forced into “military-style” facilities. The move has been likened to the alleged forced labour operations in Xinjiang, for which China has faced criticism for its treatment of Uighur and other ethnic minorities.
Trump has confirmed he will announce his nominee to fill the supreme court on Saturday. Senator Mitt Romney said he would support moving forward with Trump’s supreme court nominee as controversy rages over whether a new judge should be appointed before the US election in November.
Facebook warns it may pull out of Europe if the Irish data protection commissioner enforces a ban on sharing data with the US. The warning comes after a landmark ruling by the European court of justice found that there were insufficient safeguards against snooping by US intelligence agencies.
A former traffic cop who claimed to be the reincarnation of Jesus has been arrested in Russia after running a cult in the depths of Siberia for three decades. Russia’s investigative committee says it will charge Sergei Torop, known to his followers as Vissarion, alleging that the cult extorted money from followers and subjected them to emotional abuse.
New Zealand’s opposition leader, Judith Collins, has won the first election debate against a “passionless” Jacinda Ardern, but only by the slightest margin.
Recommended reads
Isn’t it strange how the future has ended up looking so much like the past? Van Gogh Alive! resurrects the dead in a glossy, impersonal blockbuster with a walk-through sound and light show that projects Vincent Van Gogh’s works on to the walls and floors of the giant exhibition hall. Everything new is old again in an homage to the great painter that has an aesthetic similar to walking through an airport.
As a freelancer working from home, Nadine von Cohen has a habit of making friends in cafes. Most of these friendships are casual but there was one that stood out: “Over time I learned snippets about her life. She was a working writer; she grew up in New Zealand; she had two daughters. But when she casually mentioned she’d worked at British Vogue through the 60s, 70s and 80s I almost spat out my coffee. I knew exactly who she was.”
Listen
In an exclusive interview with the Guardian, the former model Amy Dorris talked to Lucy Osborne about allegations that Donald Trump sexually assaulted her at the US Open tennis tournament more than two decades ago, in an alleged incident that left her feeling “sick” and “violated”.
Full Story is Guardian Australia’s daily news podcast. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or any other podcasting app.
Sport
Authorities announced an investigation into an Italian University over allegations it helped the Barcelona striker Luis Suárez cheat in an Italian language exam. The Uruguayan player, who is not under investigation, needed to pass the exam to secure a European passport that could help him to transfer to a new club.
The French rugby president, Bernard Laporte, claims he has been caught up in a corruption inquiry as part of a coup to oust him from power.
Media roundup
The federal government is considering spending hundreds of millions of dollars to save university jobs, according to the Australian. Sewage testing will provide an essential early warning of new coronavirus outbreaks in Victoria, the Age reports. Judy Dent, the wife of the first Northern Territory resident to die by assisted suicide, speaks to the NT News advocating for others to have the right to choose. And in Tasmania the Hobart Mercury reports that a Liberal MLC, Jane Howlett, says now is not the right time to be debating voluntary assisted dying legislation in parliament.
Coming up
The jobs minister, Martin Pakula, and the emergency services minister, Lisa Neville, will give evidence at Victoria’s inquiry into the hotel quarantine program.
A rescue mission to save a large pod of pilot whales stranded on sandbars on Tasmania’s west coast enters it second day.
And if you’ve read this far …
While cancelled flights and disruptions at Sydney airport have been a major headache for most, the quiet runways have opened up a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for hobby pilots to land their planes there for the first time. “For a lot of the pilots involved, including myself, it was a childhood dream to land in a big international airport like that,” said the Sydney Flight College club captain, Tim Lindley.
Sign up
If you would like to receive the Guardian Australia morning mail to your email inbox every weekday, sign up here.
