Good morning, this is Eleanor Ainge Roy bringing you the main stories and must-reads on Friday 29 June.
Top stories
At least five people have been shot and killed at the offices of a newspaper in Maryland. The shooting took place at the headquarters of the Capital Gazette in Annapolis, the state capital, on Thursday afternoon. Police officers and federal agents responded and a suspected shooter was taken into custody.
Phil Davis, the newspaper’s courts and crime reporter, said multiple colleagues had been shot while he was in the room. People were seen streaming from the building with their hands in the air as police evacuated the scene. No motives for the shooting were immediately apparent, but New York police said they had deployed officers to the headquarters of major media organisations in the city. Follow our rolling report for further developments.
One of Australia’s most accomplished television journalists, Liz Jackson, has died aged 67. A giant of ABC current affairs and investigative reporting, Jackson died in her sleep while on holiday in Greece with her partner, Martin Butler. Jackson’s reporting on world affairs and politics won an astonishing nine Walkleys including the Gold in 2006, as well as four Logie awards. Jackson’s last Walkley, the 2017 documentary award, was the story of her own struggle with Parkinson’s disease. The ABC’s managing director, Michelle Guthrie, said: “Her enormous talent, fearless integrity and unflinching courage will serve as a beacon for many generations of journalists and storytellers to come.”
Angela Merkel has warned that the future of the EU hinges on whether it can find answers to the “vital questions” posed by migration, as she received muted support from some of her fellow leaders arriving for a crucial summit likely to determine whether her fraying coalition government survives. The German chancellor said European leaders should find a solution to asylum challenges “by allowing ourselves to be guided by values and rooting for multilateralism rather than unilateralism”. If the heads of government gathering in Brussels failed to do so, Merkel warned, they risked creating a situation where “no one believes in the value system that has made us so strong”.
Labor will attempt to expedite its final decision on tax relief for companies with turnovers between $2m and $10m over the coming days, after the blowback that has accompanied Bill Shorten’s contentious “captain’s call” this week. Shorten pledged to repeal the government’s legislated tax cuts for firms earning between $10m and $50m in an off-the-cuff announcement on Tuesday, which has triggered a business backlash, internal confusion and Labor MPs speaking at cross purposes. The government has ended the final session before the winter break with its tail up, despite having to shelve a Senate vote on its big business tax cuts until parliament resumes because the One Nation and Centre Alliance blocs are refusing to sign on, for now at least.
A Scottish MP has been praised for breaking a taboo by talking abouther period during a debate about the cost of sanitary products, which many women cannot afford. Scottish Labour’s Danielle Rowley apologised for being late to a House of Commons women and equalities debate, saying she was on her period and it had cost her £25 ($45) so far this week. She called for action on the cost of sanitary products: “We know the average cost of a period in the UK over a year is £500. Many women can’t afford this. What is the minister doing to address period poverty?”
Sport
Belgium have beaten England 1-0 at the World Cup to win Group G and secure a second-round meeting with Japan, while the English will face Colombia. The South Americans came out on top in Group H by beating Senegal 1-0, ensuring no African team will be in the knockout stages of the tournament for the first time since 1982. Japan went down 1-0 to Poland, a game that ended in farcical scenes as Japan played out time concerned only not to pick up yellow cards, knowing their better disciplinary record would take them above Senegal.
Germany are still reeling from their shock exit on Thursday, with talk turning swiftly to the need to change their coach, but in Brazil many believe the result has helped ease the nightmare of the Seleção’s traumatic 7-1 defeat by Germany in the 2014 semi-final.
Thinking time
In the wake of the vandalisation of statues dedicated to James Cook and Lachlan Macquarie last year, the government ordered an inquiry into monuments related to Australia’s early colonial history, writes Paul Daley. The Australian Heritage Council has responded with a thoughtful analysis and recommendations about how to avert a replay, but simply listing the number of statues dedicated to “patriotic and heroic achivement”, and to men above women, shows how much Australia’s commemorative landscape needs to change.
Hulu’s chief has suggested that The Handmaid’s Tale could run for 10 seasons, a figure that already feels excessive. Fawlty Towers, The Office and Seinfeld are often praised for not overstaying their welcome. On the flipside, Dexter and The Simpsons are routinely criticised for lingering too long, with fans often citing their “peak period” and subsequent decline. So how long should a show go on for? Gavin Haynes crunches the numbers.
In his latest picture book, the acclaimed Australian illustrator, writer and film-maker Shaun Tan explores the ponderous themes of migrant workers and workplace bullying. Tan uses the voice of a hardworking insect who has toiled away, unappreciated and without promotion, alongside humans in a grey office block for 17 years. We go behind the scenes of the horrifying and humorous story, to the sketches and moveable sculptures that ultimately allowed Cicada to fly.
What’s he done now?
Donald Trump has trashed Nato, saying it was “as bad as Nafta”, the North American free trade agreement the US president despises, European officials have confirmed. Trump’s inflammatory remarks have added to jitters among US allies about what will happen at a Nato summit in Brussels starting on 11 July, followed by Trump’s meeting with Vladimir Putin in Helsinki five days later.
Media roundup
The West Australian reports that job vacancies in the state are at their highest level since the peak of the mining boom, growing by more than 26% over the past year. The Courier-Mail splashes with the chilling last movements of a 16-year-old girl whose body has been found in Queensland. And the Conversation’s Friday essay explores the politics of curry; the post-colonial associations that taint the word.
Coming up
The first part of the inquest into the deaths of four people at the Dreamworld theme park on the Gold Coast concludes today.
Flights from Australia to Bali may be delayed or cancelled as volcanic ash from the eruption of Mount Agung again disrupts travel.
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