Good morning. Europe braces for a surge in the Covid Omicron variant, advocacy bodies call for NSW Covid fines for children to be reversed and a Queensland coalmine faces scrutiny over repeated emissions failures.
Omicron has been found to multiply about 70 times quicker than the original and Delta versions of coronavirus, researchers from the University of Hong Kong have reported. The faster rate of infectiousness means the variant could cause greater fatalities than previous strains. Britain’s chief medical officer has warned the country is being hit by “two epidemics on top of each other” and big rise in hospitalisations is “a nailed-on prospect” as it reported its highest daily infection tally yet, with 78,000 new cases overnight. The cumulative death toll in the US has passed 800,000; a quarter of whom represent “preventable deaths”, a leading epidemiologist has said.
Children aged 10-17 have been slugged with $2.1m worth of fines for minor Covid breaches, freedom of information documents have revealed – prompting a furious response from legal groups. Since the middle of last year 2,844 NSW-based minors received penalty notices of up to $5,000 for infractions such as failing to wear a mask in an non-residential indoor area, with some fines handed to children with intellectual disabilities, according to the Redfern Legal Centre’s police accountability solicitor, Samantha Lee. “These fines are enormous … there’s no way they can pay,” Lee said. Multiple advocacy groups have called on the NSW government to revoke the fines.
A multinational-owned Queensland coalmine has exceeded its carbon dioxide emissions limit by 841,000 tonnes, freedom of information documents have revealed, with the UK-based Anglo American corporation admitting it represents a “large blowout”. Investigators from the Australian Conservation Foundation claim the company has emitted above its limit every year since 2016-17, but had previously avoided paying fines due to a Tony Abbott-era legislative “loophole”. A company spokesperson has said of a spike in emissions in 2019-20, “gas needed to be vented for safety reasons”.
Australia
The energy minister, Angus Taylor, has set up an AdBlue taskforce amid claims of price gouging for the in-demand diesel exhaust fluid that 40% of Australia’s trucks have come to rely upon.
Dozens of Indigenous families could miss out on ombudsman-ordered repayments, after a funeral scheme that was found to have misled and deceived its customers went into administration.
A widespread failure to accurately record the privacy wishes of close to 50,000 customers has led to Telstra being fined $2.5m. It’s the largest fine handed down by the relevant regulatory body for failing to keep private numbers off public lists.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are heavily over-represented in domestic violence hospitalisations, a new health report has detailed. Indigenous people make up 3.3% of the population but account for 28% of domestic violence hospitalisations.
The world
EU leaders have united to warn Russia there will be “massive consequences and severe cost” if it invades Ukraine, a leaked draft memorandum has revealed. As many as 175,000 Russian troops have amassed near the Russian-Ukrainian border.
The Chinese technology giant Huawei has been accused of helping state authorities create surveillance technology to target the nation’s Uyghur minority. The allegations were made after the Washington Post obtained Huawei marketing slides touting the technologies.
Human rights activists have called on the Qatari government to show “proof of life” for a leading feminist activist, Noof al-Maadeed, who has been missing since returning to Qatar from the UK in mid-October.
Recommended reads
What is the best way to process the pain and anger of historic injustice? For acclaimed Indigenous director Warwick Thornton, years of producing “gut-wrenching important pieces of storytelling” like Samson & Delilah has left him “a bit tired”. Which is why he’s introduced a bold new twist into his retelling of the first fleet’s arrival in 1788: vampires. And with a thumping punk music soundtrack, atmospheric Coober Pedy landscapes, and boomerangs as vampire killers, it adds up to a hugely anticipated TV series that’s “very Warwick”.
When it comes to full-time earnings there’s a very important difference between “average” and “median”. And in a nation that self-identifies as overwhelmingly middle class, the fight to reclaim the middle is a meaningful one, Greg Jericho explains. “We need to be much more honest about who earns what, because allowing talk of the ‘average Australian’ to mean someone on average full-time earnings excludes around three-quarters of workers.”
Roadtrips often come with an overwhelming packing list. But what about when you’re bringing your furry friend as well? “You know, as a dog owner, that having a pet requires a lot of, well, stuff. There are leads, treats, favourite toys and more, and now they have to be packed up and put in the car or van.” And with forgetting any of these potentially jeopardising a fun getaway, Paul Chai has tried to take the stress out of your preparations.
Since falling off a horse, Tom Cardy can only remember 11 funny things he’s seen on the internet. Which, while tragic, is also fortunate, because he at least hits our minimum threshold for: this week’s 10 funniest things on the internet. We hope you like trains, sports and Spotify trying to slide into your DMs.
Listen
What’s fuelling protests in the Solomon Islands? After days of violence that have left three people dead, the streets of Honiara are now playing out a seeming proxy war for global superpowers. On this episode of Full Story, presenter Jane Lee examines what role Australia has played in the unrest.
Full Story is Guardian Australia’s daily news podcast. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or any other podcasting app.
Sport
It’s been billed as England’s best chance to notch an Ashes win, but what evidence is there that the day-night pink ball Test in Adelaide could favour the visitors? Well, not a lot, Geoff Lemon writes, who notes England’s track record in the format includes “being pummelled in Adelaide, Auckland and Ahmedabad”.
He may have missed out on an eighth world title in heartbreaking fashion just three days ago, but Lewis Hamilton has become just the fourth grand prix driver to receive a knighthood, and the first while still racing.
Media roundup
An analysis of 19,000 discretionary grants allocated by the federal government has revealed that Liberal-held seats receive three times more taxpayer funds than Labor seats, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. Australia’s most powerful energy companies have called for a 55% cut in emissions by 2035, in an attempt to push the transport and heavy industry sectors to lift their commitment to cutting pollution, the Australian reports. And Queenslanders could face Christmas in isolation with the state’s health authorities anticipating an Omicron-related spike, the Courier-Mail writes.
Coming up
The mid-year economic and fiscal outlook will be released, with Australia’s unemployment figures tipped to beat a 10-year low.
The man accused of raping parliamentary staffer Brittany Higgins will face court for a directions hearing.
And if you’ve read this far …
A school has apologised after its Scrooge-like Christmas lunch went viral on social media. Some parents shared photographs of the lunch with members of a local public Facebook group, who compared the meal to “Foreskin on a dry bap”, “lichen on dry bread”, and a trial from I’m a Celebrity. Steyning grammar school and sixth form college, in West Sussex, said it would refund the cost of the meal.
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