Good morning, this is Richard Parkin bringing you the main stories and must-reads on Friday 6 March.
Top stories
Australia’s chief medical officer has warned that the worst-case coronavirus scenario is “millions of people being infected” domestically as a baby girl in South Australia and a tourist in the Northern Territory become the latest of 53 confirmed cases across Australia. In NSW, Epping boys high school will be closed on Friday after a student tested positive for the virus and 61 staff at Ryde hospital have been placed in self-isolation, while 23 staff and five patients in Liverpool hospital have also been potentially exposed. Tourism operators have called on the federal government to urgently boost financial support to the sector as Treasury forecasts a contraction in economic growth of potentially $3.5bn across the March quarter. Meanwhile doctors have slammed a “lack of communication”, with frontline staff confessing themselves to be “woefully underprepared” in the face of a possible epidemic.
Elizabeth Warren has dropped out of the race to become the Democratic presidential nominee, leaving Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders as the two remaining viable candidates. The Massachusetts senator, described as “a progressive lion” by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, was upbeat in announcing her decision, “we left plenty of blood and teeth on the floor,” she said. “And I can think of one billionaire who has been denied the chance to buy this election.” Warren was regarded as an early frontrunner but failed to win a single state despite clearly articulated policy and several highly regarded debate appearances.
Donald Trump has disputed the World Health Organization’s assessment of the global death rate from the coronavirus, calling the official 3.4% mortality rate “a false number” and suggesting the number was instead “way under 1%”. Prefacing his comments, live on Fox News, with the statement “this is just my hunch”, the US president said “easy cases” probably weren’t being included. The virus has become an increasingly politicised issue in the US, with media allies of the president accusing the Democratic party of “rooting for the coronavirus to spread”. The country’s death toll has risen to 11, with confirmed cases emerging in California and New York.
Australia
The shadow home affairs minister, Kristina Keneally, has slammed the “dire” state of Australia’s migration system, claiming that the abuse of tourist visas has seen asylum claims from Chinese nationals arriving by air increase by about 700%.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission will monitor the planned closure of Australian Associated Press, flagging “potential issues” if the closure substantially lessens competition in the industry. News Corp’s corporate affairs chief, Campbell Reid, has accused Guardian Australia of “gobsmacking hypocrisy” in its coverage of AAP’s closure.
Large swathes of Queensland, NSW and the NT have welcomed “drought-breaking” rains, with rainfall from ex-Tropical Cyclone Esther allowing many to plant crops for the first time in several seasons.
Peter Dutton has proposed a bill that would allow overseas police to tap Australians’ phones, easing the way for reciprocal police surveillance with its Five Eyes partners, the US, the UK, New Zealand and Canada.
The world
A Chilean man has been arrested for causing “incalculable” damage to one of Easter Island’s stone statues after his pickup truck crashed into a moai. The island’s mayor has blamed a failure to enact stricter traffic legislation.
The international criminal court has authorised an investigation into alleged war crimes in Afghanistan, a decision that US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, has called “reckless”, suggesting such moves could jeopardise a historic peace agreement.
The European winter has been the hottest on record, scientists have declared, with temperatures 3.4C higher than the average from 1981-2010, and as high as 6C above average in cities like Helsinki in Finland.
Recommended reads
Being in prison means you are already cut off from the world, but thanks to a new podcast from Darwin women’s correctional centre, Birds Eye View, women on the inside are able to share their stories their way with thousands of listeners on the outside, writes Elizabeth Flux.
It’s the great paradox of seeing the world’s most remarkable tourist attractions – by joining the throng you’re invariably diminishing everybody else’s experiences of wonder. And it’s not that there’s a “silver lining” to the coronavirus but, if nowhere is really safe, you may as well be enjoying canapés in Bangkok, writes Brigid Delaney.
Sleeping rough is difficult at the best of times, but after 26 years of homelessness, Dominic Van Allen – one of London’s estimated 55,000 to 60,000 “visible-invisible” – executed a desperate plan: digging a bunker under Hampstead Heath.
Listen
Coronavirus explained: a health reporter on your biggest fears. With rising death tolls around the world and transmission beginning in the Australian community, on today’s Full Story podcast, Guardian Australia’s health reporter, Melissa Davey, breaks down what you need to know about the spread of Covid-19 in Australia.
Full Story is Guardian Australia’s news podcast. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or any other podcasting app.
Sport
Australia have squeaked into the Women’s World T20 final, with the heavens aiding them to a narrow win over South Africa in a rain-reduced semi-final. Chasing a target of 98 the visitors fell just five runs short, thanks to some excellent bowling.
The Premier League could be played behind closed doors “in coming weeks”, Everton’s chief financial officer has confirmed, owing to the increasing likelihood of the coronavirus spreading across the UK.
And it wouldn’t be Friday without David Squires on … toilet tissue and panic buying in the A-League.
Media roundup
The NSW government is looking to privatise its remaining stake in the WestConnex motorway, the Sydney Morning Herald reports, with a “scoping study” to assess viability due this year. More than 30 people are facing court over $15m worth of fraudulent insurance claims, writes the Daily Telegraph, with one woman jailed for 18 months for staging a serious car accident. And more stringent physical tests have dramatically cut the number of women training to become firefighters, the Courier-Mail says.
Coming up
The Matildas face Vietnam in the first leg of their final qualifying playoff for the Tokyo Olympics. Follow the game with our live blog: the kick-off is at 6.30pm AEDT.
The ABS will publish its data on retail trade for January, a snapshot of the health of Australia’s retail sector and consumer spending.
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