Good morning. More than 100 childcare centres across Australia have been closed due to the “immediate risk” posed to children by the Delta variant. There are nearly 3,000 documented cases among children under 10 and the federal government is being urged to outline a vaccination timeline for this cohort. Australians are experiencing “behavioural fatigue” after a series of lockdowns, with experts saying: “It may not be so much about complacency but about people’s capacity to comply with lockdown restrictions.”
More than 4,000 homeless and vulnerable Australians have taken up free vaccinations under an initiative in central Sydney, with calls for the program to be replicated across Australia. Case numbers in NSW appear set to rise further, with the R-factor – the virus reproduction number – now at 1.3, and the source for only one-quarter of new infections known.
The former Afghan president Hamid Karzai has met a senior Taliban commander in an attempt to ensure a peaceful transition of governance in Afghanistan. Taliban spokespeople have declared an “amnesty” for former government staff, and have said they’re looking to form an “inclusive, Islamic” government. It is a picture of moderation that is tempered by reports of women and children being whipped or beaten by Taliban fighters en route to Kabul airport. A former Afghan interpreter for the Australian military was shot in the leg as he tried to pass a checkpoint outside the airport in an attempt to board an Australian evacuation mission out of the country. In the country’s east, at least one person has been killed after protesters lowed a Taliban flag and replaced it with an Afghan tricolour.
Recriminations continue in the US, with a former CIA chief saying both the Trump and Biden administrations were warned that the Afghan army’s resistance could collapse “within days”. But the Taliban may face an immediate financial crisis upon forming government, with about $7bn of the country’s reported $9bn in foreign reserves now on hold in the US.
Australia
Environmentalists have called on the federal treasurer to block the potential $500m sale of Australia’s second-largest salmon farmer to a Brazilian multinational corporation.
The ACCC is considering “upfront rules and regulations” to force Apple and Google to open their app stores to greater competition. The tech giants remain locked in a global legal battle with the creator of Fortnite, Epic Games.
Labor is expected to announce a more ambitious emissions reduction target, with the shadow climate change minister, Chris Bowen, set to outline on Thursday four key principles of the opposition’s environmental approach before the next election.
Wage growth remained sluggish even before the Delta outbreak, while the fear of job losses still looms, according to two new economic reports painting a less than rosy view of the Australian economy.
The world
China’s president, Xi Jingping, has announced plans for major state-led wealth redistribution, vowing to “adjust excessive incomes” among the nation’s super-rich “to return more to society”. Leading Chinese tech billionaires have already seen their net worth decline since June by 16%.
A Canadian soldier has been found guilty of administering cannabis-laced cupcakes to comrades before a live-fire training exercise. The military canteen worker could face up to five years in prison.
Papua New Guinea’s health authorities have ordered the swabbing of corpses amid fears a major outbreak of the Delta variant is about to sweep the Pacific nation.
The much-loved UK comedian Sean Lock has died aged 58 from cancer. A regular of the comedy panel show 8 Out of 10 Cats and the cult-status BBC sitcom 15 Storeys High, Lock has been hailed by fellow comedians for his wit and generosity.
Recommended reads
Bird of the year is back! On the shoulders of giants, such as the totemic struggle between the magpie and white ibis in 2017, and the emotive victory for the black-throated finch in 2019, comes this year’s much-awaited poll. Tell us in the article’s comments the bird you’d like to see on this year’s list or nominate your bird on Twitter or Instagram with the hashtag #BOTY2021. And just quietly: the superb fairywren is due.
The idea of Australian wages growing anywhere near the RBA’s 3% target is increasingly looking like a fantasy. But, as Greg Jericho explains, the latest concerning wages data can no longer be blamed on pandemics or lockdowns. And disconcertingly, it comes as unemployment rates fall: “Since 2016 an unemployment rate of 4.9% would mean wages grow by around 2.4%; instead we have them growing by almost a third slower at 1.7%.” When you factor in the rise in the consumer price index, it’s the biggest slump in wages growth ever recorded.
Alexei Toliopoulos is on the hunt for authentic moments of verisimilitude. As a seasoned deep diver into “the mysteries of pop culture” he’s perfectly placed to be this week’s curator of the 10 funniest things on the internet. And from that “complex figure of 21st century machismo” Vin Diesel, to Patti LaBelle’s live television chaos, there’s a little something for everyone.
Listen
As Covid-19 spreads through western NSW, it’s fuelling the worst outbreak among Aboriginal people seen so far. On this episode of Full Story, Guardian Australia’s Indigenous affairs editor, Lorena Allam, dissects the state and federal policies that have brought us to this juncture.
Full Story is Guardian Australia’s daily news podcast. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or any other podcasting app.
Sport
As the W-League’s elder stateswoman, Teresa Polias has seen her fair share of challenges. But the veteran of seven grand finals is now facing another challenge: life without football after 13 seasons in the middle. Emma Kemp sits down with the Sydney FC veteran to discuss starting a family and the hard road back to elite sport.
Covid-19 may ultimately dictate where the NRL hosts its 2021 grand final. But, as Hunter Fujak writes, the decision on its final venue may reveal a little bit about the code’s overall strategic intent. Could Melbourne, Auckland or even Perth be on the cards?
Media roundup
The Qantas push for mandatory staff vaccinations has flown against the Business Council of Australia’s advice, writes the Financial Review, with the airline’s “no jab, no job” policy expected to encourage other major employers to follow suit. The NSW government contemplated commercialising the entire public transport and roads network in an attempt to hide a multibillion-dollar budget black hole, according to the Sydney Morning. And break-ins and car thefts are on the rise in Brisbane, the Courier-Mail reports, with 14% and 23% increases.
Coming up
Traditional owners will march on Western Australia’s Parliament House to call for better protections for the state’s Aboriginal heritage.
A NSW committee hearing into the long-term health of kangaroos and other macropods in relation to government culling and climactic factors will be conducted.
And if you’ve read this far …
It was the moment 39,000 tonnes of steel, spanning a gap of more than 500m, finally came together. If you think the engineer in charge of the construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge was nervous, here’s the moment, captured in photo, that the famous arches were finally joined.
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