Good morning, this is Eleanor Ainge Roy bringing you the main stories and must-reads on Tuesday 11 December.
Top stories
The Australian government has permitted the export of hundreds of rare and endangered parrots to an obscure German organisation based in a village outside Berlin, despite concerns that the birds could be sold at a huge profit. An investigation by Guardian Australia has revealed that the Association for the Conservation of Threatened Parrots (ACTP) received permission to export 232 birds between 2015 and November 2018 – more than 80% of all the live native birds legally exported from Australia in the same period. The exports include threatened species such as carnaby’s and baudin’s black cockatoos.
The export permits for the birds specified they were for exhibition purposes only, but ACTP has no facility that is freely open to the public. Private message on social media show that native birds apparently from ACTP have been offered for sale for hundreds of thousands of dollars. The Australian government was repeatedly warned of concerns about ACTP, including from the LNP MP Warren Entsch. “I think there needs to be a full investigation as to the reasons why, in spite of warnings going back over 12 months ... concerns have been ignored,” he said. The investigation also revealed that the head of ACTP, Martin Guth, has serious criminal convictions, including for hostage-taking, fraud and extortion.
Theresa May has formally postponed the vote on her Brexit deal, telling MPs it was clear that concern among them about the Irish backstop proposals would have led to it being rejected “by a significant margin”. The vote would not proceed “at this time”, May said. No 10 subsequently indicated it might not take place until January. The prime minister said in the interim she would return to EU member states to seek “further assurances” about the backstop, and seek ways to “empower” the Commons. But EU officials and diplomats are bewildered at the decision to seek more talks, and say no more concessions will be made. Follow live updates of this unfolding story here.
Australians are among the healthiest people in the developed world, but figures for cancer and obesity, particularly for men, are much more worrying. A new tool, released on Tuesday by the Australian Institute for Health and Welfare, helps compare Australia’s performance with other OECD countries against a range of key health indicators. The data shows Australian men had the highest rate of cancer, and the third highest rate of overweight and obesity. But despite shortcomings in Indigenous health, Australia is near the top of the rankings for life expectancy and infant mortality.
Australia’s renewables sector has doubled its output over the past 12 months, with more than $20bn of projects under construction, but the boom will not last without policy certainty, the Clean Energy Council has said. The council has released figures claiming a record year for Australia’s renewables industry – with more than 80 wind and solar farms under construction, and rooftop solar installations now topping 2m homes. The council’s chief executive, Kane Thornton, said the renewables sector was sufficiently mature not to require subsidy, but it did require policy certainty. “As the year closes, we are no closer to national, bipartisan energy and climate policy,” he said. “If anything, we are further away than when we started.”
Great Barrier Reef corals that survived bleaching in 2016 were more resistant to a second consecutive marine heatwave the following year, “astonished” scientists have found. Their study, published in the journal Nature Climate Change, gives an insight into the cumulative effects of events driven by climate change, and how species react to them. The study’s leader, Terry Hughes, said the emergence of “ecological memory” in the northernmost reefs was partly due to the mass deaths of more susceptible species. “Dead corals don’t bleach for a second time,” Hughes said. “The north lost millions of heat-sensitive corals in 2016, and most of the survivors were the tougher species. As a result of bleaching, the mix of species is changing very rapidly.”
Sport
If there was a way to lose the first Test of the home summer and still exceed expectations, Tim Paine’s side did so in Adelaide. Sure, had they got over the line in their stoic final-day run chase, they would be the toast of the nation. This isn’t that. But they do travel to Perth enhanced in belief and reputation, in no small part due to the way they conducted themselves throughout.
The world No 2 darts player Rob Cross went from winning £7 in pubs to winning the PDC world championship within 18 months but, he says, quick success “drained me”, and after the world darts final, he hit rock bottom.
Thinking time
Guardian Film’s best movie of the year list – voted for by a panel of reviewers, writers and editors – is into the final furlong. Meanwhile, chief critic Peter Bradshaw shares his personal picks, including Roma for best film, Alfonso Cuarón for best director, They Shall Not Grow Old for best documentary and, in a new category, Every Day – for most-overlooked film which may become a cult classic.
The photographer Andrew Moisey journeyed inside the US frathouse and uncovered ritual hazing, extreme drunkenness and toxic masculinity on one college campus – from men destined to be America’s future leaders. About 100,000 young men choose to be initiated into chapters annually, and last year four freshman students died as a direct result of hazing rituals during college fraternity initiation ceremonies.
The OECD has outlined some potentially terrible outcomes for the Australian economy from the fall in house prices, writes Greg Jericho. Will this end in doom and gloom, or will it sort itself out? The OECD itself still seems relatively confident Australia will achieve a “soft landing” and, as long as interest rates remain low, that seems a reasonable assumption. But record levels of household debt mean there is no room for complacency.
What’s he done now?
Donald Trump’s frantic search for a new chief of staff is becoming increasingly anxious, CNN reports, with the president concerned about the force of scrutiny to be unleashed by the Democrats come January. The president’s tweets have also increased their voltage, with a stream overnight regarding the “WITCH HUNT” into alleged ties with Russia.
Media roundup
The troubled Northern Territory town of Tennant Creek will receive a $60m funding boost, the NT News reports. The Queensland state government is planning to make young offenders apologise to their victims, the Courier-Mail reports, in a move aimed at keeping juveniles out of detention. And the Australian has a front-page story claiming more than 10,000 asylum seekers would be allowed to stay permanently in Australia under a proposed Labor plan, which would include full work and welfare rights.
Coming up
The latest figures on agricultural production are expected to show the dire effects of the drought in eastern Australia.
The Nobel prize winner and rights activist Malala Yousafzai is giving a speech in Melbourne.
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