Good morning, this is Stephen Smiley bringing you the main stories and must-reads on Monday 7 October.
Top stories
Some of Australia’s biggest corporations have hidden political donations from planning authorities, which is a criminal offence in New South Wales, a Guardian investigation has found. Woolworths, Caltex, Origin Energy, AMP and Incitec Pivot are among 13 companies that declared sizeable political donations to the Liberal and Labor parties to the Australian Electoral Commission, but failed to declare them when seeking approval to develop property in NSW. In one case Woolworths failed to declare more than $100,000 in donations to the NSW Liberals and Nationals while seeking to secure minor approvals for a supermarket at Mullumbimby. The revelations have prompted an investigation by the state’s planning department, which pledged to “take action” if it confirmed breaches detected by the Guardian.
A second whistleblower has described an alleged plot by Donald Trump to extort Ukraine for dirt on one of his Democratic rivals, Joe Biden, according to Mark Zaid, a lawyer for the first whistleblower in the case. Zaid has described the person as a member of the intelligence community. An account by a second whistleblower reinforcing the original whistleblower complaint, which was made public two weeks ago, could accelerate the impeachment inquiry against Trump announced by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on 24 September.
The French president Emmanuel Macron has given Boris Johnson until the end of the week to fundamentally revise his Brexit plan, in a move that increases the chances of the negotiations imploding within days. The UK proposals tabled last week, which include the return of a customs border on the island of Ireland, are not regarded in Brussels as being a basis for a deal. After declining to meet with the prime minister in person, Macron emphasised that it was up to the UK to think again about its offer before an upcoming EU summit.
World
Thousands of people have turned out in heavy rain across Hong Kong to denounce a ban on face masks. But instead of cowing protesters, the ban has enraged them, with the marching crowds shouting “Hong Kong resist” and “wearing a mask is not a crime”.
An Iraqi interior ministry spokesman says an investigation is underway to determine the source of live fire that killed protesters during six days of unrest that have left more than 100 people dead and thousands injured.
Saudi Arabia has lifted some restrictions on tourists travelling in the country, with new guidelines allowing foreign men and women to share a room without proof of marriage. The change comes after Riyadh launched its first tourist visa scheme.
Ginger Baker, one of the most brilliant, versatile and turbulent drummers in the history of British music, has died aged 80. According to a post on his Facebook page, the Cream drummer, who straddled jazz, blues and rock, “passed away peacefully”.
Authorities in Kansas City, Kansas, say two men who opened fire in a bar, killing four, had apparently been in some sort of disagreement with people inside. They say the men had left the bar but returned with handguns.
Opinion and analysis
The dire conditions in a refugee camp in Greece give traumatised children little hope of healing, writes neurologist and author Jules Montague: “Ayesha is nine years old. As her father lays her down gently on a mattress at the clinic, the only perceptible sign of life is the slow movement of her ribcage as she breathes in and out. She otherwise remains almost motionless. For two weeks now, Ayesha has not opened her eyes. She has not spoken. She has not walked. She has what the mental health team believe could be one of the first cases of resignation syndrome it has seen here. I’m in Lesbos researching the psychological effects of trauma in these children who have often fled violent conflict in their home countries, only to arrive at a squalid camp where conditions are chaotic and inhumane. Ayesha’s state embodies what can happen when a child loses all hope.”
At times of historic importance, the media provides information that breathes life into our democracy, writes Paul Chadwick: “In their moments of stress, constitutions need regular dabs of information. Disclosures by journalists helped to start impeachment proceedings in the Richard Nixon and Donald Trump presidencies in a country where the constitution expressly protects press freedom. Information brought to light in the media is no less important to the workings of the UK’s unwritten constitution. In this era of challenge to professional journalism, that contribution deserves notice.”
Sport
There are alien creatures of the darkest sub-Atlantic depths that could not have withstood the pressure the Canberra Raiders rendered upon the Sydney Roosters in Sunday night’s pulsating NRL grand final. Yet the Roosters, premiers again, not only ate the attack. They spat it back like venom to win 14-8, writes Matt Cleary.
After England’s 39-10 win against Argentina, coach Eddie Jones touched on an issue which will have important implications for his old team, the Wallabies: asked to explain England’s slow start, he attributed it to rustiness after playing two easy games. This has direct relevance to the Wallabies, who will have played two minnows in a row before their quarter-final. That’s why they would be wise to field a strong team against Georgia, writes Bret Harris.
Thinking time: onboard a ‘tiny melting pot’ in the Southern Ocean
In winter it rests at the waterfront, where its enormous steel bow – painted a distinctive hue known as “international orange” – provides a photo-friendly backdrop to the Dark Mofo Winter Feast. In summer, it embarks for Antarctica, carrying scientists and supplies on multiple voyages across the Southern Ocean to the Australian Antarctic Division’s four research stations. Whether you’re a Hobart local or an occasional visitor to the city, the RSV Aurora Australis icebreaker will be a familiar sight. But the upcoming summer season, which begins in late October, will be the Aurora’s last: 30 years after sliding down the slipways at Carrington in NSW, it will be retired from service – replaced by a multimillion-dollar vessel currently in the final stages of construction in Romania.
By all measures, its replacement will be an improvement: it has larger fuel and cargo capacity than the Aurora, is fitted with state-of-the-art scientific equipment, and will have significantly greater icebreaking capability. But humans – even those who tend towards reason and hard data – can develop strong emotional attachments to ships, and there is a distinct sense of nostalgia around the Aurora’s final season. So as its crew of researchers and artists prepare for its final Antarctic voyage, what legacy does the Aurora leave behind?
Media roundup
The energy sector is pushing for a major rewrite of the federal government’s so-called “big stick” laws, warning that the measures will not reduce energy prices without critical amendments, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. The ABC reports that a Perth doctor is warning of the dangers of wearing high-vis shirts in direct sunlight, after what she believes is the world’s first case of burns from retro-reflective tape. And Tony Abbott has told the Australian that Malcolm Turnbull’s “overweening ambition” is to blame for his government’s demise four years ago.
Coming up
Extinction Rebellion climate change activists are aiming to shut down Australian capital cities with protests from Monday to Sunday.
With temperatures forecast to soar in NSW and Queensland, emergency services are on alert for bushfires.
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