Good morning. Desperate scenes continue in Afghanistan as civilians die attempting to flee the country after the Taliban’s seizure of Kabul. Meanwhile, Australia’s Covid crisis continues to worsen, with more areas in lockdown and fears NSW case numbers could skyrocket.
US and other allied troops struggled to reopen Kabul airport after seven people were killed in chaotic scenes as desperate civilians converged on the only route out of the Afghan capital. Videos widely shared on social media showed desperate Afghans trying to cling to a US military plane as it departed Kabul and then falling to their deaths. US president Joe Biden is speaking on the situation in Afghanistan at the White House this morning after bipartisan criticism over his lack of any formal comments on what has been dubbed “the biggest crisis of his presidency”. In the UK, Boris Johnson is under pressure from his own MPs to urgently set up a new resettlement scheme for Afghan refugees while French president Emmanuel Macron said the European Union would be setting up an initiative to thwart the expected arrivals of refugees as divisions over immigration in Europe reopen.
The Australian government has been accused of waiting far too long to organise a military evacuation mission to Afghanistan, as it sends 250 defence force personnel to rescue more than 130 Australians. But it is not known when the troops will be able to land in the country. Afghan Australian Miriam Veiszadeh watched the crisis unfold “in complete despair” and said “to witness what feels very much like a western abandonment of Afghanistan on mass scale is infuriating …The anger and hurt many of us feel is palpable as the reality is that the Taliban would have not risen to have such power and influence, had they not had initial backing from western forces.” Meanwhile Australian veterans of the war were feeling a full range of emotions as they watched 20 years of involvement ripped to shreds in days.
More of Australia has been plunged into lockdown as hope for lighter restrictions in NSW fade after the state recorded 478 new locally acquired Covid-19 cases – another record daily high. Darwin and Katherine entered a snap three-day lockdown. The ACT has extended lockdown by two weeks, as has Victoria, which also introduced a curfew, closed playgrounds and tightened mask rules to clamp down on illegal “pub crawls”. The Victorian premier, Daniel Andrews, lashed out at rule-breakers after a video of an engagement party linked to three cases emerged. “It’s selfish. They are shitty choices and they will keep us all locked down for longer than we should be. I’m angry, we’re all angry.” NSW recorded eight more deaths on top of record case numbers. Premier Gladys Berejiklian warned the state could reach 1,000 new cases a day soon if people did not follow the public health orders. “The most important thing is for people to stay at home. Don’t leave home unless you have to.”
Australia
In a speech at the Better Futures Forum today, NSW environment minister Matt Kean will urge voters concerned about the climate crisis to “send a message to all leaders” at the ballot box. Kean says it’s a “cop-out” for politicians to say it’s up to others to fix the problem in a pointed reference to his federal colleagues.
The financial sector is too focused on “overly optimistic” modelling and data collection about the climate crisis when it should be taking action, a new report has found. Co-author Ian Dunlop said a scenario of 3C or 4C should be accepted as untenable and businesses should divert finance away from carbon-intensive projects.
Two-thirds of parents are concerned that lockdowns are affecting the mental health of their children, with half worried about emerging behavioural problems, according to the latest Guardian Essential poll.
The world
Haiti is bracing for wild weather, with fears the looming tropical storm will raise the death toll from Saturday’s 7.2 magnitude earthquake, which has killed at least 1,297 people.
Villages in Greece were evacuated as two new large wildfires consumed large tracts of forest north of the Greek capital.
The Chinese-Canadian pop star Kris Wu has been arrested in Beijing on suspicion of rape in a high-profile case that followed an accusation he had sexually assaulted a 17-year-old while she was drunk and lured young women into sexual relationships.
Recommended reads
“Dying is a serious business. If a heart attack doesn’t kill you, the paperwork will,” says Elizabeth Quinn who is passing time in the latest lockdown by preparing for her death. But it hasn’t been all paperwork – the process has also provided space for reflection, gratitude and way more entertainment than you would expect. “The musical component of my funeral is much more significant than the logistics. Five years ago, I compiled a musical wish list … and surprised each child with their own vinyl copy, complete with album notes. Absolute Lizzie – The Funeral Selection was a highlight of my parenting career. It was a snapshot of the life I shared with my children, full of meaning and memories for all of us.”
What if we could avoid the climate crisis by sleeping for a year? This Earth-Hour-on-steroids premise, now the mainstage play, Hibernation, came to award-winning playwright Finegan Kruckemeyer in November 2019, back when the idea of governments around the world telling their citizens to bunker down at home to stave off a global threat seemed a novel premise for Black Mirror-inspired sci-fi rather than a real-life possibility. “It started being a play about an issue, and then it became a play about people. If it began as an issue-based piece with that climate concern at the forefront, it ultimately becomes about how humans deal with change, and deal with threats to themselves and their loved ones, and what they choose to do as a result,” he said.
With service industries and foreign tourism decimated, the potential fall in ore prices and demand shows just how much Australia relies on mining exports, and an end to Australia’s iron ore export boom is just what the economy doesn’t need, writes Greg Jericho. “It seems not all that long ago all the talk was about how gloriously the economy was going and how the Covid recession was in the past. But now the two states encompassing 55% of the nation’s economy are in lockdown and the second half of this year looks to be tough for the economy – especially as our iron ore exports might be about to take a hit.”
Listen
In today’s Full Story, Laura Murphy-Oates speaks to reporter Luke Henriques-Gomes about what some say is a “double standard” at the heart of the Australian government’s debt-recovery effort after 11,000 jobkeeper recipients received debt letters while the Coalition resisted calls to claw back money from businesses that got the wage subsidy and then made a profit.
Full Story is Guardian Australia’s daily news podcast. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or any other podcasting app.
Sport
India have defeated England by 151 runs in the second Test after James Anderson was cleaned up by Mohammed Siraj after just three bowls.
Media roundup
Australia has sourced 500,000 doses of Pfizer from a scheme set up to ensure poorer countries receive access to vaccines, according to the Sydney Morning Herald, but health experts in the Australian Financial Review warn additional vaccine doses will do little to stop the rise in Covid transmission if residents do not comply with public health orders. The Brisbane times say a teenager has been charged with attempted murder over the violent burglary that left Wallabies player Toutai Kefu with severe stab wounds.
Coming up
Better Futures Forum, an Australian climate summit, begins today.
And if you’ve read this far …
Beachgoers in the southern province of Granada inadvertently found themselves in pursuit of a pair of alleged drug smugglers after a cannabis-laden boat careened on to their pebbled shore.
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