Good morning. NSW is looking forward to some freedoms now that it has reached 70% double-dose vaccination coverage of the adult population but police have been accused of handing out unfair Covid fines – to the tune of $9m. The US faces another debt impasse. And the Australian whistleblower lawyer Bernard Collaery celebrates a “victory for justice”.
NSW residents will enjoy new freedoms from Monday, including being able to gather in each other’s homes, go to restaurants and bars, and the reopening of most retail and service businesses – including barbers and hairdressers. But community legal centres have accused police of “systematic failure” over the “ridiculous” proportion of on-the-spot Covid fines handed down to younger Australians. More than 10,000 fines were issued for alleged Covid infractions between March 2020 and July 2021, with a blitz of 6,815 fines being handed out in July 2021 alone. And regional NSW mayors have expressed concerns that the state’s reopening could prompt Covid infection rates to spike. All 10 NSW LGAs with double vaccination rates below 50% are regional – six of which are presently battling outbreaks.
President Joe Biden has accused the Republican party of playing “Russian roulette” with the US economy in the face of ongoing filibuster before a crucial debt ceiling vote. In scenes reminiscent of the 2013 debt crisis and subsequent government shutdown, Biden has accused leading Republicans of “obstruction and political games”, saying social security benefits would effectively stop on 18 October if the debt ceiling were not raised.
Bernard Collaery has heralded an appeal ruling that lifts secrecy provisions as a “victory for justice”, thanking the lawyers who have helped him, pro bono, during the multimillion-dollar trial brought against him by the Australian government. In handing down its ruling, the ACT court of appeal cited the importance of open justice in preventing “political prosecutions”. The attorney general, Michaelia Cash, had sought to use the National Security Information Act to keep part of the case against Collaery secret. The lawyer faces five charges of disclosing protected intelligence information to journalists in collaboration with his client, former Asis whistleblower Witness K.
Australia
GPs have cautioned against online telehealth websites that promise consultations for vaping scripts “in minutes”, saying vaping as a way to try to quit smoking should only be pursued if “all else has failed”.
Leading climate scientists have dismissed the role of carbon capture and storage in combination with existing fossil fuels to reach net zero emissions targets, saying that only if used with clean energy sources might CCS have a part to play in transitioning to net zero.
The ATO has said furore related to the leaked Pandora papers will lead to future crackdowns, citing the effect the 2016 Panama papers had in helping collect an additional $38m in tax revenues.
The world
The World Health Organization is heralding “an historic day”, after it green-lit the rollout of the world’s first malaria vaccine. Piloting of the treatment has been ongoing since 2019 but a breakthrough has improved the efficacy of the vaccine to the stage where it could “save tens of thousands of young lives each year”.
The granddaughter of Benito Mussolini has won the most votes during Rome’s city council elections in a boost for the far-right Brothers of Italy party. The party has been gaining traction and slightly trails the centre-left Democratic party as the nation’s second most popular.
A UK court has ruled that Dubai’s ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, used Pegasus spyware to hack his estranged ex-wife’s phone. Al-Maktoum, also the UAE prime minister, remains in a custody dispute with Princess Haya.
Danish restaurants have claimed the top two spots in the “Oscars of gastronomy”, the 2021 World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards. René Redzepi’s Noma has won the coveted top spot. The Australian restaurant Brae finished 57th.
Recommended reads
“A silver lining of the pandemic has been knowing that birds are bringing these same kinds of joy to so many others’ lives.” For ornithologist Leo Joseph, a chance encounter with a colourful rosella in 1968 set him on a path from which he’s never strayed. “Australian birders, whether hardened old campaigners or new recruits, can take pride in the role our continent has played in the evolution of birds. From DNA-based research, we know that the world’s songbirds, for example, originated right here and that a distant ancestor of our robins gave rise to the rest of the world’s songbirds.” Remember to vote today as the Guardian Australian 2021 Australian bird of the year heads into the final tense day of voting.
It’s 20 years since the west’s response to the September 11 attacks plunged Afghanistan into conflict and chaos. A collective of Australian and Afghan artists, musicians and journalists is planning a series of exhibits and performances – hoping to offer a “more reflective, and critical perspective” on the past two decades. “I vividly remember reporting from insurgent territory in the country and seeing and hearing the Afghans caught in the middle of a senseless war,” the project co-founder Antony Lowenstein said. “Afghan art is one way to resist this futility and build something beautiful and provocative.”
“Despite the growth of China, one would have to be a fool to deny the hold America still has on the global economy.” And as the US once again eyes debt default it creates a “chilling effect outside its borders”, argues Greg Jericho. “It may send a calamitous tsunami through the global financial system that sets off GFC 2.0, or investors might all take a deep breath and in effect ignore it as best they can because actually thinking that the US dollar is no longer safe is too scary to contemplate.”
From Darude to melodicas, Bec Hill has scoured the internet to present you her 10 funniest things for this week. Come for the space-and-time-bending Japanese talent troupe, stay for an emotionally earnest meeting between a child and a robot.
Listen
The rollout of the AstraZeneca vaccine in Australia stalled when it was linked to fatal rare blot clots. But domestically, the death rates from this condition were much lower than overseas. On this episode of Full Story, Guardian Australia’s medical editor, Melissa Davey, speaks with Australian medical professionals about how they helped to reduce fatalities.
Full Story is Guardian Australia’s daily news podcast. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or any other podcasting app.
Sport
World Rugby has announced a ban of red-green kit clashes from the 2027 World Cup onward, with the news shared on Colour Blind Awareness Day. About 8% of male rugby fans and 0.5% of female supporters experience some form of colour vision deficiency.
The long-stalled Saudi Arabian-backed takeover of Newcastle United could be one step closer after the Middle Eastern nation announced it has reversed its domestic ban on the Qatari broadcaster BeIN Sports.
Media roundup
France has returned its ambassador to Australia with a mandate to “redefine the terms of [the] relationship”, after the bruising $90bn submarine contract dispute, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. A WA senator is leading a push for rank-and-file Liberal party members to directly elect their parliamentary leader, says the West Australian. And South Australians have been handed an early Christmas present, writes the Advertiser, after Steven Marshall announced vaccinated interstate visitors will not have to quarantine during the festive season.
Coming up
Peter Dutton’s defamation case against Shane Bazzi continues.
And if you’ve read this far …
Most of us don’t cherish prolonged weight gain. But for 480 Otis, a heartwarming story of weight gain despite the odds has propelled a once undernourished bear to the prestigious title of winner of Fat Bear Week – an Alaska competition celebrating the pre-hibernation weight gain of Katmai national park’s furry inhabitants.
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