Good morning, this is Richard Parkin bringing you the main stories and must-reads on Friday 15 May.
Top stories
The Trump presidency’s failures in response to the coronavirus mean Americans should brace themselves for their “darkest winter in modern history”, an ousted public health official turned whistleblower has warned the US Congress. Rick Bright, the former head of a federal agency overseeing vaccines, told a congressional committee that the lack of a comprehensive plan to tackle Covid-19 means the “window is closing to address this pandemic” in the US. More than 36 million Americans have filed for unemployment benefits over the past two months, while the global toll has passed 300,000 reported deaths from the virus. Elsewhere, the Russian government has defended its “exceptionally precise” official fatality tally, despite Moscow health officials revealing that more than 60% of coronavirus patients were not included in the city’s death toll because they died of other causes.
The push for investment in a post-Covid green economy in Australia has received a fillip from an unlikely quarter, with the Reserve Bank publishing fresh data that shows a 50% slump in new renewable energy projects last year. The RBA research found investment in solar and wind had supported employment in regional areas, with between 25% to 40% of project spending going to local suppliers or manufacturers. The former Liberal leader John Hewson, now the director of an energy storage business, said the RBA had “gone out of its way to make a point” about the importance of renewable power to the economy, with other industry leaders urging the federal government to do more to support the sector.
Australia runs the risk of its relationship with China becoming “permanently adversarial”, a former senior diplomat has warned, unless diplomatic efforts are carefully coordinated. Richard Maude warned that Australia would be poorer and less resilient if relations between China and other western nations were to sour, arguing that patience was the key to successful negotiations: “Cool determination rather than indignation is the better response.”
Australia
St Vincent de Paul has slammed the process surrounding the disbursement of cash grants to bushfire survivors, saying in a royal commission submission that the size of and restrictions around the grants had caused the charity “reputational damage” and disincentivised donations to those badly in need.
Economists have warned that a fundamental shift in the Australian economy is on the horizon, with one in 10 Australians expected to lose their jobs in the aftermath of the pandemic. Falling house prices could also hurt households, with industry figures suggesting that the jobkeeper wage program will need to be extended.
The Australian Taxation Office is claiming a major victory, with the tech giant Google paying $133m in outstanding taxes. Google has been one of the ATO’s most high-profile target companies and has paid more than $450m in tax since 2017, compared with just a few million annually as recently as 2015.
The world
Friends and family of a 26-year-old black woman shot dead in her home by police have rallied outside courts in Kentucky. It’s been two months since Breonna Taylor, an emergency medical technician, was killed by shots fired into her apartment.
One in four people who died in English hospitals from Covid-19 had diabetes, NHS research has revealed. Dementia, chronic kidney or heart disease have also been identified as common comorbidities.
Spanish police have busted a sophisticated global trafficking operation that smuggled cocaine into Europe from Colombia. It impregnated the drug into cardboard boxes used to carry tropical fruit.
Canada’s Calgary zoo will return two giant pandas to China due to troubles importing bamboo, arguing on animal health grounds that the duo, Er Shun and Da Mao, will be better off “where bamboo is abundant and easy to access”.
Recommended reads
Theatres around Australia are aiming to reopen in September – but the burning question remains: how best to do so? From temperature checks at the door, quarantining actors, or even shifting shows to outdoor venues, almost all options are on the table, writes Elissa Blake. “We want to get audiences into theatres and artists back where they belong,” says the STC’s Kip Williams. But are patrons ready to return?
“Before I got one of my own, I thought electric bikes were for lazy, unfit people.” In a post-Covid world, Brigid Delaney is rediscovering the simple joys of healthier transport, and reconnection with the natural world around her. “Maybe because our lives had shrunk so much, so quickly … that first electric bike ride is one of the most memorable afternoons of my life.”
With planes grounded and country borders closed, most of us have become accustomed to the confines of our home. But for those fearing their long-awaited travel plans might be on hold indefinitely, Netflix’s adventures in roadside cuisine, Street Food, might be just the tonic you need right now, says Tess McLaughlan. “In each city you meet inspiring and passionate characters, discover new dishes and cuisines, and learn how the two have influenced each other over time.”
Listen
Scott Morrison and sports rorts – the questions that just won’t go away. It’s been four months since the Australian National Audit Office released its report into the skewed allocation of over $100m of public money and Brigid McKenzie’s ministerial discretion therein. On this episode of Full Story, reporter Paul Karp explains why Scott Morrison’s office still appears to be embroiled in the saga.
Full Story is Guardian Australia’s news podcast. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or any other podcasting app.
Sport
The lead in to 2020’s delayed Tour de France just got more interesting with news that the four-time winner Chris Froome could be about to switch teams. With team leadership uncertain, Froome could depart Team Ineos under challenge from last year’s winner, Egan Bernal.
The Premier League must show more games on free-to-air TV and do more to support the grassroots game if it wants to return in June, the UK government has instructed. Up to 45 matches could become freely available to fans.
Media roundup
The federal government could reintroduce mutual obligation requirements for 1.6 million people on jobseeker payments by 1 June, reports the Financial Review, as the Coalition looks to rein in cost blowouts in its unemployment support packages. The NSW government may need to add temporary bike lanes and open up more city parking as offices in Sydney’s CBD reopen but commuters avoid public transport, claims the Sydney Morning Herald. And regular repatriation flights will be landing at Brisbane airport from next week, writes the Courier-Mail, as Qatar Airways steps up its connections to Australia.
Coming up
The national cabinet will meet to decide on the latest coronavirus responses.
The deadline for offers to buy Virgin Australia is due this morning, with 19 parties interested and the Queensland government reportedly willing to tip in $200m.
And if you’ve read this far …
Matt Damon has undergone some pretty remarkable on-screen transformations – but it’s his real-life metamorphosis that has Ireland swooning. Stranded on the Emerald Isle for filming of an upcoming Ridley Scott movie, Damon says lockdown has turned into a “fairytale” family holiday, with his easy mingling with village locals fast earning the Hollywood A-lister the appellation Matt O’Damon.
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