Morning mail: bushfires' grim toll in NSW and Victorian towns, Iran revokes nuclear deal
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Version 0 of 1. Monday: Scott Morrison under further scrutiny as monstrous fire trauma rolls on. Plus: Weinstein trial begins Good morning, this is Helen Sullivan bringing you the main stories and must-reads on Monday 6 January. Top stories Days of limbo are wearing down NSW and Victoria communities displaced by bushfires. After Saturday’s atrocious conditions, the NSW south coast town of Eden became the latest locus of the rolling crisis that has torn through great swaths of the east coast. Desperate residents, holidaymakers and refugees from surrounding communities sought refuge on the town’s wharf until authorities said even there was unsafe. “It has to change something, doesn’t it?” Shelley Caban told Guardian Australia on Sunday, unsure of whether her home outside Eden still stood. “I really, really hope it does. The spiral can’t keep going like this.” Almost 1,500 properties are confirmed to have been destroyed in NSW alone in the past month. The worst-affected areas on Saturday included Batlow, a small village in the foothills of the Snowy Mountains, where a man died of a heart attack while attempting to protect a friend’s property. In the southern highlands, south-west of Sydney, homes were destroyed in Kangaroo Valley and Wingello. In Victoria, where dozens of blazes continue to burn, 18 communities remain cut off, including Mallacoota, where residents had to be evacuated by the navy. Scott Morrison, under severe pressure over his handling of the crisis, has promised an aid package for badly affected areas, and said on Sunday he would consider a royal commission. We will continue live bushfire coverage throughout the day. Iran has announced it will no longer abide by any of the limits imposed by the unravelling 2015 nuclear deal. In a statement broadcast on state TV late on Sunday, the government said the country would no longer observe limitations on uranium enrichment, stockpiles of enriched uranium, or nuclear research and development. But the statement noted that the steps could be reversed if Washington lifted its sanctions on Tehran. Australia A man has died in Western Australia after being attacked by a shark. Police say the victim was in the area on a boat, and diving at the moment of the attack. The Australian comedian Celeste Barber has helped raise more than $20m to help the NSW Rural Fire Service, as celebrities get on board in response to the bushfire crisis. Farmers on Kangaroo Island were shooting fire-injured sheep on Sunday as the small South Australian community prepared for more dangerous days ahead when hot weather returns in the middle of the week. The world Harvey Weinstein’s trial in the New York supreme court begins on Monday. Weinstein is set to face his toughest legal challenge yet – a criminal trial for rape and sexual assault that could send him to prison for the rest of his life. The international coalition fighting Islamic State has suspended operations against the terrorist group so its forces can concentrate on protecting US, UK and other troops at bases in Iraq after the killing of Qassem Suleimani. A Fresh Cambridge Analytica leak “shows global manipulation is out of control”. More than 100,000 documents relating to work in 68 countries that will lay bare the global infrastructure of an operation used to manipulate voters on “an industrial scale” are set to be released over the next months. Russia has published a plan to adapt its economy and population to climate change, aiming to mitigate damage but also “use the advantages” of warmer temperatures. Recommended reads “There’s a midden at Murramarang on the south coast that dates back to the Ice Age,” writes Lorena Allam. “It holds the stories of 12,000 years of Yuin occupation, in layers of stone tools and spearpoints, fish bones and oyster shells. For thousands of years, Yuin ancestors would gather and feast, sending fire signals to other mobs up and down the coast. My dad used to say he’d like to sit there one night by the fire, and see who might come from the shadows to join him. That’s how strong their presence is in that quiet place. I want to hope the midden is intact, but unlike the prime minister I don’t believe in miracles. The fires were too ferocious.” You would be excused for thinking all influencers get paid for promoting products. Some do but many are actually paying businesses for the privilege. Micro-influencers exist across all interests and industries but one of the most prominent groups is mothers. Brands love them as they provide a niche channel for advertising without the exorbitant fees charged by celebrities. Listen Today in Focus looks back at the story of Freddy McConnell, a Guardian journalist and trans man who in 2016 decided to begin the process of conceiving and giving birth to his own child. Sport Australia remain on track to finish off a perfect season of Test cricket, going to stumps on day three at the SCG on 40-0 and leading New Zealand by 243 runs. That advantage owes much to Nathan Lyon, who claimed his 17th five-wicket haul to help dismiss New Zealand for 251 in their first innings. At Newlands, Dominic Sibley neared a century to put England in control against South Africa. On a sultry Sunday England’s batsmen set to work as diligently as their bowlers had on Saturday. England lead by 264, with six wickets in hand. Liverpool have beaten Everton 1-0 in their FA Cup third-round tie, thanks to a wonder goal from 18-year-old Curtis Jones. Chelsea defeated Nottingham Forest 2-0. Media roundup The Australian highlights Scott Morrison’s promise of millions for the bushfire crisis, while the Sydney Morning Herald focuses on the anger of NSW Liberals at a “disconnected” Morrison over his handling of the fires. The Advertiser reports that as many as 25,000 koalas may have been killed in the Kangaroo Island fires, as the army reserve prepares to deploy to the island. Coming up Nicole Kidman, Margot Robbie, Russell Crowe, Toni Collette and Cate Blanchett are vying for Golden Globes at today’s awards. Follow our live blog from mid-morning AEDT. And if you’ve read this far … They’re little. They’re women. And they’re terrorising grown men everywhere, apparently. Sign up If you would like to receive the Guardian Australia morning mail to your email inbox every weekday, sign up here. |