Yahoo News Morning mail: Australia and NZ win world cup bid, dire GDP warning, giant wombats
Good morning, this is Richard Parkin bringing you the main stories and must-reads on Friday 26 June.
Top stories
Australia and New Zealand have won the bid to co-host the Fifa Women’s World Cup in 2023. Fifa’s council voted in support of the Australasian bid, 22 to 13 despite Uefa’s late endorsement of the last remaining rival, Colombia. North America, Africa and Asia voted as a block for the first ever cross-confederation bid, with Europe and South America backing Colombia. The president of New Zealand Football, Johanna Wood, said: “We believe we have been given a treasure … We will work towards putting women’s football even more front and centre on the world stage.”
The prime minister and the premiers will discuss strategies for containing localised outbreaks, a timetable for reopening Australia’s arts and entertainment venues, and the return of international students when the national cabinet meets today. It comes as Victoria is battling an outbreak of Covid-19 infections. After the ninth consecutive day of double digit cases in the state, the Andrews government initially requested more than 1,000 Australian defence force personnel to door-knock the two Victorian suburbs at the heart of the latest outbreak, but the state government late on Thursday revised that request down to 200 to assist with testing. Meanwhile, medical experts believe that more than 20 million Americans could have contracted the coronavirus, more than 10 times the official count, amid warnings of “apocalyptic” risk of infection in several major cities.
More than 60 of the world’s central banks have issued a warning that global GDP could fall by 25% by 2100, if significantly more is not done to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions. In a groundbreaking outline of major “scenarios” designed to guide banks and financial regulators in better assessing the financial risk of climate change, central banks such as Australia’s Reserve Bank and the Bank of England outlined three diverging possibilities, ranging from orderly, to “disorderly”, to a more drastic “hot house” scenario. At one end is a 4% contraction of global GDP by century’s end, but only on the proviso that climate strategies are introduced soon and gradually tightened.
Australia
Environment groups have slammed a new draft water sharing proposal for the Barwon-Darling river system, saying the proposal still prioritises irrigation over environmental outcomes. Mass fish die-offs in recent years such as those seen at Menindee have highlighted the river system’s present fragility.
The prosecution of lawyer Bernard Collaery and former intelligence officer Witness K has cost Australians $2m, with the Coalition accused of spending an “extraordinary and outrageous” amount in its pursuit of the duo responsible for exposing Australia’s bugging of Timor-Leste during oil and gas negotiations.
Young Australian lawyers have detailed a raft of sexual harassment allegations within the legal profession, including a top-tier firm senior lawyer requiring a “supervisor” at social functions, with one witness reporting: “It’s not just the judiciary, it’s through the industry.”
Japan’s Nippon Paper Group has been petitioned by over 40 Australian environmental groups not to accept timber logged from Victoria’s native forests, in the wake of the summer’s devastating bushfires and a landmark ruling that VicForests had repeatedly breached conservation regulations.
The world
Satellite images suggest China has increased its military presence on the Indian border, in the aftermath of deadly cross-border skirmishes that killed 20. Indian military officials have said they will be closely monitoring the planned disengagement process.
Tech giant, Viber, the fifth biggest messaging service in the world, has announced it will sever ties with Facebook, as part of a growing boycott of the platform by commercial partners since the company declined to take action against posts by president Trump that critics said incited violence.
The Bulgarian prime minister stands accused of threatening to “burn” a rival member of parliament, with a former Bulgarian journalist turned anti-corruption campaigner alleging a recording of a man making the threat is Boïko Borissov.
Fossils of a “big boned” marsupial, five times the size of modern wombats, could represent a missing evolutionary link, researchers have claimed. Mukupirna nambensis discovered in 1973 is not considered a direct ancestor of the wombat but sheds further light on the modern vombatiformes’ common ancestors.
Recommended reads
Among the jagged rocks looming above Hobart, the Disappearing Tarn is one of Tasmania’s great mysterious secrets. The crystal clear waters only appear on kunanyi/Mt Wellington sporadically – to the bafflement of scientists and locals alike. But as Stephanie Eslake writes, unlike the Tassie Tiger, sightings do occasionally reward those prepared to wait for the right circumstances.
“The sex discrimination and harassment started at law school.” For a 26-year-old Catharine Lumby, sexism and double standards began even before entering the workplace. “My cohort at the University of Sydney was the first to graduate equal numbers of men and women. But we were entering entirely different worlds when it came to career opportunities.”
“My mother used books as a form of communication.” For award-winning author and teacher Tegan Bennett Daylight, a diet of somewhat eclectic novels formed the backbone of her formative education: “I learned to overlook the archaic, to be open to the oddnesses of different eras, and to read for something else.” Now as a teacher, she says, it’s the little details in novels that help reveal life’s profound metaphors.
And so lockdown passed, and the multitudes looked upon their sourdough starters, mouldering forlornly. If you were one of those swept up in a frenzy of home-baking in recent months only to witness that first frisson slowly dissipate, then fret no more – your starter discards can now produce a tasty treat: wondrous sour and sweet chocolate brownies.
Listen
Newark’s new strategy. Synonymous with accusations of police brutality after its horrific handling of uprisings in 1967, New Jersey’s Newark has worked hard to change its approach. On this episode of Full Story, Ankita Rao explains how the city navigated recent ructions without violence, looting or a single arrest.
Full Story is Guardian Australia’s news podcast. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or any other podcasting app.
Sport
Arsenal have ended weeks of disappointing defeats, injuries and transfer frustrations with a 2-0 win over Southampton, courtesy youngsters Eddie Nketiah and Joe Willock.
American race car driver Jessi Combs has posthumously been awarded the fastest land speed record for a woman, after she crashed in August 2019 whilst attempting to surpass Kitty O’Neil’s 1976 record. The TV motor host reached 841km/hr in a jet-powered car.
Media roundup
ABC’s chair Ita Buttrose has accused communications minister Paul Fletcher of lying and withholding vital data ahead of the swingeing cuts handed to the public broadcaster, writes the Sydney Morning Herald. The ABC reports Australia’s international borders are unlikely to fully reopen until a vaccine is found for Covid-19 according to outgoing chief medical officer Brendan Murphy. And, wrap up the cattle, as Queensland braces for icy weather with temperatures of -3C in store for the sunshine state, claims the Courier Mail.
Coming up
Tasmania premier Peter Gutwein is expected to announce when the island state’s coronavirus border restrictions will be lifted.
Facebook, Google and TikTok are being asked to crack down on fake news and misinformation as part of a voluntary tech industry code due in December.
And if you’ve read this far …
Space toilet technology hasn’t always been top-notch – just ask the astronauts of the Apollo era and the floating nasties they encountered. And while the Russians have a pretty flashy solution onboard the International Space Station, as Nasa eyes another moon landing, they’re willing to splash out $35,000 prize money for new sol-loo-tions.
