Yahoo News Morning mail: Trump calls Fauci a 'disaster', Russian Olympics cyberattack, Instagram censorship
Good morning, this is Tamara Howie bringing you the main stories and must-reads on Tuesday 20 October.
Top stories
Donald Trump has attacked the top US public health expert, Dr Anthony Fauci, calling him a “disaster” and claimed that “people are tired of hearing Fauci and all these idiots” in a conference call to his campaign staff. The president later went on Twitter to criticise Fauci over his TV appearance on 60 Minutes. The comments come as infections rise above 40 million globally and many European countries are bringing in localised lockdowns. A two-week national lockdown will be imposed in Wales, which the government hopes will give the NHS breathing space before winter. Poland will open a temporary hospital at Warsaw’s national stadium and a surge in infections in the Czech Republic has made it one of Europe’s worst-hit countries. Elsewhere, Iran reported a big spike in the daily number of coronavirus deaths, with a rise from 252 to a new record of 337.
Journalists and environmental and human rights groups could face compulsory questioning by Asio as part of a proposed expansion of the spy agency’s powers, according to external legal advice. GetUp’s general counsel, Zaahir Edries, who did not prepare the advice, said the law was “a chilling attack on our democracy”. The bill to extend the reach of questioning powers could deter people from speaking to journalists, the advice argues.
Russian military intelligence services were planning a cyber-attack on the Olympics and Paralympics in Tokyo, the UK National Cyber Security Centre has said. The UK’s foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, condemned the actionsas “cynical and reckless.” The Russian cyber-reconnaissance work covered the Games organisers, logistics services and sponsors and was under way before the Olympics was postponed due to coronavirus. The new evidence is the first indication that Russia was prepared to go as far as to disrupt the Games, from which all Russian competitors had been excluded because of persistent state-sponsored doping offences.
Australia
Tony Abbott’s decision to grant Prince Philip a knighthood cost Australian taxpayers $135,000. That’s the value of write-downs the governor general has made to insignia associated with knights and dames because they are deemed worthless after the awards were scrapped by Abbott’s successor, Malcolm Turnbull.
Kevin Rudd has called for solar panels to be made compulsory on all new buildings and increased incentives as part of a “genuinely green recovery” from recession. The former PM says Australia risks becoming “the complacent country” and could suffer another recession if it remains tied to fossil fuels.
Legal experts have warned that Gladys Berejiklian is likely to have breached the state’s ministerial code of conduct by failing to disclose her secret relationship with the disgraced former MP Daryl Maguire. Despite the intense public and political criticism over the past weeks, a majority of voters approve of her performance, according to the latest Guardian Essential poll.
The world
The UK has refused to restart Brexit deal negotiations despite the EU accepting its demands. A No 10 spokesman said: “The UK has noted the EU’s proposal to genuinely intensify talks ... However, the UK continues to believe there is no basis to resume talks unless there is a fundamental change of approach from the EU.”
French police have raided dozens of Islamist groups and suspected extremists three days after a teacher was beheaded outside his school. The interior minister, Gérald Darmanin said about 80 investigations were under way into radical preachers and suspected extremists accused of spreading online hate.
Bottle-fed babies are swallowing millions of microplastic particles a day, according to new research. Scientists found that the recommended high-temperature process for sterilising plastic bottles caused bottles to shed millions of microplastics.
Vietnam is preparing for a cyclone to hit the coast in the coming days. The storm is expected to add to the already existing trail of destruction from two storms this month, which left 102 people dead or missing, and forced 90,000 people to evacuate due to floods and landslides.
Recommended reads
It’s time for social media giants to update their guidelines to make room for everyone, writes Lacey-Jade Christie, after the Australian comedian Celeste Barber’s latest parody post on Instagram highlighted the platform’s discriminatory algorithm against those who aren’t thin, white or cis-gendered. Barber posted a parody side-by-side photo of her imitating a post from the former Victoria’s Secret model Candice Swanepoel, clutching her bare breast and exposing side boob. But while both photos revealed the exact same parts of each body, Instagram wouldn’t let fans share Barber’s post, saying “goes against our community guidelines on nudity or sexual activity”. Swanepoel’s post, meanwhile, went unreported.
Australia’s post-Covid jobs snapback is all about part-time work, writes Greg Jericho. “The September labour force figures highlight just how difficult Australia’s recovery from the pandemic will be – the initial ‘snapback’ was quick, but leaves many jobs still to return. The recovery is all about part-time work and full-time work lost has barely returned at all.”
For women in lockdown with kids, it’s hard to feel like a whole person with interests, desires and needs when you’re stuck wearing a mask that says “mother” all the time, says Kate Mildenhall. “Yes, we love our kids and, yes, we even love being mothers (it seems we still have to preface any mum-whingeing with this proviso), but lockdown, as necessary and important as it has been, took away our opportunities of being seen as anything other than a parent.”
Listen
All over the English-speaking world, conservative commentators have latched on to Sweden’s approach to coronavirus as a shining example other countries should follow. The country has managed to avoid enforced lockdowns – but what did it do differently?
Full Story is Guardian Australia’s daily news podcast. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or any other podcasting app.
Sport
The Canberra five-eighth Jack Wighton claimed the 2020 Dally M medal in a dramatic count during a final-round NRL shootout with Clint Gutherson and Nathan Cleary. The NSW Origin star is the first Raiders player in 25 years to clinch the medal for best player of the season.
Three more Wasps players from England’s Premiership Rugby have tested positive for Covid-19, taking the total to seven, but a decision on whether the club will play in the Premiership final on Saturday has been pushed to Wednesday as the team await more results.
Media roundup
The Victorian government is considering using electronic monitoring devices for some returned travellers when Victoria opens up to international flights, says the Age. The Australian reports that the Queensland premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, has stunned members of her own party and church leaders by supporting euthanasia. And the Mercury says Border Force could establish customs arrangements to process international travellers at Hobart airport in a matter of “days”, despite the fact no one has requested it.
Coming up
NSW parliament sits, with pressure mounting on Gladys Berejiklian over her relationship with Daryl Maguire.
The inquest into death of Indigenous man who had fatal asthma attack in custody continues after revelations he was slapped in the face by a prison nurse.
And if you’ve read this far …
A humble chestnut tree has been named Belgium’s tree of the year. The tree, the sole survivor of a chestnut avenue planted 160 years ago, survived both the bombardment of Ypres in the first world war and a desperate hunt for firewood during the second, earning the gong in recognition of its survival in the face of adversity.
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